Illinois Basketball: Illini sets virtual visit with Mac Etienne
Some massive news regarding the Illinois basketball team came down the pipeline on Thursday afternoon.
Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com posted on his Twitter page that Illinois will have a virtual visit with 2021 big man, Mac Etienne, on Thursday night. This meeting will be with Illini head coach, Brad Underwood.
Etienne’s recruitment has been extremely quiet leading up to this week. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound center from Brewster Academy is emerging as one of the best recruits still left for 2021. That is one of the reasons why Illinois needs to land him.
Illinois’ Brad Underwood and his staff will complete a virtual meeting this evening with Top-60 senior Mac Etienne, a source told @Stockrisers.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) September 24, 2020
Brewster Academy and PSA Cardinals big.
With three scholarships left to fill, Underwood and the Illini are looking for solid options. The lone commitment so far for 2021 is Luke Goode, who should be a dominant sharpshooter for the program immediately. But depth at the center position has been a glaring issue that Kofi Cockburn has been able to cover up for the past year.
I was worried when Kofi declared for the NBA Draft and then took a while to pull his name out of the mix. If Illinois would have lost him to The Association, then the program would have been up a creek without a paddle.
Thankfully, Kofi returned for one more year. But, after he departs in 2021, Illinois is going to need a suitable replacement. That is the main reason I want Etienne on this team. He is the most important player for Illinois to land right now.
I believe we have a great shot at pulling in the big man as well. Etienne has had some action on the recruiting front in the past week. Miami (FL) and Marquette, among other teams, had a virtual visit with Etienne in the last seven days. That means his recruitment is really starting to heat up. But Illinois still remains the only team to actually do an in-person official visit with the star center. That visit was right before the worldwide pandemic was turned up a notch.
Next. Top 5 Illini wins in the Brad Underwood era. dark
Etienne is priority No. 1 for the Illinois basketball program. We have immediate playing pull. We have the development pull. We have the title-chasing pull. Let’s snag Etienne and continue being a great program.