Illinois basketball will eventually shift most of their focus to the class of 2022 which just had its rankings updated by 247Sports on Wednesday.
There are many recruits the Illini are currently pursuing and will be pursuing in the class of 2022, so let’s take a look at the Top247.
First, we take a look at in-state recruits.
The top state of Illinois recruit is AJ Casey out of Whitney Young. The 6-foot-8, 180-pound forward is ranked in the Top247 as the No. 31 player in the class of 2022. It will be a dogfight to get Casey to stay in-state. He has every program in the nation coming after him.
Braden Huff (No. 77), Jaylen Drane (No. 216) and Kyle Thomas (No. 226) are also in the state of Illinois and ranked inside the Top247. But the player Illinois has really built a solid foundation with is Jaden Schutt.
Schutt, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard out of Yorkville High School, is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 119 player in the Top247. He has been in contact quite a few times with the Fighting Illini coaching staff over the past year and even did a Zoom call with the Illini. There is a strong connection with Schutt and one that might extend into a commitment down the road.
Now let’s span outside the state of Illinois and look at who the Orange and Blue could make inroads with for the class of 2022.
Mark Mitchell is a name to keep an eye on. The Mission, Kansas native is a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 13 player in the Top247. Illinois talked to him this summer and with a good 2020-21 campaign, the Illini might be able to make up some ground with him.
Another name that might be a little more realistic would be Zion Cruz. A five-star recruit ranked as the No. 17 player in the Top247, Cruz would be a great addition to the Orange and Blue. Illinois offered him back in August, and there is a strong Illini connection on the east coast. Cruz attends The Patrick School out in New Jersey, and that is the same school Illinois was able to pull Giorgi Bezhanishvili from in 2018. So, there is a connection there.
Isaac Traudt is someone to watch if you are an Illini fan. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Grand Island, Nebraska native is a four-star recruit who is the No. 49 player in the class of 2022. Illinois has been in constant contact with Traudt and even had a Zoom call with him back in September. There aren’t a ton of connections with the state of Nebraska, but Illinois is putting in the resources to land Traudt.
Illinois has also been strong in offering players in the last few months. Mason Manning (No. 184), Trey Pettigrew (No. 186), Cason Wallace (No. 24), Mady Traore (No. 148) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 165) are players the Illini have extended an offer to in that time.
The class of 2022 has many options for the Orange and Blue. Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff have done a great job building the program via recruiting. 2020 should be much of the same.