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Illinois Basketball: Mac Etienne keeps Illini in top 4

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 7, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The national anthem is preformed prior to the first half before a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The national anthem is preformed prior to the first half before a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois basketball team moved one step closer to landing the big man of their future.

Just this past weekend, the Illini missed out on Tyty Washington, a stellar 2021 point guard who would have helped bridge the gap between Andre Curbelo and the next era of Fighting Illini basketball. Even with that miss, there was always one big target everyone was eyeing.

On Monday, Mac Etienne narrowed his top list down to just four teams, keeping alive Marquette, Miami (FL), UCLA and Illinois. This is a great list of programs, all needing someone like Etienne to anchor the paint in the future.


Whoever lands Etienne is going to get a special player. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound Brewster Academy big man is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 41 player in the class of 2021. He is also the No. 7 center in the nation. So, with the addition of Etienne, one of these teams will be getting a top 50 player.

Why does Illinois basketball need Etienne?

Well, as previously mentioned, Etienne is a top 50 recruit. Every team in the country wants a player who is ranked in the top 50 in their respective class. But this is bigger than just a top 50 player.

Illinois was lucky enough to have Kofi Cockburn pull his name out of the 2020 NBA Draft. This gave the Illini an All-American caliber big man back for the 2020-21 campaign. But there is no one in their right mind who thinks Kofi returns after his sophomore season.

What this means is Illinois will be left out to dry when Kofi leaves. I don’t trust anyone behind him because either they don’t have the size or they don’t have the experience. But, with the addition of Etienne, Illinois’ big man problems would be solved.

Etienne would start from day one at the No. 5 spot. He would help the Illinois lineup as well, as Giorgi Bezhanishvili would slide over to the No. 4 spot and give Illinois athleticism and size. This would be the best scenario for the Illini.

Next. Projected Illini lineup after missing on Tyty Washington. dark

It is exciting to see the Orange and Blue as one of the top schools for Etienne. Adding a big man of his caliber would keep the Illini at the top for years to come.

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