Just weeks into the 2020-21 campaign, the Illinois basketball team is 4-1 and has knocked off a top 10 team.
This is a great start to the season, but one thing the Illinois coaching staff hasn’t started is landing talent for the class of 2022.
Still a ways away, the class of 2022 is laced with talented recruits from coast to coast. While there are recruits scattered across the country, there are also some great young talents close to home. One of those great recruits is Jalen Washington.
A 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward, Washington laces up for West Side High School in Gary, Indiana. Despite a lot of talent coming out of the southwest part of Indiana, Washington is getting noticed nationally. He is rated as a five-star recruit and is the No. 18 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 1 player in the Hoosier State.
Back on November 23, Illinois came in with an offer to the talented stretch-four. But just extending an offer isn’t good enough for the Illini. They aren’t taking the foot off the gas when it comes to Washington’s recruitment.
In a recent interview with Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers, Washington said Illinois is the newest school in the mix. He also elaborated on some of the recent contact the Illini coaching staff has had with him.
"“Yes. I had a zoom most recently with Illinois and it was great. They really went into great detail about their player development and I feel like that’s huge for me.”"
Washington would be perfect for the Illini in 2022.
I believe landing someone like Washington, who would be the highest-rated recruit for the Illini in modern recruiting rankings, would be perfect for the basketball program.
By the time 2022 rolls around, Illinois’ roster is going to look completely different. Most of the guys on the team right now won’t be in Champaign. With that being said, we are going to need a lot more help in and around the paint.
Washington would come in and start from day one. I could see him maybe growing another inch or two and then starting at the No.5 with Coleman Hawkins at the No. 4. These two would make for one of the best frontcourts in college basketball.
I love that Illinois is putting in the resources for 2022. Their effort now should pay dividends down the road.