The Illinois basketball program’s recruiting train is in full force, as they recently offered four-star Brandin Podziemski from Wisconsin.
Podziemski becomes the latest offer made by the Orange and Blue, as the senior four-star shooting guard took to Twitter on Wednesday to make the news official. Podziemski is currently ranked as the No. 4 player in Wisconsin and comes in as the No. 32 best shooting guard in the nation for his age group.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound prospect is one of the most highly-touted recruits in the 2021 class. He currently has offers from some major top-tier programs. Including Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky are gunning for Podziemski, while Arizona State and DePaul are still looming as well.
Blessed to recieve an offer from Head Coach Brad Underwood, Assistant Coach Ron Coleman and the University of Illinois #fightingillini pic.twitter.com/QMVsbKadVR
— Brandin Podziemski (@brandinpodziem2) December 16, 2020
Podziemski hails from Delafield, Wisconsin, and attends St. John’s Northwestern Academies. During the 2019-2020 season, the Lancers basketball team enjoyed sustained success, as they finished 19-6 overall with a first-place finish in the Midwest Classic Conference. The season would end with a loss against Racine in the team’s third playoff game, 67-53.
The 2020-2021 varsity basketball season started as planned in Wisconsin, and the Lancers have already gotten off to a fast start, going 5-1 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The team’s next game is scheduled for Friday night when they host a winless Kenosha Christian Life team before Saturday afternoon non-conference action against West Alis, who currently sits at 2-2.
Podziemski has wasted little time putting colleges on-notice throughout his senior year thus far. In an 86-59 drubbing against the University School of Milwaukee, he dropped 45 points and tailed 12 rebounds and 4 assists.
In an interview with Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers, Podziemski gave a glimpse as to where his recruiting currently sits prior to making an official announcement.
"”I would like to commit when I feel is right and when my family feels that it is the right time. Right now committing is not on my mind. My main focus is just continuing to build relationships with the coaching staff and also get better every day,” he explained."
Podziemski has also been compared to Tyler Herro, the Miami Heat star, but he wants to forge his own path at the next level.
"“In terms of describing my game, I feel that I can do anything a coach asks me to do but most importantly I play hard and I have that dog in me that not many people have. People like to make comparisons between Tyler Herro and myself but I’m Brandin Podziemski and I am here to write my own story,” he said."
What would Brandin Podziemski bring to Champaign?
Podziemski is a player who could be a game-changing talent for any program. Consistent outings on a nightly basis, along with playing beside recent 2021 commit Luke Goode, could make for a deadly combination from long-range.
With Ayo Dosunmu likely departing for the NBA next year, it’s critical that Brad Underwood and Company snag a player who could become the new face of a program that currently has Final Four and national title aspirations.
Let’s see if the Illini can win out and bring home a rising Midwest prospect for next season.