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Illinois Basketball: Illini land top 100 recruit RJ Melendez

ByRees Woodcock|
Feb 6, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini bench celebrates a three point during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini bench celebrates a three point during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois basketball team added a member to their class of 2021 on Monday night.

Rumblings of a potential commitment started on Sunday night when Tipton Edits released that RJ Melendez would announce his commitment on Monday. They also tweeted out that Illinois had the 100-percent Crystal Ball.

On Monday, Melendez made it official and announced his commitment to the Illini via his Instagram account. His announcement comes hours after Illinois moved back into the top five in the latest AP Top 25, checking in at No. 5 in the latest poll.


This is a big commitment for the Illini considering how highly rated Melendez is by 247Sports. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 97 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 21 small forward in the nation. He is also the No. 13 player in the state of Florida.

There isn’t an official list of teams who were competing for Melendez’s commitment, but teams like USF, UCF and Oklahoma State were reported to be in the mix, among others. So, Illinois beat out some competitive teams for this top 100 wing.

What does the Illinois basketball class of 2021 look like now?

It has honestly been a rough road for the Illini since Luke Goode committed to the program back in April 2020. The talented Homestead guard signed in November, but he remained the lone player committed for 2021 until Monday.

Melendez now adds to the depth of the class of 2021. Illinois has two top 100 recruits, which makes this class look pretty solid. But there are still some pieces we are missing and need to add.

I would like Illinois to add a backup No. 1 guard. We need someone to spell minutes for Andre Curbelo next season. I don’t believe we have a suitable point guard to come in and give Curbelo some rest.

The other need, and the most obvious one, is the addition of a big man. Kofi Cockburn is going to depart the program. I am not confident in the big man options we have behind him. We need someone to replace Kofi in 2021.

I love the addition of Melendez, but there is still more work to do. He and Goode are great building blocks to what could be a great class of 2021. Let’s keep building.

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