Illinois Basketball: Illini commit Brandin Podziemski is next up

Let me go over the list of Illinois basketball players who have won the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball award.

Brandin Podziemski.

That is the list right now. The only player in Illini history to come from the state of Wisconsin and to win their coveted Mr. Basketball award is none other than Podziemski.

There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to Podziemski’s game. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound shooting guard is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 71 player in the class of 2021 by 247Sports. They clearly think this kid is special, and there is no reason to think otherwise.

In a little chat with his dad, John, he let me know that the fact Brandin isn’t ranked higher increases the size of the chip on his shoulder.

“No worries, just like I said, he carries a big chip on his shoulder, and just like most who doubt him, all of a sudden start to say, I “always” knew this kid was good. Yeah, right.”

It is exciting to get such a talented sharpshooter into Illinois. But the work is clearly not finished before he arrives in Champaign. There are some improvements he is looking to make this summer.

“He is at 198 (pounds), trying to get to 210. He’s just keeping his shot dialed in on threes, free throws, floaters and driving to the hoop.”

What is Illinois basketball getting with their first Wisconsin Mr. Basketball?

The history of Wisconsin Mr. Basketball dates back to 1982. As previously mentioned, Illinois has never been able to snag the top player in the state of Wisconsin, until now.

There have been some big names who have won the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball award. Sam Hauser, who just finished his career up at Virginia, averaged 16 points and 6.8 rebounds this past season for the Cavaliers.

Henry Ellenson played one season with Marquette and averaged 17 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He was the No. 18 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Diamond Stone spent one season at Maryland and averaged 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He was a second round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

The list continues with Kevon Looney. He spent one season with UCLA and averaged 11.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The Golden State Warriors picked him in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft. Sam Dekker averaged 12.1 points and 5 rebounds for his career at Wisconsin. He was the No. 18 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

You can continue down and name some other big names on the list. Wesley Matthews is still in the NBA. Devin Harris has a great NBA career as well.

There are so many names on the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball list that have had great college careers and have gone onto the NBA. Podziemski could be next in line to have that solid college run followed by his name getting called in the NBA Draft. I truly believe that is the path this kid could have. Illinois fans are going to get to experience the journey, and that is exciting.