Illinois Basketball: Illini lock in three top 25 classes in four years

The final 247Sports player rankings for 2021 are out, and Illinois basketball has each of their commitments inside the top 150.

Illinois’ first player on the list is Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, Brandin Podziemski. The talented 6-foot-5 guard has continued to rise in the rankings over the past year, as he had quite the offer list which included Kansas, Kentucky and Wake Forest, to name a few.

Podziemski is now entering the Illinois basketball program as one of the higher recruits in recent memory. There have been only four players commit to Brad Underwood who have been ranked higher than Podziemski, and those four players include Ayo Dosunmu (No. 30), Adam Miller (No. 35), Kofi Cockburn (No. 54) and Andre Curbelo (No. 61). That is the list. So, Illinois is clearly getting a good one in Podziemski.

The next Illinois commit who is on the list is RJ Melendez. He checks in as the No. 116 player in the nation. Melendez’s ranking is all over the board when you look at the major recruiting sites of 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. Rivals has Melendez at No. 145 while ESPN has him at No. 54. It looks like 247Sports found a sweet spot right in the middle.

Luke Goode rounds out the 2021 class for the Illini. The talented sharpshooter comes in as the No. 133 player in the nation. Both ESPN (No. 80) and Rivals (No. 107) have Goode ranked higher than 247Sports. I am really surprised they don’t think this kid is going to be a top 100 type of talent. In his senior year at Homestead, Goode averaged 19.4 points, shot 7.12 three-pointers per game and made his three-pointers at a clip of 40-percent. Illinois is getting a good one.

How does the Illinois basketball class of 2021 compare to the rest?

Overall, I am loving what I see. Illinois has the No. 24 class in the nation. They have now had three top 25 classes in the four recruiting cycles since Underwood has been at the helm. That is a solid roll from the program.

In the Big Ten, Illinois ranks as the No. 4 class for 2021. Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska are the only teams ahead of the Illini right now. They have been a top five team in the Big Ten when it comes to recruiting in three out of the four classes under Underwood as well.

So, the 2021 class is a solid group of players who will all be big contributors early on in their careers. Underwood has shown he can bring in the talent, now let’s go out there and win another Big Ten Tournament title.