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Illinois Basketball: New Illini coach sees potential in 2023 4-star guard

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The national anthem is played before a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The national anthem is played before a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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New assistant coach Chester Frazier is already on the recruiting trail for the Illinois basketball program.

A big question for me would be how well can the former Illini guard recruit? Well, Frazier is now dipping his toe into a pretty big pond, as the Illinois basketball team has offered 2023 guard, Marvel Allen.

Allen is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound combo guard from Calvary Christian Academy and resides in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 38 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 7 combo guard in the nation and the No. 4 player coming out of Florida.


The offer from the Illini was not Allen’s first of the recruiting cycle. He also has offers from teams like LSU, USF and Virginia Tech. With Frazier going from the Hokies to the Illini, it looks like he has brought the offer with him.

What would Allen bring to the Illinois basketball team?

I am excited that there might already be a solid connection between Frazier and Allen. It looks like Frazier may have already offered the kid when he was coaching the Hokies, so that bond might already be there between the two.

Allen is still tremendously young, so there is a lot of room to grow. But I love the kid’s size and his ability to play multiple roles on the floor. He is someone who is always looking to make a play whether that be through scoring or setting up his teammates to succeed.

As a freshman, Allen actually played for Wellington High School, which is the same program Trent Frazier came up with. But Allen transferred out and is now at Calvary. There is still so much development left with this kid where it is hard to judge what he is going to end up being come his senior season.

Allen did end up having a pretty good sophomore season with Calvary, though. The team was 17-7, and he averaged 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Those are solid numbers for someone barely able to drive. Allen is only going to continue to improve his game and become an even better all-around player.

Next. Top 5 Illini recruiting targets for the class of 2022. dark

I love this offer by Illinois. Allen reminds me a little bit of Ayo Dosunmu in the fact they both can do it all. Let’s get another Ayo on the team and make a push for a national title.

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