Illinois Basketball: In-state guard Jalen Quinn has Illini in visit plans

Illinois basketball is really expanding its reach for the final couple of spots in the 2022 class.

A number of players have been offered a scholarship but only one player has committed, and that is Reggie Bass out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. The hunt for more talent continues, and one player the Illini are eyeing is in-state talent, Jalen Quinn.

Quinn is a 6-foot-2, 170-pound point guard out of Tuscola High School and resides in Tuscola, Illinois. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but Quinn does have some scholarship offers right now. The four programs to come in with an offer to the point guard include the likes of Drake, Loyola-Chicago, Southern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago.

While Illinois has yet to offer Quinn, there is definitely some interest between the two parties. On Thursday, Jake Lieberman of ProInsight tweeted out the visit schedule for Quinn. He is visiting Saint Louis this weekend. Quinn follows that visit up with one to Belmont, Southern Illinois and Marquette in the next two weeks.

Lieberman goes on to mention that Quinn is also planning on visits to Illinois-Chicago, Butler, Drake and Illinois. These are all unofficial visits, of course.

Illinois basketball needs someone behind Andre Curbelo.

I think the urgency to find a solid backup point guard is real right now. While the national recruiting rankings aren’t there for Quinn, he might be an okay option for that role.

Quinn has nice bounce and is able to move well on the court. He seems to be someone who can control the court and become a floor general. That is always good to have in a point guard. I also like his southpaw stroke from the outside. The kid can get buckets from the perimeter, and he can drive it in the lane. His build helps with paint contact.

At the end of the day, Quinn could potentially be a solid backup for the Illini and maybe even someone who can develop over the next few years. There is a chance he becomes a diamond in the rough. I don’t mind the Illini exploring this option at all.