Illinois Basketball: Illini continue the push for in-state riser Jaden Schutt

A big target for the Illinois basketball team is visiting Champaign on Monday.

There are so many talented players Brad Underwood and the Illini coaching staff are pursuing right now for 2022. A lot of these players are from out of state. But one in-state target Illinois is hoping to pull in is Jaden Schutt.

Schutt is taking an unofficial visit to Champaign on Monday. This unofficial visit is coming less than two weeks before his official visit to East Lansing to see what the Michigan State program is all about. But having Schutt in for an unofficial visit is the first big step in securing one of his final four official visits sometime down the road.

Illinois could really use a player like Schutt as well. He is a 6-foot-5, 175-pound shooting guard from Yorkville Christian High School and resides in Yorkville, Illinois. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 114 player in the class of 2022. Schutt is also the No. 14 shooting guard in the nation and the No. 3 player coming out of the state of Illinois.

Schutt could really fill up the stat sheet for the Illinois basketball team.

The Yorkville Mustangs had a solid 2020-21 campaign that was shortened due to COVID-19. They went 10-2 on the season with Schutt being the leading factor in the success of the program.

For the season, Schutt averaged 26.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 steals per game. Let me remind you, this is only his junior year in high school. Some of his best games of the season included 32 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists against Indianapolis Crispus Attucks. Schutt also had 35 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists against West Aurora.

These are impressive numbers and if Illinois can get even close to half of those numbers for Schutt as a freshman, then I think we have a gem on our hands. He would be a perfect fit in the Illini lineup as well.

I see Schutt coming in and playing the No. 3 or No. 4 spot with the way Underwood has his offense set up. Schutt is a great rebounding wing, so having him as the No. 4 spot might not be a bad idea. He could stretch the floor and bring the forward out to the perimeter. This would leave the paint open for someone like Andre Curbelo to drive and score at the rim.

Honestly, Schutt would give Illinois so much flexibility with the roster. I would love to see him in the Orange and Blue. He would be adored by the Illini fanbase. Hopefully, we can pull him away from the Spartans.