![STVM's Sencire Harris makes a layup ahead of Shawnee's Austin Miller during the second half of a Divsion II state semifinal, Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Dayton, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Stvmsemis 1](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/8e4a0456b85570cea69e865aed49b2ccc16c70a0b36c3f58b73f3a6af1b4108c.jpg "STVM's Sencire Harris makes a layup ahead of Shawnee's Austin Miller during the second half of a Divsion II state semifinal, Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Dayton, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Stvmsemis 1")
Illinois basketball added an extremely important piece to the program on Saturday when Sencire Harris announced his commitment.
Harris is from northeast Ohio, which is unfamiliar recruiting territory for the current Illini coaching staff. But starting a pipeline to the high school basketball program LeBron James built might not be a terrible idea.
Harris is a great player who is currently rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 93 player in the 2022 class. Illinois needed to add more talent to their recruiting haul, and Harris is a perfect fit for what the Orange and Blue are trying to do. He was a much-needed addition to a now deep backcourt.
Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with the addition of Sencire Harris.
No. 1 Guard
Starter: Andre Curbelo
Now that we are onto the 2021-22 campaign, there is zero doubt in my mind that Andre Curbelo will be the starter at the No. 1 spot as long as he is in Champaign. I believe that Curbelo is going to end up being one of the best players to ever come through the program. So, by his junior year in 2022-23, this kid should be a preseason All-American.
As a freshman, Curbelo averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 assists and 4 rebounds in just 21.5 minutes of action per game. Those numbers should increase as a sophomore, as it wouldn’t shock me to see him secure multiple triple-doubles. When Curbelo enters his junior year, if he doesn’t go to the NBA before then, I fully expect him to average somewhere in the ballpark of 15 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds per game. That is the expectation I am putting on him for his junior year.
Backup: Sencire Harris
The man of the hour appears pretty early in the projected lineup for Illinois in 2022, as I have Sencire Harris being the primary backup to Andre Curbelo. People might scratch their heads and wonder why I have Harris as the backup point guard. The answer is simple; Illinois doesn’t have a backup right now and Harris can do it all.
Harris is more of a scoring threat than Curbelo and much less of a stereotypical point guard, but he can still dish the ball. This past season with St. Vincent-St. Mary, Harris averaged 14.5 points, 3.2 steals and 3.1 assists per game. Those are good numbers. I think, for the time being, Harris could be a great option be spell minutes for Curbelo. I am sure Brad Underwood would probably have both of them on the court at the same time as well.