Brad Underwood doesn’t take days off as he tries to continue building the Illinois basketball program into a national powerhouse once again.
The haul Underwood has been able to bring in since taking over the Illini is quite impressive. Ayo Dosunmu started the great recruiting run. Kofi Cockburn gave validity to everything and put Illinois over the top. The 2021 class brought in three four-star recruits. And now Illinois is sitting with the No. 4 ranked class for 2022.
But if you decide to sit on your hands when you snag a few great classes, that is when the train goes off the tracks. That is when you see holes in the roster that end up being your ultimate demise. Underwood isn’t allowing that to happen.
There was a great example of this from the past weekend. Underwood, among other coaches, took in some AAU basketball action. It was the Under Armour Association title game that featured a local team in the Illinois Wolves.
Tom Izzo, Brad Underwood, and Fran McCaffery, along with assistants from Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Oklahoma all are in to watch 2023’s Asa Thomas and Cameron Christie of the Illinois Wolves right now at the UAA Finals. Heavily recruited young duo.@AsaThomas13 @24CameronC pic.twitter.com/9bsDrvKwTT
— Trent Markwith (@TMarkwith14) July 24, 2021
In a Twitter post by Trent Markwith of Relentless Hoops, he mentions that Underwood is there watching the championship game of the UAA. He also mentions that the players that Underwood is there to watch are Illinois Wolves’ Cameron Christie and Asa Thomas.
What would each of these players bring to the Illinois basketball program?
Christie is a name familiar to a lot of Illinois fans. His brother, Max Christie, was the top player in the state of Illinois for the 2021 class. He ended up committing to Michigan State, though. Tom Izzo was also there watching Cameron Christie.
247Sports doesn’t have anywhere near full recruiting grades for the 2023 class just yet, but I am sure Christie will end up in the top 100, especially with the quality of coaches who were watching him this past weekend.
Christie doesn’t seem to have nearly the polished game that his brother had coming out of Rolling Meadows. But I do like Christie’s hustle and scrappiness. He is great in the fast break and has the ability to finish at the rim. I like his touch within 10 feet of the basket as well.
Thomas is in the same boat as Christie when it comes to national ranking. 247Sports doesn’t have him on their list just yet, but he will surely crack the top 100 with his ability on the court.
If you are recruiting Thomas, you want him as a big-time perimeter scorer. This kid can get buckets from deep. He makes great decisions with the ball and is almost a dual-threat when it comes to his guard role. I could see him being a three-point ace in college, but he could also average four assists per game with his vision.
Both Christie and Thomas are already wanted by big-time DI programs across the country. Over the next couple of years, watch their recruitments blow up. Hopefully, Illinois is able to keep both talented playmakers in-state.