Illinois Basketball: 2022 3-star wing receives Illini offer

It looks like the Illinois basketball team isn’t finished with the 2022 class, as they are now targeting an underrated wing.

As of right now, the Illini have one of the best classes in the nation for 2022. They are currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 2 in the Big Ten. With three strong recruits pledged for the next recruiting class, Illinois is looking to add at least one more player. That recruit could end up being Justyn Fernandez.

Fernandez is a 6-foot-5, 200-pound small forward from Virginia Episcopal School and resides in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 48 small forward in the nation. He is also the No. 10 player coming out of Virginia.

Illinois joined a list of roughly 15 other programs that have already come in with a scholarship offer. In addition to the Illini, some of the bigger programs to offer Fernandez include the likes of Arizona State, Clemson and Oregon State. There is one official visit off the board as well. Fernandez took a visit to George Mason back in mid-June.

Illinois basketball sees the potential in Fernandez on the wing.

Why Fernandez doesn’t get more love on 247Sports.com is beyond me. He isn’t ranked nationally, but this kid has enough skill to be, at least, in the top 125.

Let me first start off by saying I love Fernandez’s energy on the court. He plays a nice up-tempo game that is conducive to putting points on the board. Speaking of putting points on the board, Fernandez scores from different levels.

Fernandez has great shooting ability from anywhere on the court. He can hit the three-point shot, but his driving ability is also impressive. Fernandez has a big body, so he can take a hit in the lane and still finish at the rim.

I absolutely love Fernandez’s game and hope Illinois can get in the mix for him. I think there is a chance Fernandez climbs dramatically up the national recruiting ranking in the coming months. This kid is the real deal.