Illinois Basketball: Illini targeting 2024 in-state forward with latest offer

Illinois basketball continued their push for the class of 2024 on Thursday night by offering a scholarship to a local recruit.

Winning the state of Illinois should always be a priority for any coach of any program at the University of Illinois. The current Illini coaching staff has done a solid job with in-state recruiting. They are now trying to build a strong relationship with 2024 in-state recruit, Cooper Koch.

Koch is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward from Peoria Notre Dame High School and resides in Peoria, Illinois. He isn’t ranked or rated just yet as 247Sports hasn’t released their full 2024 rankings. But Koch is already starting to get some recruiting attention.

In addition to the offer by the Illini, Koch has roughly seven other programs that have extended an offer. Some of the bigger names to keep an eye on include the likes of Iowa, Purdue and Wake Forest. The fact Koch is from Peoria makes this recruitment even bigger for the Orange and Blue.

What do we know about Illinois basketball target Cooper Koch?

Since Koch is so young and is only entering his sophomore year in high school, it is hard to determine how good he will be moving forward.

In the little there is out there about Koch and his game, you can tell he has strong abilities on the basketball court. He is a good finisher at the rim and is able to use his body well to get position.

Koch’s body has started to develop from 8th grade to freshman year as well. He clearly had a better training program and bulked up for his freshman season. If he continues on that track physically, then there is no doubt the kid will be a beast by senior year.

I also like the shot Koch brings to the table. He has great touch with the basketball and can put the ball in the hoop from just about anywhere on the court. Honestly, he kind of reminds me of someone like Frank Kaminsky.

This is a great offer by Illinois. You have to keep a kid that is this talented and close to Champaign in the state. Building a strong relationship now is going to be important down the road when Koch makes a decision.