Illinois Basketball: Illini in the running for top 30 recruit

On Monday night, the Illinois basketball team moved one step closer to landing a huge recruit for 2022.

I love who the Illini have committed as of right now for the class of 2022. Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris are both top 100 recruits. These two commitments give Illinois the No. 17 class for 2022. But this program is nowhere near done adding to their already stacked group of players.

Cam Whitmore decided to update his recruiting plans on Monday night. The talented east coast recruit narrowed his focus to just three programs. The three teams making Whitmore’s list included Villanova, North Carolina, and Illinois.

Villanova was the only program on Whitmore’s list that I was unsure about. Illinois and North Carolina had both received official visits, so I assumed they were both still vying for his commitment. Now the choice is down to just three programs.

Illinois basketball has the room and need for a player like Whitmore.

There were a lot of Illini fans who thought the coaching staff turnover was going to kill the program. They thought without the coaches who took other jobs, Illinois wasn’t going to get quality recruits anymore.

That hasn’t turned out to be true in the least bit. Illinois’ recruiting prowess has actually stayed level or even increased. Now the Illini are in the hunt for a player like Whitmore who would elevate the class to one of the top five in the nation.

Whitmore isn’t just a regular recruit either. He is a four-star who is ranked as the No. 27 player in the 2022 class. Only two times in the past decade-plus has Illinois been able to snag someone with a 247Sports composite rating of 0.9885 or better. That is how special of a recruit Whitmore would be for this program.

Illinois has room on the roster too. With Reggie Bass backing away, this opens a scholarship for Whitmore. And, if we are being honest, Whitmore would start from day one as well. The Illini could always use more talent who can play the No. 3 or No. 4 spots in the lineup. That is where I see Whitmore playing.

The Illini are now in the top three for a great player. Let’s see if we can close the deal and make this one of the greatest classes in program history.