Illinois Basketball: Illini trying to get into the mix for Jamari Phillips

Illinois basketball is now in the sweepstakes for one of the best players in the 2024 class.

Brad Underwood has done a great job recruiting talented guards to help the Illini win games. Just look at what the class of 2021 is already doing with the program. But we need to continue snagging talented guards so the pool doesn’t run dry. That is why Illinois is starting to recruit Jamari Phillips.

Phillips is a 6-foot-3, 170-pound shooting guard from Modesto Christian High School and resides in Modesto, California. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but Phillips is widely known as one of the best young players in the nation. He is actually ranked as the No. 17 player in the 2024 class by Rivals.com.

The recruitment of Phillips is only going to get bigger as time goes on. He has roughly nine scholarship offers right now, but the majority of top programs have yet to recruit the kid.

Illinois basketball could use another big-time guard like Jamari Phillips.

It is obviously going to be a long recruitment, and Phillips hasn’t even fully dived into all of his options yet, but Illinois will hopefully have a chance down the stretch. We could use a player like Phillips on the roster.

Phillips is already built like a college athlete. He has all of the tools I would want in a player at the high school level as well.

I love Phillips’ ability to create his own shot. He isn’t just a spot-up shooter. He can get into the lane, he can take his man off the dribble, and he can make a shot from anywhere on the court. The aggression Phillips brings to the table is impressive as well. He isn’t afraid of contact.

It will be tough for Illinois to go out west and land a high-caliber player like Phillips. He is going to have everyone after him within a year. Hopefully, Underwood can work some magic and bring him to Champaign.