Illinois Basketball: Illini still working hard to land Adrame Diongue

Illinois basketball is not done big man hunting for the class of 2022.

The Illini have quite the haul coming in from the 2022 class. There are three freshmen joining the roster in Ty Rodgers, Jayden Epps, and Sencire Harris. They are all the best player in their respective states according to 247Sports.

Brad Underwood and his coaching staff were able to land one of the most coveted transfers in the portal in Dain Dainja as well. He is a 6-foot-9 monster coming in from Baylor.

While early signing day has come and gone for the college basketball world, the regular signing day starts on April 13. That leaves Illinois some time to secure another recruit or two for the future. One player the Illini have been targeting is big man, Adrame Diongue.

Diongue is a 7-foot, 185-pound center from Compass Prep and resides in Chandler, Arizona. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 132 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 20 center in the nation and the No. 9 player coming out of Arizona.

Diongue has been hearing from the Illinois basketball program.

Illinois came in with their initial scholarship offer to Diongue back in September 2021. This was an exciting offer considering the big man has a 7-foot-6 wingspan. That type of size can really wreak havoc in the college game.

Since that offer back in September, it is clear that Illinois has put in the work recruiting Diongue. They continue to be in heavy contact with him to the day.

In an article by Jamie Shaw of On3.com, Diongue talks about his game and where he is as a player. He then goes on to talk about a few college programs. In the article, Diongue mentions Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, and Illinois specifically as the teams that he is hearing from the most.

Diongue then goes on to say what he likes about the Illini.

"“They play the same way I play. A lot of pick and rolls, lobs, everything post up around the basket.”"

Analysis

As an Illinois fan, it is definitely exciting to be one of the teams Diongue is thinking about. We need another big man in the mix for when Kofi Cockburn departs the program, which is most likely after this season.

I don’t think Omar Payne has the offensive prowess needed to be a starter in the Big Ten. Danja is coming in, but he hasn’t proved anything at the collegiate level either.

That is why it would be nice to bring in a player like Diongue who can give those other two big men more competition. The more competition Illinois has the No. 5 spot, the better off the program will be. Hopefully, Underwood can continue building on the relationship and, eventually, land Diongue for 2022.