Illinois Basketball: Kylan Boswell would be a “hometown hero” for the Illini

The Illinois basketball program welcomed Arizona Compass Prep stand-out, Kylan Boswell, for an official visit last Sunday.

Boswell is making his presence known amongst some of the top 2023 recruits in the nation. He is a five-star point guard from Arizona Compass Prep, and he recently released his top eight schools. Boswell’s top eight included UNLV, Oregon, Michigan, Texas Tech, Arizona, USC, Kansas, and Illinois.

Back on February 13, Boswell took an official visit to Champaign where he saw the Illini come away with a gritty win against in-state rival, Northwestern. During that visit, the five-star guard met with head coach Brad Underwood and spoke to various media members about visiting his hometown school. Boswell originally grew up in Champaign-Urbana but left to pursue his high school career out west.

“This recruitment, this process, has been very overwhelming, not gonna lie,” Boswell said in an interview with WCIA. “So, I think I’m coming to a decision right now. We’re trying to cut down the programs with me and my family, but I think a decision will be made and it might be coming soon.”

As far as Illinois is concerned, Boswell isn’t even close to ruling them out just yet.

”Oh, it’s at the top. It means coming back home. Hometown hero. I mean, it’s always at the top. My family’s here, all that’s here. It would be a blessing to come back and play here.”

Not only is Illinois in consideration, but Boswell currently has offers from Arizona, USC, Kansas, and Oregon, to name a few. The guard has enjoyed tremendous success since making the move to prep basketball. In eight games this season, Boswell’s numbers have remained stellar, as he averages 13.8 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds.

What would it mean for Kylan Boswell to play for the Illinois basketball team?

Boswell returning to his roots could do wonders for an Illinois team that will have major shoes to fill next fall.

Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, and Jacob Grandison are just a few of the pieces that will no longer sport the Orange and Blue, which likely means a new era is beginning for the program.

While Ayo Dosunmu brought Illinois basketball back, let’s see if Boswell could do the same to keep it moving forward within the coming years. But only time will tell.