Illinois Basketball: Morez Johnson lands in top 40 in 247Sports 2024 rankings

Illinois basketball has a top 50 recruit for the class of 2024, according to 247Sports.

247Sports had held out from releasing their initial class of 2024 rankings. Many of the other recruiting sites had already released their rankings, but 247Sports held their rankings close to the vest. On Wednesday, though, the top 80 for the 2024 class was released, and the Illini found themselves with one of the top 80 players.

Morez Johnson, a superstar out of Chicago, committed to Illinois back in November 2021. This was a big get for Brad Underwood and his newly put-together coaching staff. Johnson looked to be a great building block for what could be a special class of 2024.

The new 247Sports rankings solidified that thought with their top 80 rankings for 2024. They slotted Johnson as the No. 40 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 5 power forward in the nation and the second-best player coming out of Illinois.

Who is going to team up with Illinois basketball commit, Morez Johnson?

As mentioned when talking about Johnson, he is the second-best player in the state of Illinois according to 247Sports. That means there is an in-state recruit who is ranked higher than Johnson.

That recruit would be Johnson’s teammate, James Brown. Both players are from St. Rita High School up in Chicago, and they would be a great one-two punch for the Orange and Blue.

The size of the two players isn’t too far off either. Johnson, a 6-foot-8, 205-pound power forward, is just a touch smaller than Brown, who is 6-foot-9, 210-pounds. Brown isn’t too far ahead of Johnson in the 247Sports rankings either. He is the No. 32 player in the class of 2024 and the No. 4 center in the country.

Obviously, having Brown and Johnson play for the Illini in 2024 would be huge for the program. No one is stopping that frontcourt. Who else should Illini fans keep an eye on, though?

Illinois has cast a pretty wide net already for 2024, so it is tough to tell who has a serious interest in the program. I would keep tabs on all of the current Illini offers, but some players that spark my interest the most are Tre Johnson, David Castillo, and Malachi Palmer. All three would be huge for the Illinois backcourt, and we are going to need some serious help with the guard roles on the team come 2024.

I love the new rankings and the fact that, right now, Illinois has the No. 1 class for 2024. While it may end up being short-lived, it is still nice to see. Johnson is the real deal, and he has earned that top 40 ranking.