Illinois Basketball: Potential future 5-star wing receives Illini offer

An absolute monster.

That would be a valid description for the 2025 wing that Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood and his staff just offered. On Tuesday, Jackson Keith announced on his Twitter page that he received that offer from the Illini.

Keith is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound wing attending Southern Durham High School in North Carolina.  With the Spartans, Keith averaged 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game…as a freshman.

Illinois basketball target Jackson Keith continues to pick up offers and accolades.

Keith led the Spartans to a 20-7 record, picking up offers from Texas A&M, Radford, North Carolina A&T, and the Illini along the way.

The freshman’s breakout season earned him North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association All-District Player of the Year honors.

Along with his success at Southern Durham, Keith has been dominant in AAU play, ranking No. 5 in the nation with 19.5 points per game. His commanding play has played a vital role in the success of Team Loaded, which ranks No. 9 of all 15U teams.

Additionally, the freshman standout has earned high praise from many scouts around the nation. Pro Insight Director of Scouting and Naismith Trophy voter Andrew Slater included Keith in his list of standouts for the UnderClassmen All-American game.

Jeff Bendel, an analyst at Phenom Hoop Report, explained how the freshman is far beyond his years in his analysis of the Southern Durham product.

"“Keith is already capable of scoring from all levels, making plays without the ball, and setting up others at a nice rate. Between his rebounding, defensive prowess, and efficient offensive game, he’s having no issue asserting himself on both ends of the floor,” Bendel wrote."

Not sold yet?

This clip of Keith flexing his strength and athleticism with a poster-worthy dunk will likely change that.

Illinois has now entered the mix for Keith, as we look to build a solid recruiting foundation. Hopefully, we continue piling up the hardware so we can prove Champaign is the place to be for this budding superstar.