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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini lineup with ZZ Clark

By Rees Woodcock

PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 16: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena on February 16, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Illinois 70-59. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 16: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena on February 16, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers defeated Illinois 70-59. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball
Combine Academy’s Jayden Epps (10) drives to the basket during the first half of the 48th annual City of Palms Classic Signature Series championship between AZ Compass Prep and Combine Academy, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.AZ Compass Prep led Combine Academy 25-22 at halftime and won 58-43.City of Palms Classic 2021: AZ Compass Prep vs. Combine Academy, Signature Series championship /

Illinois basketball just landed another huge recruit who will help the program win a lot of games in the future.

The Illini were able to land 2024 power forward Morez Johnson back in November 2021. This was the earliest I could remember a player of his level committing to Illinois. Johnson is a top 50 recruit for 2024, so this sent some shockwaves through the college basketball world.

Brad Underwood isn’t even close to being done building for the future, though. This past weekend, current Illinois signee Skyy Clark and his brother ZZ Clark visited Champaign. Skyy’s visit was his official visit, as he will be joining the program this fall. ZZ’s visit was unofficial, as he is a member of the 2024 class.

ZZ clearly knows what he wants in a program, though. On Monday afternoon, ZZ joined his brother and decided to commit to the Illini. This was a huge commitment for the Orange and Blue and one that will lay the foundation for what could be multiple national titles in the next decade.

Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with ZZ Clark.

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Jayden Epps (JR)

It is tough to see how good each player is going to be in 2024, but for the purposes of this article, I am going to slot Jayden Epps in as the starting point guard on the 2024-25 Illini. I think he can play multiple roles on the team, and having him transition over to point guard after Skyy Clark leaves for the NBA would be best for the program.

Epps is coming into the Illinois basketball program this season as a highly rated recruit. He is a four-star combo guard who is ranked as the No. 48 player in the class of 2022 and the No. 8 combo guard in the nation. Epps is also the best player coming out of North Carolina. Illinois should have an experienced team in 2024, and Epps will be one of the leaders of this program.

Backup: ZZ Clark (FR)

As of right now, ZZ Clark is yet to be rated or ranked by the recruiting sites.  He has the blood of Skyy Clark, so my guess is that ZZ is going to be a really good basketball player. I have Clark coming in and being the primary backup at the No. 1 guard spot.

Just because I have Clark as the primary backup doesn’t mean he won’t get playing time. This kid has a lot of talent and would be used in various roles on the floor. I would venture to say that Epps and Clark would be on the court at the same time quite often. But, for now, I would have Clark being a backup and getting 20-25 minutes in each contest.

Backup: Scholarship #1

It is definitely important for Illinois to keep loading up on talent. Epps is going to eventually leave the program at some point, and who knows how long Clark will last with the talent he brings to the table. I think having another solid point guard on the bench is a must. Over the next few seasons, let’s add a point guard who can play and help the team. That is where the first of four scholarships would be used.

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