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Illinois Basketball: 3 takeaways from the final 247Sports class of 2022 rankings

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood watches from the baseline during a NCAA Big Ten Conference men's basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211206 Ill Iowa Mbb 034 Jpg
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood watches from the baseline during a NCAA Big Ten Conference men's basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211206 Ill Iowa Mbb 034 Jpg /
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Ensworth’s Skyy Clark (55) advances against Brentwood during the second quarter at Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.Bhs Ehs Bbb 111920 An 013 /

The final class of 2022 rankings are out for 247Sports, and the Illinois basketball team has multiple signees on the list.

Coming into the updated rankings, everyone already knew the Illini had a great class coming in. This has been solidified by 247Sports’ most recent update. The first Illinois player on the list is Skyy Clark.

Clark checks in as a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 31 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 5 point guard in the nation and the No. 8 player coming out of Florida. Illinois had a good class before Clark committed months ago, but now we have a class that could go down as one of the greatest in program history.

Not too far behind Clark in the rankings is Jayden Epps. He is a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 43 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 7 combo guard in the country and the best player coming out of the state of North Carolina.

If you move a few more spots down, you will find Ty Rodgers. Rodgers is a four-star recruit who is the No. 47 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 5 power forward in the nation and the best player coming out of Illinois.

And rounding out the list of the four talented players Illinois pulled in this recruiting cycle is Sencire Harris. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 84 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 11 shooting guard in the country and the best player coming out of Ohio.

Illinois pulled in an impressive class, but there are a few things I am taking away from this final ranking by 247Sports.

Here are three takeaways for the Illinois basketball team in the final 247Sports class of 2022 rankings.

1. Impressive class for the Illini

The obvious takeaway I have from the final 247Sports class of 2022 rankings is how good the class is that Illinois is bringing in this year.

We have three top 50 recruits, which is something that has never happened in the 247Sports ranking era. The closest thing the Illini have had to three top 50 players is in 2010 when we had Meyers Leonard, Jereme Richmond, and Crandall Head.

Illinois has now officially finished with the No. 7 class in the country for 2022. That is an incredible feat by the coaching staff, and it shows you that we don’t need the previous staff to be able to recruit well. Chester Frazier, Tim Anderson, and Co. know what they are doing.

I think these youngsters will be able to play and give the program big minutes in year one too. Skyy Clark is going to be Illinois’ starting point guard from the jump. Both Jayden Epps and Ty Rodgers will compete for starting jobs, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see one or both get a few starts throughout the season.

Sencire Harris is the underrated player out of all four recruits. He has led his St. Vincent-St. Mary’s team to back-to-back state titles in Ohio. That is an incredible feat. The kid knows how to win and has winning in his blood. Look for him to get big minutes as well.

This is going to be a special class. Look for all four of them to be on the court at the same time sometime over the next year. The future is so bright.

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