Illinois Basketball: Ty Rodgers shows he is one of the elite players in the country

It looks like the Illinois basketball team has a gem on their hands with one of their 2022 recruits.

Everyone knows that the Illini are bringing in some serious talent from the class of 2022. The freshmen class ranks as the No. 9 class in the country and the leader of the pack is Skyy Clark, who ranks as the No. 30 player in the 2022 class.

While Clark is a great player and a borderline five-star recruit, he might not end up being the best player Illinois snagged from this prestigious class. That honor might go to Ty Rodgers.

When Rodgers pledged to the Illini, it was big news. He was the best player coming out of Michigan, and then he moved to Harvey, Illinois for his senior year and instantly became the best player in the state of Illinois. His four-star rating and being ranked as the No. 48 player in the class of 2022 is impressive. But that isn’t the most impressive accomplishment for Rodgers’ young career.

Back on May 10, the USA Men’s U18 team announced the 27 names they invited to training camp to see who would make the team this summer. Rodgers was listed among the 27 names, and that honor alone is a pretty big deal. But the future Illini star wasn’t settling for the top 27.

This is only the start of something special for future Illinois basketball star Ty Rodgers.

That list of 27 players was going to be cut down to just 12 kids under the age of 18 who will make Team USA. Wearing those jerseys, wearing those colors, playing for this country, that is a massive deal for any basketball player or athlete. There was some serious competition among the 27 players out there competing as well.

Despite the talent on the court and the numerous players ranked ahead of Rodgers on paper, the Illini wing showed the world he belonged and made the Team USA U18 squad. He was joined by 11 other great players who will work together to do great things this summer.

The fact Rodgers can make this U18 team is an incredible feat. It also makes me think, should he be playing more as a true freshman?

I know no one has stepped foot on the court for the 2022-23 campaign, but I had Rodgers getting somewhere between 15-18 minutes per game as a primary backup. I still think that might be the case, but with the way he plays on the court, maybe 20+ minutes would be a better idea.

Regardless of how many minutes he gets as a freshman, he will be starting as a sophomore. Rodgers is clearly going to be a superstar for the Illini, and I can’t wait to see what he can do on the court. The future is extremely bright for the Illinois basketball program.