The Illinois basketball team is already looking ahead to the class of 2024 with an offer to a Boston native.
6-foot-4 shooting guard Nick Petronio is already on the radar of the Illini coaching staff. And for a program that is looking to continue its ascent up the college basketball rankings, looking ahead to the 2024 class is productive.
One of Illinois’ latest offers comes from the Milton Academy product, as Petronio, a Massachusetts native, announced that he had been offered by the Illini on July 15. The power-five look comes on the heels of interest from Toledo, Fordham, and Sienna, to name a few.
Extremely excited to receive an offer from the University of Illinois! Thank you to the entire coaching staff for this opportunity! @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/IBGhSPsuKO
— Nick Petronio (@Nick_Petronio11) July 15, 2022
“Extremely excited to receive an offer from the University of Illinois! Thank you to the entire coaching staff for this opportunity,” Petronio wrote on his Twitter account.
At press time, the tweet gained significant traction amongst Illini fans. Currently, the tweet sits at 50 retweets, 11 quote tweets, and 455 likes with tons of positivity coming his way.
How will Nick Petronio fit in Brad Underwood’s Illinois basketball system?
Petronio would fit nicely into Brad Underwood’s system. He played well for the Expressions Elite grassroots organization, where he shot 50% from the field and 52% from three-point range during a late-April game in Indianapolis, Indiana. High percentage shooters are nothing new for Underwood. Just ask Alfonso Plummer.
Expressions Elite EYBL Spotlight: Nicholas Petronio | 2024 | 6’4” | Guard | Milton Academy (Ma) | @Nick_Petronio11 | Nike EYBL Session 2 Indy (16u): 14.5 ppg, 50% % fg, 52% 3pt #InXWeTrust #LLTC5 pic.twitter.com/962PMYoTyz
— Expressions Elite Basketball (@ExpressionsBall) April 29, 2022
In an interview with Rivals, Petronio spoke highly of the program regarding his recent offer.
"”Illinois is a great school, a terrific basketball school. So I was super pumped,” he said."
Pumped he should be indeed. The Illini are coming off of their best season since 2004-05, as the squad won a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a victory over Iowa back in March.
Now, with a turnaround complete, the Illini are in search of more hardware in the years to come.