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Illinois Basketball: 5 biggest recruiting targets for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 3, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood applauds his team during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood applauds his team during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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CHAMPAIGN , IL – NOVEMBER 13: The Illinois Fighting Illini logo on the floor before a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the State Farm Center on November 13, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

3. James Brown

The class of 2024 is shaping up to be a special unit. Illinois already has two commitments for this class, and another one from a player like James Brown would put it over the top.

Brown is a 6-foot-9, 210-pound center from St. Rita High School and resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 32 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 6 center in the nation and the best player coming out of the state of Illinois.

A variety of schools have been all over Brown over the past couple of years. He has continued to gain momentum and has risen up the recruiting rankings. He has roughly 27 scholarship offers, but it looks like Brown’s recruitment is coming to a close soon.

Brown has scheduled all five of his official visits. Missouri is on October 1, Michigan State on October 7, North Carolina on October 15, Duke on October 21, and Illinois finishes off the official visit tour on November 4.

That is a lot of firepower when it comes to blue bloods recruiting a player. Illinois is going up against some of the best programs in the nation for one of the best recruits. We do have some recruiting chips, though. Illinois is obviously the local program for Brown, but I think the biggest power we have is the fact his teammate at St. Rita, Morez Johnson Jr., is already committed to Illinois for 2024. They would form a legendary one-two punch in Champaign.

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