Illinois Basketball: 4-star 2023 guard finishes up Illini official visit

Just about a month ago, the Illinois basketball team added their first member of the class of 2023.

The addition of Amani Hansberry was huge for the Illini back on August 28. Hansberry is a 6-foot-8 forward who is going to do wonders in the paint. But he is the lone commitment so far for the 2023 class.

Illinois has cast a wide net for potential suitors to join the class of 2023. We have been close to landing numerous recruits throughout the process, but only one player has decided to join. That could all be ending soon, as the Illini are getting closer to adding a running mate for Hansberry.

This past weekend, talented combo guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn decided to take an official visit to Champaign. He would be a great addition to what could end up being a top class for 2023.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound combo guard from Montverde Academy. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 70 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 14 combo guard in the nation and the No. 8 player coming out of Florida.

Illinois basketball is still going to have a tough road to land Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn.

Having Gibbs-Lawhorn in for an official visit is big for the Illini. That means we are a serious contender to land the talented former Purdue commit. But this won’t be an easy recruitment to win. There are a lot of big programs sniffing around this kid.

Since Gibbs-Lawhorn reopened his recruitment in August, he has had numerous teams making contact with him. He has also had coaches visit him from all over the country. Two of the most recent visits by coaches were from Memphis and Texas.

With that being said, I think Illinois has the lead with this recruitment. It seems that we continue to gain momentum, and the fact he took his first official visit to Illinois is huge. It looks like Memphis will be our biggest threat. Gibbs-Lawhorn will likely visit with them sometime in the coming weeks.

The Illinois basketball coaching staff has done an amazing job connecting with Gibbs-Lawhorn and showing him Champaign is the right spot for his career. I am excited to see where this recruitment goes over the next month. I think he ends up with the Illini.