Illinois Basketball: ESPN undervaluing Illini recruiting class for 2023

While the Illinois basketball team tries to figure things out on the court, the class of 2023 that is coming in is getting some of their final recruiting rankings.

Ranking-wise, it is hard to compete with what the Illini brought in from the 2022 class. On paper, we had three top 75 recruits and the only player who wasn’t, Sencire Harris, is arguably our best freshman on the court.

While the class of 2023 might not rank as high as that 2022 class, Illinois still has some serious talent joining the program.

On Friday, ESPN released its new rankings for the class of 2023. Scattered throughout will be names that are familiar. At No. 2 you have DJ Wagner, the son of former NBA player Dajuan Wagner. Down the list a little bit, you will find Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James. And not too much further down, you will find the first Illinois player.

Checking in at No. 52 on the top 100 is Amani Hansberry. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound center, according to ESPN, is a four-star recruit who has a grade of 84. He is also the No. 6 center in the country and the No. 2 player in the state of Maryland.

Sadly, Hansberry is the only member of the Illinois class of 2023 to crack the ESPN Top 100. The last grades to make the top 100 were 82, and both Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Zacharie Perrin both rank 81 in the ESPN rankings. Newly committed point guard, Niccolo Moretti, doesn’t have a ranking yet.

This is probably going to be an extremely underrated recruiting class for the Illinois basketball program.

I love having Hansberry ranking inside the top 60, and two players just about to crack the top 100, but I think this Illini recruiting class could end up being much better than the rankings show.

Hansberry is such a versatile player on the floor. He has solid size and can move well. The paint is where Hansberry does his best work, but he isn’t a black hole. When the ball is thrown down to him, he is looking to make the best play for the team.

I am impressed that Hansberry isn’t just a lumbering big man too. He has good handles. This is a player who can be built around on the Illinois roster. He is a centerpiece type of talent. Illinois fans should be excited.

On top of Hansberry being a big-time recruit who probably should be ranked inside the top 30 nationally, I think the rest of our 2023 class is going to be big-time contributors.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is a playmaker in every form and fashion. He can be a great ball distributor, and he can take you off the dribble and get to the rim. When the defender gives Gibbs-Lawhorn space because they are afraid of him driving, then he will knock a three-pointer down right in your eye. He has a very similar game to Jayden Epps.

Illinois has some size help that came in from the 2023 class in Perrin. He enrolled early into the program and actually saw his first minutes a couple of nights ago. The best way to describe Perrin is a smooth big man. He runs the court well, he can rebound, and I think his best attribute is his sweet stroke from the mid-range. Perrin gives me Pau Gasol vibes.

Lastly, Moretti was the final member to commit to the class of 2023. He has actually already enrolled at Illinois as well. Look for Moretti to work hard on his body and be a huge piece for the Illini next season. He brings such a fun style to the program. Moretti’s ability to get to the hoop and draw contact is phenomenal. He is also a great distributor of the ball.

If you look at the class of 2023 and are worried that there aren’t enough top 50 recruits, then I have one thing to say to you. Don’t be worried. I promise, this class is going to be a foundation builder. We have some solid talent coming in who will help us win Big Ten titles. The future is so bright for the Orange and Blue.