Illinois Basketball: Morez Johnson Jr. cracks top 40 in ESPN 2024 rankings

ESPN finally got around to updating their recruiting rankings, and the Illinois basketball team has a player on the rise.

Brad Underwood has the Illini on the right track when it comes to recruiting. He has been able to land talented player after talented player, which has made Illinois eligible for the NCAA tournament the last four seasons.

Coming off a class of 2023 that featured Amani Hansberry, who was the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year, the Illini have a great start to the 2024 class. The lone commitment right now is superstar big man, Morez Johnson Jr.

On Wednesday, ESPN updated its class of 2024 rankings, and Johnson landed as the No. 33 player in the country.

Illinois basketball clearly has a special player in Morez Johnson, and recruiting sites are starting to take notice

Johnson isn’t just the No. 33 player in the class of 2024, though. He is also the No. 5 power forward, the No. 3 player in his region, and the best player coming out of the state of Illinois, according to ESPN.

This rise from Johnson is starting to become a trend. In recent weeks and months, both Rivals and 247Sports have updated their rankings as well.

On March 2, 247sports has Johnson as the No. 61 player in the class of 2024, and he is now the No. 45 player. Rivals had the biggest jump for Johnson. He went from being ranked No. 57 to No. 31 in the class of 2024.

Opinion

It is exciting to see Johnson moving up the national recruiting rankings. The more he moves up, the better chance he has at earning a spot in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

I would imagine one of the reasons he continues to rise in the recruiting rankings is due to his showing out during the AAU season. Johnson suited up for Meansteets AAU program, and he would average 13.1 points and a league-high 9.8 rebounds per contest.

Illinois is getting an enforcer in the paint. Johnson can pull down rebounds with the best of the best in the country. I haven’t even mentioned the fact that he averaged 1.3 blocks per game either. This kid is special, and the nation is starting to realize this fact.