Illinois Basketball: Peach Jam run is a foreshadow of things to come for Morez Johnson Jr.

Illinois basketball has brought in some supremely talented players since Brad Underwood took the reins.

All Illini fans are going to remember players like Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn for the rest of time. Some players on the current roster have a chance to be special as well. Ty Rodgers could have a breakout year. It wouldn’t shock me to see someone like Sencire Harris also emerge next season.

For the 2024-25 season, Illinois is getting another one of those special recruits. Morez Johnson Jr. is going to join the program, and he has a chance to be one of the best players in program history.

A 6-foot-9, 205-pound center, Johnson is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 38 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 6 center in the nation and the best player coming out of Illinois. Those are some high rankings for the talented center, and during the Nike EYBL season and Peach Jam, he showed why he has received such high praise.

In the spotlight, Illinois basketball commit Morez Johnson Jr. elevates his game to another level

During the EYBL season, Johnson was one of the big reasons why his Meanstreets AAU team was able to play such great basketball. The team would go on to finish 11-6 in the regular season, which was good enough to get them into the pool play of the Peach Jam.

Johnson would finish the regular season averaging 13.1 points and a league-high 9.8 rebounds per contest. He also had 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 53.5% from the floor. Johnson was going up against the best high school competition in the country, and he was able to lead every player in rebounds. That is an impressive feat.

Meanstreets would continue the hot play in the Peach Jam. Winning all five games in the pool play, the team would advance to the Elite 8 where they would get eliminated by the New York Renaissance, 65-61.

Johnson was able to elevate his game when the stakes got bigger. During the pool play and in the Elite 8, Johnson would average 17.0 points and another league-high 13.2 rebounds per game. He also had 1.8 blocks, which ranked No. 5 in the league, and shot 60.3% from the field. All of his numbers improved when there was more at stake.

This was the final season of the Nike EYBL that Johnson would play, and he went out with a bang. He has to still finish up some AAU ball and then his senior season in high school is on the horizon. Look for Johnson to continue his tear with Thornton in the coming months. This kid is a superstar.