Illinois Basketball: Illini in top 8 for 4-star 2024 guard

Illinois basketball is in serious contention for a big-time wing from the class of 2024.

As of right now, the Illini have one player pledged for the 2024 class. Morez Johnson Jr. is leading the way as a four-star recruit. He has single-handedly put Illinois into the top 20 nationally in recruiting because he is so talented.

But Johnson needs teammates. While he is supremely talented, he can’t literally do this on his own. Illinois needs to land a few more talented players to help him win the national title. Jaiden Glover could be one of those teammates.

On Friday, Joe Tipton of On3 reported that Glover is down to just eight teams in his recruitment. The eight teams still vying for Glover include St. John’s, Seton Hall, Creighton, Villanova, Providence, Ohio State, Saint Josephs, and Illinois

Jaiden Glover would give Illinois basketball a dangerous wing who can do it all on the court for 2024

Glover is a 6-foot-6, 190-pound small forward from The Patrick School in New Jersey. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 61 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 16 small forward in the nation and the No. 4 player in New Jersey.

As of this moment, Glover has scheduled two official visits. According to Tipton, Glover is visiting Seton Hall on August 29 and will then head to St. John’s on September 7. Tipton also mentions in his article that Glover is looking to visit Creighton and Illinois in September.

Opinion

With Glover wanting to visit Illinois in September, that means we are essentially in his top five. I like that position for the Illini because, with Glover being an east coast kid, he had a lot of east coast teams. That worried me. But Illinois is clearly right in the mix.

It would be pretty big if Illinois could land Glover. His game is fun to watch. Glover has a ton of length for a guard. This will help him on defense. I like how he can get to the rim and finish. Glover is looking to make a play at all times, and that is what I want at Illinois.

Snagging Glover would give Illinois one of the best recruiting classes I have seen in Champaign in a while. He is an important piece of the puzzle.