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Illinois Basketball: 2025 guard names Illini as team recruiting him hardest

By Rees Woodcock

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 13: The Big Ten logo on the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse before the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Championship of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 13: The Big Ten logo on the court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse before the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Championship of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament on March 13, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball is looking to build for the future, and landing skilled guards would help achieve that goal.

The Illini are in the middle of focusing on the class of 2024. This class has two players pledged with more on the horizon. Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff are also focusing on the 2025 class. Despite no one committed just yet, the Illini have been hot on the trial of some future stars.

On Thursday, Jake Lieberman of JAL Hoops reported on social media a list of teams that Courtland Muldrew says are recruiting him the hardest. The teams on the list include Ole Miss, SMU, Abilene Christian, Oklahoma, Wichita State, and Illinois.

Illinois basketball target Courtland Muldrew showed off his versatility at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam

Muldrew is a 6-3, 170-pound shooting guard from Har-Ber High School in Arkansas. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but the recruitment of Muldrew is starting to pick up. He has offers from teams like SMU and Wichita State, and more offers are sure to come in the following months.

Opinion

Muldrew seems to play the game of basketball downhill. He can get to the hoop and likes the contact. I think he does his best work within 10 feet of the basket. His touch with the basketball when chaos is around him is impressive.

During the Peach Jam just a few weeks back, Muldrew suited up for Team Griffin. He would finish the six games averaging 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Those are solid numbers. I particularly like the fact that Muldrew played 147 minutes and had just two turnovers. He also averaged 1.2 steals per game.

There were a couple of numbers that stood out to me on the negative side too. Muldrew shot 25.9% from three-point range and 52% from the free throw line. It’s a small six-game sample size, but those are numbers that worry me a bit.

Muldrew is from the class of 2025, so he is only entering his junior year in high school. There is plenty of time for him to continue to develop. I love what I see right now, though. The future is bright for Muldrew.

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