The best of the best high school athletes get invited to the USA Basketball mini-camp, and the Illinois basketball team has one of their commitments making the roster.
The Illini class of 2024 has a chance to be pretty special, with big man Morez Johnson Jr. leading the way. The 6-foot-9 paint player is the highest-rated recruit for Illinois and is joined by fellow big man, 6-foot-10 Jason Jakstys.
Johnson has had a ton of national recognition over the past year or so, and he has earned every ounce of it. After averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the Nike EYBL AAU season, Johnson has continued to climb in the national recruiting rankings. He currently sits as a four-star recruit who is the No. 35 player in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports.
Over the last few months, more and more honors have come to Johnson. One of those honors was getting an invite to the USA Basketball mini-camp a few weeks ago. That invite was clearly accepted, as the roster of players was released on Tuesday.
USA Basketball October mini-camp announced today. Loaded camp talent-wise as usual. Slightly older group than usual with the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, FIBA Americas U18s and FIBA U17 World Cup all upcoming this summer. Lot of new faces making USA debuts (including Bryce James) pic.twitter.com/eDrPessjiU
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 25, 2023
This camp features the top high school players from the classes of 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027. Johnson being able to participate in these camps will only benefit his game, as he tries to hone his skills before stepping foot on Lou Henson Court.
There are multiple recruits the Illinois basketball team has eyes on in the USA Basketball mini-camp
Johnson is a great player and will be the centerpiece of whatever the class of 2024 ends up looking like for the Illini. But Illinois also has their eyes set on a few other talented players who were invited to the mini-camp.
Jeremiah Fears is probably the biggest name right now. He is a four-star recruit who is the No. 26 player in the class of 2025. The Joliet, Illinois native plays out in Arizona right now. His brother, Jeremy, ended up going to Michigan State a couple of years back, but it would be nice for Illinois to bring his brother back home.
Illinois offered JJ Andrews a scholarship back in July. He is a five-star who is the No. 18 player in the class of 2026. That recruitment is early, so it is tough to see where the Illini stand. My interest is also piqued by a player like Brayden Burries. He was offered by Illinois in July as well, and Burries is a four-star recruit who is the No. 30 player in the class of 2025.
This is an elite roster full of future potential. Hopefully, the Illini can be in on quite a few of these talented players.