Illinois basketball has kind of been known for the big man play since Brad Underwood took over the program.
In the second year at the helm, the Illini managed to snag Kofi Cockburn. He was a towering giant in the paint who was fun to watch for three seasons.
Illinois kept the trend going with some nice pieces in the years to follow. Coleman Hawkins developed into a big-time player and got paid accordingly by Kansas State. Dain Dainja was also a nice piece for the Illini, as he also went elsewhere and got paid.
Kofi helped lead Illinois’ resurgence back to prominence. We won a Big Ten regular season and tournament title with him at center. With Hawkins and Dainja, Illinois made it to the Elite 8 in 2023-24, which was the furthest the program has advanced in the NCAA tournament since the 2004-05 squad.
So, developing and having big men on the Illinois basketball team has been woven into the fabric of everything Underwood has done in Champaign. That is why the potential of landing someone like Keiner Asprilla is enticing.
Asprilla is a 7-foot, 270-pound center from St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 40 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 2 center in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of New Jersey.
This past Friday, some interesting news broke on Asprilla’s recruitment. Joe Tipton of On3.com reported that there were six teams that were contacting Asprilla the most. The six teams Tipton mentioned were Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Auburn, Kansas, and Illinois.
4⭐️ Keiner Asprilla, a 7-foot center in the 2026 class, tells me he’s hearing from these schools the most often (in no particular order):
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) January 10, 2025
Kansas, Auburn, Illinois, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Villanova. https://t.co/ycoXnP511E pic.twitter.com/dtz2epahTL
Keiner Asprilla seems like a more polished version of an Illinois basketball great
The current Illinois season has a couple of extremely talented big men. Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. are both great, and I think they have extremely bright futures.
I also believe both players could be around next season. Ivisic has a chance to go to the NBA, as he is exactly what the next level is looking for, but he has hit a rough patch lately. Johnson doesn’t have the shot and is a little undersized. He is likely to be around for at least another year.
Through 2025-26, I think Illinois is pretty set at the No. 5 spot. Asprilla would be a perfect option for 2026-27, though.
Looking at the measurables of the talented big man, the first player most Illinois fans will think of is Kofi. We experienced him for three seasons, two of which were consensus All-American campaigns.
Here is the thing. I think Asprilla has the talent and physical gifts that Kofi had in the low post, but I think this kid is even more polished. He is more athletic than Kofi, and he can run the court better. Asprilla has decent touch from within 10 feet too.
While slightly larger, the player that Asprilla really reminds me of is former Big Ten big man Thomas Bryant. This kid is like a combination of Kofi and Bryant. My hope is that Illinois continues to pursue Asprilla and one day, he can suit up for the Orange and Blue.