The days of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are coming to an end for the Illinois basketball program.
Both big men for the Illini are listed as seniors heading into the 2026-27 campaign, and that means we will lose that combined 14-foot-3 height on the roster.
The Ivisic brothers will be missed greatly. Brad Underwood will need an answer at the No. 5 spot once the season concludes and into the future. The 2027 big man of choice is still up in the air, but Illinois might have crosshairs on a 2028 big man who would be a game-changer.
On Friday, Travis Branham of 247Sports reported the unofficial visit schedule for Dylan Betts. According to the report, Betts will be taking unofficial visits to Michigan on September 11-13, Illinois on September 18-20, North Carolina on September 25-27, and Alabama on October 9-12.
Dylan Betts, the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2028 class, has scheduled the following unofficial visits, a source tells @247Sports:
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) July 24, 2026
Sept. 11-13: Michigan
Sept. 18-20: Illinois
Sept. 25-27: North Carolina
Oct. 9-12: Alabamahttps://t.co/OzDaMV7Qyk pic.twitter.com/IOQrSC0T8t
This is a big recruitment for any program that wants stability in the paint. Betts is a 7-foot-3, 230-pound center from IMG Academy in Florida. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 11 player in the class of 2028. He is also the No. 5 center in the country and the No. 3 player coming out of Florida.
Betts’ game is phenomenal. You have to love his size at 7-foot-3, but what stands out the most is the fact that he is so polished in the paint.
It is hard to find a true big man in today’s game. You are going to see more stretch-fours than you will see traditional back-to-the-basket big men. Betts is a bit of a throwback.
When I watch him play, Betts reminds me a lot of when Brook and Robin Lopez were at Stanford. They were great big men who could score around the bucket but were also tenacious defenders.
I think a sneaky part of Betts’ game is that he can shoot from the mid-range, too. He is someone who has the ability to grow into a shooter from deep, but that is something that will come to him slowly.
Brad Underwood has shied away from the traditional big man, so Dylan Betts would be a nice chance of pace
The game of basketball has gone away from the traditional big man, with most 7-foot players now having to shoot from three-point range.
It has been a while since Illinois has had a nice big man under the basket. You have to go back to Kofi Cockburn to find the last back-to-the-basket center for the Orange and Blue.
Changing things up and going back to a more traditional big man isn’t a bad thing, though. Betts could be a player for Illinois who could gobble up rebounds and then start the fastbreak with his ability to fling the ball down the court.
What would be really nice is if Illinois could put together the top recruiting class in the country for 2028. Betts would pair well with guard Brady Pettigrew, who is also a five-star recruit. This duo could take over the country.
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