Illinois basketball locks in official visit with game-changing big man

Over the last couple of years, the Illinois basketball program has gone through changes each offseason.

The Illini lost nearly the entire roster two years ago. This past offseason, numerous players departed, but we did have key players return.

Tomislav Ivisic was one of the huge players to come back to Champaign. He also has his brother, Zvonimir, joining him. The two 7-foot-plus big men are going to help enable Illinois to be a dominant team in the paint.

Here is the thing, both players might depart after the 2025-26 season. If they both can continue to shoot from the outside at a clip of 35% or higher, there is a chance they both depart for the next level. Where does that leave Illinois? Without a big man.

That is why landing someone like Sinan Huan would be great for the Illini. On Tuesday, Joe Tipton of On3.com reported that Huan will be taking an official visit to Illinois. The visit will take place this weekend, starting September 12.

Huan is a 7-foot, 225-pound center from Georgetown Prep in Maryland. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 71 player in the class of 2026. Huan is also the No. 8 center in the country and the No. 4 player coming out of Maryland.

Illinois is competing with a team that is a big man powerhouse

Since Brad Underwood took over the Orange and Blue, we have been competitive when recruiting big men. Kofi Cockburn was special. Ivisic was a great get. We have another Ivisic coming in. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if we landed Huan.

With that being said, the competition for Huan is going to be tough. The most dangerous team is Purdue. The Boilermakers are known for landing big men, and Haun is coming off an official visit to West Lafayette.

It is exciting that Illinois is in the mix for an elite big man. Huan could come in and start from day one. Let’s see what resources are going to be put into this massive recruitment.