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Massive decision date set for 4-star Illinois basketball recruiting target

The Illinois basketball team needs talent for the future, and a huge recruiting target has now set a commitment date.
ByRees Woodcock|
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball head coach Brad Underwood reacts after Will Riley is selected as the 21st pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball head coach Brad Underwood reacts after Will Riley is selected as the 21st pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Illinois basketball is finally getting in the middle of a massive recruitment for the class of 2026.

Things have been pretty quiet for the Illini on the recruiting front. Each day, I see a big-time recruit narrowing the scope of his recruitment, but Illinois is rarely on the top list.

A little over a month ago, Jasiah Jervis kept Illinois alive for his commitment. He cut his list down to eight teams then, and on Thursday, he cut his top list even more.

According to Dushawn London of 247Sports, Jervis is now down to just five schools. He has Michigan State, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Illinois in the running.

The biggest news of it all is that Jervis has a decision date. He will make his pick on November 5.

This is a huge recruitment. Jervis is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard from Archbishop Stepinac High School in New York. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 39 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 3 shooting guard in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of New York.

Jervis has already been on official visits to both Michigan State and North Carolina State. He will now button up his recruitment with two final official visits. He is making the trip to Champaign this weekend, starting on Friday. Jervis will then finish up with a visit next weekend to Tennessee.

Illinois basketball is in the middle of a two-horse race for Jasiah Jervis

It is interesting to see which programs Jervis cut out of his top list. The teams that didn’t make the cut from his original top eight were Texas, Oregon, and Florida. Those are some big hitters in the recruiting game.

When it comes down to Jervis’ decision, it kind of feels like it is going to be between Illinois and Tennessee. These are the last two programs that are getting his attention, and each team will come out swinging with everything they have.

I could legitimately see Illinois winning this recruitment, too. Orlando Antigua was a pivotal assistant coach for the Illini in the late 2010s, and he helped recruit the East Coast well. This included landing a player like Alan Griffin, who was also from Archbishop Stepinac, like Jervis.

The recruiting ability of Antigua and the resources Illinois puts into the basketball program make me think we can come out ahead on November 5. The official visits coming up will determine everything.

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