5 Illinois basketball top priority recruits after Will Riley commitment

Aleks Alston - Class of 2025

The 2024-25 Illinois basketball roster has a ton of depth, and that will help us win a lot of games. Illinois can continue building that depth with a player like Aleks Alston.

Alston is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward from Kenwood Academy in Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 86 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 21 power forward in the country and the No. 1 player coming out of Illinois.

Snagging the best player in the state of Illinois is always a goal. While the class of 2025 is a bit down, Alston is still a really good player and has a ton of scholarship offers.

Illinois has been recruiting Alston for a while now. We offered him a scholarship back in May 2023, and since then, the recruitment hasn’t quit.

Back in October 2023, Alston did make the trip down to Champaign for an unofficial visit. Illinois continues to keep in contact with the talented forward, and assistant coach Orlando Antigua was in to watch Alston back in mid-May as well.

Building depth in the frontcourt is important. Illinois has a ton of talent in the frontcourt right now, but that talent won’t last long, as the NBA will come calling. Alston would be a perfect option to fit into the lineup.