A future Illinois basketball superstar earned a spot on one of the prestigious high school exhibition game rosters.
About a week ago, many Illini fans were disappointed when Morez Johnson Jr. wasn’t selected to be a part of the McDonald’s All-American game. Despite his great play and high national ranking by numerous recruiting sites, Johnson lost out to players who were widely considered to be less talented than Johnson. Some, me being one of them, say that Johnson was robbed of this honor.
But there are a couple of other prestigious high school basketball exhibition games to be played when the season is over. One of those is the 2024 Iverson Classic.
This is the eighth year of the Iverson Classic, and the players selected represent the best competition in the country. Among those picked to be in the game include big names like Jalil Bethea, Ace Bailey, Flory Bidunga, and yes, Morez Johnson Jr.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Johnson earned the Iverson Classic invite. He has shown he is one of the best players in the country with his averages of 17.9 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game this season. Johnson has also led his Thornton Wildcats team to a record of 23-3 and is the No. 1 team in class 3A.
Morez Johnson Jr. adds to a history of Illinois basketball recruits playing in the Iverson Classic
Johnson is going to be lacing up his sneakers in the Iverson Classic. This is going to be fun to watch, as the best players in the country will be going head-to-head.
This won’t be the first time Illinois fans have had a chance to watch a future player suiting up in the Iverson Classic.
In the 2018 Iverson Classic, Ayo Dosunmu was selected to the team. Just two years later, Illinois commit Adam Miller participated in the offseason exhibition game. And two years after that, in 2022, Jayden Epps was selected to the game.
Now, two years later, in 2024, Johnson will be a participant in the event. This kid has earned everything that is coming his way. I am just glad he picked Illinois as his landing spot. The future is so bright.