Illinois basketball officially targeting top 100 stretch-forward for 2025

Illinois basketball is a new name in the mix for a talented 2025 power forward.

While the Illini have zero commitments for the class of 2025 thus far, we have been able to strike gold a couple of times. Will Riley was the big commitment for this class, but he reclassified to 2024, so he isn’t a member of the 2025 class anymore.

Jeremiah Fears was the other big piece to the puzzle. He also reclassified to 2024, but with Illinois having so many options for the 2024-25 campaign, Fears decided to head elsewhere and just committed to Oklahoma.

So, with zero commitments, Brad Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff are looking to land their first pledge. One of the new recruiting targets for the Illini is Spencer Ahrens.

On Monday, Ahrens took to social media to announce that Illinois has extended a scholarship offer.

Ahrens is a 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 74 player in the class of 2025. He is also the No. 16 power forward in the country and the best player coming out of Kansas.

New Illinois basketball recruiting target Spencer Ahrens suited up with a familiar face in AAU ball

This summer, Ahrens suited up for the UPlay AAU team in the Nike EYBL. He had a good run with UPlay, averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.

Ahrens isn’t the only big name on the UPlay team either. He was running alongside current Illinois player and soon-to-be freshman phenom, Will Riley. These two were a force in the frontcourt, and hopefully, they will be two big-time players in Champaign as well.

At 6-foot-9, Ahrens already has great size in the frontcourt. But something to keep an eye on is his ability to shoot the three-point shot. In the 10 games of AAU ball, he was 12-of-27, 44.4%, from three-point range. Getting another stretch No. 4 into the program would be great for Underwood.

I love this offer by the Illini. With the style we play, this program needs more players who can shoot from the perimeter. Three-and-D guys is what this team is all about. Ahrens fits that mold.