4. Carey Booth – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
All of the players mentioned previously are guards. Illinois basketball also needs some size in the paint so we can contend with some of the programs that trot out decent size. That is why targeting Carey Booth would help.
Booth is a 6-foot-10, 203-pound forward who spent his freshman season with Notre Dame. Booth was a top-60 recruit coming out of the class of 2023, and he didn’t have a bad first year. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
I think Booth is a developing stretch big man. He has great size at 6-foot-10, but his shooting isn’t quite where it needs to be. He is taking 3.6 three-point attempts per game but is only hitting them at a clip of 29.7%. It is only his freshman season, though. If he gets that three-point number up in the mid-30s, this kid is going to be dangerous.
Illinois has been in touch with Booth, and there seems to be mutual interest. He would be a great depth piece to the frontcourt and someone we can develop into a monster in the Big Ten.
I have Morez Johnson Jr. starting at the No. 5 spot for the Illini next season. The No. 4 spot is a big question, though. Amani Hansberry is my favorite right now, but if Booth came to Illinois, I imagine there would be a timeshare between him and Hansberry. I think Booth should be a big target for the Illini.