The Illinois basketball team is having a week for the ages, as they went from securing their first Final Four appearance in 21 years to having one of the top recruits in the country pay a visit to Champaign.
Quentin Coleman, a top-35 recruit from St. Louis, Missouri, recently reopened his recruiting cycle after decommitting from the Wake Forrest Demon Deacons. He is now on the hunt for a new program to call home, with the Illini, Texas Tech, and Missouri reportedly at the top of his board.
It will be an interesting road for the young man throughout the next few months, with the four-star shooting guard making his first official visit to Champaign just days after Illinois won the South Regional title in the NCAA tournament.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing has a plethora of skill sets that can make him a lethal member of any backcourt. Coleman is a top-notch shooter and passer, with 247sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein calling his shot "ultra-fluid with good loft and rotation."
Brad Underwood and Co. will have a strong chance to land Coleman this offseason, especially if they can make some noise to end their tournament run. But they will need to compete with the likes of Texas Tech and Missouri, which are also in need of a guard like him.
Quentin Coleman could be donning an Illinois basketball jersey when it's all said and done
As of writing this, there has been no reported decision from Coleman's camp as to which program he will be signing with. The entire situation is still up in the air, with plenty of suitors across the country looking to bring him into the fold.
But having said that, it would be hard not to say that Illinois is the best landing spot for the young man. This program has reached heights that we haven't seen in over two decades and is in a position to sustain that success for the foreseeable future.
Not only that, but the fact that Illinois will be losing both Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler to the NBA Draft means there will be minutes for Coleman. He will have a starting spot that he can compete for, and could have an immediate impact on an already stacked team.
Granted, there are plenty of other factors at play here, especially in the NIL era. But putting bias aside, Illinois just seems like the perfect fit for Coleman. We will just have to wait to see if he believes it as well.