For about 20 years, landing a five-star recruit was something foreign to the Illinois basketball program.
This was a stretch of time when the Illini were constantly trying to land any player inside the top 100, let alone a five-star talent. The record reflected those recruiting struggles, as the program was constantly bubble-bound.
Brad Underwood stepped in, and recruiting changed. The five-star mentality also changed. Illinois’ top six-rated recruits since the rankings started in the early 2000s came via the Underwood era. In 2024, Will Riley was Illinois’ first five-star during Underwood’s regime. Quentin Coleman then signed up and will take the court this winter. He is a five-star as well.
Two five-star recruits in the last three classes is pretty special, considering they were the only five-stars for the Illini in the rankings era. Underwood isn’t done, though.
Illinois is starting to pile up official visits for the class of 2027. Right now, the two players with official visits scheduled are Darius Wabbington on October 23 and NaVorro Bowman Jr. on September 10, both five-star recruits.
Bowman is the No. 11 player in the country and the best combo guard in the class of 2027. Wabbington is more of a paint player, as he is the No. 15 player in the country and the No. 4 center coming out of his recruiting class.
When Illinois landed Riley a few classes ago, it was a big deal. With that being said, it also felt like a one-off, as he was our lone five-star for the past couple of decades.
Coleman then entered the picture. His addition as a five-star gave Illinois validity in the recruiting world. We have proved over the last few years that we could play with the big boys on the big stage, and now we could play with the big boys when it came to recruiting.
Landing Wabbington and Bowman Jr. would be a different feeling. While Illinois can compete with big boys when it comes to big-time recruits, it doesn’t mean we are a big boy.
Wabbington and Bowman Jr. commitments would mean Illinois is officially a college basketball big boy.
If Underwood could land these two massive players, it would give Illinois four five-star commitments in the past four recruiting classes. We would instantly jump to the top recruiting class in the country.
Illinois made the Elite Eight three seasons ago. We made the Final Four last season. Heading into the 2026-27 campaign, the Illini are projected to be a top-five team in the country. Adding two five-stars to that great run would put us in elite air.
Darius Wabbington and NaVorro Bowman Jr. would be the foundational pieces of the Illinois basketball team in 2027-28
Underwood has Illinois in an interesting place as a program. What is crazy is that he can hit the reset button each year and not miss a beat.
Illinois has one of the best teams in the country entering the 2026-27 campaign. There will be a mass exodus after the season, though.
Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis, and Zvonimir Ivisic will all depart. My guess is that David Mirkovic, Stefan Vaaks, and Quentin Coleman will head to the NBA.
That completely guts what we have on the court. While that sounds terrible, it also signals that there is plenty of playing time to be had.
Wabbington and Bowman Jr. can come into the Illinois program and be the go-to guys. As freshmen, they can feed off each other, as Bowman Jr. can command the backcourt while Wabbington holds down the frontcourt.
The potential starting lineup would be interesting. Bowman, Quinton Kitt, Lucas Morillo, Zavier Zens, and Wabbington would be young and exciting. Of course, Underwood would also do what he does best and scour the transfer portal.
Illinois’ status could change in the coming months. There are two massive five-star recruits taking an official visit. This could launch Illinois from competing with the big boys to being one of the big boys.
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