5 Illinois Basketball Recruiting Targets to Watch This Season

Here are 5 Illinois basketball Recruiting Targets to Watch This Season

5-star center Kofi Cockburn

Kofi Cockburn a five-star center from New York, is one of the top recruits in the class of 2019. He’s a physical presence in the paint with a 7-foot, 290-pound frame, and he’s ranked No. 12 overall in the 247Sports Composite.

Cockburn has taken official visits to Illinois, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis and Indiana. He’s expected to make a decision sometime this season.

With college Basketball season in Full Swing here are five recruiting targets for the Illinois Men’s basketball team to keep an eye on:

1. guard Tyler Beard from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Beard is a former four-star recruit who decommitted from Marquette last year. He’s averaged 16 points and four rebounds per game so far this season.

2. center Osun Osunniyi from Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. Osunniyi is a big body at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds with a wingspan of over seven feet. He’s averaging 11 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game this season.

3. small forward Luke Goode from Hinsdale Central high school in Illinois. Goode is a 6-foot-6 wing with a versatile skill set. He’s averaging 19 points and eight rebounds per game this season.

4. shooting guard RJ Hampton from Little Elm high school in Texas. Hampton is a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the class of 2020. He’s averaging 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game this season.

5. point guard Dior Johnson from Sierra Canyon School in California. Johnson is a five-star recruit and the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2020 according to ESPN. He’s averaging 18 points, five assists and four rebounds per game this season

4-star Power Forward Jeremiah Tilmon

One of the top power forwards in the country, Jeremiah Tilmon is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound prospect from East St. Louis Illinois. A four-star recruit, Tilmon is ranked No. 32 overall in the class of 2017 by ESPN and No. 24 by 247Sports. Tilmon has offers from a long list of schools, including Illinois, Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State Ohio State and many more.

Tilmon took an unofficial visit to Illinois back in March and has said that he plans to take an official visit to Champaign this fall. The Illini have been recruiting Tilmon hard for over a year now and are seen as one of the favorites to land his commitment.

5 Illinois Basketball Recruiting Targets to Watch This Season

The Illinois Basketball Recruiting class of 2020 is off to a fantastic start. Landing one of the top players in the country in Tim Finke was a huge get for Brad Underwood and his staff. They followed that up by adding another top-100 player in Three-Star forward Da’Monte Williams.

The class currently sits at No. 9 in the 2020 Recruiting Rankings but there is still Room for Improvement With that being said, here are five targets that Illinois should be keeping an eye on this season:

5-star center N’Faly Dante: Arguably the most talented player on this list, Dante is a physical specimen with a versatile skill set. He’s someone that could come in and make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor. His recruitment will be one to watch closely over the next few months.

5-star point guard Tyrese Haliburton Another highly touted recruit, Haliburton is an elite playmaker with great vision and passing ability. He’s somebody that could really thrive in Brad Underwood’s system. His recruitment will also be one to keep an eye on over the next few months.

4-star shooting guard Donta Scott: Scott is a long, athletic wing with a lot of upside. He’s someone that could come in and provide some instant offense off the bench for Illinois. His recruitment will be worth monitoring as well.

4-star power forward Jalen Johnson Johnson is an athletic big man with a lot of potential. He’s still raw offensively, but has shown flashes of being a very good player on both ends of the floor. His recruitment will also be worth monitoring over the next few months as well.

3-star point guard RJ Pearce: Pearce is a quick, shifty point guard with good vision and passing ability. He’s not going to wow you with his scoring ability, but he’s somebody that could come in and provide some instant offense off the bench for Illinois. His recruitment will also be worth monitoring over the next few months as well..

4-star small forward Ayo Dosunmu

Considered one of the top 75 recruits in the nation regardless of position, Dosunmu is a 6-4 guard from Chicago who can play either guard spot and some small forward He’s an explosive scorer that loves to attack the basket and has improved his jump shot drastically over the last year. He’s also a good rebounder for his position and has the length to be a plus defender at the next level.

As the college basketball season inches closer, many fans are wondering who their team will be targeting on the recruiting trail For Illinois, there are a few key names to keep an eye on.

5-star point guard DJ Carton is one of the nation’s elite recruits and the top target for the Illini. Carton took an official visit to Champaign back in September and has said he feels “really comfortable” with the Illinois Coaching Staff He’s also considering Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio State among others.

4-star Small Forward Isaiah Stewart is another name to watch. The 6-foot-8 forward from Rochester, New York is ranked as the No. 19 player in the country by 247Sports. He recently took an official visit to Indiana and is also considering Duke, Kentucky, and Syracuse among others.

4-star power forward Trendon Watford is a Birmingham, Alabama native who is ranked as the No. 23 player in the country by 247Sports. Watford has taken official visits to LSU and Memphis and is also considering Alabama, Auburn, Florida State Georgia, and UCLA among others.

4-star shooting guard Romeo Langford is a 6-foot-6 wing from New Albany, Indiana who is ranked as the No. 29 player in the country by 247Sports. Langford has already taken official visits to Kansas, Vanderbilt, and UCLA and is also considering Indiana, Louisville, and Notre Dame among others.

5-star center James Wiseman is the No. 1 player in the country according to 247Sports and he’s someone Illinois will certainly be keeping tabs on throughout his recruitment process. The 7-foot center from Memphis recently took an official visit to Kansas but remains uncommitted at this time.

3-star shooting guard Alan Griffin

Alan Griffin a 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard from Ossining, N.Y., is one of the top perimeter prospects in the 2019 class. He has good size for the position and is a very good shooter, especially from deep. He’s also a solid athlete who can finish well around the rim.

Griffin’s not a great ball handler or playmaker at this point, but he’s a very good spot-up shooter and has the potential to develop into a good all-around player. He’s currently ranked as the No. 85 player in the 2019 class by 247Sports.com.

Illinois has been recruiting Griffin since he was a sophomore and he took an unofficial visit to Champaign back in April. The Illini have made him a priority and are hoping to land him as they continue to build their 2019 recruiting class

Every college basketball recruiting cycle has players that commitment early and players that wait until the 11th hour to decide on their future. The Class of 2020 is no different in that regard, but there are a handful of prospects that have already made their intentions known.

Here are five Illinois Basketball recruiting targets to watch this season

1. Adam Miller – SG – Lemont, IL (Lemont High School)
A 5-star recruit and the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation according to ESPN, Miller committed to Illinois back in August. He’s a dynamic scorer that can put up points in bunches, and he should be able to make an immediate impact for the Illini next season.

2. Andre Curbelo – PG – New York, NY (IMG Academy)
Curbelo is a 6-foot-1 point guard that decommitted from Louisville earlier this year after the school fired Head Coach Rick Pitino. He’s since been linked heavily with Illinois, and he’s expected to take an official visit to Champaign at some point this season. Curbelo is ranked as the No. 21 point guard in the Class of 2020 by ESPN.

3. Kendall Brown – SF – Proviso East, IL (Proviso East High School)
Brown is a 6-foot-7 small forward from Chicago that’s currently ranked as the No. 25 player in the nation by ESPN. He has offers from just about every major school in the country, but Illinois has been seen as the heavy favorite for his services for quite some time now. Brown has taken multiple unofficial visits to Champaign over the past year, and he’s expected to take his official visit sometime this season.

4. Boubacar Kamara – SF – Leuven, Belgium (Villette Charleroi Basketball Club)
Kamara is a 6-foot-6 small forward that plays his club basketball in Belgium but is originally from Mali. He first popped up on Illinois’ radar last summer when he played at the FIBA U18 African Championship, and he recently took an official visit to Champaign back in September. Kamara is rated as a 3-star recruit by ESPN but isn’t currently ranked nationally due to his lack of exposure stateside.

3-star point guard Tevian Jones

Tevian Jones is a 6-foot-4, 170-pound point guard from Chicago, Illinois. He is a 3-star recruit according to 247Sports.com and is ranked as the No. 12 point guard in the class of 2020 and the No. 1 player in Illinois. Jones held offers from Illinois, Xavier, and Wake Forest before committing to Indiana on September 8th, 2019.