basketball recruiting

The Fighting Illini picked up a big-time recruit Morez Johnson from Chicago's  St. Rita High School, a 2024 nationally ranked prospect. Johnson is a  6-foot-7 power forward who many consider the best stretch-four Illinois coach Brad Underwood has recruited since he arrived at Illinois.

St. Rita's head basketball coach Roshawn Russell did a podcast for Brad Sturdy's 'Sturdy for 30'.

On Friday, Illinois picked up an amazing basketball commit.  Morez Johnson is a 6-foot-7 power forward from Chicago’s St. Rita High and most feel he is the number one prospect in the state in the class of 2024. Johnson is already a four-star player at such an early age.

Chicago St. Rita coach Roshawn Russell joins Sturdy to […]

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November 1, 2021

IlliniGuys Insider Brad Sturdy tips off the week with some notes from basketball practice, including some good news on Austin Hutcherson.

By Larry Smith - IlliniiGuys.com
October 31, 2021
I wish I had the time and space to tell you what a rewarding experience IlliniGuys has been in the almost 14 months since Mike and I said ‘what if…’  Yes, there are trying moments and too little free time, but it has been such a thrill to reconnect with old friends and make new ones…all linked by our common passion that is Fighting Illini sports. 
As you might imagine, my sports bucket list is pretty short.  I’ve been to Wrigley and Fenway and old Yankee Stadium, the Rose Bowl, Augusta National, and Panathenaic (1896 Olympics) Stadium in Greece. The fall of the Curse of the Bambino. Phelps’ eight Olympic gold medals.  Two of Brady’s Super Bowl wins.  Private conversations with Tiger after winning majors.  Life has been good.
But there is one thing missing:  an Illinois NCAA basketball championship.  While Brad, Kedric, Matt, and others have a front row seat, I’m sort of in the owner’s box for this go-round; always trying to get them (and you) what’s needed and now privy to the most inside of information.  I firmly believe Illinois has their best shot at that elusive title since the magical 2005 run and it’s exciting to watch it unfold up close and to see Brad Underwood build this program into one of the nation’s best.
Which brings me to this picture, the role IlliniGuys played in making it happen, and why it has created such an instant buzz.  Surprisingly, some have even questioned its validity.

There are recruits, and then there are big-time recruits. The Fighting Illini have put themselves in a great position with one of the nation's top 20 basketball players in the class of 2023.

Kylan Boswell, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound point guard from Chandler, Arizona, Prep School, is originally from Champaign. The family moved to California when Kylan entered his freshman year of high school.

IlliniGuys.com Insider Brad Sturdy and Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince have been hard at work getting the inside scoop on the Illini's top targets.  Here are their notes posted earlier today on the IlliniGuys members-only message forums:

Ty Rodgers will take his final visit to Alabama this weekend and should be deciding within 7 to 10 days after that. Obviously, Illinois...

It’s extremely early for the class of 2023, so right now the list of prospects is very long. The Ilini have had numerous players on campus this fall with more on the way. Here’s a look at many of the 2023 options we have a read on at this point.

Davius Loury is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound power forward from Chicago who Illinois fans will get to know a lot more about in the coming weeks. 

Loury was injured, according to sources, so he is not considered nationally ranked by the recruiting gurus, but several of those sites have missed the boat with Loury. A number of DI coaches could care less about a ranking system. They know talent when they see it; that is why he has a big-time list of DI offers in recent months: LSU, Purdue, Oklahoma and Nebraska to go along with the offer from his home state university. 

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider October 14, 2021 […]

Taylor is a throwback from Kevin Garnett, Magic Johnson, and former Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu. The tall multi-talented wing can do it all: he can put it on the floor like a guard, he is able to abuse opponents on the block, and he is amazing in the open court. When you see a player his size, naturally, one would think of sticking him in the post. My honest assessment: Taylor might be better at a guard spot. 

Rumor was the plan for Taylor to never to see a college floor, but he put that to rest last Saturday morning.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting October […]

Owen Freeman is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward from Bradley, Illinois, who picked up an Illinois offer early this spring. The rising star big man has already visited the Illinois campus in early June. Freeman is a very important recruit for a lot of schools, not just Illinois. But the Illini are looking to add some more size to the program and Freeman would help fulfill that need.

The class of 2022 is not complete and the Fighting Illini have started to work the class of 2023 very hard to stay ahead of the game. Now it is time to work on several of the 2024s. Tre Johnson is a 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard from Dallas.