Basketball

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy family social media page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Former Illinois forward Lucas Johnson knows what it means to represent the orange and blue. Now, he’s watching his daughter, Liv Johnson, take her own steps toward basketball stardom with Illinois once again in the mix.

Johnson, who played for the Illini from 1998 to 2002 under Lon Kruger and Bill Self, was known for his intensity, toughness, and team-first mentality. Now, his 6-foot-2 daughter is making a name for herself before even stepping onto a high school court.

Liv will enter her freshman year at Carmel Catholic (Mundelein, Illinois) this fall and already holds several high-major offers. The All-Iowa Attack AAU guard has caught the eye of programs including DePaul, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and, most recently, Illinois.

In an exclusive conversation with IlliniGuys, Lucas said

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 28, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the spring and summer AAU basketball circuit winding down, Illinois basketball is shifting gears and beginning to welcome visitors to campus. As expected, the Illini coaching staff has wasted no time in getting potential targets on the radar inside State Farm Center.

This morning, Illinois is hosting Ethan Brown, a rising 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Rolla, Missouri. Brown, who plays his AAU basketball with the Gateway Knights, has caught the attention of Illinois assistant coaches Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer, both of whom were instrumental in extending a scholarship offer to the three-star prospect.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 26, 2015

(Cover photo courtesy Brian Mahoney/News Sun)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In the late 1990s, Illinois basketball introduced fans to Lucas Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Des Plaines and Maine West High School. Johnson didn’t overwhelm fans with scoring or flashy play, but few wore the Illini jersey with more grit. Over time, he carved out a role as a starter and earned a reputation as one of the toughest players to ever suit up in orange and blue.

Now, a new Johnson is starting to make waves, and this time, it’s Liv Johnson, Lucas' daughter. The 6-foot-2 scoring combo guard from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein is rising fast through the ranks and is already considered one of the top prospects in the Midwest.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Anoke Deitg-Blanchard)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – One of the best decisions Brad Underwood made during his time at Illinois was convincing Orlando Antigua to return to Champaign as associate head coach again. Known as one of the top recruiters and closers in college basketball, Antigua brings a deep web of connections across the country, and lately, those ties are paying off on the East Coast.

Illinois has shown steady interest in more than 10 high school prospects from the New York area, and the latest target is Lucas Morillo, a rising 2026 combo guard from The Newman School in Boston, Massachusetts.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Quality big men with skill sets that fit today’s fast-paced, positionless game can be hard to find. At Illinois, under head coach Brad Underwood, players are expected to shoot, pass, defend, and play with high energy. That’s part of what has made Aliou Dioum, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from Scottsdale, Ariz., an attractive 2026 prospect.

The Illini are actively recruiting Dioum, and this isn’t your standard scholarship offer. Illinois views Dioum as a key priority in their 2026 class and are making a serious push for the high-motor big man.

IlliniGuys caught up with Dioum to get his thoughts

Illinois head coach Shauna Green still doesn’t have a fully healthy and active roster to work with in July. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 20, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.  — Shauna Green must eventually believe there will be a time where she’ll actually get to coach a healthy roster at the University of Illinois. 

One might think that time would be the summer months where athletes are supposed to be part of offseason workouts. Well, Green’s answer right now would be: think again. 

As Illinois conducts on-campus workouts with a new 2025-26 season roster that has removed four graduated key starters, Green has already acknowledged she will likely still be learning the nuances of her new team once classes begin in August. 

“This is almost like the first year (at Illinois) for me because you know what you have when you watch a recruit but until you get them in our system, it’s about constantly learning things,” Green said. “It’s all about how they learn, how they adapt and how they then go put that into a live situation. Those answers don’t always come in the summer.” 

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 19, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A question that continues to surface in recruiting circles and among Illini-Nation is: Will Illinois return to building through high school recruiting or continue leaning on the transfer portal?

That answer, as IlliniGuys learned

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 18, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Just when you thought another dominant big man may never roam the court of State Farm Center like former two-time All-American Kofi Cockburn, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is searching for the next force in the paint.

There’s a new name to keep an eye on: Marcis “The Big Show” Ponder.

By IlliniGuys Staff 

July 17, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

Earlier today on our message forum, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy identified for premium members some of the key players to watch as the annual Peach Jam tips off in North Augusta, South Carolina:

Here is a link to the Peach Jam live stream...

EYBL Livestream — Nike EYBL

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood says he and his staff have done everything required for David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic to arrive in Champaign-Urbana in August.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 17, 2025

When it comes to getting his final two international pieces on campus, Brad Underwood is in the vulnerable position of playing the waiting game.

The 61-year-old, who just finished his eighth season leading the University of Illinois men’s basketball program, acknowledged there is nothing more he and his coaching staff can do in order to ensure Montenegrin forward David Mirkovic and Serbian point guard Mihailo Petrovic arrive on campus in time for when classes are set to begin on Aug. 25.

While speaking to local media at the 2025 Kendall Gill Golf Benefit at the University of Illinois Golf Course Blue Course in Savoy, Underwood said he and his staff have done everything possible from a paperwork and application process to assist in Mirkovic and Petrovic receiving admission to the university and an F-1 student visa from the U.S. Department of State.

For the fifth straight year, Illinois’ Friday night starting pitcher has been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 16, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The streak has stretched to five consecutive years.

Since 2021, the guy who Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb has sent out to the mound for the first inning of a Friday night series has been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.

Tyler Schmitt turned his one and only season at Illinois into being a 17th round selection in the 2025 draft by the San Diego Padres. Schmitt, who transferred to the Illini after being a first team all-conference selection at the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, made 15 starts for the Illini totaling a team-best 58 strikeouts and posted 11 outings with three earned runs or fewer.

Schmitt, a 6-foot-3 and 190-pound right-hander who will turn 21 years old in August, follows the likes of Jack Crowder (ninth round by Baltimore in 2024), Riley Gowens (ninth round by Atlanta in 2023) and Nathan Lavender (14th round by New York Mets) of Friday night starters to hear their name called in the draft the following summer.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 16, 2015

(Cover photo courtesy Lob Sport)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Just when it seemed the 2025-26 Illinois men’s basketball roster was finalized, rumors have begun to circulate that the Illini could be adding another overseas player before the summer ends.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 15, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy MadeHoops.com)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The NCAA transfer portal has become the focal point of college basketball roster building in recent years, and few have adapted to that trend as efficiently as Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. Since the NCAA relaxed its transfer rules, Underwood and his staff have utilized the portal to bring in experienced talent and fill roster needs.

However, despite their success in the portal, Illinois is now making a return to high school recruiting, a more traditional, long-term approach that has started to reappear in the Illini’s strategy. The staff is making it clear that high school recruiting still has value, and they are actively offering scholarships to promising underclassmen.

By Larry Smith - Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

July 11, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Kasparas Jakucionis turned his nine months on the University of Illinois campus into becoming the 17th Illini to earn a first round selection in the NBA Draft and the 25th to be picked among the top 30 players in the annual dispersal of talent.

But with that lofty status comes expectations and, of course, criticism.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

July 10, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – IlliniGuys confirmed Thursday morning through multiple sources that Destiny Jackson, the 2025 Illinois Ms. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year, has suffered a minor thumb injury that will require surgery.

Jackson, a nationally ranked guard who starred at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, is part of Illinois’ heralded 2025 recruiting class. She averaged 21.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game during her senior season. ESPN ranks Jackson at No. 29 nationally, and she headlines a class ranked 9th in the country and 1st in the Big Ten.