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Kedric's Top 10 Basketball Prospects in the State of Illinois 

Kedric's Top 10 Basketball Prospects in the State of Illinois 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

July 18th, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Davius Loury's Twitter page)

The state of Illinois is always rich in basketball talent, the class of 2023 and 2024 will be no different. The Fighting Illini men’s basketball staff is traveling the country to find the next big time target, but Illinois remains a hotbed.

Here’s my list of the top ten targets in 2023-24.

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Football Recruiting Spotlight on Kenari Wilcher

Football Recruiting Spotlight on Kenari Wilcher

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 17, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Kenari Wilcher's Twitter page)

Kenari Wilcher of Moore Haven, Florida committed to the Illini on July 4 and became the 6th Florida recruit in the Class of 2023 for the Illini.  Illini nation should be especially excited about this particular addition though, because Wilcher is an NFL-level athlete that Illinois was very wise to grab while they could.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

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Bielema’s Illini Rebuild Continues As Top In-State Recruiting Prospects Cross Illinois Borders For College Decision

Bielema’s Illini Rebuild Continues As Top In-State Recruiting Prospects Cross Illinois Borders For College Decision

Despite putting a higher priority and emphasis on building relationships with elite, in-state recruiting talent, Bret Bielema’s effort with local prospects still not producing high-level results.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 16, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The foundational piece of the Bret Bielema hire nearly 20 months ago was his promise to not only his new bosses at Illinois but also in-state high school programs that the Illini would win recruiting battles on their elite-level talent.

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman executed an efficient, seven-day search from the day Lovie Smith was terminated (Dec. 13, 2020) to the day Bret Bielema was hired (Dec. 20, 2020) and on his checklist of goals for the new hire was the desire and skills to attract the best high school talent inside the state of Illinois to stay in their home state for college football. More importantly, it was a much-needed quality to keep rival Big Ten Conference programs such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota from consistently poaching the state’s highest ranked players. 

“I can’t control anything Illinois has done or been a part of in the past, (but) I can control is what we do in the future. There isn’t going to be a program in the country that’s going to recruit you harder to come to your home state,” Bielema said in his introductory media conference in 2020. “I really believe this. For Illinois to be successful like they've never been in the past, they have to recruit the state of Illinois better than they have in the past.”

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Football Recruiting Spotlight on Nathan Guinn

Football Recruiting Spotlight on Nathan Guinn

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 15, 2023

Illinois made an unusual addition to its recruiting class when Vero Beach tight end Nathan Guinn committed to the Orange and Blue.  What makes this addition unusual is that Guinn has never played tight end before.  He was primarily a defensive end for Vero Beach and played only wide receiver on offense.  However, this Spring the 6'5, 220 pound Guinn started working out at tight end for prospective college teams and the offers started rolling in.  Illinois was Guinn's first power five conference offer and he jumped on it.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

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Recruiting: 2023 Jackson Kotecki May Gain A Few Offers

Recruiting: 2023 Jackson Kotecki May Gain A Few Offers

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

July 14, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Prep Hoops)

Jackson Kotecki is a 6-foot-9, 210 pound forward from St. Ignatius High School who has battled hard this summer and may have turned a few heads.

Class: 2023

Why Illinois:  Looking for players to maybe backup others would be what Kotecki is; he is not going to make you spill your popcorn, but he would be a nice piece to add to the rotation that will give you some size. He is not weak, he is not a "project," but has good footwork and is a willing passer. He battled big men all weekend at the Riverside Brookfield Shootout last month and Illinois coaches took notice.

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Sturdy's Message Board Exclusive: Top Illini Recruiting Targets

Sturdy's Message Board Exclusive: Top Illini Recruiting Targets

By IlliniGuys Staff

(Cover photo courtesy Shaw Local)

The busy recruiting/evaluation period of July is underway and nobody has his eye on the ball like IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy.

For anyone who wants to know where Illinois basketball stands in recruiting, this is a must-read:

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Coaching Instruction Sets Apart Illini Football June Showcase Camps

Coaching Instruction Sets Apart Illini Football June Showcase Camps

For the first time since taking the job, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was able to show what sets his June football camps apart from his competition and it’s the one-on-one instruction of his staff.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

July 13, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Following his performance over the last two hours at the Illinois prospect camp last month, Ryan Kerscher spent over 15 minutes talking with the Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. 

Did the conversation result in a scholarship offer to the 2023 quarterback prospect from Walsh Jesuit High School near Cleveland? No. 

Was a preferred walk-on offer made? No. 

And maybe the important part of the ordeal, does Kerscher, who enters this 2022 season as the starting quarterback of a proud program that has gone from losing 27 of its last 30 games from 2017-2019 to an 11-3 season that is coming off a 2021 playoff run to the Division 2, Region 5 Final appearance, feel his time was wasted? No. 

"I was actually talking to (Lunney Jr.) a long time after this was all over about what I need to do in order to get a walk-on opportunity at the college level and he spoke with me for a long time about the process and what that would entail for any prospect like myself.”

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Illini Lookback: Reminiscing Over My Infamous Court Storm

Illini Lookback: Reminiscing Over My Infamous Court Storm

By Zain Bando - IlliniGuys Student Correspondent July 12, […]

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Recruiting: 2024 Bigs

Recruiting: 2024 Bigs

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Staff Writer July 11, 2022 Thanks […]

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Lack Of Funds Will Keep Memorial Stadium As Is...For Now

Lack Of Funds Will Keep Memorial Stadium As Is...For Now

Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman says a complete overhaul or “dream house scenario” regarding the east and south sides of Memorial Stadium would cost around $200 million. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 6, 2022

Photos courtesy of Craig. Pessman/University of Illinois athletics department

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Fans should not expect any major renovation projects around Memorial Stadium to start anytime soon. 

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Recruiting: Hansberry Shines in Kansas City

Recruiting: Hansberry Shines in Kansas City

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

July 10, 2022

(Cover phot0 courtesy @DFritzphotos)

The Illini coaching staff and head coach Brad Underwood have long coveted Amani Hansberry and how he produces on the court and other coaches and evaluators are beginning to catch up after a big weekend in Kansas City for the 6’8 power forward. 

His height has been much debated but he set the record straight for us. 

“I’m 6’8 now. I grew.”

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Football Recruiting Spotlight on Teremun Lott

Football Recruiting Spotlight on Teremun Lott

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

July 10, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Teremun Lott's Twitter page)

Illinois continued its spate of early recruiting when it got a commitment from wide receiver Teremun Lott of Inlet Grove High School in Riviera Beach, Florida.  Lott is a 6'0, 170 pounder who transferred to Inlet Grove this year and managed to turn enough heads to earn his first Power Five offer from the Illini last week.  He jumped at the chance to play Big Ten football so Illini fans can look forward to seeing the speedy Lott in the fall of 2023.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

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Why Shauna Green Believes the Road to Rebuilding Illinois Has Just ‘One Way’

Why Shauna Green Believes the Road to Rebuilding Illinois Has Just ‘One Way’

Shauna Green doesn’t remember why or when she came up with the marketing phrase of ‘one way’ to describe her coaching philosophy but knows the mentality calmed any tension she’s had since.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 8, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- For the new women’s basketball head coach at Illinois, there’s not many roads leading to its version of Rome.

What Shauna Green calls “one way” since she accepted the head coaching position at Dayton in Sept. 2016, has become more than a social media hashtag for a coach nearly six years later attempting to navigate an aggressive rebuild of a Power Five Conference program without a history of success.

“I remember having a lot of thoughts in my mind when I took the Dayton (head coaching) job and so my staff and I were trying to come up with a way to brand and I kept coming up with a difficult question,” Green said. “How can I come up with one word or two words to define everything in my mind?”

Don’t ask the origin of it because Green has trouble figuring out the genesis of what became the definition of what would turn into five Atlantic 10 regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances, three Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors and 127 total wins at Dayton.

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Recruiting: Illinois In The Hunt For Another Shooter

Recruiting: Illinois In The Hunt For Another Shooter

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting 

July 8th, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Varsity Stream)

According to Illinois head coach Brad Underwood you can never have enough good shooters and defenders. 

The new-look Illinois basketball program post Kofi Cockburn area is "position-less basketball". Underwood said to me a few weeks ago. “Ked, have you watched the NBA Finals?  The game is changing, that’s the kind of system players like to play in and coaches love to coach.”

Illinois has a roster right now full of players that are interchangeable, but are looking to add much more depth. Trent Pierce, a 6-foot-7, 180-pound wing from Tulsa, Ok., (Compass Prep AZ) went public earlier this week with his top 6 schools: Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

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Illini Hoops Update: What A Difference A Year - And A Change In Personnel - Makes

Illini Hoops Update: What A Difference A Year - And A Change In Personnel - Makes

July 8, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illini coaches are out on the recruiting trail, but they know the team is in good hands back in Champaign.  The players are working out every day, getting to know each other and pushing each other to reach their individual and collective potential.

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy posted an update this morning with some exciting developments within the team.  

--Which player is a "dog" who pushes his teammates the hardest?

--Which player is the best athlete on the team?

--Who is the biggest surprise of the summer?

Good stuff right here only on IlliniGuys.com.  Sign up for our free 7-day trial for continuous updates and premium content about your favorite sports team.

Now -- here's Mr. Sturdy!

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