Illinois Basketball: Illini Still Have Options for the Class of 2018
It is starting to look more plausible by the day that the Illinois basketball team will have two scholarships available for the class of 2018.
This class has some talented players that are smack dab in the middle of the Illini radar. But, Illinois lost out on a recruit last night.
Carte’are Gordon took to twitter to announce his top three moving forward and Illinois was not included. His top three ended up being Missouri, Kansas and St. Louis.
Final 3!!! pic.twitter.com/6R4wCaS0ZY
— Carteare Gordon (@CarteareGordon) October 26, 2016
I always looked at Illinois as a dark horse in the race for Gordon’s commitment. He had announced his top 11 back on August 18 and the Illini were included.
But, I guess Gordon wants to end his recruitment a little early and that is probably for the best so he can focus on the upcoming high school season.
While Illinois missed out on this talented player, the recruiting for 2018 is far from over.
The top recruit right now to fill one of the scholarships in 2018 is point guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu is a 5-star point guard who is the No. 20 player in the nation and a huge recruit for the Illini. He currently has 13 scholarship offers and that includes a Saint Louis team that just made the top three for Gordon.
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Whenever Dosunmu cuts his list down I assume the Illini will be involved. He has made many trips to visit the campus and Illinois visited him mid-September.
There is a tight relationship between Dosunmu and Illinois. I think this will go a long way in his recruitment.
Another player to keep an eye on is Tim Finke.
Finke is a 6-foot-6, 201-pound, small forward from Champaign, Illinois. He is listed as a 4-star recruit who is the No. 96 player in the class of 2018.
Not too long ago, Finke was a top 60 player but for one reason or another, he has dropped. He didn’t have a great summer but I think he will rise after the upcoming season.
Logically thinking, Illinois should have the upper-hand in the recruitment of Finke. He is located in Champaign and this is a lot easier for the Illini to communicate with him.
Finke currently has 13 scholarship offers. It looks like Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon and Vanderbilt are all in this running for him as well.
I think Illinois has a clear lead for Finke’s commitment, but the recruiting road is long and you never know what could happen.
These are the two main players for the Illini in 2018. Illinois really hasn’t spread their offers out too much considering the youth on the current team.
The class of 2019 is where John Groce has cast a wide net. But, despite Gordon going elsewhere, the Illini still have options for 2018.
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