The next month or so will be make or break for the future of Illini basketball.
This weekend- 5* PG Jalen Brunson is taking his official visit
Next weekend (Sept 5-7)- 5* PG Jawun Evans is taking his official visit
Sept 19-21- 5* C Elijah Thomas is taking his official visit
Sept 26-28- 4* C Doral Moore is taking his official visit
October 3-5- 4* Combo guard Shake Milton is taking his official visit
Then we wait for 5* PF Carlton Bragg to schedule his official visit hopefully. 3* combo guard Landry Shamet also has an official visit scheduled for October 10th I believe.
What we know so far about the recruits-
Jalen Brunson- Seems like it's Villanova or Illinois from what people are saying now. MSU has apparently dropped back a bit. Temple has dropped back after his dad's legal troubles. Illinois has an upper hand being the first OV. They're going to press him extremely hard for a commitment. Hopefully Brunson only needs to take one of his five OV's.
Prediction- Villanova (but it's close)
Jawun Evans- It's Illinois or USC. He visits USC this week. A lot might hinge on what Brunson does. If Brunson commits, does Evans want to still consider Illinois as a potential landing spot? Dee Brown retweeted a picture of himself and Deron Williams with Jalen Brunson and Jawun Evans next to them. Two PG's can definitely work at Illinois, but I don't think they'll want to do that. If Brunson doesn't commit, Illinois cannot let Evans leave Champaign without a commitment.
Prediction- Illinois (if Brunson goes UI, then Evans to USC)
Elijah Thomas- I have to think Illinois is his leader right now. The kid might love attention, but he always talks about Illinois. Him and Carlton Bragg apparently had a pro Illinois convo on Instagram. Him and Jawun are close friends too. I think if Evans commits after his visit, it'll be hard for Elijah to say no.
Prediction- Illinois
Doral Moore- Hinges on what Thomas does. Seems like its a first come first serve for these two. Moore wants to go to Kentucky. But if he wants to so badly, why can't he commit now? Seems like Kentucky is slow playing him. He was supposed to visit Kentucky recently, but that was cancelled for whatever reason. I think he's going to wait as long as he has to for Kentucky to take him, and Illinois will already be full by that time.
Prediction- Kentucky
Shake Milton- When was the last time Illinois and Indiana were in a recruiting battle? Oh yeah that's right. That one guy. Had his official to OU last weekend. Has SMU in a couple weeks. Then IU and UI in back to back weeks. Gotta believe IU is the leader here. Again, this recruitment all hinges on what Brunson and Evans do.
Prediction- Indiana
Carlton Bragg- The biggest dog of them all. Comparison to Kevin Durant will excite anybody. This one will be hard for Illinois because they're fighting KU, UK and OSU for him. Has back to back OV's to Kansas and then to UK for their Midnight Madness. He and Elijah Thomas are good friends, so if Illinois had Thomas in the fold, they might be a bigger threat. I think it's head and head between Kentucky and Kansas, followed by Illinois and OSU.
Prediction- Kentucky
Landry Shamet- Talk about exploding onto the radar this summer. Going from complete unknown to a top 130 player. Has a final four of Colorado, Illinois, Kansas State, and Wichita State. Like a broken record, how much Illinois continues to pursue him depend on Brunson and Evans. I think he'd commit to Illinois now if he could, but I'm not sure if they'd accept it. If the Brunson/Evans saga ends like I think it will, then Shamet is an Illini.
Prediction- Illinois (runner up- Wichita St)