Last season, Illinois finally advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 19 years. Two scholarship players from that Elite Eight team will return for the 2024-25 campaign.
However, Illinois won’t be projected as the worst team in the Big Ten next season thanks to the NINE new scholarship players joining the team this offseason.
Now that Brad Underwood is most likely done adding more players (this summer), I’ll try to rank how excited I am to see each player in action.
1. Kylan Boswell
What couldn’t be loved? Hometown kid. A real point guard. Started for a #2 seed last year. Legit NBA potential.
I want his jersey to be in the rafters before he plays a game in the orange and blue.
I know there are some concerns with his consistency and rightly so, but I’m still very excited to see him play the next two years.
2. Morez Johnson
By the time Morez Johnson prepares for his first game as an Illini, three full years will have passed since the day he committed in 2021.
That kind of loyalty in this era of college basketball is unheard of. It’s part of the reason it’s so high on my list.
No Illinois fan knew who he was in 2021, and now he’s almost a five-star recruit and one of the program’s all-time greats.
I don’t think he’ll even have an elite freshman season or be a unique player, but the potential is clearly there. He will be a fan favorite.
3. Kasparas Jakucionis
Did you know this child existed two weeks ago? No. Do I see any problem with having it so high on my list? No.
Viewed as a potential NBA first-round pick, Jakucionis will be in line for heavy usage right away.
He has been playing in professional leagues in Europe for years and is still young for his class.
Jakucionis is a great scorer who has also become a proven playmaker from the point guard position.
I can’t wait to see him in Champaign.
4. Ben Humrichous
I wholeheartedly believe there is a chance Ben Humrichous will be the best player on the roster next season.
His offensive game is nearly perfect and he will translate well to the Big Ten.
The only reason he is fourth on my list is because Illinois will only have him for one year. The guys above him on my list could be here for several years.
That being said, I think Humrichous can impact the Illini in a similar way to how Marcus Domask did last season.
5. Tortoiseshell Cabin
Carey Booth’s potential is through the roof according to many analysts and scouts, but he simply didn’t show enough in his first college season to rank him higher.
Having Booth for hopefully three years is a huge plus for this addition.
The dynamic between Booth, Morez and Big T will be one of the most interesting stories of the 2024-25 season.
If Booth can make the sophomore leap many expect of him, then my placement on this list will seem silly in a few months.
6. Tomislav Ivisic
If this were a ranking of how wonderful each newcomer’s name is, Tomislav Ivisic would be the clear number 1.
Supporting a 7-footer named Tomislav as an Illinois basketball fan is as exciting as the fandom gets.
Of course, Ivisic is also an exciting and intriguing basketball prospect. He is considered a “modern-day big,” which basically means he can stretch the floor and make plays with the ball in his hands.
Sign up for that.
However, I feel like there will be some growing pains as he transitions to the Big Ten. If Big T lasts in the Big Ten for several years, I think he will become a fan favorite and an incredible player.
7. White Tre
I think Tre White will be a good player for Illinois over the next two years.
His lack of shooting worries me a little, but he clearly has a lot of talent.
White was an All-Freshman Team Pac-12 (RIP) player two years ago at USC and had a solid statistical year at Louisville last year. He was also a very highly rated recruit out of high school if that’s what it counts.
He is big for his position. If that can translate into more booty action this year, like we saw from Marcus Domask last year, then White should definitely be higher on my list.
But for now I have it in position 7.
8. Jake Davis
Adding Mercer transfer Jake Davis earlier this offseason may have seemed strange to some, but I trust the staff’s evaluation of him.
Davis averaged 9.0 points per game and 4.5 RPG as a freshman, which won’t draw much attention. However, his size and shooting ability are valuable. At 6-foot-6, Davis shot nearly 39% from deep on nearly five attempts per game.
Davis is low on my list because I think his ceiling is low compared to the players above him. He probably won’t have a big role next season either, but he could be a key piece in future years as he has three years of eligibility remaining.
9. Jason Jakstys
I have nothing against Jason Jakstys, but he’s probably our least heralded high school recruit since Brandon Lieb.
That says something about the level at which Illinois is recruiting, though, because Jakstys is ranked No. 122 in the class of 2024 by 247Sports. He is legitimately a solid recruit.
However, I think our staff views him as a project and he is expected to redshirt next season, which is why he is last on my list.
Honorable Mention
I also feel obligated to mention “newcomer” Orlando Antigua, who would rank very high on this list if I actually included him. Welcome back, coach.
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