John Groce landed his first commitment this morning since becoming the Illini men’s basketball coach.
Maverick Morgan became the second member of the 2013 class to commit to Illinois, joining small forward Malcolm Hill in what hopes to be a star studded incoming class. Morgan is a 6’10” 240 lb. power forward/center from Springboro High School in Springboro, Ohio. Morgan chose the Illini over offers from the likes of Dayton, Iowa State, Minnesota, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Xavier.
The big man is a 3-star recruit on both Rivals and Scout, and rated the 148th best player in the nation according to Rivals.
In a class that figures to have 4 to 5 scholarships available, Morgan takes the second available spot. A month ago he would have been the third member, but Illinois and point guard commit Jalen James parted ways. That leaves Illinois still in the market for a point guard, a shooting guard, or another big man. They’re still in the Jabari Parker sweepstakes, and are still sitting pretty with guard Kendrick Nunn. It would be surprising that they’ll be able to make up ground with Chicago power forward Cliff Alexander, as Michigan State is the clear cut favorite right now. Tommy Hamilton from Whitney Young remains a possibility as a big man, but he hasn’t really improved much from his freshman year.
Illinois 2013 class-
- Malcolm Hill- SG- Belleville East High School- Belleville, Illinois- 4-star, #52 overall nationally
- Maverick Morgan- PF/C- Springboro High School- Springboro, Ohio- 3-star, #148 overall nationally
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