Illinois Basketball Gearing Up to Make a Run at Rising 5-Star Recruit
The five-star recruits have started to roll in, and the Illinois basketball team isn’t finished landing these big prospects.
The recruiting push that the Illinois basketball team has made is quite impressive. Brad Underwood and his evolving Illini coaching staff have done a great job attracting talent every season. In the past couple of recruiting classes, the talent level has risen noticeably.
Currently, Illinois has two projected first-round NBA Draft picks, both of whom are freshmen. This doesn’t even account for a few upperclassmen who could easily position themselves as draft prospects.
Maintaining this great recruiting momentum is crucial. So far, Illinois has secured two four-star recruits for the class of 2025. This is a solid start, but there are still plenty of options available to help elevate this class. One option could be Alex Constanza.
Constanza is a 6-foot-8, 207-pound small forward from Westminster Academy in Florida. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 11 player in the class of 2026. Additionally, he is the No. 3 small forward in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of Florida.
Fresh off a Syracuse official visit, I take a look at the development and the current recruitment of Top-10 junior Alex Constanza. A source told @Stockrisers visits to Illinois, BYU, others are in the works.
The latest on the skilled Florida native: https://t.co/6AjUU9jbJt pic.twitter.com/CUGLVVVF65
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) October 21, 2024
According to Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers, Constanza has a few teams on his radar. He recently took an official visit to Syracuse, which is his only visit so far. However, he also plans to visit Illinois; Weingarten reports that Constanza will be in Champaign in early December.
But why could this potentially affect the class of 2025? This is due to the possibility of Constanza reclassifying. While he is currently a member of the 2026 class, Weingarten reports that Constanza might move up to the 2025 class depending on his development.
Alex Constanza would be a perfect frontcourt complement to two strong backcourt players who have already committed to the Illinois basketball program. Underwood has done a masterful job recruiting since he joined Illinois; year after year, the roster remains balanced, with talent spread evenly across the floor.
Landing someone like Constanza would continue to advance this winning formula. Illinois already has two four-star commits in Brandon Lee and Keaton Wagler for 2025. Both are backcourt players who can score from anywhere on the court.
Lee is more of a traditional shooting guard who can light it up, while Wagler can play multiple roles, including point guard or out on the wing.
When you pair Constanza with those two talented guards, it creates a formidable incoming roster for 2025—all contingent on the five-star forward reclassifying and committing to Illinois. The visit in December is crucial. Hopefully, Illinois will have a strong record, allowing us to make a significant impact on his recruitment with a solid home win.
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