Illinois
Illinois basketball in to watch 5-star 2026 recruiting target
Illinois basketball hit the recruiting trail to watch some important recruits this weekend.
It is important for the Illini to build around Morez Johnson Jr. in 2024. Johnson, a unanimous top-40 recruit nationally, is the centerpiece of what could be a special recruiting class for the Orange and Blue.
Brad Underwood and his coaching staff have secured two talented players to surround Johnson in 2024. Jason Jakstys will help in the paint alongside Johnson, and Jase Butler is coming in to help the Illinois backcourt.
The Illinois coaches aren’t done yet, though. On Sunday morning, Rob Cassidy of Rivals reported that Illini assistant coach Geoff Alexander was in the house to watch a few recruiting targets in the Shooting Stars Basketball Showcase.
Among the names Cassidy mentions were Maurice Vassel, Adam Njie, and Chidi Nwigwe.
Illinois assistant Geoff Alexander is in the building. Maurice Vassel and Adam Njie both hold offers from the Illini and are scheduled to play in the event. @IllinoisRivals
— Rob Cassidy (@Cassidy_Rob) January 7, 2024
Vassel is a 6-foot-9, 160-pound power forward from St. Benedict’s Prep in New York. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 248 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 53 power forward in the country and the No. 9 player coming out of New York.
I love Vassel’s game, especially in an offense like Illinois runs. Underwood wants to move the ball and get out in breaks, and Vassel can be a weapon on the fastbreak. He runs the court well, and his athletic ability is off the charts. I also like his touch with 10 feet of the rim.
Njie is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard from Cardinal Hayes High School in New York. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the No. 163 player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 14 point guard in the country and the No. 7 player coming out of New York.
Whoever lands Njie is getting a really talented player. I am not sure why he is a sub-150 recruit. Njie has great handles and the ability to finish at the rim with either hand. I don’t even know who he models his game after, but his game screams Kyrie Irving. A mix of bulldog and finesse that is hard to replicate.
Nwigwe is a 6-foot-7, 195-pound shooting guard from St. Benedict’s Prep in New York. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 18 player in the class of 2026. He is also the No. 5 shooting guard in the country and the No. 1 player coming out of New Jersey.
Usually, when you have an athletic freak like Nwigwe, there are shooting issues. That isn’t the case here, though. Nwigwe has the athletic ability that jumps off the page and can be tough to handle. He can then step out and shoot from three-point range. His length makes him a nightmare defensively as well. There is a reason this kid is a five-star already.
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CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
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