With Michael Finke the only guy on the roster over 6’10” and the very real prospect of a 6’7″ starting center in Leron Black, Illini basketball has to add size. While there’s plenty of work yet to do, the addition of UIC de-commit Greg Eboigbodin, certainly helps. He’s 6’9″ 220 and beefs up the depth chart at the four and the five.
Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood had four open scholarships, and the commitment of Eboigbodin reduces that number to three. Our friends at Writing Illini indicate that the former commit to the sister school is:
“three-star recruit who is the No. 440 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 8 player in the state of Michigan.”
Here’s the Illinois commitment announcement Tweet from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School-
https://twitter.com/gregorymike004/status/872196740807626752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwritingillini.com%2F2017%2F06%2F07%2Fillinois-basketball-illini-building-depth-greg-eboigbodin-commitment%2F
Eboigbodin averaged 13.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this past season while shooting 66 percent from the field, helping lead U of D Jesuit to a 20-4 record and state quarterfinals appearance.
The native of Benin City, Nigeria moved to the United States in high school. During Eboigbodin’s junior season, Detroit U-D Jesuit won the 2016 Michigan state title in Class A with a perfect 28-0 record.
“We are excited to have Greg join us,” an official statement from Illini basketball head coach Brad Underwood reads:
“He has developed very quickly in this game, having played for just a short time, and had a phenomenal senior season. Greg has grown into an elite rebounder, runs the floor well, and is a strong shot blocker. His prowess on the defensive side thus far is ahead of the offense, but his offensive game is improving rapidly and will only continue to because of his tremendous work ethic.”
“The staff at UIC did a great job in recognizing Greg’s talent, and we obviously agree with that evaluation. Along with having a promising future on the basketball court, Greg is an outstanding student and is excited to earn a world-class education from the University of Illinois.”
Eboigbodin most likely fits in as a reserve power forward. He’s not likely to start, but again this is a bit of a good news for a program that has seen a ridiculous amount of turnover and lots of defection this summer. It’s very rare for a power five program, especially one with the tradition of Illini basketball, to have three or four open scholarships in June.
Here’s a link to the timeline of events that have transpired since the season ended; it also includes an updated Illini basketball depth chart.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.