Illinois has its sights set on one of the state's top prospects. As Brady Pettigrew visited Champaign, the Illini took another step toward potentially building one of the nation's top recruiting classes—especially if the standout guard reclassifies to 2027.
Brad Underwood and his Illinois basketball program are fresh off a Final Four appearance, and hope to continue that momentum on the recruiting trail. Late Sunday Sam Kayser (@kayserhoops) reported that five-star guard Brady Pettigrew was going to go on an unofficial visit to Champaign on Monday.
Pettigrew, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard plays at Bolingbrook High School and is considered one of the top players in the 2028 class. Currently the 24/7 Sports Composite has Pettigrew listed as the No. 1 player in the state, and the No. 14 player overall in his class.
It is notable however, that Pettigrew told Illini Inquirer (sub required) that he is currently taking summer school and may possibly re-classify to the 2027 class. Currently the Illini have to commitments in the 2027 class, and both have thus far seemed like good evaluations by the staff. Mason Martin from Neuqua Valley High School and Quinton Kitt from East Peoria were both upgraded to four-star status in the most recent version of the 24/7 basketball rankings. If Pettigrew were to reclassify then Illinois would set themselves up for one of the top recruiting classes next season.
Illinois has built themselves a reputation for developing guards in recent memory. Names like Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr, Kasparas Jakucionis and most recently Keaton Wagler have turned Illinois into an NBA-developing factory. All of them, minus Wagler, came to Champaign with high expectations and ultimately lived up to it and were drafted to the NBA.
Wagler's story is unique in the sense that he was a 3-star recruit at one point ranked in the 200's, who ended up having one of the greatest seasons in Illinois basketball history. Last week, Wagler was drafted at No. 5 by the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Draft.
If Pettigrew were to stay in the 2028 class, the competition could be expected to get tougher for Brad Underwood and his staff. The combo guard is certainly good enough that he could eventually draw the attention of blue blood programs in the sport.
Should Pettigrew ultimately decide to reclassify, he could be a top-ranked recruit that enters a premium roster that can have the likes of forwards Andrej Stojakovic, Jake Davis, and David Mirkovic all returning. With such a loaded roster, there would be little pressure on Pettigrew who can use his talent to just fill in where the team needs as he gets accustomed to the physicality and speed of the Big Ten.
A lot of the fit may depend on the freshman season of fast-rising Quentin Coleman. If Coleman ends up having a season similar to that of Wagler's, then his role would open up and Pettigrew could slide right in. However Wagler's story is not one that should be set as an expectation. If Coleman ultimately has a good but not fantastic season and stays in Champaign for a sophomore season, then Pettigrew may feel like his opportunity may be diminished by his presence.
In reality, this is a problem that almost any coach in the country would want. Having too many good players is not something that will garner Brad Underwood any sort of sympathy from his rivals.
For now, the objective is for Illinois to get the commitment of the top player in the state. And with his continuous visits to Champaign, it looks like Illinois is setting themselves up to be in good shape to do just that.
