Highest-rated Class of 2026 Men's Basketball Recruits From Illinois

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Highest-rated Class of 2026 men's basketball recruits from Illinois

From the roaring crowd to squeaking sneakers on the hardwood, high school basketball is a beloved American pastime.

The sport's school roots date back to its 19th-century beginnings. After all, James Naismith invented basketball as a physical education activity. The concept of a state championship for high school basketball soon followed. Illinois, for example, held a state championship as early as 1908. Other states with early high school basketball championships include Indiana (first championship in 1911) and Wisconsin (1916).

Now, the sport is etched into the ethos of the American high school. Almost 900,000 student athletes play on their high school basketball team, according to 2024-25 school year data compiled by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That figure represents over 18,000 schools competing across all 50 states, grinding out games in high school gyms on dark winter nights.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated Class of 2026 basketball recruits from Illinois using data from 247Sports. Athletes are ranked by their 247Sports Composite ranking.

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1 / 10

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#10. Jordan Williams (SF)

- National rank: #292 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #78
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Miami (OH), Toledo, Illinois State, Cal State Northridge, Iona
- High school: Fremd (Palatine, IL)

2 / 10

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#8. Rashaun Porter (PF)

- National rank: #275 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #48
- College: Toledo
- Offers: Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago
- High school: DePaul College Prep (Chicago, IL)

3 / 10

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#8. Andre Tyler (SF)

- National rank: #275 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #73
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Illinois, Northern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, DePaul
- High school: Simeon (Chicago, IL)

4 / 10

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#7. Jahadi White Jr. (C)

- National rank: #271 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #34
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: Washington State, Sacramento State
- High school: East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)

5 / 10

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#6. Christopher Kirkpatrick (SG)

- National rank: #269 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #48
- College: Princeton
- Offers: Toledo, Brown, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola
- High school: New Trier (Winnetka, IL)

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6 / 10

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#5. EJ Hazelett (SF)

- National rank: #265 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #70
- College: Indiana State
- Offers: Indiana State, Kent State
- High school: Kankakee (Kankakee, IL)

7 / 10

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#4. Marquis Clark (PG)

- National rank: #256 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #38
- College: Tennessee
- Offers: Tennessee, Iona, Ball State, Southern Illinois, Purdue Fort Wayne
- High school: Whitney Young (Chicago, IL)

8 / 10

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#3. Jamison White (PF)

- National rank: #249 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #42
- College: Penn State
- Offers: Penn State, Kansas State, Southeast Missouri State, Saint Louis
- High school: East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)

9 / 10

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#2. Michael Nee (SG)

- National rank: #219 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #34
- College: South Dakota
- Offers: #VALUE!
- High school: Glenbard East (Lombard, IL)

10 / 10

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#1. Lincoln Williams (SF)

- National rank: #116 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #39
- College: uncommitted
- Offers: North Texas, Southern Illinois, Arizona State, Illinois, TCU
- High school: Kankakee (Kankakee, IL)

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