Illinois Basketball Features Two Players on Team USA

Illinois Basketball Features Two Players on Team USA

Illinois Basketball has two players on the roster for the U18 Team USA. Morez Johnson Jr and Jeremiah Fears have both made the final cuts for the prestigious opportunity and will put on the USA jersey this summer. Fears has performed at an elite level and has shown his court vision and IQ along with his versatile offensive package. Johnson Jr is about to enroll at Illinois and has proven that he is one of the best rebounding big men in his class. Both players will get invaluable experience with Team USA prior to their time in Champaign. Fears and Johnson join talented Illinois basketball players who have made the team. Ayo Dosunmu, Adam Miller, and Ty Rodgers all made the team prior to arriving in Champaign.

Introducing the 2024 USA Men’s U18 National Team 👊

🇺🇸 #USABMU18 pic.twitter.com/TCIagpbxFM

— USABJNT (@usabjnt) May 28, 2024

An Exciting Future.

Johnson Jr is an incoming freshman for Illinois basketball, while Fears has one more year of high school hoops left. Regardless, the future remains bright for the Illini as they have two of the best players hailing from the state of Illinois in recent memory. If all plays out as it should, Fears and Johnson Jr will make one exciting duo to start the 2025 season. In addition, having Kylan Boswell and a Senior Ty Rodgers would make for one heck of a nucleus.

Illinois basketball went through nearly a decade of falling short of the most talented in-state products. Players like Jalen Brunson, Jabari Parker, and Jahlil Okafor all looked elsewhere. As Brad Underwood has brought this program back to relevance, the in-state talent pool has taken notice.

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