BREAKING: Illinois Basketball Lands 2024 CG Jase Butler

BREAKING: Illinois Basketball Lands 2024 CG Jase Butler

Illinois Basketball gets a recruiting win! Jase Butler, a 6 foot 4 combo guard from California, announced his commitment to the University of Illinois. Butler is a 3 star prospect who chose Illinois Basketball over UCSB, San Francisco and Colorado State. The combo guard visited Champaign just a few weeks ago, and decided that Champaign was the place to be. Jase is the third commit in the class of 2024, however is the first guard of the bunch. Illinois Basketball also owns the commitments of Jason Jakstys and Morez Johnson. Jakstys and Johnson are two intriguing big man prospects. Though Johnson is expected to be an immediate impact, while Jakstys is expected to develop for a couple years, Illinois Basketball seems to have recruited the front-court quite well.

NEWS: Jase Butler, a 6-foot-4 guard in the class of 2024, tells me he’s committed to Illinois.

Story: https://t.co/8RabAWkVDT pic.twitter.com/UowSaGrwnJ

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 4, 2023

A much-needed Playmaker

Illinois has struggled with landing playmakers. Outside of Andre Curbelo, Illinois has never had a true point guard. Butler fits that bill as he displays a very high basketball IQ. He is not the flashiest, but is just a solid basketball player that Illinois has lacked at the point guard position. Despite not being true playmakers, Terrence Shannon Jr and Coleman Hawkins are tasked with running the Illinois offense. With those two players gone after the 2023-2024 season, there is a huge need for playmaking.

Ty Rodgers and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn will certainly man that playmaker role during the 2024-25 season, however Illinois needs some help. Jase Butler is the perfect prep prospect for this. He uses his strong frame to set up his teammates very effectively.

Who’s Next?

Illinois Basketball went after both Jase Butler and Mikey Lewis very hard. Though Lewis and Butler are very different players, I am curious to see if Butler’s commitment affects Lewis’s. Mikey was considered to be an LSU lean, however he seems to have cancelled the visit there. Illinois would certainly benefit from taking both players if they are able to, but you have to wonder how they view Jeremiah Fears into this picture. Fears is considering a reclass to 2024, and is currently one of the top prospects in the class of 2025.

Illinois Basketball has gotten bit a billion times by “waiting” for other prospects. I think if Mikey Lewis wants to jump on board, they should take him. That is regardless of what Jeremiah Fears decides to do.

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