Illini Basketball Lands Five-Star Forward Will Riley

Illinois Basketball Lands Five-Star Forward Will Riley

Brad Underwood and Orlando Antigua have closed a monstrous international addition for Illini Basketball. Canadian wing Will Riley Announced on Sunday (6/23) afternoon that he has committed to the Illini over some impressive competition. After releasing a top-5 consisting of Illinois, Alabama, Kentucky, Arizona, and the New Zealand Breakers (NBL), the 5-star wing decided Champaign was the move.

The current Malvern (PA) resident is 18 years old, meaning that he will be eligible for the 2025 NBA draft. Furthermore, with so much talent and potential to earn serious NIL and professional dollars, getting to Champaign ASAP is a no-brainer. Undoubtedly, great news for Brad Underwood as well, who will immediately add a serious NBA draft prospect to the already impressively constructed roster. Pending proper adjustment and development, Will Riley could very well be a starter at Illinois 2, 3, or small 4 positions.

ILLINI for Will Riley! pic.twitter.com/gpQU5JZCcJ

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) June 23, 2024

Program Impact

According to 247 Sports, Will is the 9th overall player in the class of 2025. The sharp-shooter becomes the highest-ranked recruit for Illinois Basketball ever, during the recruiting rankings era. Riley now sits ahead of former #1 Morez Johnson and, current Chicago Bull Ayo Dosunmu.

What a tip of the cap to Brad Underwood, who has now landed 7 of the Illini’s top-10 highest rated recruits of the rankings era. In fact, all 5 of Illinois’ top-rated recruits (in the rankings era) are Brad Underwood guys. The updated list includes…

1. Will Riley

2. Morez Johnson

3.Ayo Dosunmu

4.Adam Miller

5.Skyy Clark.

Illini Basketball is a highly relevant program once again thanks to Brad Underwood and AD Josh Whitman. The dividends are being paid in recruiting, in addition to on the court, setting the Fighting Illini up well for the future.

Player Comparison

Will has had a great AAU season thus far for UPlay Canada. The big wing averaged 22 points and 5 rebounds per game at the Nike EYBL circuit in May, shooting 50 percent overall from the field, and 32% from deep. Certainly, Riley is a highly productive scoring option for Illinois, which can knock it down from all three levels. Standing in at 6’8 and 180lbs, Riley possesses advantageous length and athleticism, which assists him in getting to the bucket and forcing havoc for defenders. In terms of player comparison, a few names come to mind. In my opinion, think of former five-star recruit in the class of 2017, Brian Bowen. Bowen was extremely crafty with his offensive skill set. He was not a high-flyer, but he used angles extremely well and used his length to his advantage. Another name that comes to mind is former NBA guard, Rip Hamilton.

Nothing is ever certain, however, if Will can develop well under Brad Underwood and trainer Adam Fletcher, he may very well be a one-and-done NBA prospect. Certain future draft boards like the one by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony have Riley as a first-round pick in the 2025 draft.

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