[2023] Illinois State Off to Blazing Start to Recruiting

[Ape]

 

Normal, IL

While this years Redbirds squad is not lighting it up on the court (1-5 in MVC and 4-10 overall) by any means, Coach Ape has lit the recruiting trail on fire. The Redbirds have the 12th ranked class at the moment and the 4th ranked class with only two commits in them. The future is definitely looking brighter than the current squad. Let’s take a look at the two newest Redbirds 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ PG Avery Johnson from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, New York 

There it is folks, the big one. Coach Ape told us preseason that he was going to go hard after big talent but we didn’t think he’d land such a big fish. Avery Johnson is a certified stud already. He’d easily be the best player on the Redbirds right now as a high schooler still. He’s the 6th overall recruit and already has a polished inside shot, hitting from inside and mid range easily. He has great ball handling and finishing ability to pair with that deadly shot. His defense is average and he needs work on free throws and his outside shots but folks that’s just nitpicking. Avery Johnson will come in and light up the MVC like it’s the Griswold’s house at Christmas. Look for him to start immediately and to help lead this program into the future. 
 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SG James Johnson from Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, IL

For his other top 100 signing, Coach Ape stayed in-state and swiped one of the best players from one of the best high school programs in James “JJ” Johnson. JJ is a pure shooter, he loves to have the ball and make plays happen. He’s not known for his defense but he will definitely make up for it with his shooting ability. Scouts list his potential at A- which could forecast a future in the association after hopefully a very fruitful time in Normal. 
 

We have already seen leaked documents from the athletic department marketing team and the Redbird NIL collective with Johnson&Johnson being their current theming (and possibly another clue why these two committed in back to back weeks).

 

The Redbirds still have an open spot on the roster for next year and we have heard from some people close to coach Ape that he’s going to try and land another 4 or 5 star player. We’ll be on the lookout hoping potential developments with this, but for now Coach Ape has breathed new life into this program already.