Names to know in Class of 2025

Nov. 16—Illinois has turned its recruiting attention to the Class of 2025 (and beyond). Beat writer Scott Richey spotlights 10 high school juniors to know with an Illini offer:

Aleks Alston, 6-9, PF, Kenwood

Alston took an unofficial visit to Illinois last month. While he didn't play a full season with the Broncos last season, what he did accomplish was still worth noting given he averaged 8.9 points and 3.4 rebounds while making 37 three-pointers in 14 games.

Jamarion Batemon, 6-3, CG, Milwaukee Academy of Science

Batemon also visited in the fall and is the kind of shooter Illinois needs. He averaged 20.5 points, as a sophomore last season and put up a shooting slash of 47/44/80.

Jeremiah Fears, 6-3, CG, Compass Prep (Ariz.)

While Brad Underwood said Illinois was out of the Class of 2024 recruiting game, the possibility of a Fears reclassification could change that. The now former Joliet West guard put up 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game last season for the Tigers.

Phoenix Gill, 6-2, PG, St. Ignatius

Iowa State and Stanford are also involved in Gill's recruitment. Northwestern is pushing, too. But Champaign has a strong pull for the son of Flyin' Illini star Kendall Gill, who averaged 11.7 points, three rebounds and 2.7 assists in helping St. Ignatius reach a second straight Class 3A state tournament last season.

Tyler Jackson, 6-2, PG, Overtime Elite

Illinois got an example of what strong point guard play can do for a team in Tuesday's loss to No. 4 Marquette. Jackson, a Baltimore native who previously played at St. Frances Academy (Md.), is a top-five point guard in the Class of 2025 and a top-20 overall recruit. A brief stint with Team Melo in May at Nike's E16 level saw him average 30 points as a 51/50/82 shooter.

Jamier Jones, 6-6, SF, Oak Ridge (Fla.)

Jones left IMG Academy (Fla.) after the 2022-23 season and transferred to Oak Ridge. This season, he'll join forces with future Virginia Tech wing Tyler Johnson, who had an Illinois offer, and fellow 2025 Illini target Jalen Reece. Jones averaged 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists for Florida Rebels on the Nike E16 circuit.

Nikolas Khamenia, 6-7, SF, Harvard Westlake (Calif.)

Khamenia had his star turn during Harvard Westlake's run to its first state championship since twin stars Jason and Jarron Collins led the Wolverines to two straight in 1996 and 1997. Khamenia had 20 points in the CIF Open Division semifinals against Centennial and was a two-way monster against St. Joseph's in the title game.

J.J. Mandaquit, 6-1, PG, Real Salt Lake Academy (Utah)

Mandaquit helped Team USA win a gold medal this summer after playing a backup guard role in the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Mexico. The Hawaii native averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, three rebounds and 2.9 steals as a freshman at 'Iolani School before transferring to Real Salt Lake Academy for his sophomore year.

Dietrich Richardson, 6-6, PG, Peoria Manual

The nephew of former Illinois guard D.J. Richardson got his offer this past weekend. Dietrich Richardson averaged 13 points and six rebounds for the Rams last season and was an All-Big 12 selection.

Azavier Robinson, 6-1, PG, Lawrence North (Ind.)

Robinson got his first Division I offer from IUPUI before his freshman season at Lawrence North started. Many more, including Illinois, have gotten on board since he ended his sophomore year with several big games.