3-star point guard set to make decision
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After taking a pair of official visits and having another scheduled, 2016 Milwaukee (Wisc.) Washington product Te'Jon Lucas is ready to make a decision.
The 3-star point guard Lucas will decide between Illinois, USC, and Old Dominion on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Where they stand
The Illini have been desperately seeking a point guard to run John Groce's offense since his arrival and have yet to find the guy that is the point guard of the future. After missing on numerous players in the last four recruiting classes, Illinois another opportunity on Wednesday evening.
Lucas surprised most observers when he announced his decision day prior to his Illinois official visit, which was set for this weekend. The 6-foot guard visited USC and Old Dominion officially the past two weekends and has previously visited Illinois unofficially.
Although that final three isn't an imposing one, Lucas has had interest from Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin with a strong July, and previously had offers from Purdue and Memphis.
Prediction
The point guard misses finally end on Wednesday, as the best guess is that Lucas will commit to the Fighting Illini. All signs point to him not wanting to wait and instead make his official visit to Illinois a celebration and victory lap next weekend.
What a Lucas commitment means
If Lucas commits to Illinois as expected, the Illini get a 6-foot floor general with a high basketball IQ and a tight handle. He's very quick and has deft passing skills.
Although not a prolific scorer, Lucas has the ability to put up points when he needs to. He's not a consistent outside shooter yet, but has times when he will get streaky hot from deep. A quality individual that plays with toughness and a high motor, Lucas is very good with both his left and right hand and can finish going either direction. He will undoubtedly need to get stronger, but a college weight program should do just the trick. This is a very good find and a very good get for the Illinois program.
Lucas isn't a 5-star player like Jalen Brunson or Demetrius Jackson, but he can play at the high major level and be a very good point guard on a Big Ten team. He can make an impact as a freshman, although it will likely be his sophomore season before fans get to see his full talents on display.
Lucas is also a quality fit with the bigger combo guards that Illinois is recruiting in the class of 2017 such as Jordan Poole and Da'Monte Williams.
Scouting report
Ryan James from Gopher Illustrated scouted Lucas as an unbiased observer this summer and had this to say about him.
"Lucas is a high major talent. He's got the strength already of a D1 lead guard, Te'Jon is as quick as just about any guard in the Midwest, and his court vision ranked with the best I saw all July."