2016 point guard Charlie Moore narrows list to 8 schools, includes Illinois

In case you missed yesterday's news, John Groce and the Fighting Illini have officially re-entered the recruitment of four-star point guard Charlie Moore (Chicago, IL). The 2016 Illinois 'Mr. Basketball' took to Twitter on Wednesday night to announce his top eight schools and he's included the Illini along with SMU, LSU, Miami (FL), California, Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky, and UNLV.

I appreciate all the coaches who put there time and effort in recruiting me but these are my final 8 schools pic.twitter.com/0AnHpuvug9

— Charles Moore (@CharlieM2_) April 27, 2016

Moore originally gave a verbal commitment to Memphis last Fall, but he was granted a release from his letter of intent after Georgia Tech hired away former Tigers coach Josh Pastner.

Illinois has two open scholarships that they're holding for Tracy Abrams and Mike Thorne Jr., who have both petitioned for sixth years of eligibility from the NCAA. Abrams is a surefire case to return for another season, but the outlook on Thorne's situation appears to be pretty bleak. So, basically, the Illini will likely have a scholarship for Moore in the event of a commitment. But, as we've discussed in the past, using that lone ride on another guard may not be the smartest move given the roster's front court deficiency.

But Moore is a fantastic player and you figure Groce would absolutely accept his pledge without hesitation. In that scenario, the Illini would just have to figure out their roster issues at a later date.

Highlights

2016 Illinois Basketball Recruiting Class

Illinois already has a commitment from three-star prospect Te'Jon Lucas, but both guards have recently insisted that they'd be able to share time in backcourt.