clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Charlie Moore commits to California over Illinois, LSU, SMU, and others

The 2016 Illinois 'Mr. Basketball' is headed out West.

By Jim Vainisi
Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

It appears Fighting Illini basketball has missed out on their final class-of-2016 recruiting target. On Wednesday night, four-star guard Charlie Moore (Chicago, IL) announced his verbal commitment to California over the Illini, SMU, LSU, Miami (FL), California, Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky, and UNLV. The 5-foot-10 prospect is rated as the No. 71 overall player and No. 1 Illinois native in 247Sports' composite rankings.

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.

This isn't the best news for John Groce and the Illini, but they simply didn't have a scholarship open for Moore. Senior center Mike Thorne Jr. was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA earlier on Wednesday, filling the final expected roster slot in the process.

To be honest, though, I don't think Moore would've committed to Illinois even if there was an extra scholarship hanging around. I mean, it sounds like Kendrick Nunn may be on his way out after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, so Moore probably would've just waited another week or two if his heart was set on Champaign.

2016 Illinois Basketball Recruiting Class

It looks three-star guard Te'Jon Lucas will be the lone member of Illinois' 2016 recruiting class. In case you're wondering, the 'group' ranks No. 98 in the country and No. 14 in the Big Ten. But that has more to do with the quantity of recruits rather than quality, and it's a decent tradeoff considering that the Illini will use the other two open scholarships on Thorne and Tracy Abrams next season.

Interested in Illinois' class-of-2017 recruiting efforts? Click here to see a list of all that prospects that have received scholarship offers.