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Illinois commit Da'Monte Williams falls out of latest ESPN, Scout rankings

Let's completely overreact to some offseason basketball news.

By Jim Vainisi
Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN and Scout have released their updated class-of-2017 basketball rankings, and Fighting Illini commit Da'Monte Williams is now outside of both Top-100's. The four-star (three-star?) combo guard was in the No. 40-60 range on each site before these changes took place. Illinois' other verbal commitment, three-star guard Javon Pickett, also remains unranked on each site.

So why did Williams experience such a huge fall? Scout's Brian Snow put it very simply: the Illinois native just did not have a very good Spring. He only averaged 9.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting a meager 38.2% from the field (25.9% 3PT).

Should Illini fans be worried? Yeah, I suppose. It certainly sounds like Williams hasn't taken that 'next step' as a player. But keep in mind that he still has 2-3 more years to develop into what'll hopefully be a major contributor for the program. So, please, try not to overreact too much upon seeing this news.

Here's a quick glance at some of Illinois' other targets in the new rankings.

Notable Illinois targets in ESPN rankings

  • Brian Bowen (IN) - No. 10
  • Kris Wilkes (IN) - No. 11
  • Jeremiah Tilmon (IN) - No. 29
  • Paul Scruggs (IN) - No. 32
  • Malik Williams (IN) - No. 42
  • Jordan Goodwin (IL) - No. 54
  • Nojel Eastern (IL) - No. 74
  • Justin Smith (IL) - No. 76
  • Derek Culver (OH) - No. 79
  • Da'Monte Williams (IL) - NR
  • Javon Pickett (IL) - NR

Notable Illinois targets in Scout rankings

  • Kris Wilkes (IN) - No. 16
  • Brian Bowen (IN) - No. 17
  • Jeremiah Tilmon (IN) - No. 18
  • Malik Williams (IN) - No. 31
  • Paul Scruggs (IN) - No. 37
  • Derek Culver (OH) - No. 40
  • Jordan Goodwin (IL) - No. 56
  • Trent Frazier (FL) - No. 72
  • Justin Smith (IL) - No. 76
  • Nojel Eastern (IL) - No. 80
  • Da'Monte Williams (IL) - NR
  • Javon Pickett (IL) - NR