As Illinois basketball begins to search for prospects that can replace Jeremiah Tilmon and Javon Pickett, a new name has emerged.
According to Rivals’ Eric Bossi, Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood was in Kansas on Saturday to check in on 2017 forward Francesco Badocchi.
.@ebosshoops Starting Five looks at #KU's backcourt, future of Jemarl Baker, a rough stretch for #Illini & more: https://t.co/vQuzpG9WJf pic.twitter.com/vwo5lnc4MT
— Rivals.com (@Rivals) April 10, 2017
Badocchi, a native of Italy, is unranked on all the major scouting websites, however his recruitment seems to have picked up quite a bit over the last few months. In addition to interest from Illinois, the 6-foot-8 prospect is also hearing from Virginia and he’s set to visit Charlottesville on April 14. Boise State, Texas Tech, Rhode Island, Tulsa and Indiana State are also involved.
Badocchi averaged 13.9 points per game during his senior season at Bishop Miege.
Illinois has four scholarships available for the 2017-18 season, and adding another wing/forward like Badocchi would make a lot of sense after the decommitment of Pickett. It may not be long until an official scholarship offer is on the table given Underwood’s recent activity.