Illinois basketball’s pursuit of Bentley Lusakueno has moved into the next phase.
A couple of weeks after offering the five-star prospect, Illinois now has a spot on his official visit schedule. According to Dushawn London of 247Sports, Lusakueno will take four official visits as he narrows things down: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Iowa, and Illinois.
His first stop is Tennessee on September 5. Vanderbilt gets the next visit on September 12, followed by Illinois on September 19 and Iowa on September 25.
Lusakueno would be a major addition for Brad Underwood and the Illini. The IMG Academy forward is listed at 6-foot-10 and 205 pounds, and he checks in as the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2028. He’s also ranked the No. 3 power forward nationally and the No. 3 player in Florida.
Illinois isn’t stopping there on the 2028 front, either. Brady Pettigrew is also set for an official visit to Champaign a couple of weeks later. Pettigrew is a five-star recruit and the No. 14 player in the country.
The bigger picture for Illinois recruiting is already starting to look ambitious. Right now, the Illini own the No. 5 class in 2027, built around commitments from Quinton Kitt and Mason Martin. But that group could get a whole lot louder in the near future.
Illinois has three more five-star recruits lined up for official visits in the coming month or so: NaVorro Bowman Jr. on September 10, Moussa Kamissoko on September 18, and Darius Wabbington on October 23.
There’s also a chance Pettigrew and Lusakueno could reclassify from 2028 to 2027. Pettigrew has already been confirmed to be looking at the 2027 class, and Lusakueno could be right there with him, especially with official visits already on the calendar.
If that happens, Illinois’ 2027 haul could get very interesting very fast. The program is coming off what’s expected to be a big 2026-27 season, and the roster turnover afterward could leave room for a wave of elite young talent. The setup is there for a recruiting class that could reshape what comes next in Champaign.
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