Illinois Basketball Offers Nation’s No. 1 2028 Power Forward Bentley Lusakueno

At this point, we know the drill when it comes to Illinois basketball’s recruiting: coach Brad Underwood and his staff prize positional size and shooting. If a player doesn’t carry one of those traits, he often has the other in spades (or, say, significant upside in the shooting department).

Fortunately for the Illini, their latest offer is bursting at the seams with both attributes. Bentley Lusakueno, who picked up an offer from Illinois on Wednesday, is something of a unicorn – 6-foot-10 knockdown shooter who has the ability to play either forward position.

Who is Illini target Bentley Lusakueno?

Considered the No. 9 player in the country and the top power forward in the nation, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Lusakueno is one of the most coveted prospects in his class. He already holds at least 17 Division I offers.

Advertisement

Also on Wednesday, Lusakueno announced his move to IMG Academy, where he will play his high school basketball. For AAU, Lusakueno played for Team CP3 of the Nike EYBL Circuit this past season.

Bentley Lusakueno scouting report

First and foremost, as already established, Lusakueno is a shooter. On the EYBL Circuit in 2026, he shot 26-for-62 from long range – good for a brilliant percentage of 41.9.

He has a shockingly smooth jumper for a 6-foot-10 hooper who is just starting his junior year of high school. Naturally, Lusakueno has a high release point, which allows him to get his shot off at will.

Although Lusakueno is most productive as a three-point shooter, he can also get to pull-ups (though his shot-creation ability isn’t what you might hope for from such a highly rated [prospect). Athletically, he is more of a fluid athlete than an ultra-twitchy, high-flying leaper.

Advertisement

With his size and length, though, his mobility is a plus. It allows him to be a viable threat as a rim runner and, perhaps more importantly, be a valuable rim protector on defense (he had seven blocks in his final EYBL outing of 2026).

Around the rim, he can get bounced…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/illinois-basketball-offers-nations-no-024749905.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-21 02:47:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.