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The Illinois basketball program has a plethora of talented big men on their roster, with David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, and Zvonimir Ivisic leading the way in the frontcourt.
The Illini have had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their bigs, but the position will certainly need to be addressed in the future. The Ivisic brothers will be graduating, and Mirkovic will possibly be heading to the NBA Draft.
It will be an interesting road for Brad Underwood, as he has had his frontcourt locked down for so many years. On Friday, Illinois started down the road to finding replacements for the future, with the program recently sending an offer to five-star power forward Benjamin Berrouet.
Berrouet, a product of Dallas, Texas, is currently ranked as the No. 14 player in the class of 2028 and the best power forward in the country. He has been a major target for many programs across the country, being offered by teams like Houston, Texas, Arizona State, and Baylor.
The 6-foot-8 prospect from Dynamic Prep High School is an explosive ball player who can take over a game at a moment's notice, leading to magnificent performances like his 19-point, 12-rebound, seven-block game at the Peach Jam.
Benjamin Berrouet embodies similar traits to David Mirkovic, making him a perfect replacement for Illinois
The men's basketball program stands to lose a lot when Big Ten All-Freshman David Mirkovic decides to enter the NBA Draft. He has been the perfect stretch-four for Underwood's squad, giving them a big body who can get physical in the paint, as well as shoot from long range.
It will be a sad day when he departs the program, but the addition of Berrouet would give Underwood the perfect replacement for the future. Berrouet already has a similar size to Mirkovic, as the sophomore currently stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 240 pounds. He also plays similarly to Mirkovic, using his strength and athleticism to score from all three levels.
Underwood and the Illini may have a bit of trouble landing the stellar big man, as Berrouet is already being targeted by teams from his home state, the Houston Cougars and Texas Longhorns, but if this season ends the way we're hoping, it may be more than enough to convince him to come to Champaign.
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This article was originally published on writingillini.com as Brad Underwood has crosshairs set on huge 5-star recruit for Illinois basketball.
