2026 Recruiting Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Illinois caught up with highly ranked junior prospects from across the state to get updates on their recruitments in this <strong>2026 Recruiting Notebook</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2105360' first='Lincoln' last='Williams'] (Kankakee)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top ranked junior in the state says he is hearing from South Carolina, TCU, Illinois, Indiana, Xavier and more.&nbsp; Holds 12 offers including TCU, Illinois, Arizona State, and DePaul.&nbsp; He has visited DePaul and will be on campus at Illinois on December 19.&nbsp; Would like to decide by December of his senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552393' first='Gabriel' last='Sularski'] (Lemont)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Super skilled wing has been a mainstay among the top prospects in his class.&nbsp; He tells us that the schools that he is in the most contact with include Michigan State, Indiana, Notre Dame, DePaul, Wisconsin, St. Louis, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Stanford.&nbsp; Of those schools Michigan State, Indiana, DePaul, and Wisconsin have extended offers.&nbsp; Schools he has visited this fall include DePaul, St. Louis, Notre Dame, and Indiana.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2045857' first='Ethan' last='Hillsman'] (Joliet West)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillsman moved into the state from Tennessee and immediately became a top 5 prospect in the state because of his versatility on the wing.&nbsp; He is talking with Penn and Valparaiso.&nbsp; Illinois State has extended an offer and he has taken a visit to see the MVC program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1501486' first='Ben' last='Akoro'] (O'Fallon)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Akoro is primed to have a monster season as the Principia (MO) transfer has such a versatile and skilled offensive game along with being able to lock down defensively.&nbsp; He tells PHI that Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Evansville are all schools monitoring him.&nbsp; Right now he is coming back from a bone contusion and has missed most of the fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552460' first='Bryce' last='Wegrzyn'] (Libertyville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the more impressive big men we saw this summer was this Libertyville junior.&nbsp; He says he has heard from Purdue Fort Wayne and Winona State.&nbsp; No offers to date.&nbsp; Went to Purdue Fort Wayne for an elite camp and got a tour while he was there.&nbsp; Will be tripping to Winona State on November 2 and then to Purdue Fort Wayne on November 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552486' first='Danny' last='Houlihan'] (New Trier)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state's premier 2026 shooter recently picked up his first offer from High point while on an unofficial visit.&nbsp; He has also taken trips to Western Michigan and Providence.&nbsp; Other schools he is in communication with include Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Eastern Illinois.&nbsp; He is working on setting up visits with St. Louis, Loyola, and DePaul.&nbsp; Would like to make a college decision by next summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1845353' first='Amir' last='Danforth'] (Rockford Auburn)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Danforth is a plus shooting two guard that can also really defend.&nbsp; He is actively hearing the most from Western Michigan, Miami (OH), Murray State, South Dakota, Wyoming, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Northern Illinois.&nbsp; NIU is the only school to set up with an offer to date.&nbsp; He has visited Western Michigan and will trip to Purdue Ft. Wayne on October 30.Will also get to Miami (OH) in October.&nbsp; He would like to decide by the end of the summer before senior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552440' first='Adam' last='Anwar'] (McHenry)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Face up four man that has a ton of potential!&nbsp; Anward tells PHI he has been in touch with a lot of Ivy League schools including Columbia, Penn, and Harvard.&nbsp; Also spoken with UC San Diego, Appalachian State, and MIT.&nbsp; No offers to this point.&nbsp; He went to Harvard and UC San Diego over the summer for camps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2376270' first='Semaj' last='Stampley'] (Alton)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stampley could be the most explosive scorer in the metro east this season as a junior.&nbsp; The two schools he is talking with the most at this point are Missouri State and Marquette.&nbsp; Missouri State has extended an offer.&nbsp; No visits yet due to busy football schedule, but he has talked to SIU-Edwardsville, Marquette, Missouri State, and Lindenwood about getting on campus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1435692' first='Rykan' last='Woo'] (DePaul Prep)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woo is one of the most efficient and productive lead guards in the class.&nbsp; He has landed an offer from UC Davis and visited them the weekend of October 11.&nbsp; Other visits to Yale (Oct 14), Northern Iowa (Oct 18), Princeton (Oct 25), and Harvard (Nov 1).&nbsp; Drake and UW Green Bay are also trying to get him on campus.&nbsp; Belmont, Bradley, and Iona are also schools that are showing early interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1845365' first='Adoni' last='Vassilakis'] (Marist)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Marist true floor general says he will be visiting Winona State on November 3.&nbsp; Would like to decide before senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1552404' first='Jake' last='Pollack'] (Deerfield)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pollack tells us he is actively talking with Yale and Dartmouth the most and are each making him feel like a major priority.&nbsp; He is also hearing from San Diego, Miami (OH), and Penn.&nbsp; No offers yet.&nbsp; He attended elite camps at Princeton, Penn, Dartmouth, and Yale.&nbsp; He has a visit lined up with Miami (OH) at the end of October.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1845354' first='Oliver' last='Gray'] (Barrington)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray is one of the best shooters in the class with solid athleticism. He has been in communication with Northern Iowa, South Dakota, UIC, Penn, Liberty, and Virginia Tech. He will be visiting Northern Iowa tomorrow October 18. Follows that up with trips to Virginia Tech October 21 and Liberty on October 22. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2105396' first='Cameron' last='Mercer'] (Riverside Brookfield)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Riverside Brookfield shooting guard is primed for a massive junior campaign.&nbsp; He tells us that Illinois State and Furman have communicated with him the most.&nbsp; No offers as he was injured during the summer.&nbsp; He has visited Illinois State and is working on setting up a trip to Miami (OH) when time permits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2323278' first='Ty' last='Laur'] (Pinckneyville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Laur is among the best big men in southern Illinois in the 2026 class.&nbsp; Skilled five that can play inside and out.&nbsp; He is actively hearing from D2 McKendree which he visited recently and picked up an offer.&nbsp; The D1 programs in most contact are Eastern Illinois, SEMO, Eastern Tennessee State, Southern Illinois, UT-Martin, North Dakota State, and Abilene Christian.&nbsp; Recently picked up his first offer on a visit to UT-Martin.&nbsp; He will be visiting North Dakota State on November 2.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->