2028 Class is Best in Illinois Right Now

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right now the class of 2028 is the best class in the state of Illinois when it comes to long term college prospects!&nbsp; It has star power at the top along with depth.&nbsp; Here we break down why it is the best class in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Battle for #1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are two legit contenders for the top spot in this class and the best prospect overall in the state in Neuqua Valley wing [player_tooltip player_id='2531981' first='Cole' last='Kelly'] and Bolingbrook shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2531973' first='Brady' last='Pettigrew'].&nbsp; Kelly has held down the top spot from the first ranking.&nbsp; He is a plus shooter with a sweet lefty stroke.&nbsp; Rebounds well, handles it, and has some passing instincts.&nbsp; Pettigrew has made this a conversation with how he played over the summer at Nike Elite 100 along with his play for [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] and Bolingbrook.&nbsp; Two guard that can also play some on the ball. &nbsp;Showed he can create his shot against the best players in the country while impacting in other areas as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quality Depth of PGs Headlined by Richwood Star</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The point guard position is led by Peoria Richwoods guard [player_tooltip player_id='2531961' first='Amarion' last='Smith-Holley'].&nbsp; He has superstar potential as a slick handling scoring guard that can put up 25 points like nothing.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2531962' first='Amir' last='Tucker'] (St. Ignatius), [player_tooltip player_id='2467517' first='Darrius' last='Hawkins'] (Homewood Flossmoor), [player_tooltip player_id='2531970' first='Ben' last='Ojala'] (Evanston), [player_tooltip player_id='2385372' first='Noah' last='Corro'] (St. Laurence), [player_tooltip player_id='2531979' first='CJ' last='Pittman'] (Payton), and [player_tooltip player_id='2842573' first='Blake' last='Choice'] (DePaul Prep) all are trending toward D1 prospects early on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>12 of Current Top 20 Prospects Are Wings</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Extremely strong group of shooting guards and small forwards with Kelly and Pettigrew at the top.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2125627' first='Ethan' last='Vahl'] (Oswego) had a super strong July with [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''].&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2194655' first='Braydon' last='Porter'] of Yorkville is a big and super athletic wing with a ton of upside.&nbsp; More talented wings include [player_tooltip player_id='2540198' first='Terrence' last='Davis'] (Libertyville), [player_tooltip player_id='2542412' first='Chase' last='Kasten'] (Normal Community), [player_tooltip player_id='2538631' first='Grant' last='Smith'] (Lyons), DeAndre Higgs (Thornton), [player_tooltip player_id='2751060' first='Brady' last='Jones'] (Metamora), [player_tooltip player_id='2542413' first='Alvin' last='Robinson'] (Lincoln Park), [player_tooltip player_id='2532031' first='Roosevelt' last='Thomas'] (De La Salle), and [player_tooltip player_id='2751256' first='Archie' last='Goewey'] (Centralia).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Upside Big Men to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top big man in the class is Shepard post [player_tooltip player_id='2834463' first='Amari' last='Williams'] who is coming off a very good summer.&nbsp; Broad shouldered post that rebounds and plays above the rim with athleticism.&nbsp; Danville lefty power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2395586' first='Amir' last='Beasley'] first popped with his athleticism and now the four man is showcasing his spot up shooting and defense.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2532003' first='Joey' last='Jakstys'] (Yorkville), [player_tooltip player_id='2393606' first='Cole' last='Jansons'] (Oswego), [player_tooltip player_id='2540205' first='John' last='Brown IV'] (Homewood Flossmoor), and [player_tooltip player_id='2632084' first='Daniel' last='Salkauskas'] (Brother Rice) have each shown flashes of being big time prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->