2018 guard nets Illini offer
Illini head coach John Groce expanded his recruiting efforts on Wednesday with an offer to rising 2018 guard Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago Morgan Park. The offer comes after an impressive showing this spring.
“(Groce) liked my scoring abilities, the leadership I display on the court being a floor general,” Dosunmu said. “He complimented me as being one of the best point guards in the 2018 class. I was honored to hear that.”
A 6-foot-3 slasher who can score from all three levels, Dosunmu is running with the 16U Mac Irvin Fire on the AAU circuit. The Illini staff watched him during the April open period and obviously liked what they saw.
According to Dosunmu, Groce extended the offer during a 3-way telephone conversation between the Illini coach, Dosunmu, and his high school and AAU coach Nick Irvin.
The offer was particularly rewarding for Dosunmu coming from his home-state school.
“I'm from Illinois so it's always a good feeling to be recognized and scouted at home,” he said. “Overall I'm excited to see where Coach Groce is taking the program.”
Dosunmu is a combo guard who runs the point for the Fire, and also plays off the ball. His length and quick first step make him a formidable offensive weapon.
“The AAU season is going great so far,” Dosunmu said. “Stand-out areas of my game are my abilities to facilitate the ball to get and keep my teammates involved. One of my other stand-out areas is of course scoring. I've always been a scoring guard.”
Illinois is also pursuing Morgan Park senior Charlie Moore, who teamed with Dosunmu last season in high school.
“Having Player of the Year Charlie Moore as my teammate I learned a lot from him and incorporated some of those skills into my overall game this summer,” Dosunmu said.
The Illini offer was the third for Dosunmu, with UIC and SMU also extending offers. He’s now getting high major interest from a handful of others.
“Other than the three offers already received, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Georgetown have reached out to Coach Nick,” Dosunmu said.