Recruiting never sleeps in college sports. Despite Illinois staring down the barrel of an upcoming matchup at Texas Tech , the Illini coaching staff isn't missing a beat on the recruiting trail - with big man Jack Thelen, a former Wisconsin commit, being the latest recipient of that attention.
According to Joe Tipton of On3/Rivals, Thelen was set to take an official visit to Champaign this weekend. Thelen just took a visit to UConn last week and, per 247Sports, was offered following his visit. Prior to that, his lone high-major offer was from Wisconsin. There isn't a reported offer from Illinois yet.
Thelen is a 7-foot-1, 235-pound big man from Osseo, Minnesota. Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Thelen is the No. 111 player in the class of 2027 and No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota. He attends Maple Grove High School. For his AAU hoops, he played for Adidas D1 Minnesota.
Thelen's size is his biggest weapon, but his touch and intelligence on offense also stand out. He can finish comfortably with either hand in any scenario - which makes him a really tough cover in the post. As a passer, Thelen can manipulate defenses from the post.
He'll draw doubles and kick to open shooters. And he never seems sped up by multiple bodies in the paint. Thelen has a drop-step going in either direction, along with baby hooks.
Thelen has recently become more willing to show off his jumper - either from deep or on a post fade - but based on his track record and shooting mechanics, his jumper won't be a prominent part of his game early in his college years.
Defensively, that hoops IQ shines again. He's great in help-side. He walls up in one-on-one situations. As expected, he's a great shot blocker and avoids biting on shot fakes. And he's dominant on the boards on both ends.
Thelen is an intriguing target for the Illini. Obviously, he has great size and length at 7-foot-1. His touch is a massive plus - and could signal upside as a shooter.
But it's probably his intelligence that is catching Illinois' attention. He does all of the little things - ball fakes, seals on rolls for driving teammates, excellent communicator on defense, etc. - that speak to sky-high potential across the board.
And with the impending departures of Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and the very likely exit of David Mirkovic to the 2027 NBA Draft, the Illini are going to need frontcourt reinforcements next year. So if Thelen quickly develops - which tends to be the case once freshmen arrive in Champaign - he could have an important role early.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Illinois Basketball to Host Four-Star Center Jack Thelen .
