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Illinois Basketball 2024-2025 Scouting Reports: AJ Redd

A 6-foot-3 junior guard, Redd has the size, skill and athleticism to compete at the Big Ten level

Jackson Langendorf

Mar 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard AJ Redd (5) claps after the game against the Duquesne Dukes of the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard AJ Redd (5) claps after the game against the Duquesne Dukes of the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
In this story:

Every day over the two weeks leading up to Illinois' Nov. 4 regular-season opener at Champaign's State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report highlighting each Illini player listed on the team's official roster. Today, in the 11th of 14, we shine a light on guard AJ Redd.

More Illini scouting reports

AJ Redd, 6-foot-3 guard

Where he’s from

A Chicago native who attended St. Ignatius College Prep on the city's Near West Side, AJ Redd arrived in Champaign as a freshman in the fall of 2022 and joined the team as a student manager. Following the conclusion of the first semester only weeks later, on Dec. 21, the Illini added Redd to the official roster as a walk-on.

What he’s done

Redd was a standout four-year varsity player at St. Ignatius, where he holds the school record for rebounds, assists and steals, and finished\ fourth in career scoring. As a senior, he helped lead the Wolfpack to a third-place finish in the IHSA Class 3A state championship. Last season, as an Illini sophomore, Redd scored the first points of his college career and appeared in two NCAA Tournament games.

How he helps

At 6-foot-3, Redd brings decent size to the backcourt, along with silky-smooth three-level scoring ability. Defensively, he has quick hands and instincts that help put him into passing lanes. Redd pairs his versatile skill set with a high basketball IQ.

What they’re saying

Coach Brad Underwood believes his culture can be represented by one phrase: "One of the biggest things about our program and what we stand for, and our culture, is being an 'Every Day Guy.'”

It's a concept that Redd says he tries to embody, and his take says a lot about why he was added to Illinois' roster:

"An Every Day Guy is somebody who comes in each day, lives by the standards that we've developed in our program, gives the best version of themselves to their teammates or their coaches, and tries to be the best person they can each day. I come in and I put in my best effort. I try to take each day the same. I have a strong mindset, and I try to make others around me better."

What we expect

Just like last season, Redd will be jockeying for playing time with some of the best guards in colege basketball in 2024-25: a potential lottery pick in freshman Kasparas Jakucionis; a seasoned junior guard in Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell; and returning sophomore Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (who seems poised for a big jump this season); among others. Redd's size, skill and athleticism play in the Big Ten, but those of Illinois' other guards are elite. He will have to seize the opportunities that come his way and continue to work toward earning rotation minutes.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Center Tomislav Ivisic Officially Eligible for 2024-25 Season

Five Takeaways From Illinois Basketball's Exhibition Loss to Ole Miss

Will 'Booty Ball' Make a Triumphant Comeback for Illinois Basketball?

Illinois Freshman Forward Will Riley Named to Preseason Watch List

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Jackson Langendorf
JACKSON LANGENDORF

Jackson is a University of Illinois student, an aspiring statistician and longtime follower of Illini athletics.

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