Illinois Basketball 5-Star Target Brady Pettigrew Releases Top 10

High-priority Illinois basketball target Brady Pettigrew on Friday released his top 10. The Illini, as expected, made the cut of programs Pettigrew is still considering – as did a handful of other prestigious programs, including Duke.

Top 10! Where’s home? pic.twitter.com/FS00Di5ZM5
— Brady Pettigrew (@BradyPettigreww) November 7, 2026

In late October, Duke coach and former Illinois high school hoops legend Jon Scheyer was in Bolingbrook to watch Pettigrew (as was Ohio State coach Jake Diebler). The Blue Devils wound up extending an offer to Pettigrew. The bad news for the Illini is that Chicagoland prospects rarely pass up a Duke offer.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and Ohio State coach Jake Diebler were both in today for 5⭐️ Brady Pettigrew, source tells @LeagueRDY.

The five-star guard was also offered by Duke today. He’s set to take an official visit to North Carolina this weekend. #11 in the @SCNext 60. https://t.co/cWxw4pIEgO pic.twitter.com/zIJyYgoNwU
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) October 29, 2026

The good news is that Illinois is still in the race, and it has quite the compelling sell. Arkansas may have guard whisperer John Calipari at head coach. Michigan and Florida may be winners of recent national titles. And Duke is… well, Duke. Plus, there are five other suitors Pettigrew hasn't yet ruled out.

Here's why we're advising Illinois fans not to lose any sleep over it:

Why Illinois' 2026-27 season is its best recruiting tool

Nov 5, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood applauds the fans before the tipoff of a game against the Penn Quakers Iat State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Every single outing for the Illini in this 2026-27 season is a recruiting win. Illinois is playing a style of basketball that few coaches or players have seen at the college level.

It’s an up-tempo, free-flowing scheme that puts players in positions to just hoop. For any top prospect, there may not be a more enjoyable system in college basketball. With Pettigrew’s abilities – he's dominant in transition, an elite slasher and a high-level shot-maker – he would flourish in Champaign.

But what exactly does that mean? Well, for a guard, it means going to the NBA. Keaton Wagler just did it. Quentin Coleman, if the early returns are any indication, will follow Wagler into the draft lottery. And – hear us out – Ethan Brown may not be far behind (though that’s a conversation for another time).

For Pettigrew and other hot prospects, the list of "pros" at Illinois goes on: Want to compete for a national title? Come to Champaign for that, too. The Illini may be the only program in the country that can offer a great opportunity to play in the NBA, an actual shot at a college hoops championship and, not for nothing, a tremendously joyous experience on the floor (and in a system custom-built to allow players to show off skills NBA scouts are looking for).

2028 Brady Pettigrew snapped at Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout🔥. The athletic Bolingbrook guard led his team with 26 points. pic.twitter.com/RP0F8ZMLN5
— Scott/Ballislife (@BallisLifeCHI) June 22, 2025

That, in a nutshell, is what will allow Illinois to thrive for years to come in the Underwood regime. The Illini system is predicated on top-shelf talent and off-the-charts basketball intelligence. It works really well with the best players. But it will be mighty unsuccessful if the personnel isn’t right.

Fortunately, with what Illinois can offer to prospects – not to mention the coaching staff’s penchant for finding diamonds in the rough – there’s no reason to believe the talent won’t continue flowing into Champaign.

But whether Pettigrew joins the party remains to be seen. If he elects to leap into the 2027 class, though, the Illini would be head over heels, as he could walk into the program as the next face of the backcourt.

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