Illinois basketball boasted one of the biggest and most imposing front lines in college basketball last year and is bringing back another star-studded roster for a run at the national championship.
The Fighting Illini have become one of the most physical teams in the Big Ten, and the nation, and coach Brad Underwood hopes to keep it that way for the foreseeable future.
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On Monday, one of the nation’s top center prospects announced a list of official visits, and it reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of college basketball programs with the Fighting Illini getting one of the final chances to impress him.
Sunnsylope forward Darius Wabbington(21) drives on St Mary’s forward Cam Williams (1) during the Open Boys Championship game at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on March 7, 2026.
The player, Darius Wabbington, has announced a list of six official visits according to Brandon Jenkins of CBS Sports, and it is set to kick off with a Big Ten school, the Indiana Hoosiers, from Sept. 3-5.
Wabbington will then visit two more schools before heading to Champaign, Illinois to visit with Illinois Fighting Illini coaches from Oct. 23-25.
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The tour wraps up with a visit to the Texas Longhorns from Nov. 6-8.
Wabbington plays his high school ball at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, Arizona where his profile has skyrocketed in recent years.
The 6-foot-11, 245 pound center is now rated as the nation’s 15th best player by 247Sports.com and the third best center nationally as he heads out to meet with major college hoops coaches.
Wabbington would follow in a line of rugged Illinois big men that currently includes forward David Mirkovic and centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic, twin towers who helped lead Underwood’s team to the Final Four last season.
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Illinois’ success with big men in recent years has caught Wabbington’s eye as he prepares to find the best school to serve as a potential launching point for a future in the NBA.
Wabbington was named as the nation’s “most skilled big man” by 247Sports.com’s Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein.
His three-point shooting and passing skills need work according to Finkelstein but the foundation is there for the Arizona native to become one of the nation’s most versatile and effective big men in due time.
Wabbington would bring a different flair and body type to the center position than what many Illini fans have grown accustomed to seeing in recent years.
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“He has naturally soft hands and touch, is an excellent ball handler and passer, and developing floor-spacing shooter,” Finkelstein said.
“He’s a wide body who has gradually improved his conditioning but could still better sculpt his frame,” he added.
The Fighting Illini have set the wheels in motion for Wabbington to potentially slide into their future starting lineup, now the ball is in their court.
The elite Phoenix prospect’s visit isn’t far off, giving Underwood and his staff plenty of time to perfect their pitch in hopes of landing one of the nation’s top prospects this coming fall.
