Brad Underwood stands before his speech at the State Farm Center on March 20. Monday afternoon, forward George Conditt officially announced that he will be attending Iowa State University over the University of Illinois.

On Monday afternoon, forward George Conditt officially announced that he will be attending Iowa State University over Illinois. Conditt is a three-star prospect and one of the top in-state targets for the class of 2018.

This one stings for head coach Brad Underwood and his staff. Illinois was certainly early enough on Conditt and was one of the first Power 5 schools to offer him. They made him a priority throughout the process, and losing him leaves the Illini in a tough position when it comes to big players in the future.

There is plenty of talent currently on the roster, but Underwood and his staff have made it clear that they would like to add more big players. Conditt would have been a great start. He is a tall, athletic forward that could potentially have been the perfect fit in Underwood’s fast-paced system, but ultimately, Iowa State, Conditt’s father’s alma mater, won out. Conditt will be joining the Cyclones next fall.

In addition to the loss of Conditt, Illinois’ coaching staff is starting to run out of options in terms of its top targets. Lukas Kisunas has committed to University of Connecticut, and it is looking like Colin Castleton will end up in Michigan with the Wolverines. There is still a chance Castleton may end up with Illinois, but early reports following his official visit are looking to be in Michigan’s favor.

The Illini definitely have places to look next to fill their frontcourt need, but there are no clear choices as to who they will bring in. One thing is for sure — Illinois will explore all options necessary to bring in a big man that they feel will work in Underwood’s system.

The way this affects the rest of the priority targets should not be an issue. Conditt had connections with players such as Ayo Dosunmu, Talen Horton-Tucker and Landers Nolley that could have been useful had he committed to Illinois, but there is little chance he will be influencing other players in their decisions.

All said and done, the Illini will move on in their effort to add to the frontcourt.

@TPolc

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