Nov. 13--Illinois hauled in a top-10 recruiting class for 2015, receiving four letters of intent from top-rated high school players on Wednesday.
The Illini's class is ranked eighth nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten, according to the scouting service 247sports.com.
The class consists of point guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (LaPorte, Ind), strong forward D.J. Williams (Simeon), shooting guard Aaron Jordan (Plainfield, Ill.) and junior college transfer Darius Paul.
Paul, the younger brother of former Illini star guard Brandon Paul, was on the Illini's roster last season before failed drug tests by the team and an arrest led to his suspension. He will play this season at Lamar State in Texas.
Coleman-Lands (rated No. 34 nationally), Williams (No. 63) and Jordan (No. 105) are all rated as four-star players. Williams and Jordan are rated third and fifth, respectively, in the state.
Wednesday was the first day of the early signing period in college basketball.
The women's team signed three players: Jaelyne Kirkpatrick (Ontario, Canada) is rated the No. 2 overall player out of Canada. Guard Cierra Rice (Grosse Pointe, Michigan) is a four-star-rated player and ranked No. 66 nationally by ESPN. Forward Alex Wittinger (Delano, Minnesota) is ranked No. 15 among wing players by ESPN.
