CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood has bought in 100 percent to the idea of "position-less" basketball. The first-year Illinois coach isn't scared away by four-guard lineups or playing 6-foot-4 freshman Mark Smith at what would be considered "power forward."
That's why Simeon senior Talen Horton-Tucker popped up on the Illini recruiting radar this spring.
The previous Illinois coaching staff didn't recruit the 6-foot-5 Class of 2018 wing that heavily. Underwood and his staff did, offering Horton-Tucker in April before he picked up a flood of high-major offers, including ones from Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota during the next four months.