9 Illinois high school basketball players to know ahead of this season

With the college basketball season underway, the Illinois high school basketball season will tip off soon.

Here are nine players to know ahead of the upcoming 2026-2027 Illinois high school basketball season.

NOTE: These players were all ranked as top players in the state in no particular order in the classes of 2027 and 2028 by prephoops.com, 247Sports, ESPN, MaxPreps and Rivals.

Mason Martin – G, Neuqua Valley (Naperville)

Sitting as the top basketball recruit in the Class of 2027, Martin has earned his spot on a growing Illinois basketball roster.

In the 2025-2026 season, he averaged  19 points, 4.5 rebounds, and two assists for Neuqua Valley enroute to a 4A regional title. He’ll have a chance to showcase his shooting again as a senior this year.

According to 247Sports, Martin is the top-ranked player in the state of Illinois in the Class of 2027 and is ranks No. 121 among all recruits. 

What they're saying:

"We have added one of the best shooters in the country in the Class of 2027 in Mason Martin," Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said on signing day. "He can really shoot it and fits our style of play as a high-IQ guard with the ability to process."

Ed Stasys – F, Benet Academy

One of the reasons Benet came close to repeating as the 4A state champions was Stasys, who is a 3-star prospect according to 247Sports.

Big picture view:

The 6-foot-8 forward got an offer from Illinois on July 10, but it wasn’t enough to sway him from Yale. He committed to the Bulldogs in October ahead of his senior season.

This year at Benet, with Colin Stack and Jayden Wright graduated, Stasys has a chance to star and really showcase his ability as one of the best players in the state of Illinois.

J’Dyn Lloyd – SG, Belleville West

It makes sense Missouri State caught on to Lloyd. As a junior, he was the only junior to earn first-team all-conference honors.

He averaged 19 points per game, five rebounds and two assists per game this past year and attracted plenty of college attention. 

Big picture view:

Lloyd committed to Missouri State over Illinois State, Drake, Valparaiso and Southern Illinois-Carbondale, amongst others. Belleville West is down by the greater St. Louis area, giving Lloyd more exposure to the best talents Illinois and Missouri has to offer.

With his 205-pound frame, Stasys is known for being aggressive on the offensive glass. He averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game last year. Expect those numbers to jump.

Brady Pettigrew – G, Bolingbrook

The biggest name of these players, Pettigrew is a 5-star prospect at Bolingbrook High School and has high-level offers. 

By the numbers:

Of his 36 offers, he’s cut that down to just 10 schools: Duke, Michigan, Arkansas, USC, Illinois, North Carolina, BYU, Kentucky, Florida and Ohio State.

He’s the 10th overall prospect in the Class of 2028. He’s seen as a high-scoring guard, and is quickly entering the highest recruiting tier.

So far, Pettigrew has taken visits to North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. That list will grow, especially after he got an offer from Duke on Oct. 29.

Cole Kelly – F, Neuqua Valley

Playing with Martin, Kelly is a Class of 2028 forward who is building his own recruiting profile. Currently, 247Sports ranks him as a 4-star prospect in next year’s class.

Big picture view:

So far, he carries 16 offers, according to 247Sports, including offers from Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. 247Sports is already reporting Kelly is a priority recruit for the Illini.

It’s easy to see why. He averaged close to 20 points per game last year playing alongside Martin.

Amarion Smith-Holley – PG, Richwoods (Peoria)

Smith-Holley has had an offseason, as he transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Mo., before telling the Peoria Journal-Star he would be returning to Richwoods for his junior year.

Big picture view:

As a sophomore, he starred. Smith-Holley averaged 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals last year. It helped him earn a 4-star rating from 247Sports, and garner offers from Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Providence, Arizona State, LSU, Cal and Dayton.

Smith-Holley could become a household name by the end of his junior year.

Chase Kasten – F, Normal Community

Kasten has built his recruiting profile on his high-octane 3-point shooting. That showed out as a sophomore and is a 3-star prospect as rated by 247Sports.

Big picture view:

He averaged 17.7 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists per game last year. He earned offers from Toldeo, Belmont and his hometown Illinois State Redbirds, but that list could grow exponentially.

He’s taken an unofficial visit to Illinois, too. With another stellar year, he could have more Big Ten programs calling.

Alex Sirbu – C, Buffalo Grove

Sirbu’s story is impeccable. 

Heading into the spring, he didn’t have any Division I scholarship offers. Now, as a rising senior, he’ll have over double digits before his final prep season begins.

Big picture view:

Sirbu now has offers from Columbia, Illinois State, Northern Illinois, NIU, Holy Cross, Oral Roberts and Cal Sate Fullerton, among others. 

He committed to Columbia in August, and can prove to be one of the biggest big men in the state of Illinois. 

Hayden Schroeder – F, Wheaton Academy

Wheaton’s all-time leading scorer comes into the 2026-2027 season with a chance to build on the 1,000 points he’s already scored in his prep career.

He helped Wheaton to the sectional finals in the 2025-2026 season.

Big picture view:

Schroeder held offers from NIU, Valpo, Western Illinois, Illinois State, Todedo, Western Michigan and Penn, who all took a liking to the forward who averaged 23 points per game and eight rebounds per game.

Schroeder committed to Penn this fall after a pair of visits in the summer.