Illinois Nabs 4-Star Shooting Guard Kendrick Nunn

John Groce is adjusting nicely to his new gig in the Big Ten.

After nabbing his first prized recruit just two-and-a-half months into the job, the Illinois head coach picked up his second marquee pledge of the offseason before the summer comes to a close. Gross notched a verbal commitment on Saturday from 2013 guard Kendrick Nunn, who tweeted the big news at his coach.

Nunn, a 6-foot-1 shooting guard, committed to Groce and the Illini during his official visit to the Champaign campus. He is the No. 24 overall prospect according to our FanSided150 Rankings and one of the better off-ball guards in a class chock full of them.

Listed as a shooting guard, Nunn’s size, ball-handling skills and unheralded passing instincts lend more to a combo guard than a pure 2-guard. The lefty guard has a smooth shooting stroke and is one of the better athletes in the class, capable of getting to the tin and finishing on either the left or right side. Thanks to his plus athleticism, Nunn is also stout defensively, having tailored the chase-down block from behind in transition a la LeBron James.

A Chicago native, Nunn is teammates at Simeon Vocational HS with Jabari Parker, the top prospect in the 2013 class. Groce will count on Nunn to contribute right out of the gate when the Simeon star arrives on campus as a freshman next year. Illinois starting guards Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson are entering their senior seasons, meaning Nunn will have the opportunity to vie for a starting spot immediately in 2013-14.

Nunn is the third Illinois pledge in the class of 2013 and second to commit to Groce. He joins fellow 4-star shooting guard Malcolm Hilll (committed to Bruce Weber) and future Illini center Maverick Morgan (committed to Groce).