Illinois Basketball: Fighting Illini boost 2023 class with Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

Four-star prospect Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has committed to Illinois Basketball, becoming the second 2023 commit for coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini.

The last few seasons have seen Illinois Basketball’s return to prominence, with head coach Brad Underwood making major waves since his hiring back in 2017. The last two seasons have seen Illinois back in the Big Dance, winning the Big Ten Tournament in 2021 before a regular season crown this past season.

Much of that success has come from an increased foothold on the recruiting trail, landing recent stars like Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn. Even with a new coaching staff around Underwood, Illinois isn’t taking any backseats on the recruiting trail. Second-year assistant Tim Anderson has landed another impressive talent, with the recent announcement that Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn will commit to the Illini.

A 6’1 combo guard starring at Montverde Academy in Florida, Gibbs-Lawhorn is originally from Lafayette, Indiana. He originally committed to Purdue late last year but announced he had de-committed in early August. He’ll still suit up in the Big Ten but will wear the orange and blue of the Illini.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is the second 4-star prospect that has committed to Illinois, with Underwood and crew landing power forward Amani Hansberry just over a month ago. Gibbs-Lawhorn gives the Illini another young exciting piece in the backcourt, with his experience mostly coming at point guard in recent years. He’s a certain top 100 recruit and an important addition, especially if he can continue to develop into a top-level shooter and ball distributor. His scoring has already been impressive and he’ll look to take that to the next level in his final pre-collegiate season.

Looking at the big picture, Gibbs-Lawhorn could fill an important role next year for Illinois. The Illini are hoping for improvement from young guards RJ Melendez and Luke Goode, but Gibbs-Lawhorn could certainly see considerable time on the floor as a freshman in 2023. The Illini offense will run through 5-star point guard Skyy Clark this upcoming season, but if he leaves college after one season then Gibbs-Lawhorn could slide right into that type of role.

Illinois landing these types of 4-star recruits is not something that would have happened even five seasons ago. Gibbs-Lawhorn joins an Illini program that’s trending in a great direction in recent years. He clearly felt comfortable with Underwood, his staff, and the culture of this program, and he could blossom into an impressive backcourt piece in the Big Ten in the coming years.