The hits keep coming for the Illini men's basketball team as 3-star 6'7" forward Zavier Zens committed to the program this afternoon. Zens led Wisconsin Lutheran to a 30-0 season and its third straight WIAA Division I State Championship. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals and was named the 2026 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball.

He chose Illinois over Wisconsin and Utah State and joins guards Quentin Coleman, Lucas Morillo, and Ethan Brown and forward Landon Davis in the Class of 2026.

The Illini also received several big retention commitments in the last two days. Read more about that here: Illini Basketball Receive Major Retention Announcements