Nnanna Egwu, a 6-foot-9 junior at Chicago St. Ignatius, gave a verbal
commitment to Illinois this afternoon, according to AAU coach Mike Mullins. Egwu is expected to join Chicago Mount Carmel's Tracy Abrams in the Illini's 2011 recruiting class.

Here is beat writer Paul Klee's take:

"This means Illinois has taken another step in continuing its recruiting successes in 2009 and 2010. There's no time to rest, however, as Bruce Weber still would like to add two more players in this 2011 class. The top priority is St. Louis-area star Bradley Beal, who has been communicating regularly with UI recruits Crandall Head and Meyers Leonard. To get a commitment from a top-100 big man like Egwu could put some pressure on other recruits to snatch up the remaining scholarships.

"And this wasn't easy for Illinois. Though the Illini were the leader for Egwu from the start, Purdue made a late push, helped by the Purdue staff's relationship with Mike Mullins. The last few days of this recruitment made for some anxious times for the Illinois staff. The UI coaches really wanted this kid. Down the road you're looking at an Illinois frontcourt of Leonard at center and Egwu at power forward."

Check out Jeremy Werner's blog on Egwu here

Read our story on Egwu's future teammate Tracy Abrams here