It has been a good weekend for the Illinois Fighting Illini. After the football team destroyed Wyoming Saturday to start their 2022 season, the Illinois basketball program got some major news Sunday in the form of a commitment from four-star prospect Amani Hansberry.

The 6-foot-8 forward out of Baltimore ranks No. 52 in the college basketball recruiting class of 2023. Hansberry broke down his decision to choose Illinois.

“Everything that I saw at Illinois, I didn’t see that at all of the other programs I visited,” Hansberry said, via Eric Bossi of 247Sports. “They are really focused on developing their guys and getting them to the next level and that really stood out to me. Knowing that I’ll be playing under Coach Underwood who has some similarities to other coaches that I’ve been successful with like coach Wayne Pratt and coach Pat Clatchey really helped to separate Illinois.”

Hansberry chose the Fighting Illini over Auburn, Miami, Penn State and Virginia Tech. The forward is the first member of Illinois' 2023 college basketball recruiting class for head coach Brad Underwood.

Underwood's 2022 recruiting class was one of the best in the country, coming in at No. 10 according to 247Sports Composite's rankings. Underwood has brought the Fighting Illini back to relevance after years of struggles, but the program is still trying to get to the next level when it comes to NCAA Tournament success.

Illinois earned a No. 1 seed in the tournament behind Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn two years ago, only to lose in the second round. Cockburn dominated last season without Dosunmu, but the result was another second-round exit.

Still, Underwood is keeping Illinois basketball stocked with talent, and this latest commitment continues that trend.