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Lucas Morillo checks essentially every box for Illinois. So it's not a surprise to see the Class of 2026 guard pop as one of the Illini's newest recruiting targets.

As for those boxes ...

Positional size? Check. Morillo is 6-foot-7 and 180 pounds and plays point guard.

A winner? Check. Morillo helped The Newman School (Mass.) win its first ever NEPSAC (that would be New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) Class AAA state championship this past season. The junior guard put up 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists per game and was the title game MVP after scoring 35 points and knocking down clutch free throws at the end of regulation and in overtime in the Cardinals' 107-100 victory against New Hampton School (N.H.).

International experience? Check. Morillo has represented the Dominican Republic in three FIBA events the last two years. Most recently, he averaged 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists as the Dominican finished fourth at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires.

Some key boxes checked. And apparently not just for Illinois.

Morillo, who is ranked as a three-star prospect by On3 and Rivals, also got a UCLA offer in the last week. His list of pursuers includes other power conference programs like Boston College, Creighton, Georgetown, Iowa (old staff), Marquette, Penn State, Washington and Xavier.

Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is , and you can follow him on Twitter ( @srrichey ).