By ADAM ZAGORIA
Amani Hansberry, the 6-foot-8 four-star power forward from Baltimore (MD) Mount St. Joseph and Team Durant, committed to Illinois on Sunday.
Ranked the No. 10 power forward in the Class of 2023, he is also considered Auburn, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Miami.
“I chose Illinois because of the culture there and the fact I felt needed as a piece to their puzzle,” Hansberry told On3. “Every time I talked to Coach (Brad) Underwood and Coach (Chester) Frazier they always mentioned working hard, winning, and doing it together. I feel like that’s the key to success and with the resources the program has in tech, strength, and conditioning, we will be successful.”
He added:
“I’m the type of player who will do anything to win. A hard worker who values the art of the game and is ready for an opportunity.”
“Amani Hansberry is a terrific young man and a high character individual,” Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey told ZAGSBLOG. “He’s a good student and the ultimate teammate.
“As a player, he’s versatile with a high skill level. He has the ability to impact the game and winning in a variety of ways. He has velcro hands and catches everything, he has efficient productive footwork, can finish with both hands at a high level and can finish with power or finesse.
“He has excellent timing and touch, can shoot and make 3’s, he’s a good foul shooter especially when it’s late in game. He’s an outstanding rebounder, he’s a double-double machine. He’s one of the most consistent players I have ever seen. He’s a matchup problem, a very good ball screen defender, he can switch on defense. He has long arms and he’s deceptive athletically. I believe his best attribute he has is his passing ability, terrific vision and decision making ability. I m not big on rankings and would not trade Amani for any high school player in the country. He reminds me of [former Villanova star] Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.”
This post was updated Aug. 28.
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