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Yesterday Illinois basketball capped a busy week of major retention with the commitment of high school forward Zavier Zens from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Prior to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Zens was committed to Northern Iowa before a chain of events took place.
After visiting Utah State, Illinois and Wisconsin, Zens announced Friday that he is joining the Fighting Illini, quite the turn of events for a player who was scheduled to play in the Missouri Valley but will now be a part of a Big Ten program coming off a Final Four appearance.
While I don't pretend to be a high school recruiting expert or aficionado, here are a couple of observations about the 6'7'' Zens based upon what I've been reading and watching.
Zens' commitment certainly signals a different day and age for Illinois basketball, getting players from Wisconsin who would have most likely been Badgers when Bo Ryan was in Madison.
Zens is the third Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin to play for the Illini in recent seasons, joining Brandon Podziemski and Marcus Domask, who won the awards in 2021 and 2019, respectively.
In 2021-22, Brandon Podziemski spent one season in Champaign before transferring to Santa Clara and becoming a first-round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors. After spending four seasons at Southern Illinois, Domask transferred to Illinois prior to the 2023-24 season, when he was a key component of the Illini's run to the Elite Eight.
Here's hoping that Zens has a similar impact as Domask did at Illinois, and a similar career trajectory as Podziemski. If Zens eventually reaches the NBA, as his father stated is the goal, and develops as a ballplayer in an Illini uniform, Illinois has certainly gotten itself a steal.
Below are some highlights of Zens and Illinois' other high school recruits. Take them for what they are. Personally, I like to make observations of players based upon what I see on the floor when watching Illinois games. :-)
Nonetheless, welcome Zavier and the other incoming freshmen to Illinois! I am excited about this group of kids.
Prior to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Zens was committed to Northern Iowa before a chain of events took place.
- Northern Iowa was eliminated by St. John's in the first round.
- Two nights later, Utah State lost to Arizona in the second round.
- Utah State Head Coach Jarrod Calhoun quickly left the Aggies to take the Cincinnati job vacated by the fired Wes Miller.
- After 20 seasons at Northern Iowa, Head Coach Ben Jacobson surprisingly left the Panthers to take the Utah State job.
- Zens reopened his recruitment.
After visiting Utah State, Illinois and Wisconsin, Zens announced Friday that he is joining the Fighting Illini, quite the turn of events for a player who was scheduled to play in the Missouri Valley but will now be a part of a Big Ten program coming off a Final Four appearance.
While I don't pretend to be a high school recruiting expert or aficionado, here are a couple of observations about the 6'7'' Zens based upon what I've been reading and watching.
- Zens is being described as a developmental piece who may not play much next season. His decision to join the Illini had to be influenced by Illinois Strength and Conditioning Coach Adam Fletcher, who is regarded as one of the best people in that position in all of college basketball. Playing in the Big Ten will require some work with Zens, especially with his lateral quickness. Zens will likely have to be a small forward in college rather than a small-ball power forward, though he could play that position in spot minutes.
- Zens is a first cousin of former Duke player and current Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel. In fact, Zens played with several of Knueppel's younger brothers on a Wisconsin Lutheran team that went 30-0 last season and won three straight state titles. If Zavier is anything like Kon, in terms of basketball intelligence, that is a good sign as Knueppel is one of the headiest young players I have seen in a long time. Despite not having the greatest athleticism, Kon Knueppel is a straight-up ballplayer, someone who just knows how to play the game, which excites me about Zens. With several Knueppel brothers set to join the college ranks in a few seasons, Zens could be a gateway for the Illini to recruit his cousins in the future.
- Speaking of former Duke players, Christian Laettner came to mind when watching Zens' highlights. I am not saying Zens is going to be Christian Laettner, one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. At 6'9'', Laetnner was bigger and quicker. Still, Zens' outside shot is very similar to Laettner's, specifically where the ball is released. Their shots are carbon copies of each other. See Zens' 2026 highlights in the video below as his shot release has changed a bit since 2024.
- Zens had a breakout senior season that earned him third-team high school American status from Max Preps. The fact that he was signed by Jacobson, one of the best mid-major coaches in the country, is very promising. Jacobson stayed at Northern Iowa for 20 seasons, choosing to be a developer of talent, when he could have struck it rich at a bigger program after the Panthers' Sweet Sixteen run in 2010. Jacobson must have seen something promising in Zens, who likely would have been a player to transfer up in a year or two if he had stayed at UNI or went to Utah State.
- Zens will be one of five incoming freshmen for the Illini next season. Obviously, Illinois is going all in next season on a return to the Final Four. However, after 2026-27, Illinois will skew to a much younger team as the Illini will be losing Tomi and Zvonimir Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic and Jake Davis to graduation and likely David Mirkovic to the NBA. It will be interesting to see how many of Illinois' five freshmen (Zens, Quentin Coleman, Lucas Morillo, Ethan Brown and Landon Davis) stick around to be the next core of Illini basketball. While Illinois has been about international and transfer portal recruits, the Illini have seemingly pivoted to high school recruits again. Next year's freshmen will certainly be joining a great culture that they can hopefully carry forward in the future.
Zens' commitment certainly signals a different day and age for Illinois basketball, getting players from Wisconsin who would have most likely been Badgers when Bo Ryan was in Madison.
Zens is the third Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin to play for the Illini in recent seasons, joining Brandon Podziemski and Marcus Domask, who won the awards in 2021 and 2019, respectively.
In 2021-22, Brandon Podziemski spent one season in Champaign before transferring to Santa Clara and becoming a first-round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors. After spending four seasons at Southern Illinois, Domask transferred to Illinois prior to the 2023-24 season, when he was a key component of the Illini's run to the Elite Eight.
Here's hoping that Zens has a similar impact as Domask did at Illinois, and a similar career trajectory as Podziemski. If Zens eventually reaches the NBA, as his father stated is the goal, and develops as a ballplayer in an Illini uniform, Illinois has certainly gotten itself a steal.
Below are some highlights of Zens and Illinois' other high school recruits. Take them for what they are. Personally, I like to make observations of players based upon what I see on the floor when watching Illinois games. :-)
Nonetheless, welcome Zavier and the other incoming freshmen to Illinois! I am excited about this group of kids.
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