CHAMPAIGN — Illinois made it through a quick, retention-heavy offseason with a pair of open roster spots.
Room, it turns out, to add Kankakee standout Lincoln Williams for the 2026-27 season. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard officially signed with the Illini on Monday.
Williams is coming off a standout senior season at Kankakee. The two-time News-Gazette All-State First Team selection helped the Kays post a 29-2 record and averaged 26 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. The 29 wins were a school record.
Williams leaves Kankakee as the Kays’ all-time leadings scorer with 1,853 career points. That includes another program record with 703 points this past season. His 44-point game against Thornridge on Dec. 5 was also Kankakee’s top single-game mark.
“Lincoln is an outstanding in-state player who we have recruited for many years,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said in the official release. “He was a tremendous scorer at a great program, Kankakee High School, and he is a special athlete with the ability to play and guard all the perimeter positions.
“He has the potential to be an elite defender at the collegiate level, as he continues to mature and develop. Lincoln is excited to represent his state by wearing the Orange and Blue, and we are thrilled to add him to this roster.”
Signing Williams gives Illinois six incoming freshmen for the 2026-27 season. The class is headlined by five-star guard Quentin Coleman and four-star guard Lucas Morillo and also includes four-star forward Zavier Zens, three-star guard Ethan Brown and three-star forward Landon Davis.
That six-man class ranks sixth nationally, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, and third in the Big Ten. Duke, Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan and Michigan State round out the top five.
Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
Leave a Reply