Good Morning, Illini Nation: Another Hoop Summit tie

Portland, Ore. — When the Nike Hoop Summit tips off at 9 p.m. Saturday inside the Mona Center, Illinois fans will have one more reason to tune in: future Illini guard Lucas Morillo will wear No. 23 for the World Team as it faces Team USA in the annual showcase. The contest, streamed live on Peacock, continues a recent tradition that has seen orange-and-blue prospects use the event as a springboard to Champaign.

Morillo, who wrapped a decorated senior season at The Newman School (Mass.) with a 38-3 record and the National Prep Championship, averaged 17.4 points on 56-percent shooting from the floor, 40 percent from deep and 71 percent at the line. The 6-foot-5 combo guard complemented that efficiency with 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per outing, production that helped cement his place among the elite international prospects in the 2026 class.

He joins an Illinois pipeline that has featured David Mirkovic, Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, Kofi Cockburn, Andre Curbelo and Andres Feliz in past Hoop Summit editions. Morillo will share the World Team roster with four former Illini recruiting targets—Maximo Adams, Arafan Diane, Sinan Huan and Miikka Muurinen—adding another layer of familiarity for fans tracking the program’s global recruiting footprint.

Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET.