Good Morning, Illini Nation: Illinois offers 2025 guard Brandon Lee

Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:

Orlando Antigua has made his presence known on the recruiting trail since his return to Illinois this spring. The Illini's new associate head coach, who spent four seasons in Champaign at the beginning of the Brad Underwood era, was instrumental in getting Croatian center Tomislav Ivisic and five-star Canadian wing Will Riley on board for the 2024-25 season.

Antigua's influence can also be seen in news players Illinois is targeting in the Class of 2025 and beyond. The latest? How about a four-star guard playing in the Tri-State area who has international experience.

Brandon Lee might be the quintessential Antigua target. The 6-foot-4 guard plays his high school ball at The Patrick School (N.J.) — the alma mater of Giorgi Bezhanishvili — runs with the NY Rens on the Nike EYBL circuit and played for Team Puerto Rico earlier this month at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires.

Lee was one of the top scorers on the EYBL circuit this spring, slotted in at No. 5 behind fellow Illinois recruiting target AJ Dybantsa (the No. 1 player in the 2025 class) and Riley. Lee averaged 22.8 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15 games while shooting 38 percent overall, 29 percent from three-point range and 86 percent at the free throw line.

Puerto Rico finished seventh at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup with Lee as the team's top scorer. He put up 13.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and had a 22-point performance with five rebounds and two assists against Team USA (featuring Morez Johnson Jr. and Jeremiah Fears).

Lee is ranked as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2025 by both Rivals and 247Sports. He checks in as the No. 73 overall recruit in the class in Rivals' ranking and at No. 113 per 247Sports. The San Juan, Puerto Rico, native holds other offers from George Washington, Duquesne, Rhode Island, High Point, Missouri State and NJIT.