Gophers basketball recruiting target verbally commits to Illinois

A player who visited Minnesota earlier this cycle has committed to a different Big Ten program.

Williams Arena | Picture via: University of Minnesota Athletics

It seems like Niko Medved and the Gophers are done adding to their 2026 high school recruiting class, for now.

Four-star, New York guard Lucas Morillo was on campus for an official visit on Aug. 28, and he included Minnesota in his top six schools. After visits to Illinois, Texas and UCLA, he has settled on the Fighting Illini as his future college program.

NEWS: 4⭐️ Lucas Morillo has committed to Illinois, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-6 point guard is the No. 32 overall recruit in the 2026 class, per Rivals. https://t.co/GL3ur3x1AK pic.twitter.com/tnsEhoBuRj

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 24, 2025

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Morillo was on campus with his high school basketball teammate, Quinn Costello, who has since committed to Michigan. It has been nearly two months since their visit, so it should come as a big surprise that Morillo is heading elsewhere.

The 2026 high school recruiting class is Medved's first since getting hired in March. He has landed commitment from Wayzata High School standout Nolen Anderson, East Ridge guard Cedric Tomes and Democratic Republic of the Congo native big man Chadrack Mpoyi.

Morillo was the final 2026 prospect who publicly took a visit to Minnesota that had yet to commit to a school. It now seems like Anderson, Tomes and Mpoyi could wind up being the Gophers' 2026 class. There can always be an exception where Medved and his staff go after a player later, but the most likely scenario is that they stick with three recruits in the class. According to the latest 247Sports Composite, Minnesota's class ranks as the 18th-best in the country.

If the Gophers are able to sign all three verbal commits and retain every player on their current roster with eligibility remaining, they would have two open roster spots for their 2026-27 team. Modern college basketball roster construction is always fluid, but Minnesota is set up well for the future, despite losing out on Morillo.