Data study · every season we hold

Where Illinois High School Basketball Players Go to College

Of the 1,677 players from Illinois high schools on a college roster in our data, 38% played their college basketball in Illinois.

Computed from 1,677 players · 2020–21 to 2026–27 · updated Sep 16, 2026

1,677
players in the dataset
38%
stayed in Illinois
30%
reached D1
Wisconsin
#1 destination outside Illinois

38% stay in-state.

Illinois is below the 42% all-state baseline.

Illinois skews toward D3.

53% of Illinois players in the dataset reached D3, against 42% nationally.

Wisconsin and Missouri are the first destinations out.

Among players leaving Illinois, 20% went to Wisconsin and 9% to Missouri.

Illinois's college players skew toward D3

Illinois vs all states · share of players at each level

Illinois

D130%
D217%
D353%

n = 1,677

All states

D135%
D223%
D342%

n = 32,614

ILAll statesDifference
D130%35%−5 pts
D217%23%−6 pts
D353%42%+11 pts

Where Illinois players land

Destination states
Destination statePlayersShare
Illinois63938%
Wisconsin20412%
Missouri905%
Iowa865%
Indiana744%
Ohio694%
Michigan573%
Minnesota543%

Which programs take Illinois players

Historical landings
ProgramDivisionStatePlayers
BenedictineD3Illinois45
North CentralD3Illinois45
AuroraD3Illinois41
Illinois CollegeD3Illinois39
Illinois WesleyanD3Illinois36
Dominican (IL)D3Illinois33
ElmhurstD3Illinois30
Monmouth (IL)D3Illinois30
North ParkD3Illinois29
CarthageD3Wisconsin27

What this means for a Illinois recruit

How to read it

Start local, but don't stop local.

38% of Illinois players in the dataset stayed in-state — the programs most likely to see you play repeatedly are the ones nearby.

Your realistic level matters more than geography alone.

Illinois's historical landings skew toward D3 (53% vs 42% nationally).

Past recruiting is a signal, not a guarantee.

A program that repeatedly rosters players from your state has demonstrated a pathway; it does not mean it will recruit you.

Those are the historical patterns for Illinois. Where does your profile fit?

Depth Chart scores your size, position, level and recruiting profile against all 1,060 programs.

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Methodology

Source · sample · scope

1,677 players · 1,060 programs · 2020–21 to 2026–27

Definitions and scope
Source
Official rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
Home state
The state of the high school on the player's record — the same definition the state tool uses, so the two read the same data the same way.
Level
Each player counts once, at the highest level they reached across the seasons we hold (D1 over D2 over D3).
Sample
1,677 players from Illinois high schools, across every season we hold; roster coverage runs 2020–21 to 2026–27. A state with fewer than 200 players in our data is not published, because it would describe a coincidence rather than a pattern.
Computed
Sep 16, 2026 · methodology state-landing-pages-1

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