Morgan Park’s Ayo Dosunmu commits to Illinois

Morgan Park senior Ayo Dosunmu and his family started Thursday mysteriously, changing their Twitter avatars to blank black boxes. It seemed to be a placeholder, a spot in which to declare allegiance to Illinois or Wake Forest later that night.

Those avatars are all block I’s now. Illini dreams came true at the Jordan Brand store on South State. Dosunmu gave the thirsting fan base a much-needed shot in the arm with his oral commitment.

A short video played on a big screen and then Dosunmu walked out in an Illinois shirt.

“I have a chance to grow a legacy,” Dosunmu said. “I think I’m the best point guard in the country and there’s no better place to prove it then my home state. We are going to bring the good days of basketball back to Illinois and I want to be one of the cornerstones to start it out.”

Dosunmu said Illinois coach Brad Underwood and Wake Forest coach Danny Manning weren’t notified before the public decision.

“[Underwood] just found out like you guys,” Dosunmu said.

Dosunmu was heavily recruited by former Illinois coach John Groce. Dosunmu said he liked Illinois all along but that Underwood “put it over the top.”

“I liked it when he first told me he wanted to score in seven seconds, that’s intriguing to play that fast,” Dosunmu said. “He told me I’d have the ball right away. I think [Underwood] can get me to the next level.”

Dosunmu said he plans to sign in November, a bold decision with the FBI investigation swirling all around college basketball.

“I’m big on loyalty,” Dosunmu. “I’m committed to Illinois now, I’m 100 percent in.”

Dosunmu said he bonded with Illini freshman Mark Smith.

“[Smith] said we’d be the best backcourt,” Dosunmu said. “He’ll have my back and I’ll have his back. I think it’ll be scary.”

Dosunmu had a large group of family at the event and all of his teammates. A reporter asked him who his role model was, expecting to hear which basketball player he molded his game after.

“My role model is my dad,” Dosunmu said. “He’s been there for me since day one. I’m older now and we don’t always see eye to eye but at the end of the day he wants what is best for me.”

Dosunmu was a Sun-Times All-Area selection last season, averaging 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals.

The 6-5 guard was also Sun-Times first team All-City. He led the Mustangs to coach Nick Irvin’s first Red-South title and the Class 3A state title, although he sat out the championship game with an injury.

The point guard actually started his high school career in the lower tier of Public League basketball, the White division. He played his freshman year at Westinghouse before transferring to Morgan Park and teaming up with star guard Charlie Moore in 2015.

Dosunmu is the state’s best hope to break the two-year streak of not having a representative in the McDonald’s All-American game. He’s the frontrunner for the Player of the Year award and the Mustangs, who picked up Peoria Manual transfer Adam Miller over the summer, are the heavy favorites to win Class 3A again this season.

Dosunmu is the first class of 2018 recruit for Illinois.