With No. 25 Illinois having re-entered the AP rankings and ready to take on No. 8 Alabama in what could be a season-launching matchup, the program has one more thing to celebrate after Tuesday’s signing of four-star guard Brandon Lee.
A 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard from Hillside, New Jersey (The Patrick School), Lee is the No. 89-ranked recruit in the class of 2025, according to Rivals. On the AAU circuit playing for the New York Rens, he was the third-leading scorer in the EYBL (23 points per game). Playing for Puerto Rico at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in June, he led the team in scoring (13.3 points per game).
The famILLy got a little bigger today. Welcome, Brandon!
🔸 Four-star recruit ranked No. 89 overall by Rivals in the 2025 class
🔹 Third-leading scorer in the EYBL at 23 ppg
🔸 Puerto Rico’s leading scorer in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in June#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/Lc0225GQwr— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 20, 2024
Brandon is also the son of Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican to play in the NBA, the 1978 Naismith Player of the Year and a member of the Marquette team that won the 1977 national championship. Brandon’s older brother, Matthew Lee, played at St. Peter’s and reached the 2022 Elite Eight with the Peacocks.
“Brandon is a gifted scorer and an aggressive offensive player who can score at all three levels,” said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. “He has great physicality, which allows him to score at the rim, get to the foul line, and he is a very capable shooter with range at the 3-point line.
“Brandon comes from a basketball family, so it’s no surprise he is a high IQ player who has been well-coached throughout his career. We’re excited to officially welcome him to the Fighting Illini family.”
Illinois on SI recruiting take: Lee – like Keaton Wagler, another class of 2025 guard, who signed with the Illini last week – is an investment in the future of the program’s backcourt. Lee may have a slight jump on Wagler in terms of his physical development, but even in a best-case scenario, both players are likely to spend a their freshman seasons growing their games and preparing for a shot at bigger minutes in 2026-27.
