Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has yet to coach a game in Champaign, but this weekend may be the most important one during his brief time as the boss at Illinois. The Fighting Illini are hosting five-star point guard Ayo Dosunmu, a must-have prospect that resides in-state.

Dosunmu put together one of the best seasons on the travel circuit with the Mac Irvin Fire, as he solidified his spot as a future McDonald's All-American. The 6-foot-3 guard is one of the best slashers in the 2018 class, as he gave opposing defenses nightmares throughout the summer.

Dosunmu, a Chicago, Illinois native, attends powerhouse Morgan Park. With the abundance of talent in the city of Chicago, there's no surprise that Underwood has prioritized the city's top prospect in his first-year on the job -- after all, that's what the Illini fanbase is interested in.

In recent years, the Illinois program has struggled to keep their top prospects in-state. The best they have been able to do in recent years is Kendrick Nunn in 2013 and D.J. Williams in 2015. 

As many people have stated in the past, if Illinois wants to be a Big 10 contender, they need to have a sustaining pipeline through Chicago. What better way to start than grabbing a five-star point guard from the city's most prominent travel team?

Underwood has known since day one that Dosunmu was an important prospect. Not only does the first-year head coach need to land him from a talent perspective, but it wouldn't hurt to have the fans completely on his side as basketball season tips off in Champaign. 

Luckily for the Illini, Underwood and is staff have done an outstanding job recruiting and prioritizing Dosunmu to this point. Illinois and Wake Forest are his final two schools and a decision is coming soon.

Basketball season is still a month away, but if Underwood can land Dosunmu, the Illini will start the season off with a victory -- and also start off on the correct foot in rebuilding what could be a sleeping giant in the college basketball world.