Recruiting Analysis:  The Illini And The Class Of 2011

December 3, 2009

1:30 P.M. CST

One thing is certain when describing the general state of basketball fans of the University Of Illinois, otherwise known as the Illini Nation.  They are passionate about Illini basketball and Illini basketball recruiting.  However, while it is great that so many of them have opinions on these matters, there is a segment of the Illini Nation that simply overdoes it.  They think that they have all the answers when it comes to what is wrong with their recruiting, how head coach Bruce Weber and his staff should be recruiting and which players will ultimately sign with the Illini when the reality is that there is no factual basis to what they are saying whatsoever.   As a result, in the end their thoughts and feelings are nothing more than rants which border on paranoia, irrational behavior and in some cases downright insanity.

Classic examples of what we are talking about can be found when assessing where things currently stand with respect to Illinois' recruitment of the class of 2011.  Many of the Illini fans' current opinions on this subject have been fostered by the recent commitment of 6'3 combo guard Bradley Beal to the University Of Florida.  While most of them are not surprised that Beal chose the Gators, a good percentage of them are already fearing that Beal's commitment will have an inevitable negative impact on how the rest of the Illini's 2011 recruiting class will pan out.

This is especially true when listening to the Illini Nation's worries over whether or not Weber and company can succeed in landing a commitment from Chasson Randle, the 6'2 combo guard from Rock Island High School in Rock Island, IL.  The Illini Nation's paranoia has always been clearly evident when it involves a player that they believe could be plucked away by the University Of Kansas and head coach Bill Self.  Such is the case here with Randle.  A good number of Illini fans seem to think that now that Beal has pledged to the Gators, it will open the door for Randle to become a Jayhawk and that he will end up being another recruit that Self ends up "stealing away" from the Illini.

We are here to tell all Illini fans that they are getting carried away with this assessment and that we encourage them to relax.  While Randle has stated that Kansas is among his favorite schools, the bottom line is that as of now Self has not offered Randle a scholarship.  In fact, we are fairly certain that he hasn't seen Randle play as of yet.  Since the beginning of the school year, Randle has taken unofficial visits to Purdue, Iowa State, Illinois, Ohio State and Iowa.  With that being said, there is no question that Randle remains among coach Weber's top recruiting priorities in the class of 2011 and that the Illini are still among his frontrunners.  However, all indications are that this one will continue to play out for a considerable period of time, which is why we don't see a commitment coming all too soon.

To reiterate what we have said all along, Illini basketball recruiting in the class of 2011 is going to be just fine.  It is already off to a great start as two commitments are already in the fold--6'1 point guard Tracy Abrams from Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago and 6'9 Nnanna Egwu from St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, with assistant coach Jerrance Howard being the driving force behind enabling the Illini to close the deal on both of them.  While others are still calling Egwu a project (have they seen him play recently?), we firmly believe that he will ultimately prove to be just as valuable a member of the Illini's 2011 recruiting class as Abrams or anyone else for that matter.

And then there is the complete lunacy regarding what is being said about where the Illini currently stand with 6'5 class of 2011 forward Wayne Blackshear from Morgan Park High School in Chicago.  We are referring to the belief amongst the majority of the Illini Nation, as well as several other media pundits and analysts who cover Illini basketball recruiting that the University Of Illinois has absolutely no chance of landing Blackshear.  Our question is this:  where is the factual basis to support such a claim?  The answer is that there is none.

Simply put, the opinions that are being expressed by the Illini Nation regarding Blackshear are based on a completely irrational line of thought--that Blackshear will never be an Illini because he hasn't publicly expressed his fondness for the university or their basketball program.  That is so off-base.  Here is the thing: other than the University Of Louisville what other school that is recruiting Blackshear has he openly indicated his admiration for, whether it be Illinois, DePaul, Marquette, Michigan State, Florida, Kansas or any of the schools that still remain in the picture? 

The bottom line is that he hasn't, which is why at the present time we believe that all of the aforementioned schools stand just as reasonable a chance of landing Blackshear as any, and that includes Illinois.  If that were not the case, then based on what Blackshear has said in the past wouldn't he have already committed to Louisville by now as many other so-called experts thought he was going to do?   Well, he hasn't and it looks as if this is another recruitment that still has a long way to go. 

Another erroneous line of thinking concerns the belief that both Blackshear and 6'7 Mike Shaw from De LaSalle Institute in Chicago are undoubtedly a package deal.  If there is one mistake that other analysts make all too often with respect to recruiting, it is taking a player's word at face value.  Just because Blackshear and Shaw are saying that they want to attend the same college does not inevitably mean that they will do so.  Moreover, they are not the ones who are in control of that decision.  It is in the hands of the college coaches who are recruiting them and they are the ones who will end up deciding Blackshear and Shaw's fate based on the number of scholarships that are available.

We make reference to the proposed package deal between Blackshear and Shaw primarily because it could have a direct effect on how the rest of the Illini's 2011 recruiting class pans out.  Therefore, we need to remind everyone of something that we pointed out long ago which still holds true: the Illini coaching staff feels that it is essential to land at least one in-state recruit from the likes of either Blackshear, Shaw or 6'5 shooting guard Sam Thompson from Whitney Young High School in Chicago.  There is no question that the Illini would take both Blackshear and Shaw in a heartbeat (hence the package deal possibility) but they would also be more than happy with either of them.  Other than continuing to go full-speed ahead with their recruitment of Randle, we believe that this is the coaching staff's foremost priority with respect to the class of 2011.

As for Thompson, we think that the Illini are much stronger than most people realize and as of now they remain among the frontrunners along with Oregon State, Ohio State, Florida and Kansas.  And then there is also 6'7 forward Quincy Miller from Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, NC.  Miller has been offered by the Illini and lists them as being among his finalists.  He will be on the Champaign campus on December 12 when Quality Education Academy plays in the Deron Williams Shootout At The Hall at the University Of Illinois' Assembly Hall.  In addition, it is also conceivable that Weber could extend a scholarship offer to 6'6 forward James Siakam from Brehm Prep in Carbondale, IL at any point in time depending on how certain things play out.  Ironically enough, Brehm Prep will be Quality Education Academy's opponent at the Assembly Hall Shootout.

Above everything else, Illini fans need to be patient when it comes to seeing how Weber and his staff will fill the remainder of their 2011 recruiting class, especially in light of the likelihood that another 2011 commitment may not be coming any time soon.  Actually, there may be a greater possibility of the Illini receiving a verbal from either a class of 2012 or class of 2013 prospect first.  However, that doesn't mean that the Illini won't ultimately wind up with a 2011 class that is sure to excite all members of the Illini Nation alike, because we believe that they will.  As we have said from the get-go, the possibilities are endless.     

Continue to check in with Illinois Prep Bulls-eye for all of the latest as it pertains to high school basketball and recruiting in Illinois.