That makes four 2013 commits. The other two being Maverick Morgan and Malcolm Hill. Groce is progressively trying to shape the future of the Illini. He is doing a pretty decent job too. But just a few commitments are not going to bring the Illini back to what they were a few years ago.
Groce has the right idea--center your recruiting in Chicago. The Illini has something to offer that few other schools in the nation do. If you can grow up in Chicago, be a successful high school basketball player, then go to an in-state top program (Illinois) and be successful there, you become a legend. Take former Illini guard Dee Brown for an example. Dee grew up in Maywood, which is not far from Chicago at all. He played high school ball at Proviso East. While at Proviso East, Brown received Illinois Mr. Basketball, Illinois' Gatorade Player of the Year in 2002, and McDonald's All-American. Brown became a legend and a role model to all Illini fans during his four-year career at Illinois. To this day, Brown is still recognized as an Illini basketball legend, even though his NBA tenure was very short.
It just goes to show Chicago loves their own, but only if they stay loyal. A Chicago kid committing to Illinois does that exactly.
Basing your recruiting in Chicago is a great idea for Groce. Chicago/Chicagoland is home to a plethera of top recruits in the nation, as it always has been. I could name all the top NBA and college players from Chicago, but that might seem a bit redundant. The point I am making her is--recruiting in Chicago is the smart thing to do for Illinois.
The Chicago Public League, AAU, and even suburban high schools are among the best in the country. Groce is trying to do something Bruce Weber did, but not well enough. Weber got plenty of players from Chicago, but missed out on the top ones.
Recruiting in 2013 and especially 2014 is going to be the key if the Illini want to get back on top and Groce wants to keep his job.
2013
Groce has done a decent job already in recruiting the Class of 2013, nabbing Tate and Nunn. It is late in the recruiting process for 2013 recruits, but not too late. He missed out on Demetrius Jackson and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who were huge losses. Also, they missed out on Ben Moore and Proviso East star Sterling Brown, who recently committed to Larry Brown & former Illini assistant Jerrance Howard at SMU. Obviously, a tough year for the Illini. They still have about three very good recruits left. (Demetrius Henry, Gavin Schilling, and Austin Colbert.)
2014
The Class of 2014 will be the biggest year for Illini recruiting and Groce MUST do a good job here. The Illini have already offered to 10 players in this class, 8 of which are ranked inside the ESPNU Super 60 for their respective class.
Their biggest targets will be big men Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander, and guard JaQuan Lyle.
Okafor is a 6'9, 270-lb monster. Ranked the #1 player in the state of Illinois and #3 in the nation by ESPN, Okafor is blessed with size. He can bully just about anyone down in the paint and work for rebounds and easy points. Some compare his to Jared Sullinger. An understandable comparison, however, Okafor has the talent and potential to be even better.
Alexander is another 6'9, 240-lb absolute beast. I can recall watching a Curie game on TV last season thinking, "Wow, Alexander is a man among boys." Being only a sophomore at the time, I picture how he can dominate the Chicago Public League in the upcoming years.
Lyle plays for Bosse HS in Evansville, Indiana. He is a crafty guard with an all-around game. He handles the ball and pressure very well and is athletic. He would fit the Illini great, as Groce wants a team that can run up and down the floor.
Recruiting isn't all about getting the top players. It is about getting players that can play in your system. Groce's system is open enough that anyone can be successful with it.
With so many top recruits considering Illinois, Groce needs to be able to wrap them up and get them to commit.
#IlliniNation.
Follow on Twitter@fgasper21 and @Illini_Sports .
The Class of 2014 will be the biggest year for Illini recruiting and Groce MUST do a good job here. The Illini have already offered to 10 players in this class, 8 of which are ranked inside the ESPNU Super 60 for their respective class.
Their biggest targets will be big men Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander, and guard JaQuan Lyle.
Okafor is a 6'9, 270-lb monster. Ranked the #1 player in the state of Illinois and #3 in the nation by ESPN, Okafor is blessed with size. He can bully just about anyone down in the paint and work for rebounds and easy points. Some compare his to Jared Sullinger. An understandable comparison, however, Okafor has the talent and potential to be even better.
Alexander is another 6'9, 240-lb absolute beast. I can recall watching a Curie game on TV last season thinking, "Wow, Alexander is a man among boys." Being only a sophomore at the time, I picture how he can dominate the Chicago Public League in the upcoming years.
Lyle plays for Bosse HS in Evansville, Indiana. He is a crafty guard with an all-around game. He handles the ball and pressure very well and is athletic. He would fit the Illini great, as Groce wants a team that can run up and down the floor.
Recruiting isn't all about getting the top players. It is about getting players that can play in your system. Groce's system is open enough that anyone can be successful with it.
With so many top recruits considering Illinois, Groce needs to be able to wrap them up and get them to commit.
#IlliniNation.
Follow on Twitter
Evansville, IN is "just outside of Chicago"?
ReplyDeleteAhh, shoot. I was thinking of Merriville. Thanks for pointing that out.
DeleteYou are a bit off on your biggest targets for 2014. KBD is the biggest target hands down. Jahlil Okafor, Cliff Alexander, and JaQuan Lyle are all great, but with the ties already in place the recruitment of KBD is far more important considering his spectacular rise over the last year.
ReplyDeleteBy biggest target I meant more of they are the best players on their list. They're the top talents.
DeleteKBD is great and I think the Illini are doing a great job with recruiting him. Definitely agree that he is one of their top targets.
It'll be intriguing to see how they handle all the talent they have on their hands. Hopefully they can grab at least two or three of their top four targets.