I watched a good portion of the Illinois/Indiana game late last week and watched Eric Gordon take over and realize; this game could have been a blowout had Bruce Weber been able to have a guy with the talent of Gordon. Then myself and the group at TTCS got to thinking that this has become a reoccuring theme going on in Champaign. Below is our list of potential difference-makers Weber could have landed but didn't.
10. Mike Dunigan- Farragut ’08 Committed to Oregon and Iman Shumpert- Oak Park '08 Committed to Georgia Tech
While "I-MAN" and Dunigan are yet to prove anything at the college level, these guys are arguably the top-two recruits in the state this year. Weber was “goo-goo eyed” over these guys while these two did not even bat an eye at Champaign.
9. Charlie Villanueva- Blair Academy (NJ) '03- UConn
Originally the centerpiece of Bill Self's '03 class, Charlie jumped ship about as quickly as Self did that off-season, despite signing his letter of intent. After leaving the Illini and deeming himself eligible for the draft, Chuck decided to take his name out of the running and go to UConn, where he averaged 13 points and more than eight rebounds a game before becoming the seventh pick of the 2005 NBA draft. Imagine the difference CV could have made during the 2005 title game when Sean May decided to go off, while Illini’s only supposed answer James Augustine sat the majority of the game on the bench in foul trouble.
8. Shaun Livingston- Peoria Central '04- Committed to Duke
Before the NBA came a-callin’, the nation's #1 guard chose perennial power Duke over the likes of UNC, Arizona, and Illinois. While Weber cannot be blamed for Livingston's desires to go pro, he must take full responsibility for letting a 5-star of this caliber get free. Peoria is an Illini hotbed, signing the likes of Bill Cole, Jamar Smith, Rich McBride, and Brian Randle, just during Weber’s tenure alone.
7. Jeremy Pargo- Robeson '05- Gonzaga
A knowledgeable Illinois basketball source once told me "Jeremy was a great talent on a really shitty team.“ Well maybe this diamond in the rough was ripe for the picking and could have been a surprise for the whole Big 10. But instead he took the only offer he was given and headed to Gonzaga, where he had an instant impact. A member of last year's WAC all-conference team, Pargo is good for 12 and six assists a night.
6. Sherron Collins- Crane ’06- Kansas
The speedster was another city kid that Weber let get away. A top-3 national point guard, Collins even made an official visit to U of I a week after seeing Kansas for his official. Too bad he couldn’t land this stud, as he is arguably the top sixth man in the nation and will be making Dick Vitale go nuts in a matter of time. Oh and Ron Zook could have even used this former all-city linebacker two seasons ago.
5. Derrick Rose- Simeon ’07- Memphis
Derrick could have been a difference maker for any team in the nation, and Illinois was no exception. While some dispute that foul play may have been involved in the recruiting process, it played no role in his lack of desire to go to Illinois, as they weren’t even in his top-5 list. What’s even more interesting about this is that Simeon has a rich history of sending talent down to Champaign. Former Magic guard Nick Anderson wore navy and orange in the late 80's, and his high school teammate, Ben Wilson was planning on attending before being gunned down before his senior season. Current Illini forward Calvin Brock is from Simeon and newly signed bigman Stan Simpson is finishing out his senior season with Wolverines.
4. Jerel McNeal- Hillcrest '05- Marquette
A guy Brucey decided not to pursue real hard. McNeal wanted to go to U of I, and Bruce settled with Illinois’ favorite designated driver Jamar Smith. The coach could have used the 2007 Big East Defensive Player of the Year to contain Eric Gordon, Drew Neitzel or any other guard/small forward to come to Assembly Hall. He is now part of a three-headed monster hoping to take the Golden Eagles to the promise-land, while Jamar is taking the year off after his little run-in with a tree.
3. Julian Wright- Homewood-Flossmoor ’05- Kansas
Illinois’ Mr. Basketball during his senior season, Wright was deciding long and hard between Champaign and the University of Arizona. Then Kansas’ Bill Self showed up on Wright’s doorstep and had him commit on the spot. Julian was a human-highlight reel during his two years at Lawrence and was the 13th pick of the ’07 draft. A complete heartbreaker for Chief Illini but further confirmation that Bruce Weber cannot recruit Chicago’s top prospect if his life depended on it.
2. Eric Gordon- North Central (Ind.) ’07- Indiana
The man who gave us the idea for the list, there was no individual with more controversy going into the season than Gordon. He verbally committed to Illinois after his junior year in high school. Then Kelvin Sampson was hired as head coach at IU, and made some questionable moves to his coaching staff which may or may not have spurred Gordon to jump ship and play in Bloomington. Regardless, Gordon turned Indiana from a mid-grade conference team into a serious national title contender, while U of I sits near the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Eric will surely be gone within the first seven picks of next year’s draft.
1. Jon Scheyer- Glenbrook North ’06- Duke
In what could go down as one of the most embarrassing tales in NCAA recruiting history, Jon chose Duke blue over Illini navy. The embarrassing point about this; The sharpshooter’s high school coach was none other than Bruce’s kid-brother Dave. What more had to happen in order to get this kid? I realize he chose DUKE, but its not like B-Web coaches at Augustana. This was THE University of Illinois, the regions #1 basketball school at time. And its not like Scheyer was worried about not being surrounded by talent; Eric Gordon was still set to play in Champaign when Jon made his decision.
Honorable Mention:
Patrick Beverley- Marshall '05- Arkansas
Joevan Catron- Thornton '05- Oregon
Bobby Frasor- Brother Rice '05- North Carolina
DeAndre Liggins- Findlay Prep '08- Committed to Kentucky
Evan Turner- St. Joseph '07- Ohio State
By: Phil Barnes and the TTCS group
10 comments:
Couldn't have said it better myself....you put Villanueva on that National Championship team and it's no contest, U of I would have dominated Sean May and the Tar Heels.
Well it's a good thing that BAM has gotten recruiting back on track and put together two top notch classes for '09 and '10.
Boy, it has to hurt when it's Bill Self who's responsible for two of Weber's recruits.
Just a small correction. Rich McBride played at Springfield Lanphier, not in Peoria. Just outside Chicago there's a place called Illinois.
Ring, thanks for the correction, my fault. Alma, it does look somewhat promising with the 2009 and 2010 classes, except that 2009's DJ Richardson, Brandon Paul, and Joe Bertrand, and 2010's Crandall Head are all listed as 2 guards. It should be interesting to see what Weber does with all that small talent though.
I wept while going through that list. Well done. Although I probably would have put Beverley on the list (dunno where) because he actually WANTED to play for the Illini.
And wtf is a BAM?
Bruce All-Mighty I presume
Not surprising.Weber came with the tag that he can't recruit but good X's and O's coach.Maybe Zook can pull double duty.
It should at least be mentioned that, while Self was a good recruiter, in general he didn't get the top Chicago kids either. While Dee Brown and Luther were both from Chicagoland, Self didn't get Chicago's Dwyane Wade, among others. He also missed out on Andre Iguodala (though of Springfield). Some of the kids on this list (livingston, rose) weren't going to Illinois if John Wooden was the coach; the school just doesn't have the profile of Duke, UCLA, etc., and that's hardly Weber's fault.
Wade was the ninth? rated player in Illinois his senior year. I'm not sure it was 9th but it wasn't top 5. I heard Rose wanted to go to Illinois with Gordon until his brothers steered him to Memphis, because of some shady Adidas deal.
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