Facebook App
Someone just called to inform me that Crandall Head, Rich South's sensational sophomore basketball player, will commit to Illinois on Sunday, after the Illini-Penn State game at Assembly Hall. It's a lock. Bet the mortgage. Take it to the bank. It'll be like a coronation. Illini Nation can start celebrating.
How good is Head? The 6-4 guard/forward is better than 6-6 Jereme Richmond of Waukegan, who already is committed to Illinois and has been rated as the No. 1 sophomore in the nation according to some recruiting services. So where does that put Head in the mix? It's a giddy thought.
With arguably two of the top five sophomores in the nation to go with three outstanding juniors--Warren's Brandon Paul, Sterling's Joseph Bertrand and Peoria Central's D.J. Richardson--who almost certainly will rank among the top 50 in their class nationally, Illini coach Bruce Weber has recruited two top 10 classes back-to-back and he's already working on more.
All of the Illini recruits were showcased at the recent Shootout in Champaign and Head was most impressive of all, scoring 34 points in a 62-60 victory over Champaign Centennial. He shot 14-of-21 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. He is better and more athletic at his age than his older brother Luther, one of the stars of Illinois' 2005 NCAA runnerup.
Weber is loading up on guards, the cornerstone of his 2005 squad. He also has offered a scholarship to Whitney Young sophomore Anthony Johnson. And he is recruiting junior Dyricus Simms-Edwards of Washington, Ill., a teammate of Indiana-bound Matt Roth, and freshman Donivine Stewart of Bartonville Limestone.
It is significant that Weber is recruiting Simms-Edwards and Stewart because none of the other guards is a pure point guard, a Dee Brown or Deron Williams. Bertrand or Paul or Head could develop into a point guard but they don't possess that quality at the moment.
Recruiting analyst Joe Henricksen, editor of City/Suburban Hoops Report, rates Stewart with De La Salle's 6-8 Michael Shaw and Curie's 6-4 Wayne Blackshear as the best freshmen in the state.
Cell Phone Alerts
I'm glad you've come to recognize the great things Weber has going for this program. Too bad we have to live through this garbage for a year before Jamar Smith and Alex Legion arrive.
Any chance any of these kids can test out of a year of high school and graduate a year early? We can always dream.
I am beginning to feel like a Cub fan --wait till...
Im glad illinois is getting some good players there after the eric gordon deal fell down but look at it this way he's going to the nba next year so indiana only gets a great player 4 1 year
Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.