Come on down to UI, Rose!

you won a state title in your home state , now lets go for the ncaa title in your home school , go ILLINI

weber sucks. this guy was at southern illinois 5 years ago. he is the best coach in the world. not. weber will cry like a girl no matter what happens.

Could you be any more of a homer (that means drinking the orange and blue kool aid a little too much)? Eric Gordon wasn't a top player until he played with Rose? So without Rose, EG wasn't as good? Thats really what you are saying. C'mon, do you really believe that? Rose is an outstanding talent, but so is EG. EG didn't help Rose's assist numbers, which therefore helped him? I guarantee if EG has stayed with IL you wouldn't have that take, you would have said that he was the best player on his own and that IL was lucky to have him. Objectivity is a good thing, when you lack it you also lack credibility (and thats all you really have as a writer).

From a totally objective standpoint, I've always felt that Illinois was the best fit for Derrick. First, it's the state school. That's not just a loyalty thing (which is a big deal to some kids, and less of a factor for others). That's television exposure in front of family and friends. Two, Illinois has had a better tradition over the past decade. Their fan support is second to none. I'll never forget the "orange" following during the FF run . . . which still continues. The Assembly Hall is one of the toughest venues to play in the country - and the Illini are one of the leaders in attendance annually. Three, Bruce Weber is regarded as one of the best floor coaches in the country. That's not an opinion - that's a fact. He has a proven track record of developing players. More than that, he's a quality guy . . . he's honest, with integrity. Fourth, the Illini with Derrick will be better than IU or Memphis. Frankly, they might be better without Derrick, but most believe he elevates them from a very good team to an elite team. Randle is a freak of nature. Skilled size abounds. Jamar Smith is one of the best shooters in the country. And with Demitri and other solid guard support (Frazier, Meachum, Holdren) Derrick could lead a three-headed guard attack that would be downright scary. Finally, it's close for Reggie, mom a girlfriend, and friends. I sense that makes a difference.

All things considered, his earlier exclusion of the Illini was a bit of a mystery. It seems like a no-brainer. You just can't make the same logical argument for IU or Memphis. Thus, I'll go out on a short limb and predict he chooses the Illini.

Rodney

The question is what school will he choose.
So go back to your trailer and please stop stealing oxygen from everybody else.

I'm hoping for UI, but have the feeling that it's too late and he's going to Memphis.

He should go to Indiana so we can see great athletes play together. Not that the other schools are lacking of athletes but I think the combination of he and Eric Gordon would be a match made in heaven.

You can take the loyalty argument to the bathroom too. Rose and Gordon made themselves the players that they are so where exactly does loyalty come into play? What do they owe their perspective states other than to become the best people they can be. These pop-culture etiquette cliches in sports today are completely ridiculous.

Derrick...come to where they win NCAA Championships. Indiana NCAA ALL THE WAY!!!

Someone needs to tell Mike that the phrase NOT went out in the late eighties. The last time you guys had a decent team. Rose will come to Illinois!

Derrick, continue to be the legend you can at Illinois. Just imagine winning an NC for the Illini. Can you imagine anything better. Forget Memphis and Indiana, stay home with the Illini!!!!

You proved what a biased jerk you are with the statements you made. Fool everyone knows Gordon doesnt need Rose to be great. For you to say that makes an ass out of you.

You'll love playing at Illinois!!! Come on down and let's get this party started (AGAIN) Derrick!!!
GO ILLINI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ha ha - Gordon wasnt a top player until he played with Rose over the summer. any credibility you had just got thrown out the window with that rediculous statement.

He should come to Indiana. With Rose and Gordon we would have the best backcourt in the nation.

Give the blogger a break, he said that Gordon wasn't THE top player until after he played with Rose. He did not say that Gordon wasn't A top player before he played with Rose. Please read carefully before making embarrassing yourself.

My family lives near Decatur,Illinois and we Love
watching our fighting ILLINI.
If Derrick comes to Illinois, he will be totally prepared as a great point guard and a very great basketball player if Coach Weber is teaching him what is needed to be a winner with the necessary skills needed for the next level in the NBA. Coach Weber just doesn't make the promises that alot of coaches tell young recruits, he sees in each and every young man his potentials and brings out the best in each player.
Coach Weber is an honest man with an unquestionable
reputation to trust in. That point alone is and should be the greatest selling point to the Rose family. Then you add the fact that he is one of the greatest X and O coaches in the land. Remember all the Coach of the Year honors?
Indiana has not got a HONORABLE coach, I would not want to send my son off to a man that can't play fair and truthful. Plus, Indiana just got done setting the table for Eric Gordan and family with his many new hires. Bad news to start with false promises!
Memphis' coach did not prepare a very gifted young man, Darius Washington in helping him to the next level. Promises, promises not kept. And finally I am speaking from a mother's heart that also had two of my own children recruited by colleges. Stay close enough for your mother and family to be able to watch you and be able to see in person the son that she is so proud of play in college.
Just ask Dee Brown's mother how fantastic it was for her to be able to see her son every game, not just a few.
If Derrick follows his heart with honesty and loyality to family and friends and with his mind for picking the best educator for his future, he will be a future ILLINI!

question to tough talkin' hooiers. does sampson fire the gordon family frds when ej leaves after 1 yr? he's gonna spend a lot of time recruiting staff with that plan to acquire players.

I'll just be honest, the players aren't as happy behind the scenes than you might think. I'll say simply, I am in the Illini Basketball program somehow, and the players aren't thrilled about this prima donna getting all the attention. They were happy Gordon chose IU and are happy Rose is looking more at Memphis.

The answer is obvious: Kansas.

My,we're doing well with the reading comprehension here, aren't we?

There's a huge difference between saying that EG was not considered *a* top player and that he was not considered *the* top player in the country.

Suggest you go back and reread what was actually written, instead of shaping the blogger's words into something that will allow you to have your beef.

Goodness.

Let's be objective, shall we? Derrick is likely to spend a short time in college in pursuit of an NBA career. On what NBA roster can you find Terrell Everett? How about Darius Washington, Jr? Sampson and Calipari do a good job putting guards in the NBA, don't they? How about other players? I don't see Kevin Bookout anywhere in the NBA either. At least Calipari has Rodney Carney and Shawne Williams to his credit. Last I checked, Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, James Augustine and Roger Powell are all on NBA rosters. Seems like a no brainer to me. And as a bonus, its a program with class, integrity and a short drive. Easy choice Derrick. Good luck.

Well Derrick,as they say the balls in Your Court..I wish you the Best wherever you decide to enroll.
But I have one question for you..Remember how Good Dee Brown was as a Junior,playing along side Williams..Final Game...NCAA Championship....Well,think about how it can be with Gordon playing along side of You...Scary Thought...Wish You the Best.

Where will Rose go? I don't know.

The decision is a simple one:
1.) DR can go to Memphis and have an easy road to becoming a 2008 lottery pick.
2.) DR can be the hero of his home state for a year and possibly help in further recruiting efforts in Chicago and become a lottery pick in the 2008 draft.
3.) DR can go to IU an be a part of the best backcourt in the history of college bball; have a legitimate shot at a final four, and become a household name across the country before he becomes a 2008 lottery pick.
All three are good options, but one is clearly a step above the others.

[in case my last comment didn't get past the censors]

Rose will have the spot light all to himself at Memphis and UI, so I doubt he'll go to IU

I wonder how it will play out in memphis or indiana when the bears win the superbowl.

It will be a great day in Illinois.... and a great day in champaign who supports chicago and their teams and our heritage.

I wonder how much Memphis and tenn. indiana and the hoosires support chicago and Illinois .

I bleed orange and blue but we need to stop being so blind. Dee, luther, deron and james would have ALL been NBA players under Bill Self. My honest opinion is that in a few years after weber continues to pull in middle of the pack recruits that we will all be impatient and call for his head after the Illini fall to the middle of the big ten. I think IU fans know what im talking about since the same thing just happened with mike davis.

It doesn't really matter if these hotshots come to Illinois or not. Coach Weber will take what he has and make them into a great team.

As far as Indiana goes, remember the old saying "you reap what you sow"? I give that program two years and then the "crap will hit the fan". It's really too bad because even with the loveable Bobby Knight at the helm, at least they had a reputation as a reputable athletic department. They have really dragged the bottom with Sampson. But hey, you get the good with the bad when you deal with people like him. They knew what they were getting when they signed him on.

He should have choosen kansas, that would have been the best place for him to play along side with sheron collins, C.J miles, julian wright, brandon rush, darrell arthur, and the rest of those all stars. But from what it seems like, he might be choosing memphis. They have been incontact with him for the longest and he attend there midnight madness. The only way he is going to choose IU is if he really wants to play with Eric Gordon. Illinois might be his third choice because they came in to his recruitment kinda of late and since they lost eric gordon.The only reasons why he would choose illinois is because they are close to home and they have produced good players over the last two years. i have watched derrick for three years and were ever he goes he is going to make that team so much better. Im pretty sure that he will choose memphis and stay there for one year. Aftert that one year he will be gone.

"Don't overlook the fact that Gordon wasn't considered the top player in the country until he played with Rose. Gordon, not Rose, benefited from the partnership."

"ha ha - Gordon wasnt a top player until he played with Rose over the summer. any credibility you had just got thrown out the window with that rediculous statement."

"You proved what a biased jerk you are with the statements you made. Fool everyone knows Gordon doesnt need Rose to be great. For you to say that makes an ass out of you."

Seems some Hoosier fans have reading comprehension issues.

derrick,

look what coach weber has done for guards, he made deron, dee, and luther into great player when they were just good before. calipari and sampson use dirty recruiting tactics, its only a matter of time before they get busted. you don't want to be linked to that, do the right thing, bring a championship to illinois!