Illinois Basketball: If Jeremiah Tilmon Bolts, Illinois Will Be Okay
The recruiting game is rough for many Illinois basketball fans, including me.
All Illini fans want what is best for the program, but like many things, we all have different opinions on how to get to that point.
The recruitment of five-star center Jeremiah Tilmon keeps coming to mind when talks about the future of the Illinois basketball team heat up.
Tilmon is one of the best recruits in the class of 2017. According to Rivals, Tilmon is rated as the 16th best player in the country.
Since the recruitment for Tilmon started back in 8th grade, the Illini have been right there by his side. He recently did an interview with Ryan Easterling of Scout and went over where he was with the Illini.
This video has some Illinois fans feeling quite down about the chances that Illinois has at snagging this talented center. Here is my opinion about what I heard and saw on the video.
When Tilmon was asked about his recent in-home visits and who is recruiting him right now he mentions a lot of schools.
I believe I heard him say some blue blood schools like North Carolina and Kansas. He also goes on to mention other Big Ten schools like Iowa.
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What he didn’t mention was his visit with Illinois this past week. He later is asked about Illinois and then he remembers they were in there too.
I will admit, I agree with the Illinois fans saying this isn’t a good sign that Tilmon forgot about Illinois.
If these big time programs that are traditional recruiting powerhouses are the first ones Tilmon names, then that means they are making a big impact on him.
But, later on in the interview, Tilmon is asked specifically about his recruitment by the Illini. He proceeds to say that they have been there since day one before he became big. They have been loyal and loyalty means a lot.
I took two things from this interview and this is completely my opinion.
The first thing was that Groce isn’t making a big enough impact in the recruiting process right now.
If Groce was making an impact on Tilmon in the recruiting process right now then Tilmon would have mentioned the Illini immediately, or at least remember them at all.
This makes me extremely nervous on the recruiting front.
The second thing I drew from this interview was that Tilmon likes loyalty and Illinois has been the most loyal.
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Groce did a great job at getting out ahead of all the other big time recruiting powerhouses with the recruitment of Tilmon. That is a major pitch for the Illini in Tilmon’s recruitment.
Hopefully, Tilmon still values loyalty over the glitz and glamor of these big time schools. Groce has put the time, effort and resources into securing Tilmon and building for the future.
Despite what seems to be a five-star center slipping away from the grasp of the Illini, I think there is still a possibility of recovering.
Illinois is currently pursuing many big men that can play basketball. We don’t need someone who doesn’t want to come to Champaign.
What Illinois needs is someone who wants to play and play hard every night.
There are still multiple options out there to fill in a big gap on the team in 2017.
I like Derek Culver out of Ohio. He is listed at 6-foot-8 and is going to be a good player at the next level. Having someone like Culver step into a rebounding role won’t be a problem.
I also like Theo John from Minnesota.
John has been recruited by Groce and the Illini for a while now. He would bring a 6-foot-9 frame to the team and that is something Illinois needs.
Would I love to bring in Tilmon? Yes, he is an athletic 6-foot-10 center that could help Illinois rebound a lot better.
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But, if Tilmon decides to go elsewhere we will be okay Illini Nation. In Groce’s offense, we don’t need taller, we need hard working athletic guys who want to play every night.
Illinois will get some of those players and we will also have Leron Black around in 2017 as well. Illinois will be okay and they will move forward to bigger and better things.