Illinois Basketball: Key Hits and Misses From the Mac Irvin Fire
There have been many recruits from around the country who have torn the hearts out of Illini fans. Just a few years ago, point guard Jalen Brunson was one of those players.
Brunson was a 5-star recruit from Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was rated as the 22nd best player in the class of 2017 and the best player in the state of Illinois.
Brunson would have put Illinois back on the map for big time recruits, but it didn’t quite work out that way.
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The recruitment of Brunson was heavy. He had every big program in the nation coming after him, but he ended up deciding between Villanova and Illinois.
The decision was made and Brunson was off to play for the Wildcats and the rest is history. He ended up winning the National Championship this past year and Illinois missed the NCAA Tournament again.
Getting Brunson would have changed the entire Illinois basketball team for years to come. He would have patched up the point guard mess Illini fans have dealt with and everything would have been fine.
I think Brunson is the gold standard in how important the Mac Irvin Fire AAU Basketball program really is. If he would have chosen Illinois over Villanova everything could have been different.
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