Illinois Basketball: Five things John Groce has done well

State of Illinois recruiting

One of the main focuses for any coach that takes over the Illinois basketball program is to get in-state kids to come play for the state school. This means win the state while still recruiting outside as well.

Since taking over the Illinois program Groce has done a good job at getting in-state talent, despite what the on-court record shows. He has actually done a better job than the previous regime in Bruce Weber.

In Weber’s tenure with the Illini, only 57-percent of his recruits were actually from the state of Illinois. Groce has that number up to 60-percent in his run with a nice recruiting class coming in that has some superstar Illinois players in it.

No matter how some of these players turned out, they were still ranked well in the national scheme of things.

The first recruiting class under Groce was 2013. He snagged three Illinois players with Kendrick Nunn being the highest rated at No. 52. Hill was also in that class as the No. 72 player in the nation and a four-star like Nunn.

Michael Finke was the only player from the state of Illinois in the class of 2014. He has developed nicely and is a dangerous man from the three-point arc.

The class of 2015 was supposed to be a special one. Groce had two four-star players from the state that year in Aaron Jordan and DJ Williams. Jordan wasn’t ranked nationally but Williams was the No. 47 player overall.

And finally, the class of 2017 is coming in next season with three big-time players from the state of Illinois. Jeremiah Tilmon leads the way as a five-star recruit who is the No. 18 player in the country. Da’Monte Williams and Javon Pickett are both also from the state of Illinois as well.

Groce has done a solid job at getting players from the state of Illinois. Are there ones that slipped away? Sure, but he has done a better job at getting them to stay than Weber.