Illinois Basketball: 4 options to replace Jeremiah Tilmon
![Jan 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood reacts and breaks a clipboard against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports Jan 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood reacts and breaks a clipboard against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/71d95b38812eaa8d838593650b46c90e66589998df7896f3fa2a586586a5f45c.jpg)
The Illinois basketball team received some terrible news yesterday with Jeremiah Tilmon announcing he was going to ask for a release from his National Letter of Intent.
This is a move that many fans expected about a month ago when John Groce was fired, but it didn’t happen until yesterday. It also came as a surprise considering he retweeted a tweet from almost a year ago saying he is committed to Illinois.
But, Tilmon is now going to likely go elsewhere despite him saying Illinois was still in consideration. This will leave a big hole in the paint for the Illini that needs to be filled.
The Illini still have a decent class coming in, though. They have a top 100 point guard in Trent Frazier who will be amazing for the team this season.
Illinois also has Da’Monte Williams coming in who should be a top 100 player. He will be a great asset for the next four years. And then they have Javon Pickett coming in who is a wildcard and could stun people with his abilities.
The class of 2017 is still pretty good, but Illinois still needs another big man to really be a contender in the NCAA tournament.
Here are four options for the Illini to replace Jeremiah Tilmon.