Illinois Basketball: Brad Underwood trying to correct recruiting struggles
Bill Self (3 classes, 9 top 100 recruits)
2001
No. 81 Roger Powell
The first recruiting class for Bill Self was solid. He snagged two top 100 recruits and the highest rated player was Roger Powell. He was the No. 81 player in the nation in 2001.
Powell was extremely underrated his entire career. He was an extremely important piece to the national title run in 2005, and that year he averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Illini. He will always be remembered as one of the starting five on that team.
No. 100 Luther Head
Luther Head entered the Illinois basketball program as the No. 100 player in the class of 2001. He was a super athletic kid that was extremely raw.
Head developed his game from shooting 29.1-percent from three-point land in year one to 41-percent during his senior season. He ended up spending four years at Illinois and was a big piece in that title run as well. He finished his final year averaging 15.9 points, 4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
2002
No. 19 Dee Brown
The class of 2002 was the big one for Bill Self. This class had some special talent in it and he did a great job bringing the entire team together. It was all led by No. 19 ranked Dee Brown.
Brown was the most electrifying player in the history of the Illinois basketball program. He lived up to his No. 19 ranking and won the Sporting News Player of the Year in 2005. Brown averaged 13.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his junior year title run. He was a legend and always will be remembered for his career.
No. 38 Deron Williams
Another massive piece to the title puzzle was Deron Williams. He was the No. 38 player in the class of 2002 for the Illini. He was a great get for Self from the state of Texas.
Williams only played three years for the Illini but his junior season the team went to the title game. He and Brown were a duo in the backcourt no one wanted to mess with. Williams finished his final season averaging 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. He would get drafted in the first round after his junior season.
No. 70 Aaron Spears
Aaron Spears was a highly rated player coming out of the class of 2002. He was the No. 70 player overall but things didn’t work out at Illinois.
Spears transferred from the Illini program after two years. He then played for St. John’s where he finished his senior season averaging 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
No. 87 James Augustine
The final piece to the title run puzzle was a big man. This is where James Augustine came into the picture. He was ranked No. 87 in the class of 2002.
Augustine came into the program and was an instant impact player. He averaged at least 7 points per game every season in Champaign. He was the starting center for the title run team in 2005 and averaged 13.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game during his senior season.
2003
No. 30 Richard McBride
Self had plans for the future. He wanted to build this great Illini program up into a dynasty. He secured a good class of 2003 led by No. 30 ranked Richard McBride.
McBride had a good career with the Illini. He was a three-point shooter most of his time with the program. He was a member of the title run team and then was a bigger part in helping the team get back to the second round a year later. He finished his senior season averaging 9.6 points, 2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
No. 84 Brian Randle
A missing piece to the title puzzle in 2005 was Brian Randle. If he didn’t break his hand punching a wall, the Illini could have won the national title. But, things didn’t work out that way and Randle missed the entire season. He was a great get from the class of 2003, though. He was ranked as the No. 84 player in the nation.
Randle was a fun player to watch. He averaged 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game his senior season. His athletic ability mixed in with his length really helped the Illini win some games.
No. 100 Warren Carter
Illinois snagged Warren Carter in the class of 2003 as well. He was the No. 100 ranked player in the nation and someone who had great athletic ability.
Carter really blossomed his senior season. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2 assists per game as the Illini made it back to the NCAA tournament.