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Illinois Basketball: Rerating every Illini recruit from the 2010s

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini breaks up a scuffle between Da'Monte Williams #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini and Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the game at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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TULSA, OK – MARCH 20: D.J. Richardson #1 and Crandall Head #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini react at the end of their 73-59 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
TULSA, OK – MARCH 20: D.J. Richardson #1 and Crandall Head #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini react at the end of their 73-59 loss to the Kansas Jayhawks during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at BOK Center on March 20, 2011 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

28. Crandall Head (Old: 4-star/0.9696 – New: 3-star/0.8433)

That class of 2010 was something special on paper. Illinois was able to bring in three in-state recruits who were all in the top 100 and had potential through the roof. One of those talented recruits was Crandall Head.

Head was a 6-foot-4, 185-pound shooting guard coming out of Rich South Campus High School and residing in Richton Park, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 80 player in the class of 2010 and the No. 18 shooting guard in the nation. He also had a rating of 0.9696.

Illinois was the obvious landing spot for Head. His brother, Luther, was on the national title team just five years prior. This seemed like an obvious marriage made in heaven. That didn’t end up being the case, though.

Head came in as a freshman and was able to suit up in 18 games with one start. He averaged 1.3 points and 0.7 assists per game that first season with the Illini. His second year was another rough one, as Head only played in nine games and averaged 1 point and 1 assist per game.

In the middle of his sophomore season, Head ended up leaving Illinois and announcing his intent to transfer out of the program. He would end up playing one more season of DI basketball with SMU where he averaged 0.9 points and 0.9 rebounds per game.

Head’s 0.9696 rating seems to be extremely high. He came in with a lot of clout thanks to his brother. The adjusted ratings drop Head down to a three-star recruit with a rating of 0.8433. He will always be a “what could have been” in my book.

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