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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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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 15: Robbie Hummel #4 and Ryne Smith #24 of the Purdue Boilermakers block out against Meyers Leonard #12 of the Illinois Fighting Illini at Assembly Hall on February 15, 2012 in Champaign, Illinois. Purdue won 67-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 15: Robbie Hummel #4 and Ryne Smith #24 of the Purdue Boilermakers block out against Meyers Leonard #12 of the Illinois Fighting Illini at Assembly Hall on February 15, 2012 in Champaign, Illinois. Purdue won 67-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

4. Meyers Leonard (Old: 4-star/0.9884 – New: 4-star/0.9750)

I mentioned in earlier slides that Illinois didn’t have a ton of success recruiting big men in the 2010s. I mainly meant the John Groce era struggled to pull these recruits in. But Bruce Weber managed to snag one of the best in Meyers Leonard.

Leonard was a 7-foot, 240-pound center coming out of Robinson High School and residing in Robinson, Illinois. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 30 player in the class of 2010 and the No. 6 center in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.9884.

I remember when Illinois landed Leonard. This was a happy day for me as a fan. The Illini had a class of 2010 that was going to take the program back to the national title. That didn’t happen, though.

Leonard came into the program and didn’t see much time early on. Weber wasn’t playing him nearly enough. He only averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game as a freshman. You don’t sit a player who is a top 30 recruit.

As a sophomore, Leonard broke out. This kid had a great year averaging 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. The team was doing great too, until a terrible collapse toward the end of the season. This would be Weber’s final year with the team.

Overall, Leonard was a great college player. I would love to have seen him play another year with the Illini, but he decided to declare for the NBA Draft and was selected No. 11 by the Portland Trail Blazers. He is now playing with the Miami Heat.

Leonard entered the college ranks as a four-star with a rating of 0.9884. I don’t think that is far off. I would probably drop him a little bit down to a four-star with a rating of 0.9750. This would still put him as a high four-star recruit.

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