3. Jalen Brunson
This recruitment gets even more painful by the day. When you see one of the recruits you missed out on having a great NBA career, that is when you know you have messed up.
Jalen Brunson has been a great player at every level. Coming out of high school in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Brunson was a five-star recruit and a top 20 player in the class of 2015. He was a key recruit for John Groce and is someone who could have changed everything.
In August 2014, Brunson took an official visit to Illinois. The decision for the star guard was down to just the Illini and Villanova. As history would have it, Brunson picked the Wildcats.
Illinois was always missing a great guard during the Groce era. Having Brunson would have changed everything. The Illini make NCAA tournament appearances, and we have one of the greatest players in program history.
Instead, Brunson heads to Villanova and averages 14.4 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game in three seasons. He is an All-American and notches two national championships in that stretch.
Illinois, on the other hand, flounders and ends up firing Groce. The Illinois program would be so much different if Brunson had picked us. His great college career, followed by a great pro career, really makes this one hurt.