The Illinois basketball program has been on a tear in recent years when it comes to recruiting, but things weren’t always so wonderful.
Back in 2005, the Illini went to the national championship and everything was supposed to be good after that. But that didn’t end up being the case. Massive coaching blunders and huge recruiting misses marred the Illini for nearly two decades.
While things have changed, it is good to never forget the past. Don’t forget the struggles Illinois basketball went through when it comes to recruiting.
Here are the top 10 Illinois basketball recruiting misses since the turn of the century
10. Shaun Livingston
I think about the possibilities Illinois could have had if a few players dropped in favor of the Orange and Blue. A national championship trophy could be the result if someone like Shaun Livingston had decided Champaign was the right spot for him.
Livingston was a 6-foot-6, 170-pound point guard from Peoria. He was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 2 player in the class of 2004. This recruitment came down to two teams, Illinois and Duke.
At the end of the day, Livingston picked the Blue Devils. They didn’t get to see him play either, though. The star guard decided to skip college and headed straight to the NBA.
Think about that for a second. You have Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head in the Illinois backcourt on that 2005 national championship team. And then you have a future NBAer in Livingston coming off the bench. That would have been a wild team.
9. Shelden Williams
Illinois was in the running for some big-time players in the 2000s. One of the biggest issues in that 2005 national championship game was that our big man depth was hit, and we were up against someone in Sean May who was a monster.
Landing someone like Shelden Williams would have cured all of those issues. He was a 6-foot-9, 240-pound big man who was rated as a five-star recruit in the class of 2002. Illinois had plenty of big-time talent come in from that class, but Williams would have been the icing on the cake.
According to Mike Sullivan of Rivals, Williams made his commitment to Duke after an in-home visit. If he didn’t make that commitment, Illinois was slated to get an official visit from the big man, and that could have changed everything.
Williams went on to be an All-American for the Blue Devils. He averaged 15.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game during the 2004-05 campaign. If Illinois has someone like Williams in the paint, that national title is ours. He would be anchoring the middle with James Augustine coming off the bench. That would have been an insane squad.
8. Brandon Rush
One of the most disappointing things to happen in the 2000s is that Illinois basketball couldn’t keep the great momentum that Bill Self had built up. We let that slip away.
Landing a player like Brandon Rush would have been huge to keep the great play going. Rush was a 6-foot-6, 202-pound forward who was rated as a five-star recruit.
Rush took an official visit to Illinois, but Kansas was his ultimate landing spot. Self left Illinois a couple of years prior, and he took all of the big-time recruiting ability with him. Rush ended up picking the Jayhawks over the Illini.
There would have been no slowing the Illini down with Rush in the mix. He would have joined Dee Brown and James Augustine for that 2005-06 season, where we lost in the second round. That team could have easily gone to the Sweet 16 or further.
After that 2005-06 season, Illinois hit a rough patch. Rush wouldn’t have had that happen, as he averaged 13.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for his career at Kansas. This recruitment would have been a game-changer in the 2000s.
7. Demetrius Jackson
The mid-2010s were another rough patch for the Orange and Blue. We weren’t an awful squad, but this program couldn’t get over the hump. A player like Demetrius Jackson would have been a tremendous get and someone who would have elevated the program.
Jackson was a 6-foot-1, 185-pound point guard who was rated as a four-star recruit. He was a top 40 player in the country, and Illinois needed some backcourt help. The recruitment came down to just the Illini and Irish, and the talented point guard ended up staying home and committing to Notre Dame.
This commitment would have been huge for Illinois. During the John Groce era, he always had trouble finding a good big man and point guard. Tracy Abrams was solid, but he got hurt. Adding Jackson would have solved some serious issues and probably gotten Groce into the NCAA tournament.
Jackson went on to have a good career at Notre Dame. In his final season, he averaged 15.8 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Just imagine that on the Illinois roster during those tough times.
6. Drew Timme
All of the players on this list are a bunch of “what-ifs,” but with someone like Drew Timme, I think to myself, “how crazy.”
Timme was a big-time recruit in the class of 2019. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound big man was looking for a home, and Illinois had a chance to land him. We got an official visit from the four-star recruit, so there was a legit chance to land him.
Illinois was going through some options at the position, and Timme was the first to pull the trigger. Instead of making Champaign his home, he decided that Gonzaga was the place to be. He ended up picking the Bulldogs over the Illini.
While the Illini did just fine by landing Kofi Cockburn months later, could you imagine potentially having both Timme and Cockburn in the frontcourt? That would have been unstoppable.
I imagine Illinois could have made it pretty far in the NCAA tournament with Timme in the paint. That No. 1 seed Illini squad in 2020-21 could have used Timme’s 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
5. Jon Scheyer
This one was one of the worst recruiting losses that I can remember. When you have an in-state recruit like Jon Scheyer, you have to be able to hold on to them.
Scheyer was a 6-foot-4, 170-pound shooting guard who was coming out of Northbrook, Illinois. He was a four-star recruit and had numerous programs coming after him.
In April 2005, Scheyer took an official visit to Illinois. This was less than a month after the Illini had been to the national championship, and the shine on the program was so bright. Weeks later, Scheyer doesn’t commit to Illinois but instead picks Duke as his landing spot.
This was a shocking commitment. Bruce Weber’s brother was the head coach of Scheyer’s high school team, but that didn’t help the situation. Scheyer went and played for the Blue Devils and shone bright.
Scheyer won a national championship at Duke. He ended his four-year run averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot 38.1% from three-point range. His time in college was one of Illinois’ darkest runs as a program. He would have been a great boost for the Orange and Blue, but that never came to be.
4. Charlie Villanueva
This recruitment was the first painful loss with all that happened in the Bill Self, Bruce Weber change. Losing Charlie Villanueva was tough for the Orange and Blue.
Villanueva was a massive recruit coming out of the class of 2003. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward could have gone anywhere, but he had Illinois in his crosshairs.
The No. 5 overall recruit committed to Illinois back in November 2002. This was huge for the program, as we were on the cusp of doing something special in the prior few years. Bill Self had Illinois chugging along at a high rate.
In April 2003, everything changed. Self left the Illini for Kansas. Villanueva then entered the NBA Draft, despite saying he would have done it regardless of whether Self left or not. Villanueva then pulls his name out of the NBA Draft process and commits to UConn.
This was a brutal loss for the Illini. It was the first signal that Weber didn’t have the recruiting chops that Self had. In two seasons at UConn, Villanueva averaged 11.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, and 1.0 assists per game. He would have been an incredible piece on the 2005 national championship team. That squad wouldn’t have lost a single game.
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.
2. Eric Gordon
Now we get to the top two. It was tough not to put this guy No. 1 on the list, but the impact he had in college is less than what the No. 1 player had. Nonetheless, Eric Gordon will always be a painful recruitment.
Gordon was a 6-foot-4, 215-pound shooting guard coming out of Indianapolis. He was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 2 player in the class of 2007. Illinois was coming off a little bit of a bad season after a great run in the early and mid-2000s. It was time to get back on the horse and win some games.
In December 2005, Illinois received the commitment from Gordon. This was huge for the program, just months removed from a national title run and in the midst of the final season of Dee Brown and James Augustine. Things were going to be fine.
This was still early in his recruitment process, though. Gordon was a member of the class of 2007, so we needed to lock him in. In October 2006, everything changed.
Indiana swooped in and flipped Gordon. This was one of the biggest flips I can ever remember. The Hoosiers hired Kelvin Sampson, and he illegally recruited Gordon at the time. This got Gordon to flip the commitment.
Sampson would spend not even two full seasons at Indiana before being fired in disgrace. If he isn’t super shady and doesn’t flip Gordon, Illinois has a special year with this kid in Champaign. That changed everything.
1. Derrick Rose
Coming in at No. 1 on the list of the biggest Illinois basketball recruiting misses since the turn of the century was an easy one for me. When you have an elite player like Derrick Rose, you can’t miss on him.
Rose was a 6-foot-4, 194-pound point guard from Chicago. He was rated as a five-star recruit and was the No. 3 player in the class of 2007. Sure, Gordon was a heartbreaker, but if Rose lands with Illinois, everything in program history is changed.
The decision for Rose came down to two schools, Illinois and Memphis. On a podcast, Rose talked about the recruitment. He said that Illinois was recruiting him at the time, and the big reason why Memphis was the landing spot is that John Calipari came and actually visited him. Bruce Weber did not.
This was a heartbreaking thing to hear. If Weber had visited Rose, he might have played for the Illini. Just think about that for a second.
Rose had an incredible freshman season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He led Memphis to the national championship that season, too.
That summer, Rose ended up being the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He won an MVP in the NBA. This should have been a great story about Rose going to the state school of Illinois and then winning with the Bulls. That wasn’t the case, though.
Rose slipped through the cracks, and it was a painful recruiting loss. I think, at the end of the day, this recruitment sums up what Illinois basketball was between Bill Self and Brad Underwood. A bunch of missed opportunities and letdowns.