Illini making effort to attract local talent
Locking down the home terrain is imperative for any coach.
Upon taking over for Bill Self at Illinois, Bruce Weber had some initial struggles recruiting Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Top-tier talents like Jon Scheyer (Duke), Julian Wright (Kansas), Sherron Collins (Kansas) and Derrick Rose (Memphis) left the state to play college ball.
That trend appears to be changing.
2009 Illinois Mr. Basketball winner Brandon Paul will be the first player to earn that distinction and go on to play in Champaign since Dee Brown (a Self recruit) in 2002. Paul, a talented combo guard from Warren Township in Gurnee, will be joined in Illinois' backcourt by 2007 recruit Demetri McCamey from suburban power St. Joseph's.
The real Chicago invasion is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2010, when Jereme Richmond (Waukegan, Ill./Waukegan) and Crandall Head (Richton Park, Ill./Rich South) arrive on campus.
"All these players who are from [Illinois] are leaving," Richmond says. "I feel like maybe if I could spark some interest in the talent we have here, we can put Illinois back on the map like its old days."
After missing out on marquee prospects, Illinois has made a concerted effort to have a presence in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Last year, the team held scrimmages at Whitney Young (Chicago) and Glenbrook North (Northbrook). The coaches also have continued to put energy into a summer basketball camp for Chicago Public League students.
"It's the backbone of our program," said Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard, who does much of the legwork in and around the city. "If you look at the tradition and history of Illinois basketball, some of the best guys to put on a uniform have been from the Chicago area."
Part of the Illini's recent success has been getting on a prospect's radar early. Richmond committed as a high school freshman, while Head decided on Illinois as a sophomore.
"We're going to eighth-grade games," Howard said. "Anytime we can be in the city of Chicago, the Orange and Blue is represented. I think that's one thing that has really helped us lately, to be at every tournament and event and every function that we have to go to."
That first-one-in-the door approach could be crucial with both Chicago's 2011 class -- from which Illinois has secured the commitment of guard Tracy Abrams (Chicago/Mount Carmel) -- and its 2013 class, as both are considered among the more talented in recent memory.
Brendan Murphy is a recruiting editor for ESPN.com.
