It’s about damn time we get some good news on the basketball front. Just today, ESPN reports that Jeremiah Tilmon, a top 30 ranked prospect in the country for the 2017 graduating class of basketball players, has committed to play for the University of Illinois.
Yes, this is a long way off, and yes, John Groce’s future still remains unclear at the U of I, but it would appear as though things may, in fact, get better. Of course with high school recruits, especially those who aren’t even Seniors yet, these types of things are hard to predict, but it’s certainly movement in the right direction.
Tilmon chose Illinois over Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas and Missouri – some schools that Illinois typically loses out to big recruits on.
Here’s to hoping this signals a more positive change in the direction of the Illini basketball team. Groce has been chasing high-profile recruits (remember the Cliff Alexander hat switch incident) for his entire career, and always seemingly hangs on until the last minute only to have the recruit commit elsewhere. Tilmon will surely make an immediate impact on a team that is sorely in need of some excitement, even if we have to wait until the 2017-18 season for him to suit up for the first time.
Things are looking up, guys, and as an Illini athletics die-hard, I suppose that’s all we can ask for right now.
Photo by Gregory Payan, AP Photo