Jabari Parker and his family had a pretty great relationship with former Illini Men’s Basketball coach, Bruce Weber. When Weber was fired earlier this year, part of the familiar line of questioning was whether or not Parker, who is unanimously considered to be the No. 1 player in the Class of 2013, would still consider the Illini. It was reported that he would, and recent hire Paris Parham was likely going to go full throttle on selling Downstate to the Chicago area-Mormon baller.
Today, however, Parker and his family released a Top Ten list of schools in consideration. Illinois did not make the cut, which is surprising to say the least. Oftentimes, those lists are filled with teams that are not bound to have much of a chance at all, but whose coaches recruited them well and it’s seen as lip service to honor those relationships.
So, it’s evident that Coach Groce and his staff weren’t able to make much of an impact.
But Illinois fans need not worry; with a few top level recruits still on deck in Malcolm Hill and Maverick Morgan, along with a new staff and a renewed energy over at Ubben, the future is likely bright for the Boys in Orange.