Saturday, May 24, 2008

Illini Basketball will be back on top

For anyone who has not been paying attention, this much is clear: the Illini basketball program, led by Coach Bruce Weber, will be back and a force in the Big 10 conference and NCAAs. In an article by Scout.com's Kedric Price, the comeback of the Illini is summarized as follows:

2008/2009: Team is likely to improve due to Jamar Smith, Alex Legion, Dominique Keller and Stan Simpson joining returning players from last season.

2009/2010: Four highly-rated recruits join the Illini. DJ Richardson, Brandon Paul, Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand have all been rated in the top 100 players nationally in various rankings.

2010/2011: Two of the top 15 players in the country have verbally committed to the Illini, with Jereme Richmond rated 7th and Crandall Head at 12th.

2011/2012: TBD, In process.

I personally think the new challenge for Bruce Weber and his staff will be dealing with all of the talented players coming into the program, keeping the players focused on the team aspect of the game and playing defense. If he can accomplish that, he could easily have another team like the 2005 squad or the 1989 "Flying Illini."

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