A lot of people have been calling for Illinois Coach Bruce Weber's head, recently, after a tumultuous season that included two of his players getting DUI's, one near fatal car crash, and his team's struggling on the court performance. But the top criticism of Weber remains the same: he just can't recruit big name stars.
Four of the top freshmen in college basketball this year were from Chicago, and Weber didn't bring a single one of them to Champaign. Gonzaga's Jeramy Pargo, Duke's Jon Scheyer, Arkansas' Patrick Beverly, and Kansas' Sheron Collins all played pivotal roles in helping their teams reach the NCAA tournament this year. Scheyer’s high school coach was Weber's younger brother. Beverly, who would go on to win SEC Freshman of the Year, practically begged Illinois for a scholarship that they never offered.
And of course, all of that pales in comparison to losing Eric Gordon.
But an interesting story emerged late last night when Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith left for Minnesota. The top candidate to replace Smith is current Memphis coach John Calipari, the same coach who recruited the top Chicago baller this year away from the Illini, Derrick Rose.
If Calipari leaves Memphis, Rose could be released from his scholarship. That gives U of I one last chance to recruit him. Weber better hope this happens because it could save his job.
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1 comment:
nice post...weber better hope one of his walkons turns out to be his saving grace cause he is fucked...their talent has gradually decreased ever since Self left...who has a wealth of YOUNG talent at kansas
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