By Chris HineCHAMPAIGN -- Crandall Head remembers what it was like when his brother Luther and the Illini made it to the Final Four in 2005.
"It was very fun," Head said. "A lot of people come out to support the team and the players on the team and it was an exciting moment."
Now Head and two other heralded recruits will get their chance to bring the Illini back to the Final Four.
Head, Meyers Leonard and Jereme Richmond signed their letters of intent to play at Illinois Wednesday, the first day the class of 2010 could sign.
"I can't wait," said Leonard, a 6-foot-11 center from Robinson High
School. "I've been able to scrimmage with them and
everything, but playing in Assembly Hall, which I have with my team
last year, but it's nothing like playing when it's packed and
everyone's wearing orange and you got a solid team out there that has a
solid chance of winning every time you step on the floor. I mean, it's
just going to be an awesome experience."
Head is a 6-foot-5 guard from Rich South High School in Richton Park while Richmond is a 6-foot-7 forward from Waukegan High School. All three are ranked in the rivals.com top 100 recruits for 2010 - Richmond at No. 36, Leonard at No. 39 and Head at No. 81. The class also comes a year after Illinois landed highly-regarded recruits D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand and Tyler Griffey for the class of 2009.
"I'm excited because I know what we have coming into the future, what kind of talent we have and what type of things we can do," Leonard said. "And I'm relieved, I've been committed for quite a while now and just get it over with and now I'm going there officially."
Photo: Crane's Crandall Head (Phil Velasquez/Tribune)
Head is a 6-foot-5 guard from Rich South High School in Richton Park while Richmond is a 6-foot-7 forward from Waukegan High School. All three are ranked in the rivals.com top 100 recruits for 2010 - Richmond at No. 36, Leonard at No. 39 and Head at No. 81. The class also comes a year after Illinois landed highly-regarded recruits D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand and Tyler Griffey for the class of 2009.
"I'm excited because I know what we have coming into the future, what kind of talent we have and what type of things we can do," Leonard said. "And I'm relieved, I've been committed for quite a while now and just get it over with and now I'm going there officially."
Photo: Crane's Crandall Head (Phil Velasquez/Tribune)
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I hope D.J.'s elbow injury heals completely. Brandon, D.J. and a revived Demetri give the Illini a new dimension this year. Scoring shouldn't be an issue this year. Good guard penetration and 3-pt shooting will also open it up inside for Davis, Tisdale and Keller. Good deep bench with Legion, Bertrand, Jordan, Griffey, Simpson and Semrau will help keep the horses fresh. It's up to Coach Weber to keep his players ready to play and find a nice mix of offense and defense. The easy victory against SIUE is just the tip, the team is still getting used to each other and hasn't even come close to jelling yet. If Coach Weber can weave them together expertly, he has a team that can be competitive with anyone and win going away some games. As a side note, I hope Stan Simpson gets his act together, as he could be the man down low.
Great recruiting class this year and next year! Now, if we can get this great talented class to play on the same level, Illinois will be a force to be reckon with for years to come...
This should tell the tale with Coach Weber, and I feel this could be the start of something big.
These kids can be as great as they want to be, and Coach Weber and his staff can get them there.
ILL-INI
Its great to see Weber, a guy who doesn't lie or cheat have success!! I think it says alot that Luther Head's brother wants to go there as well. Go Illini
Great recruiting class, following up from last year. I think the Illini will be a Big 10 contender for the next 4 years. I concur with Paul, I love that Bruce is keeping our home growns.
Kudos to Bruce Weber. He's a quality guy and great game coach. I'm glad he's keeping talent in-state. Go Illini!