Quote:
Originally Posted by hoopsguy
I think the thought behind that is the following:
1.) The current sophomore class (7 players) looks good this year. McCamey, Davis, Legion, and Tisdale are all guys that are providing value right now and Legion is probably the only one who has any chance of being an early-entry candidate.
2.) The incoming class of freshmen (HS seniors now) is ranked around 10th, depending on the poll
3.) The class behind that is ranked top 5, with a pair of top-25 recruits in the mix. Having those types of talents trying to blend in with what should already be a deep roster has Illini fans very excited about the future
4.) The class of 2011 (HS sophs) is potentially the deepest class in Illinois history, or at least as far back as people have tracked this kind of stuff. The class that is currently the standard bearer had Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, and several other future NBA players. Illinois already has secured a commit from the top-ranked PG in the state and is rumored to be in good shape with a number of other highly regarded in-state players
5.) Illini fans (most of them, anyway) have always felt that Weber was a good coach. It was the recruiting that was problematic, but that seems to have been shored up over the last 18 months.
So there is no reason to think that this team should be mentioned in the same breath as the '05 club, the '89 club, or even the better Bill Self clubs from earlier this decade. But the outlook for the next 5+ years looks really, really good at this moment in time.
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Once again, I'd note that relying on class ranking for incoming recruiting classes is a very dangerous business, especially when you're talking about kids who are still 16 years old. There are so many things that can change in two years. It's not uncommon at all for kids ranked in the top 5 or 25 of their sophmore class to be out of the top 100 by the time they graduate. Best right now to just enjoy the current team and worry about the future when it finally arrives.