May is traditionally the dead period for college sports. Almost all “news” that is produced and consumed during this time of year is essentially non-news, pointless filler.
For 2017 Illini basketball, the polar opposite is true. It’s been a postseason and then off-season of incessant news. We’re far from finished too. For Illini basketball news, it’s been March madness to April anarchy to May mania. Let’s briefly revisit how we got here (click the link where highlighted for more analysis on each story), and re-evaluate where we stand today.
We’ll also look at what’s next.
March 10th– Illinois gets completely blown out in their opening B1G tournament game; by an extremely sleep-deprived, plane-crash surviving Michigan Wolverines unit forced to play in their practice gear.
March 12th– John Groce Fired; A.D. Josh Whitman candidly tells the base why regime change was needed. They see the need for change as well.
March 19th– Brad Underwood is announced as Groce’s replacement.
March 20th– Brad Underwood product launch is held, Underwood outlines his vision for the program, Illini basketball beat Boise State in NIT Serviceable 16
March 22nd– Tacko Fall and UCF ends the Illini basketball season, beating them in Efforting Eight NIT game.
March 23rd– Interim Head Coach, and former Groce Assistant Jamall Walker is officially retained for the new staff.
April 4th- Groce returns to the MAC, takes Akron head coaching job.
April 6th– Assistant Coach, and former John Calipari right-hand man Orlando Antigua is hired.
April 12th– Underwood fills out his coaching staff with Ron Coleman, Stephen Gentry
April 4th– Jeremiah Tilmon retweets his original commitment to Illini basketball, thus re-affirming to the outside world that he intends to stay at Illinois despite the coaching change
April 8th– Javon Pickett asks for a release from his Illinois national letter of intent
May 8th– D.J. Williams announces his decision to leave the Illini basketball program
May 16th– Jeremiah Tilmon, FINALLY picks a school, FINALLY gets settled, chooses Missouri
The Chicago Tribune surveyed a cadre of division-I coaches, and asked them for their honest, off-the-record assessment of all the players that have come and gone with Illini basketball these past couple months. Here’s the write-up for Tilmon, who sounds, with each passing day, like he could be Cliff Alexander part II:
A blessing for Brad (that he decommitted). Could be a bust. Kept getting kicked out of games. Illinois took a PR hit (losing him), but it’s the best thing for them. Sounded great to the fan base when he committed, a (potential) job-saver for John (Groce). But he has a ton of issues. Didn’t even have a great senior year. He will not walk in and set the world on fire.
May 24th- High scoring wing guard, Wright State graduate transfer Mark Alstork commits to Illinois
May 25th- Jalen Coleman-Lands announces his decision to leave the Illini basketball program
Via our friends at FanSided, Writing Illini, here is your current
2017-18 Illini Basketball Depth Chart
PG Te’Jon Lucas/Trent Frazer
WG Mark Smith/Aaron Jordan (insert open scholarship here)
WG Mark Alstork/Da’Monte Williams (insert open scholarship here)
F Kipper Nichols (insert open scholarship here)
C Leron Black/Michael Finke (insert open scholarship here)
Open Scholarships: four
Headlines to come:
landing spots for Javon Pickett, Jalen Coleman-Lands and D.J. Williams, transfer market players who could fill some of the open scholarships, although it doesn’t appear that any post players will be coming to Illini basketball, at least not right now.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes to WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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