Now Illini basketball FINALLY has closure on the Jeremiah Tilmon recruitment, and as Tom Petty once famously told us “the waiting is the hardest part.” Like a member of the opposite sex who isn’t actually interested in you but gives you a lot of attention, and their phone number, Tilmon vacillated on Illinois.
Three times he wavered on his commitment to Illini basketball, and as F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said “action is character.”
Illini basketball and Jeremiah Tilmon was just simply not a match that was meant to be, as the East Saint Louis big man will now take his talents to Mizzou.
Overall, this is definitely bad news, but there are plenty of silver linings in this dark cloud as well. Let’s run through it all, and of course…
…the bad news first:
-He would have fit in very well in Brad Underwood’s system
You know it’s true, even though you may not wish to feel that way. Tilmon’s talents and skill sets would have gelled quite well in the high octane, entertaining brand of ball that Underwood will play.
-Illini basketball is very small next year, and there aren’t many options at forward left
Hard to know or see what Illinois can do right now to beef up the four, and especially the five, between now and when practice for the next season begins in October. It’s possible that they might not be able to bring in any reinforcements at all, so expect plenty of four guard Illini basketball lineups next year.
They may have to play 6-7 Leron Black at Center, and if the injury bug hits the post players on the team…look out! There is very little depth among guys who can play in the paint. More on this here.
-This is a loss of a high quality player and it reignites painful narratives
Until today, we didn’t know for sure if this would be yet another example of Illini basketball getting jilted at the altar for an elite recruit. Re-live those painful memories at this link.
Now to the good news….
-His recruiting rankings have all dropped considerably and he isn’t considered THAT elite anymore
Scout was the only service, among the major four that ever had him top 20 nationally, and even they have downgraded his stock. Overall, on the recruiting rankings front, Tilmon is not really much better, and in the same general area as Leron Black or Jalen Coleman-Lands.
-The blowing hot and cold with his recruitment is not a good sign.
Some media members have called Tilmon “a diva.” Others espouse the cliche “hey, these are just kids, and therefore never subject to criticism.” All I can say is that Tilmon, and every other recruit for that matter, can go about their recruiting in any manner that they see fit. It’s up to them and they can do whatever they want, realizing that they are public figures, and when you’re a public figure you are subject to criticism. If you want to attract a lot of attention on your recruiting process, you’re free to do so.
If you want to go about it quietly, trying to avoid the public eye, that’s fine too.
It’s clear that Tilmon is a guy who loves himself some attention being placed on him. It’s hard to argue against that, but it’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good or bad thing.
Personally, I think it’s a bit of a yellow flag, not a red flag, but also not a virtue. He’s probably a good dude, who just maybe enjoys hearing all the flattery that so many bestow upon him. That’s likely something he’ll grow out of as he matures, develops and achieves further success.
Please DO NOT TWEET at him today Illini basketball fans. As I’ve always said, PLEASE DO NOT TWEET AT RECRUITS!
-Braggin Rights is Actually a Rivalry Again
This rivalry descended into the dregs when John Groce was coaching Illinois and Kim Anderson led Mizzou, as both programs reached depths that had been previously unfathomable.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. 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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