Jereme Richmond has given his verbal commitment to Bruce Weber and the University of Illinois. This is a rather surprising move to many when considering that Richmond is a class of 2010 player who has just recently gotten his first taste of high school basketball. To others it indicates a new wave of recruiting for Bruce Weber.

As of late a lot has been said about the recruits that Illinois has been able to gain. In most people's eyes the players they have not been able to gain have been far more noticeable. Weber has taken his recruiting in another direction as of late. For a while it appeared that Illinois fans were appalled at the actions of schools like DePaul and Marquette for their pursuit of underclassmen. With this recent commitment however, they have changed their tune and are now applauding Weber's recruitment. The fans view has changed 180 degrees and it appears that Weber may be getting on the right track in the eyes of his faithful fans.

It was a shock to many at the revelation of an Illini offer fror 2009 star DJ Richardson. Even this was considered a reach into the underclass previously. Now the offer and commitment of a 2010 player brings the Illini fans full circle as they are now beginning to understand the new way Weber appears to plan on recruiting. He appears to plan on building early relationships with the state's top talent in hopes of keeping that talent in state. .

The offer of Richardson and commitment of Richmond indicates that Weber is now making his recruiting targets perfectly clear from the start. This sends a message to a recruit that they are a top priority. Some feel this is what cost Illinois the state's top player Derrick Rose. Whether it is or not, the sense of being wanted by a college is a great feeling for any recruit. In this state many players grow up with a dream of playing for Illinois. To know that they are a top priority from the start of their recruitment certainly has to give Illinois a leg up on those players who have always had the school in the mind from when they were very young.

Richmond appears to have a good head on his shoulders and a strong support system. MSH recognized his talent early and was the first to rank him number one in his class of 2010. He was originally expected to play at Waukegan. Shortly before the school year started he enrolled at North Shore Country Day, a prep school. His father cited that education was a first priority and that this school would certainly provide great educational opportunities for his son. With a mindset like that and what would have been a long recruiting process out of the way, Richmond now has the ability to focus directly on improving his game over the next four years in preparation for his debut in the Big Ten conference..

 

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