Well, the Bruce Weber era looks like it is over. Today, the Illini
dropped their eighth of their last nine games. Their record also dropped to a
very mediocre 16-11. A game that was a must-win for the struggling Illini and
Bruce Weber, the Illini lost 80-57. The Cornhuskers ended the game on a 50-12
run. Yes, that is correct, a 50-12 run. I am going to come to the defense of
Bruce Weber before criticizing him for a second.
I am personally tired of people saying Bruce Weber cannot recruit.
Anytime you bring up the 04-05 37-2 Illini team with Dee Brown, Deron Williams,
James Augustine, Luther Head, and Roger Powell Jr, people jump on the fact that
Weber did not recruit those players. While that is true, Weber still did coach
them and they ran HIS system. Not former coach Bill Self's.
Another recruiting argument is that he cannot recruit his own state.
Take a step back for a second. Weber has had ELEVEN ESPNU Top 100 recruits commit
to the University of Illinois since 2007 from the state of Illinois alone, an
average of about two a year. He recruits his own state better than anyone
around. Those eleven players include, Bill Cole, Demetri McCamey, Brandon Paul,
DJ Richardson, Crandall Head, Meyers Leonard, Jereme Richmond, Mychael Henry,
Mike Shaw, Tracy Abrams, and Nnanna Egwu. 7 of those 11 are still on the
current team.
Unfortunately, Weber has missed some of the top recruits from Illinois;
Derrick Rose (Memphis), E'Twaun Moore, who technically lived in East Chicago,
Indiana (Purdue), Evan Turner (Ohio State), Jacob Puller (Kansas St.), Iman
Shumpert (Georgia Tech), Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Quincy Miller (Baylor), and
Wayne Blackshear (Louisville), just to name some of the few college superstars
from Illinois.
Staying on the topic of recruiting, the Illini are in risk of losing
even more players from Illinois. These players include Jabari Parker, Kendrick
Nunn, Thomas Hamilton Jr, Paul White, Jahlil Okafor, and Cliff Alexander. The
firing of Weber, if it happens, would not help the Illini's case in trying to
recruit these talent high-schoolers.
Back to the college game and out of high school. Weber has struggled
with discipline with his players. Players like Jereme Richmond and Demetri
McCamey hurt the team with their attitude. Thus, Bruce seems like the bad guy.
The thing is, these guys have mindset's that they are better than anyone. They
have people always in their ear telling them how good they are. That sticks in
a kid’s head.
A few former players have come to Bruce's defense, saying it is not his
fault the team is not playing well. So the question is; what's next? With a new
AD, do they fire Bruce? It's hard to believe he will be around much longer
after today's game. The players gave up, they showed no heart or hustle. Near
the end of the game, Meyers Leonard was shown, towel over his head, crying. And
I mean bawling his eyes out.
Once again, I am going to come to an Illini's defense. Meyers has had a
rough time adjusting lately. All the pressure finally broke him down. His
mother was very sick, his brother was in Afghanistan, and his father passed
away when Meyers was just 6. That is a lot for a boy from a small town in
Illinois to handle. Personally, I think this has clearly played a huge factor
in Meyers' recent struggles.
It is tough to see all these people wishing Bruce Weber good riddens,
hoping he gets fired. Looks like we will all have to wait and see…
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