Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
Champaign, IL (Future150) -- When John Groce was first hired many people thought that he could be the one to give the Illinois program a shot in the arm. One of the main keys for him to do that would be landing top in-state talent though. Fast forward to midway through his second season and Groce has done just that.
After a successful first year at the helm that led to a 23-12 record and an NCAA tournament berth, he landed star shooting guard Kendrick Nunn and point guard Jaylon Tate. In the 2014 class he swung for the fences, targeting Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander. While he missed out on the area talent, he still brought in a solid piece in Leron Black.
The 2015 class in Illinois is a talented one, and Groce has already capitalized, nabbing D.J. Williams. Saturday night he struck again, landing SG Aaron Jordan as well. The 2015 standout from Plainfield East (IL) decided to pick the Illini over Indiana and Wisconsin, among others. He decided to pull the trigger after visiting campus yesterday and it always seemed as though Groce and company were at the forefront of his recruitment.
“They are like family to me,” Jordan said about the coaching staff recently. He will give them someone who can really punish defenses with his shooting ability and will help space the floor. While he will need to add some muscle, he is skilled and has decent height for his position. He is the ideal type of scoring guard for Groce’s system.
Moving forward, Illinois still has two more scholarships left in the 2015 class and are considered to be one of the frontrunners for big man Carlton Bragg and shooting guard Charles Matthews. They are also involved with the likes of Diamond Stone, Doral Moore, Jalen Brunson, Josh Sharma, and Elijah Thomas, among others. If they can land Bragg and Matthews they should challenge for the top class in 2015; while landing any two of the players mentioned above will keep them close to the top.
Make no mistake, Jordan will be an important piece moving forward; and this class signals the return of Illinois to national prominence.
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