We are so scarred from occurrences that happened 5+ years ago, that it's muddied the ability for many to enjoy the successes. Last night, we had a high profile, Chicago Public League recruit, have orange and blue confetti dropped on him, he heard roars of affection, he proudly announced that he wanted to play basketball at Illinois, he broke out an Illinois T-shirt and proudly tweeted it.
That's all great stuff! It's great for the roster, it's great for the kid, it's GREAT publicity and he addressed a major question perfectly when asked, "Why Illinois?". He got into not understanding all of the heat thrown at Illinois....then explained all of the great things. That was all a louder endorsement than any coach could deliver. Breaking news if you're a parent....High School kids tend to value the opinions of their friends and peers just a TINY bit.
There is a serious inferiority complex, by some, based on what happened 5, 10, 15 years ago. That seriously needs to stop. We ask these kids to believe in Illinois, but some of our fans don't!
Do you think that Kentucky fans freaked out when Khalil Whitney didn't sign his NLI in November, 2018? That kid was never wavering. He just wanted to make sure that the kids who were going pro.....were actually going pro.
This is the world we live in when it comes to big time players and big time recruiting. We've wanted to be in the dogfights for these guys for a long time. You want to get commitments from one and done type players....here they are. This is how it goes. The inferiority complex needs to cease. How can we ask the kids to believe in the program, when many fans and alumni don't even believe in it?
Yesterday was another huge day for BU and Co. Enjoy it. I'm sure he and Chin have a good pulse on everything going on. I'm sure Miller, his family and the Irvin's have a good pulse of what's going on.
Yesterday was a great day. Be proud of your coach, your program and our boys. People are attracted to confidence. Adam Miller has confidence to celebrate Illinois and his commitment. He deserves our support and full confidence in return. The fact that people noted on his timeline, the caveat that he didn't sign.....makes me cringe.
The Eor.....oh no, we're doomed, here we go again.... mentality needs to cease. It's a new day....an exciting day. Let's make sure we treat this kid as one of our own, a part of the family because as of yesterday....HE IS and it's awesome!
Ok....rant complete.