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<blockquote data-quote="Deleted member 236589" data-source="post: 1460078"><p>I'm guessing you're in the same age group I am with the 99 at the end if your moniker. This program is not seen in the same light as we came through seeing it. I graduated in 1999, so I grew up with Illinois basketball being truly elite. We had the probation BS, but outside of that....it wasn't a matter of if we make the tournament, rather what our seed was.</p><p></p><p>It has been 14 years since that National Championship game run. Hard to believe, but true. If you're a senior in HS being recruited, you were three years old during that magical time and not even born for the Henson, Kruger and Self runs. Heck, most people only know Bill Self as the Hall of Fame coach of Kansas.</p><p></p><p>The fact is, our brand stinks right now. Let's not sugar coat it. We've been to the tournament what, one time in this decade? </p><p></p><p>It's not a matter of this just being a team rebuild. It's a full program rebuild and a brand facelift. We view ourselves as a top 12 basketball program. We lived through the 2.5 decades when we were elite....on CBS, on the ESPN primetime games, etc...it was a great brand. That's gone. </p><p></p><p>Underwood's biggest job is to re-establish that for the long term, especially in Chicago. It's great to get the out of state kids, but we can't be losing in-state kids to the likes of Iowa State. We shouldn't be off the radar of Max Christie, a top 15 national recruit and the consensus #1 in the state for 2021. We are. That didn't use to be the case. Adam Miller, growing up in Peoria, would have been a LOCK. Not the case now.</p><p></p><p>How do we get back to that? To that time where we were able to scoff at the NIT. </p><p></p><p>To me, a huge chip to fall will be Ayo being a lottery pick. That's what gets kids attention now. Kids want to go to the NBA and to the NCAA tournament. We need to break the drought on both. </p><p></p><p>Sorry this was so long.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deleted member 236589, post: 1460078"] I'm guessing you're in the same age group I am with the 99 at the end if your moniker. This program is not seen in the same light as we came through seeing it. I graduated in 1999, so I grew up with Illinois basketball being truly elite. We had the probation BS, but outside of that....it wasn't a matter of if we make the tournament, rather what our seed was. It has been 14 years since that National Championship game run. Hard to believe, but true. If you're a senior in HS being recruited, you were three years old during that magical time and not even born for the Henson, Kruger and Self runs. Heck, most people only know Bill Self as the Hall of Fame coach of Kansas. The fact is, our brand stinks right now. Let's not sugar coat it. We've been to the tournament what, one time in this decade? It's not a matter of this just being a team rebuild. It's a full program rebuild and a brand facelift. We view ourselves as a top 12 basketball program. We lived through the 2.5 decades when we were elite....on CBS, on the ESPN primetime games, etc...it was a great brand. That's gone. Underwood's biggest job is to re-establish that for the long term, especially in Chicago. It's great to get the out of state kids, but we can't be losing in-state kids to the likes of Iowa State. We shouldn't be off the radar of Max Christie, a top 15 national recruit and the consensus #1 in the state for 2021. We are. That didn't use to be the case. Adam Miller, growing up in Peoria, would have been a LOCK. Not the case now. How do we get back to that? To that time where we were able to scoff at the NIT. To me, a huge chip to fall will be Ayo being a lottery pick. That's what gets kids attention now. Kids want to go to the NBA and to the NCAA tournament. We need to break the drought on both. Sorry this was so long. [/QUOTE]
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