Illini basketball program scoring on recruiting front
When Sterling High School junior guard Joseph Bertrand gave the Illinois basketball program a verbal commitment late Thursday night, he joined two other junior guards who made verbals to the Illini within a 24-hour period.
Bertrand, Peoria Central's D.J. Richardson and Gurnee Warren's Brandon Paul give the Illini three interchangeable playmakers who all have athleticism. It's an instant three-guard lineup, and they're already being compared to three guards who led Illinois to the NCAA title game in 2005.
"Hopefully, it's Dee, Deron and Luther all over again,'' said Sterling coach Peter Goff.
Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head were an unusually talented, motivated and unselfish group. Of course, that's a tough act to follow, but Goff wasn't hesitant in giving this trio a high level of expectations.
"All you can do right now is look on paper, and hopefully they come full circle and they're able to do it,'' Goff said. "Coach (Bruce) Weber takes all-staters and turns them into All-Americans. Other coaches take All-Americans and turns them into all-staters.''
The three guards already gave the Illini a boost in recruiting, where Illinois struggled for success over the past 10 months. They can't sign binding letters of intent until November 2008.
Bertrand is 6-foot-5, 160-pounder who grew 2 inches late in the summer. Rated as the No. 54 prospect nationally in the junior class, he became more assertive and a team leader while playing with his high school team and the AAU Illinois Wolves.
"He's like a young colt trying to get his legs and figuring out how good he can be,'' said Wolves coach Mike Mullins. "Right now, he's almost too good of a teammate. He's very unselfish.''
Mullins felt the three players would fit well together on the court.
"They all have different strengths and weaknesses,'' Mullins said. "One great thing is that they're extremely talented. They all have great size for the perimeter and athleticism.
"Brandon is more of a scorer right now. D.J. does a little bit of everything. Joseph is the biggest of the three and the most versatile with his skill set. It's a great combination.''
Goff also saw some of the personality from the Three Amigos who led the Illini in that magical season nearly three years ago.
"D.J. is calling and talking to people,'' Goff said. "I consider him the Dee Brown of the group. He's already saying, 'Let's go. Let's go.' Joseph is like Luther. The silent assassin, hit from outside, take it to the hole and clamp down on defense.''
Paul is the most unknown of the three players, having blossomed this past summer. But Goff wasn't shy about making the comparison to those three guards who turned into Illini heroes before leaving for the NBA.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.pjstar.com and www.sj-r.com.