Take a stroll down Memory Lane here
EACH WEEK, WE'LL TAKE A LOOK BACK AT A MEMORABLE MOMENT IN ILLINI HISTORY, THANKS TO THE WORDS OF THE NEWS-GAZETTE
This week: With Nnanna Egwu giving the Illinis Class of 2011 a huge lift with his Friday commitment, we remember Bruce Weber's first recruit at Illinois: Shaun Pruitt
Date: Sept. 17, 2003
Headline: Weber, assistant convince Pruitt that Illinois is place to be
By BRETT DAWSON
AURORA – The voicemail box at the Pruitt house only can stand so much, and this week, it reached its breaking point.
Shaun Pruitt hopes now the phone line will get a bit of a break.
"It feels good to know that I won't be getting so many phone calls, and I won't have to deal with so many coaches," said Pruitt, the 6-foot-8 power forward from West Aurora. "It's a relief knowing that I'm going to Illinois and that I don't have to worry about the process anymore."
The process came to a close late Monday night, when Pruitt became the first high school basketball player to give an oral commitment to Illini coach Bruce Weber.
Pruitt's was perhaps among the most informed decisions in college recruiting history, and though it didn't come easily, Pruitt is glad he took his time.
He took unofficial and official visits to his two finalists, Michigan State and Illinois. He heard sales pitches from each school. He played pickup games with prospective teammates on both campuses.
That didn't make his decision any easier, but ultimately, it made Pruitt cement-solid in his choice.
"There wasn't anything more I could have done," Pruitt said. "I knew everything you could know about Illinois and Michigan State. So I feel like Illinois is definitely the place for me. I feel real comfortable with it."
And here's why:
– Weber and his staff didn't make any promises.
Michigan State offered more playing time, Pruitt said, and though neither school promised a starting job, the Spartans' staff made it sound like a possibility.
Weber & Co. told him only that he could work his way into the rotation.
"A lot of times, playing time will be real appealing to a guy," Pruitt said. "But I felt like Michigan State was kind of downplaying one of their own recruits, Marquis Gray, and I think he's going to be a good player. I knew I was going to have to work no matter where I went, and Illinois was real straight up about the situation."
- The Illini made up for lost time.
Pruitt said Illinois was his favorite school before Bill Self left for Kansas.
After the coaching change, he examined other options, and Michigan State pulled into the lead.
But gradually, Weber and his staff convinced Pruitt the program could progress without skipping a beat.
"What happened was that Bruce and especially Wayne (McClain) got a chance to sell him on the fact that the program was still going to maintain that high level it reached under Bill," said Steve Pruitt, Shaun's father. "I think he needed to be convinced of that, and they did it."
- Illinois felt like home.
Pruitt wasn't concerned with geography, and unlike a lot of kids, he didn't grow up dreaming of playing in orange and blue.
But on his two visits to Illinois, he connected with his future teammates, especially Dee Brown and Roger Powell.
"Rog was real cool when I was down there, just showing me around and everything," Pruitt said. "I liked the guys on the team at both schools, but I just felt a little more comfortable at Illinois. It wasn't anything bad about Michigan State. Illinois just felt right."
Still, Pruitt felt that out of respect to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, he shouldn't commit to Illinois on a visit there. Instead, he returned home to discuss the decision with his family.
He's glad he did, and he's glad it's done.
"I still haven't called Coach Izzo yet — that's going to be the hard part," Pruitt said. "Once that's done, I'll really be relieved. But I feel good knowing that I'm committed to a school I want to go to and where they want me."
Now, Pruitt's focus is on his senior season at West Aurora. His academics are in order - he's achieved a qualifying score on the ACT - but Pruitt's high school experience is lacking something.
"I want to win a state title," said Pruitt, who lost most of last season to a leg injury. "Going to a Big Ten school, that shows that people still appreciate my game, but winning a state title is the best way to prove yourself."
With guard Justin Cerasoli's outside game balancing Pruitt's inside strength, the Blackhawks figure to be one of the top teams in Class AA basketball.
Pruitt guesses West Aurora could be ranked as high as No. 2 in the preseason – just behind Peoria Central and the state's other Shaun, Shaun Livingston.
Illinois is making a recruiting pitch to Livingston, too. And though he knows the pain of a phone that rings too often, Pruitt plans to get in a word or two.
"I've got a lot of people to call, so I'm not sure I'll get to him tonight," Pruitt said. "But I know I will eventually. Me and him are real cool, so I just want to let him know I'd like to see him at Illinois."
IlliniHQ.com: Your Illini Sports Headquarters
Contents of this site are © Copyright 2010 The News-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.