Oct. 24, 2007

Richmond spreads the news

CHAMPAIGN - D.J. Richardson had more than a few people in his ear as he rustled through recruiting letters and tapped text messages to college coaches.

One of those was Jereme Richmond, a prep sophomore who committed to Illinois last November. Another was Jamar Smith. Another was Demetri McCamey.

It's a dynamic that can get overlooked in recruiting battles, which often are perceived solely as a job for the coaching staff. If a recruit picks State U, the head coach is infallible. If he goes elsewhere, the head coach is incapable.

But the impact of players recruiting players - whether they are committed prospects or on the current roster - was evident this week when Illinois secured verbal commitments from three high school juniors.

All three prospects - Peoria Central's Richardson, Warren's Brandon Paul and Sterling's Joseph Bertrand - committed in a span of 48 hours and had been in contact with each other and players with Illinois ties.

"I've been on D.J. for a while now about coming down here to play with me at Illinois," Richmond said Friday during a tour of the Illinois campus.

"When I found out he did it, I was very excited."

Likewise, Richardson helped sell Bertrand on Illinois.

"Joseph talked to D.J. quite a bit," said Mike Mullins, who coaches Bertrand with the Illinois Wolves AAU program.

After a string of recruiting disappointments, Illinois locked down a triumvirate of highly regarded prospects. Dozens of factors played a role in the surge of commitments, but one of those was the outgoing personalities of their younger players. That, and the knowledge Richmond is on his way, too.

"With D.J. and Brandon Paul and Joseph, I think that with the four of us coming to U of I, it will be pretty special," Richmond said. "Coach Jerrance Howard has been talking to me about building another Fab Five class. I'm definitely up for it."

Demetri McCamey is the ringleader of this new breed of socialites, with his easygoing persona and eager text-messaging hand. The freshman said he still keeps in contact with Class of 2007 stars Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon and O.J. Mayo, and he semi-joked that he's turned his attention to the upcoming recruiting classes.

"Don't underscore how important Demetri was to these three guys going to Illinois," Mullins said.

"I know more players than anybody in the country when it comes to basketball," McCamey said. "Especially guys from Chicago I'm trying to recruit. If you want to win a national championship, you might as well do it with your hometown players. I just want to get Chicago players, or any good players that like Illinois. I talked to them. I did anything I could to get them here."

McCamey is the current player most often mentioned by recruits, followed closely by fellow freshman Jeff Jordan.

"Most of the time they're guys we knew from the AAU circuit," Jordan said. "We want to make sure they want to come here."

In the same way the three commitments solidified Richmond's commitment, Richmond helped solidify the three commitments. Regarded as one of the nation's top prospects in the Class of 2010, the 15-year-old prodigy is doing his part to make Illinois the place to be. Richmond said he connects with fellow prospects through the social networking Web site Myspace.com and on the AAU circuit.

"It's easy for me to do it because a lot of these basketball players in the state of Illinois are my friends," he said. "It's easy for me to persuade them and teach them about the merits of Illinois. It's easy for me."

The sudden recruiting haul was no accident. And it helped that the personalities on the Illinois roster seem more willing to sell the school.

"When I came on my visit, I had a chance to play with Chris Hicks, Calvin Brock and Steve Holdren," said freshman Mike Davis, who committed to Illinois in August. "I asked them a lot of questions about their school and how they liked it. They sold it real well, actually. That's kind of why I picked Illinois."

The first one. In light of a string of commitments, Richmond, a 6-foot-6 sophomore at Waukegan, remains the gem of Illinois' upcoming recruiting classes. He and his father Bill Richmond showed up Friday at the team's practice facility to converse with coaches and players.

"Before, I was sold on Illinois based on my relationship with the coaching staff and the players," Richmond said. "But a day like today, when I actually got to see the whole campus, I just fell in love with it even more. Illinois is definitely where I'm supposed to be."

Taking note

Seven players on the Illinois roster are on track to be around when Bertrand, Paul and Richardson arrive on campus prior to the 2009-10 season. The buzz generated by an avalanche of positive recruiting news was welcomed by everyone in orange.

"I got a text message about it," junior Rodney Alexander said. "I was like, 'Wow.' I wasn't shocked; that's what these guys are going to do and continue to do. But on the same day? That was amazing."

Satisfied? Not yet. Three weeks into his first post as an assistant coach, Jerrance Howard has undergone a training on the run. He said there have been few days at home with his wife of two months, Jessica, and the moving process is ongoing.

"But I'm not complaining," he said.

NCAA rules prohibit coaches from talking about recruits until they sign a letter of intent. Howard acknowledged that the Illinois staff is 'very excited' about recent developments.

"I'd by lying if I didn't say yes. But you can't stop. You've got to keep it rolling," Howard said. "It's a good feeling that you put in your work and you get some results a little quicker than you thought. It's a great feeling. But at the end of the day, you've got to keep it going. I'm learning from some of the best here. That's what it's all about, just keep learning."