Groce hire paying dividends for Illini 

There’s a measure of toughness being exhibited by John Groce and the staff that he’s assembled at Illinois. When you take over a major program in the spring, it’s not an easy task piecing a class together for the following year. Recruiting happens so early that getting involved with the next senior class is a chore on that timetable.

Here’s where Illinois deserves kudos. Groce didn’t waste time in areas he had no chance. However, he and his staff did pick out a few targets they thought could help shape the program, were reasonable in terms of “getability” and fit Groce’s style of play. The first two national recruits they made inroads with turned out to be Demetrius Jackson (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian Catholic) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Canada/Huntington Prep). Rathan-Mayes was probably a shade aggressive given his father’s relationship with Florida State and FSU’s history of churning out scorers.

Jackson on the other hand, well, he made Notre Dame sweat it out. Groce embedded himself and his staff in that situation. A day before Jackson decided he was still in the wind and blowing in two directions. Finishing second stinks, Groce knows that but the situation he inherited and the timing of the deal meant he was going to need to grab a Chicago guy or two and pick a handful of national battles to fight.

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