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Five-star center's commitment is big for Illinois coach John Groce

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AP_918512016677

If the potential for a huge 2017 recruiting class was among the biggest reasons Illinois opted to show patience with John Groce last spring, then the fifth-year coach is making that decision look wise.

Groce is assembling a class deep and talented enough to one day help the Illini return to Big Ten title contention.

The latest addition to the class is Jeremiah Tilmon, a five-star center rated Rivals.com’s No. 24 prospect in the 2017 class. Tilmon, the highest rated recruit Groce has landed during his tenure, committed to the Illini on Monday despite offers from the likes of Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State, Texas and Missouri.

Tilmon joins a class that already includes two other Illinois natives.

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llinois already has landed a commitment from guard Da’Monte Williams, the son of ex-Illini point guard Frank Williams and Rivals.com’s No. 77 prospect in the Class of 2017. The Illini also have a commitment from shooting guard Javon Pickett and are also strong contenders to promising guard Jordan Goodwin (No. 53).

The strong 2017 recruiting class is a stark contrast to previous years under Groce when Illinois has struggled to land elite recruits. Cliff Alexander spurned Illinois for Kansas, Quentin Snider chose Louisville over the Illini and other high-profile prospects haven’t even given the program more than a courtesy look.

Part of the reason for that is Illinois has consistently been a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten team under Groce.

Groce has come under fire the past few months because Illinois isn’t succeeding on the court or behaving off of it. A rash of injuries and off-court issues are a big reason for that.

Illinois finished 15-19 last season and missed the NCAA tournament for a third straight season. Projected starters Leron Black, Mike Thorne and Tracy Abrams combined to play in a total of 15 games, leaving Illinois hopelessly shorthanded at point guard and in the frontcourt. Four other key players also missed shorter chunks of time with injuries too.

The dismissal of Kendrick Nunn hurts Groce’s chances of a breakthrough 2016-17 season, however, Illinois can still make strides if Malcolm Hill seizes a leadership role, promising sophomore Jalen Coleman-Lands develops and Abrams regains his explosiveness. And there’s hope for the future now too with Groce well on his way toward reeling in a program-changing 2017 recruiting class.

Will the 2017 class be enough to save Groce’s job if Illinois misses the NCAA tournament for a fourth straight year next spring? It’s probably too soon to make that call.

But now he can at least argue for the first time in a long time that the program is generating some momentum.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!