Illinois lands Flyin' Brian
6-8 Notre Dame forward Randle says yes to Self's program
July 12, 2002
By GREG STEWART
of the Journal Star
EAST PEORIA - Bill Self hopes he just put the "Flyin' " back in the Illini.
The Illinois men's basketball coach completed the Illini's 2003 recruiting class on Thursday in a place where much of the team's recent success began. Self tapped the Mid-State 6 Conference for the first time - one he targeted within weeks of taking the Illinois job in June 2000 - a high-flying dunker whom scouts agree has an incredible upside.
Notre Dame senior Brian Randle, a 6-foot-8 forward coveted by a number of top programs, has accepted the lone remaining scholarship offer from Illinois.
"I gave Coach Self a verbal commitment at open gym," Randle said after a morning visit from the Illini coach to Spalding Gymnasium in downtown Peoria. "This has been in the back of my mind for a while, but I didn't want to say anything too hasty."
Randle, the fifth player to join the Illini from the M-S 6 in the past six years, is expected to sign a national letter of intent during the early signing period in November.
"He was shocked," Randle said of the reaction by Self, in Peoria just days after abdominal surgery. "With all the stuff he's been reading, he thought I was going to keep it going for a while and he still had some recruiting to do. When I told him I was serious, he got all happy."
Self's surprise was understandable considering comments Randle made before he went to Indianapolis last week for his third Nike camp. At that point, Randle said he had not finalized his choices and likely would wait at least a month before doing so.
Saturday in Indianapolis, however, Randle turned his ankle in his first scrimmage and missed the rest of the camp. He injured his left ankle, not the right one that sustained a high sprain and caused him to miss six games last season.
Randle said his inablity to play at Nike, where his stock skyrocketed last summer, was not a factor in his sudden commitment to Illinois.
"At the time, it was really between the U of I and Notre Dame but we didn't want to cut anybody off," said Randle, who averaged 17.4 points and 10.4 rebounds during an injury-hampered junior season with the 12-12 Irish. "But (my family) started talking about the one scholarship issue. If Illinois was really somewhere I would like to go, we needed to speed it up. It just seemed like the best thing to do. Plus the program is nothing but up."
Randle joins Springfield Lanphier shooting guard Richard McBride, his teammate on a Champaign-based AAU team, and Dallas power forward Warren Carter as Illini recruits in the prep class of 2003.
"I'm really excited," said McBride, who had a message from Randle on his cell phone when he emerged from a summer-school class Thursday morning. "This just makes my commitment seem even better, just knowing he's coming, too. I think our chances of winning a national championship just went up."
By claiming the last remaining scholarship, Randle all but ends the Illini's recruiting of Maywood Proviso East guard Shannon Brown and New Jersey target Charlie Villenueva.
"I figured if (Brown) wanted it he might have gone for it, but I got to it first," said Randle, who turned down offers from Notre Dame, Kansas, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana, among others. "But he has every school in the country looking for him, so I'm sure he can find the right fit wherever he goes."
Randle acknowledged the role second-year assistant Wayne McClain played in his recruiting.
"That's family right there. I've known (Wayne) since seventh or eighth grade when I was going to open gyms at Manual," Randle said of the coach who led the Rams to four straight state titles before joining Self's staff prior to last season. "He just pushed the Peoria pipeline and the great success the U of I has had for Peoria. When I gave it some conscious thought, everything sounded right."
Randle, however, acknowledged that falling into the Peoria pipeline - which has sent New York Knicks rookie Frank Williams, Jerrance Howard, Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain and Jerry Hester to Champaign-Urbana in the last 10 years - almost kept him out of the orange and blue.
"Some people said I would be just another Peoria guy and go to Illinois because that's what we do," said Randle, who told his parents as recently as last week he would choose Notre Dame. "At first I said 'Forget Illinois,' but after I thought about it, I realized it was a good spot."
Now that Randle is in house, will he help the Illini land another prominent Peoria prep? Central's Shaun Livingston has played point guard for Randle and McBride's AAU team this summer and Internet reports say the 6-6 Richwoods transfer has emerged as the best guard in the Class of 2004 at this week's ABCD Camp in New Jersey.
"We might put the press on him," Randle said. "(Shaun) has blossomed like nobody thought, not even myself. He's come on real strong. He's been one of my best friends since about fourth grade, so I might pressure him a little bit, but where he wants to go is where he wants to go."
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