Orange & Blue News is taking a look back at the Fighting Illini past recruiting classes.

In Part IV, we take an in-depth look at the Illinois recruiting classes from 2001-2005, the recruiting classes that would lead Illinois to the national championship game vs. North Carolina in 2005.

Part I — 1980-1985 | Part II — 1986-1990 | Part III - 1991-1995 | Part IV - 1996-2005

Blandon Ferguson (6-4, SF, Twin Falls (Idaho) College of Southern Idaho); From Oakland (Calif.) St. Joseph Notre Dame.

Luther Head (6-2, SG, Chicago (Ill.) Manley High).

Roger Powell (6-6, SF, Joliet (Ill.) West High).

Overview: The Fighting Illini and head coach Bill Self landed two starters on the famous 2004-05 squad, which fell to North Carolina in the title game.

Head wasn’t exactly a sleeper, but Self believed in him stronger than others and he became the first Chicago Public School player signed by UI since 1994. Head lived up to his prep billing by becoming a first-round NBA Draft pick by going No. 24 overall to the Houston Rockets in 2005.

Head improved each and every season, going from 4.5 points per game his freshman year to 15.9 as a senior, which was fifth in the Big Ten. Head averaged 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 2004-05. He was named second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten that year.

The athletic Head shot 47.3 percent from the field, 38.2 percent on three-pointers and 75.2 percent at the free-throw line in 128 career games (84 starts). He shot 47.3 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from three-point land and 75.2 percent at the free-throw line. He ranks ninth in school history with 209 career three-pointers.

Head played in the NBA from 2005-11, and then played in the G-League and overseas until 2018. He averaged a career-high 10.9 points and 3.2 rebounds a contest in his second year with the Rockets. He finished starting 82 of 348 games he played in, and averaged 8.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game.

RSCI.com had Powell ranked No. 62 overall in the country and he went on to become a three-year starter at Illinois. He averaged over 11.6 points per game his last two years, and impressively shot 57.2 percent from the field for his career, along with 39.8 percent on three-pointers and 66.2 percent at the free-throw line.

Powell averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and started 89 of 128 games he played in. Powell tallied 12.0 points and 5.7 boards a contest his senior year in 2004-2005, when UI finished second in the country behind UNC.

Powell played three games with the Utah Jazz in 2006 and played minor league basketball in the U.S. and overseas from 2005-11.

Ferguson came off the bench for 54 games (eight starts) in his two-year stint but struggled offensively on the wing. He shot 36.6 percent from the field — he was 0 of 6 on three-pointers — and averaged 2.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Interesting tidbits: Powell continues the trend of former Illinois players that have gone into coaching. He’s been an assistant coach for Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and currently at Gonzaga, which finished runner-up in the NCAA Tournament … Head’s younger brother, Crandall Head, played at Illinois from 2010-12.

Deron Williams (6-3, PG, The Colony (Texas) High).

Dee Brown (5-11, PG, Maywood (Ill.) Proviso East High).

James Augustine (6-10, C, New Lenox (Ill.) Lincoln-Way High).

Aaron Spears (6-9, C, Chicago (Ill.) Dunbar High).

Kyle Wilson (6-8, PF, Dallas (Texas) Jesuit High).

Jack Ingram (6-10, C, Tulsa transfer); From San Antonio (Texas) Marshall High.

Overview: The class of 2002 went on to become one of the greatest recruiting classes in Illinois history.

Self dipped into his Southwest roots to land Williams, who was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, and RSCI had him ranked No. 48 overall in the nation.

Williams started 98 of 101 games in his three-year Illinois career. He averaged 11.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his career. He shot 42.2 percent, 37.4 percent on three-pointers and 68.5 percent from the free-throw line. Williams ranks fourth in school history with 594 assists, and led the Big Ten in assists his last two years.

Williams was named first-team All-Big Ten his last two years and was a second-team All-American after his junior year in the magical 2004-05 season.

The floor general went on to become the No. 3 overall pick to the Utah Jazz in the 2005 NBA Draft. He was an Olympian in 2008 and 2012, a three-time NBA All-Star (2010-12) and earned second-team All-NBA in 2008 and 2010.

Williams finished his decorated NBA career in 2017, amassing 771 starts in 845 career games. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during his NBA career. He shot 44.5 percent from the field, 35.7 percent on three-pointers and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line. Williams tallied at least 10.3 assists in four years.

Brown was named the Illinois Mr. Basketball and McDonald’s All-American, and a five-star recruit by Rivals.com. RSCI had Brown ranked No. 19 overall in the country.

Brown became one of the most decorated players in UI history. He was first-team All-American, The Sporting News player of the year, Big Ten player of the year and league defensive player of the year his junior year in 2005. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 assists and 1.8 assists per game, and shot a career-best 49.9 percent from the field.

Brown followed up by winning the Bob Cousy Award in 2006, along with being a second-team All-American. He averaged a career-best 14.2 points, 5.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals a contest his senior year.

The quick guard started 136 of 137 games in his Illinois career, and shot 42.2 percent from the field, 36.0 percent on three-pointers and 72.5 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged 12.2 points, 4.9 assists, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals a contest.

Brown ranks fourth all-time with 1,812 career points, second with 299 three-pointers and third with 674 assists. The assists rank sixth all-time in Big Ten history, and he’s 12th in the league in career three-pointers.

Brown was drafted No. 46 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, where he spent two years, followed by stints with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns. Brown played 68 games over four years and averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 assists per game. Brown played overseas from 2007-15.

Augustine was a Rivals.com three-star prospect, and RSCI ranked him No. 78 overall in the class of 2002. He became an instant starter all four years at UI, and had a decorated career.

Augustine averaged career highs with 13.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game his senior year in 2005-06. He led the Big Ten with 62.4 percent from the field and was third in the league in rebounding, and was named first-team All-Big Ten.

Augustine went No. 41 overall to the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA Draft. He played two years with the Magic, scoring 42 points, and grabbing 33 rebounds in 27 career games. Augustine played overseas from 2008-18 and was a EuroCup champion in 2015.

Ingram played his first two years at Tulsa and transferred to Illinois following the 2001-2002 season. He became a quality reserve center and averaged 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 72 career games at UI.

Ingram ended up playing in 143 career games between the two schools — starting 11 times at Tulsa, and he shot 44.5 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line. Ingram averaged 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds a contest in his college career.

Spears, a former Rivals.com three-star prospect, played two years at Illinois and then made the move to St. John’s. He had 40 points and 20 rebounds in 26 career games at UI.

Spears started 36 of 53 contests at SJU and shot 54.9 percent from the field and 72.0 percent at the free-throw line. He averaged 5.8 points and 2.8 boards a contest.

Wilson didn’t pan out at Illinois but went on to have a solid career at Wichita State. He had 46 points and 29 rebounds in 18 games with the Fighting Illini.

Wilson went on to average 11.6 points and 5.0 rebounds a contest for the Shockers, and started 65 of 98 games he played in. He shot 45.5 percent from the field, 38.0 percent on three-pointers and 84.0 percent at the free-throw line. He went on to play Internationally from 2007-12.

Interesting tidbits: Brown was named an assistant coach for Illinois-Chicago in 2017, where he currently works for head coach Luke Yaklich. He had previously served as a special assistant to the athletic director at Illinois in 2015, and also was the director of player development and alumni relations.

Richard McBride (6-3, SG, Springfield (Ill.) Lanphier High).

Brian Randle (6-8, SF, Peoria (Ill.) Notre Dame High).

Warren Carter (6-9, PF, Dallas (Texas) Lake Highlands High).

Overview: The last Self recruiting class produced three eventual starters. Also, the class of 2003 is also when Rivals.com started its top 150 individual rankings.

Rivals.com ranked McBride at No. 31 overall in the country, and he was a four-star prospect. He was considered a middle school prodigy by the time he arrived at Lanphier High.

The stocky McBride became a three-point specialist at Illinois, with 601 of his 756 career field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. He shot 35.7 percent from the field, 35.9 percent on three-pointers and 79.2 percent at the free-throw line. McBride finished making 216 of 601 from beyond the arc for his career, finishing seventh in school history in three-point field goals made.

McBride had his best season as a junior in 2005-06, when he averaged a career-best 10.0 points and shot a blistering 40.3 percent on three-pointers, which was second in the Big Ten. He also led the league with 83 three-point field goals that season. McBride accumulated 6.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 131 contests (60 starts).

Randle wasn’t too far behind McBride in the rankings, and the two played traveling team basketball together. Rivals.com ranked Randle at No. 53 overall in the country and a four-star prospect.

Randle was a three-year starter for Illinois, though a broken hand knocked him out in 2004-05. He was steady and averaged 9.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his fifth-year senior year. He was also named to the Big Ten all-defense squad in 2005-06, which was his redshirt sophomore campaign.

The athletic Randle started 96 of 121 games he played in and shot 49.6 percent from the field, 24.1 percent on three-pointers and 57.9 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists a contest in his UI career.

Randle played overseas from 2008-17 and was named the Israeli League Best Defender in 2009, 2014 and 2015.

Carter was a three-star Rivals.com prospect and ranked No. 89 nationally in the class. He made a big jump his senior year when given a chance to start. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.8 minutes per game in 2006-07, earning second-team All-Big Ten.

Carter started 35 of 116 games at Illinois, and he shot 48.1 percent from the field, 38.4 percent on three-pointers and 68.6 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and had 48 career blocks.

Carter played overseas from 2007-2015.

Interesting tidbits: McBride overshadowed future Arizona and NBA star Andre Iguodala a bit at Lanphier High, who was in the class of 2002. Like many Illini, McBride has gone into coaching and was at Division II Minot State and Division II Illinois-Springfield. He is now an assistant coach at Moberly (Mo.) Junior College … Randle has also gone into coaching and was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2019-20, and currently with the Phoenix Suns, who are challenging for an NBA title.

Shaun Pruitt (6-9, C, West Aurora (Ill.) High).

Calvin Brock (6-5, SF, Chicago (Ill.) Simeon High).

Marcus Arnold (6-8, PF, Illinois State transfer); From Chicago (Ill.) Morgan Park High.

Overview: The class of 2004 was the first full class for head coach Bruce Weber.

Rivals.com ranked the four-star Pruitt at No. 78 overall in the country.

The bruising Pruitt ended up being a three-year starter for Illinois and was a third-team All-Big Ten in 2007. He started 101 of 123 career games and shot 54.7 percent from the field and 53.0 percent from the free-throw line. Pruitt averaged 8.6 points and 5.7 rebounds a contest in his four-year career.

Pruitt chipped in 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds his junior year, and then came back to average 12.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest his senior year. He was first-team All-Big Ten Tournament in 2008.

Pruitt played overseas in numerous countries from 2008-15 and participated in a few NBA training camps.

Brock was a late bloomer and signed in the spring after a big senior year at Simeon High, reunited the connection between Illinois and the prep powerhouse. Rivals.com had him as a three-star prospect and he redshirted his freshman year.

Brock became a valued reserve, with his redshirt junior season arguably his best. He started 16 of 35 games and averaged 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and shot 37.0 percent from three-point land — all career highs.

Brock started 30 of 121 games and shot 44.4 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three-point land and 60.9 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists a contest during his UI career.

Brock played overseas from 2009-12.

Arnold played his first two years at Illinois State, where he averaged 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game and shot 53.0 percent his sophomore year. He led the MVC with 35 blocks that season in 2003-04.

His numbers took a dip in his reserve role at Illinois. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds a contest in 66 games (one start) during his UI career.

Arnold finished his college career playing in 124 games (49 starts), and he shot 50.4 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line. Arnold averaged 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks a contest in four years of college. He played overseas from 2009-14.

Interesting tidbits: Brock was able to revive the No. 25 tradition between former Simeon players and Illinois, which honored the late Benji Wilson. Brock followed in the footsteps of Nick Anderson, Deon Thomas, and Bryant Notree.

Chester Frazier (6-2, PG, Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep); From Baltimore (Md.) Lake Clifton-Eastern High.

Jamar Smith (6-3, SG, Peoria (Ill.) Richwoods High).

Charles Jackson (6-8, C, Buena Vista (Ga.) Tri-County High). He redshirted.

Trent Meacham (6-2, PG, Dayton transfer); From Champaign (Ill.) Centennial High. Started off as a walk-on.

Overview: The class of 2005 ended up being sparked by a Rivals.com two-star prospect and a walk-on transfer.

Smith wasn’t nationally ranked but came in as a Rivals.com three-star prospect, who had a trusty jump shot. He also continued Illinois’ long tradition of landing players from Peoria.

Smith proved his three-point shot was legit, but alcohol-related issues sunk his college career, with the lowlight coming in a car accident in a blizzard with teammate Brian Carlwell on Feb. 12, 2007.

Smith shot 48.2 percent from three-point land his freshman year and chipped in 8.0 points per game en route to the Big Ten all-freshman squad. He started six games and played in 53 in two years, and shot 40.6 percent from the field, 40.5 percent on three-pointers and 75.0 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 8.0 points and 1.5 assists per game during his two years.

Smith redshirted a year but violated his probation and was kicked off the team. He fulfilled his court sentence and resurfaced at Southern Indiana, where he averaged 18.5 points per game and shot 47.6 percent from three-point land his junior year, and 21.6 points and 42.7 percent from beyond the arc his senior year.

Smith played minor league basketball in 2010-11, and then embarked on a professional career which is still on-going.

Frazier was a two-star sleeper by Rivals.com from Baltimore, who spent a year at prep school. He proved to be a favorite of coach Bruce Weber and started 88 of 125 games and averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

The three-year starter shot 35.9 percent from the field, 30.3 percent on three-pointers and 58.4 percent from the free-throw line. Frazier earned a spot on the all-defense squad in the Big Ten his last three years. He led the Big Ten with 5.3 assists his senior year in 2008-09, and he was top seven in steals in the league two different years.

Meacham was a Rivals.com three-star prospect who played his freshman year at Dayton. He averaged 6.4 points and 2.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per game, and he shot 45.9 percent from three-point land for the Flyers, where he played in 29 games.

Meacham transferred to his hometown Fighting Illini and he redshirted in 2005-06. He started off at a walk-on but quickly proved to be a reliable cog. Meacham started 77 of 103 games at Illinois and averaged 8.4 points and 2.2 assists per game in three years. He shot 40.8 percent from the field, 40.8 percent on three-pointers and an impressive 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Meacham has been playing overseas since 2009.

Rivals.com ranked Jackson the No. 121 overall player in the country, and he was a three-star prospect before redshirt his freshman year.

The former star football prospect had 22 points and 24 rebounds in 25 career games at Illinois during his two years — which were 2006-07 and 2008-09. Jackson tried to play football as a tight end and offensive lineman at Illinois in 2007.

Interesting tidbits: Frazier became a graduate assistant at Illinois in 2010-11, and then rejoined Weber at Kansas from 2012-19. He became the associate head coach at Virginia Tech for two years, before getting the chance to “come home” and join head coach Brad Underwood’s staff this offseason.

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