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

In Part VII, we take an in-depth look at the Illinois recruiting classes from 2011-15, which proved to be the end of coach Bruce Weber’s era and beginning of John Groce.

Part I — 1980-1985 | Part II — 1986-1990 | Part III - 1991-1995 | Part IV - 1996-2005 | Part V - 2001-2005 | Part VI - 2006-2010

Nnanna Egwu (6-11, C, Chicago (Ill.) Saint Ignatius High).

Tracy Abrams (6-1, PG, Chicago (Ill.) Mount Carmel High).

Mike Shaw (6-8, PF, Chicago (Ill.) De La Salle High).

Myke Henry (6-6, SF, Chicago (Ill.) Orr High).

Devin Langford (6-7, SF, Huntsville (Ala.) Lee High).

Ibby Djimde (6-8, C, Huntington (W.Va.) Prep); From Bamako, Mali.

Sam Maniscalco (6-0, PG, Bradley transfer); From Chicago (Ill.) St. Patrick High.

Overview: Coach Bruce Weber created excitement when he landed four prep players from Chicago, all of whom were ranked by Rivals.com and were four-star prospects.

Egwu proved to be the best of the four, though multiple injuries affected the six-year career of Abrams. Henry left after two years to play at DePaul, where he emerged. Shaw also left after a pair of years at UI, but he never developed at Bradley.

Egwu was ranked No. 97 overall nationally by Rivals.com but had a high ceiling with his potential. He became a three-year starter and proved to be a steady player and defensive anchor. Egwu broke Deon Thomas’ all-timer mark for blocked shots, finishing with 201 career blocks in 136 games played (105 starts).

Egwu averaged 5.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game at Illinois, and shot 43.8 percent from the field and 70.8 percent at the free-throw line. He even added some three-point range his senior campaign, going 10 of 33 from beyond the arc. He was named to the Big Ten all-defensive team his senior season in 2015.

Egwu has played in the G-League and overseas since 2015, playing in Tokyo, Japan, since 2019.

Abrams committed to Illinois on Dec. 19, 2008, and played his last game for the Illini on March 22, 2017. In-between, Rivals.com ranked him the No. 58 overall prospect in the class of 20111, and he became a four-year starter, just not in consecutive seasons.

Abrams played both guard positions and emerged his sophomore year, when he averaged 10.6 points and 3.4 assists per game in 2012-13. He ended up missing the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons due to an ACL tear and then an Achilles’ injury. He finished his career averaging 8.6 points, 2.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2016-17, and shot a career-best 40.2 percent from three-point land.

Abrams started 115 of 138 games he played in and averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 assists a contest. He shot 38.3 percent from the field, 31.3 percent on three-pointers and 73.7 percent at the free-throw line. He played a pair of years overseas in Cyprus and Serbia.

Maniscalco established himself as a quality point guard during his three healthy years at Bradley, where he earned his degree. The Chicago native averaged 10.9 points and 3.2 assists per game for the Braves. He shot 42.4 percent from the field, 35.1 percent on three-pointers and 81.8 percent at the free-throw line in 111 games played (83 starts). He had 1,210 career points and 355 assists for Bradley.

Maniscalco proved effective at Illinois when he was healthy. He started 12 of 28 games in 2011-12 and averaged 6.1 points and 2.3 assists in 24.1 percent from the field. Maniscalco shot 37.1 percent from the field, 28.1 percent on three-pointers and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line for UI.

Henry was a little bit of a late bloomer in high school, but blew up during the spring of his junior year with Mac Irvin Fire traveling team,where he was joined by Shaw. Rivals.com ranked Henry at No. 39 overall nationally.

Henry played in 57 games at Illinois and averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds a contest, and shot 38.4 percent from the field. He sat out a year at DePaul and went on to average 12.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Blue Demons. He started all 63 games he played in, and shot 50 percent form the field, 37.1 percent from three-point land and 70.6 percent at the free-throw line. He led the Big East after shooting 53.6 percent from the field his fifth-year senior campaign.

Henry appeared in 20 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017-18, where he averaged 5.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He also has played in the G-League , and is currently set to play in France.

Shaw was hyped early in his prep career as the next big star in Chicago. Rivals.com ranked him No. 59 overall nationally in the class of 2011. He played 34 games at Illinois, amassing 189 minutes, and his career never took off. Shaw has 29 points, 48 rebounds and seven assists in his UI career.

Shaw started 10 games during his redshirt junior year at Bradley, and averaged 1.9 points and 3.4 rebounds, and shot 34.4 percent for the Braves. He played just one game his senior year, succumbing to a chronic back injury.

Djimde was a project center from a powerhouse prep program, and he also left after two years to attend Southern Illinois. Langford lasted two years at Illinois — one of which was a redshirt season — before finishing up at Kentucky Wesleyan.

Djimde tallied seven points and 17 rebounds in 80 minutes played in 28 appearances at Illinois. The former Rivals.com three-star prospect started seven games in 56 appearances at Southern Illinois. Djimde averaged 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, and shot 46.7 percent from the field during his stint with the Salukis.

Langford had 10 points, 18 rebounds and four assists in 94 minutes over 22 games played at Illinois. Langford averaged doubles figures all three years at Kentucky Wesleyan, and finished averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 82 career steals in 85 games played (53 starts).

The former Rivals.com three-star prospect earned second-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference his last two years.

Interesting tidbits: Abrams earned three degrees during his time at Illinois. Upon the completion of his professional basketball career, Abrams started Chicago Positive Impact, which is a mentorship program for underserved Chicago Public Schools elementary students … Maniscalco had a chance to vie for love on “The Bachelorette” in 2019, but elected to turn down the invite to chase after Hannah Brown.

Sam McLaurin (6-8, PF, Coastal Carolina transfer); From Havana (Fla.) East Gadsden High.

Rayvonte Rice (6-4, SG, Drake transfer); From Champaign (Ill.) Centennial High.

Overview: John Groce was hired as Illinois’ head coach March 28, 2012, but his full impact essentially came in the class of 2013.

Rice was a four-year transfer from Drake and sat out a season to redshirt at UI, while McLaurin was a graduate transfer who was a three-year starter at Coastal Carolina.

Rice proved quickly that his numbers at Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference easily transferred over to Illinois and the Big Ten.

The Champaign native averaged 15.4 points and 5.3 rebounds a contest in his two years at Drake, and he shot 42.0 percent from the field and 70.3 percent from the free-throw line. Rice started 63 of 64 games, and was named second-team All-MVC in 2012, and to the league all-freshman squad in 2011.

Rice made his UI debut in 2013-14, and went on to start all 35 games. He dipped to just 24 games played during his fifth year of college (19 starts). The physical small forward averaged 16.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game during his two years at Illinois. He shot 44.5 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the free-throw line for the Illini.

Rice has been playing professionally overseas from 2015-21, including the last two years in Japan.

McLaurin averaged 6.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 105 games (91 starts) at Coastal Carolina. He shot a blistering 61.8 percent from the field at his previous program, and 54.3 percent at the line, and left as the all-time leader in blocks with 155. He was fresh off of averaging 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a contest in 2011-12.

The jump to Illinois and the Big Ten proved to not be easy. He fell to 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 36 games (15 starts) for the Fighting Illini. He shot 44.4 percent from the field and 54.3 percent at the free-throw line.

Interesting tidbits: McLaurin has been coaching in China the last several years … Rice was the runner-up for Illinois Mr. Basketball behind future Illinois player Jereme Richmond in 2010. His cousin was former Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure.

Jaylon Tate (6-3, PG, Chicago (Ill.) Simeon High).

Ahmad Starks (5-9, SG/PG, Oregon State transfer); From Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young High.

Aaron Cosby (6-3, SG, Seton Hall transfer); From Gill (Mass.) Northfield Mount Hermon High); From Louisville, Ky.

Malcolm Hill (6-6, SF, Belleville (Ill.) East High).

Maverick Morgan (6-10, C, Springboro (Ohio) High).

Kendrick Nunn (6-3, SG, Chicago (Ill.) Simeon High).

Austin Colbert (6-9, PF, Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard’s High); From Chesapeake, Va.

Jon Ekey (6-7, PF, Illinois State transfer); From Independence (Mo.) Chrisman High.

Darius Paul (6-8, PF, Western Michigan transfer); From Gurnee (Ill.) Warren High.

Overview: Illinois went through an overhaul of the roster with five prep signees and four transfers (three of which redshirted).

Hopes were highest for Nunn and Hill, who Rivals.com ranked No. 60- and- No. 62 respectively in the country. Colbert was the third ranked prospect, coming in as a four-star prospect at No. 97 nationally.

Rivals.com had both Morgan and Tate as three-star prospects, with the latter a prep teammate of Nunn.

Hill finished his Illinois career ranked third all-time with 1,817 points. He was named second-team all-Big Ten in both 2016 and 2017. Hill averaged a career-high 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game his junior year. He came to finish off his decorated career with 17.2 points and 5.1 boards a contest his senior year. Hill was third in the ACC in scoring his last two years.

Hill started 112 of 137 games and averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 43.3 percent from the field, 35.1 percent on three-pointers and 79.5 percent at the free-throw line.

Hill has played overseas from 2017-2021, with his most recent stop in Israel.

Nunn proved to be the one player in the class to reach the NBA, but it took a detour at the end. He averaged 15.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game his junior year for the Illini. However, he was dismissed from the program during the offseason after pleading guilty to a charge of misdemeanor battery.

Nunn started 61 of 96 games at Illinois, and averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Fighting Illini. He shot 42.4 percent from the field, 37.9 percent on three-pointers and 20.5 percent at the free-throw line.

Nunn made the move to Oakland and sat out the 2016-17 season. He exploded for 25.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game for Oakland, starting 26 of 30 games. He shot 43.5 percent from the field, 39.4 percent on three-pointers and 83.8 percent at the free-throw line en route to Horizon League Player of the Year.

Nunn went undrafted and played in the G-League, but made the Miami Heat for the 2019-20 campaign. He averaged 15.3 points and 3.3 assists his rookie year, starting all 67 games. He added 14.6 points and 3.2 boards a contest last year for the Heat, and then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason.

Morgan improved each and every season at Illinois. He averaged career highs with 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a contest his senior year in 2016-17, and shot 54 percent from the field. Morgan started 40 of 135 games he played in and averaged 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds a contest. He shot 54.2 percent in his career and 70.1 percent at the free-throw line. Morgan played in foreign countries from 2017-2018 between three different teams.

Tate was a part-time starter his sophomore and junior years, and played in 121 career contests (35 starts). He averaged 2.4 points, 2.5 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game, and shot 33.9 percent from the field, 10.5 percent on three-pointers and 73.9 percent at the free-throw line.

Colbert played 47 games in two years at Illinois, and he had 72 points and 72 rebounds, and shot 49.2 percent from the field. He made the move to Hampton, where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He played in 36 games (two starts), and shot 36.5 percent from the field and 82.8 percent at the free-throw line.

Ekey arrived from Illinois State as a graduate transfer. He averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 99 career games (75 starts) at ISU. He ended up starting 23 of 35 games played for Illinois in 2013-14. He averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a contest, and he shot a respectable 36.6 percent from three-point land, 40.6 percent from the field and 76.2 percent at the foul line.

Starks was a double-digit scorer at Oregon State for two years — he started 72 of 97 games played — and came back home to Illinois. He redshirted in 2013-14, and then averaged 7.7 points and 2.2 assists per game for the Illini. He shot 34.3 percent from the field, 32.7 percent on three-pointers and 83.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Starks previously averaged 10.2 points and 2.2 assists per game for the Beavers. He shot 38.4 percent from the field at Oregon State, along with 36.6 percent on three-pointers. Starks averaged a career-high 12.1 points his sophomore year at Oregon State, and exited the program holding the all-time record with 185 three-pointers. Starks has played professionally overseas since 2015, including playing in the Macedonian First League since 2019.

Cosby, like Starks and Ekey, ended up being a one-and-done at Illinois, but that wasn’t the plan. He had averaged 12.6 points and 3.0 assists per game his sophomore year at Seton Hall, and then made the move to Illinois, where he redshirted in 2013-14. He started 13 of 19 games at Illinois and averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He shot 29.3 percent from the field, 31.1 percent on three-pointers and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Cosby was suspended and then left Illinois, and ended up at Western Kentucky for his fifth year of college. He rebounded to average 13.7 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Hilltoppers, and shot 36.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Cosby started 105 of 118 games he played in during his five years of college, and averaged 10.8 points and 2.9 rebounds a contest. He played overseas after his WKU career ended.

Interesting tidbits: Ekey has been the video coordinator at SMU for the last four years, and part of the Mustangs program for the last six years. He had played professionally in Japan, and rejoined his former coach at Illinois State, Tim Jankovich, with the Mustangs … Paul, the younger brother of former Illinois star Brandon Paul, proved to be a disaster off the court. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game his freshman year at Western Michigan. He transferred to Illinois and redshirted, but eventually pleaded guilty to underage drinking. Paul went to Lamar State-Port Arthur for a year of junior college basketball and returned to Illinois. However, he was charged with vandalism, public intoxication and resisting arrest while on an exhibition tour in France. Paul finished up at Robert Morris in 2016-17, and averaged 18.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He shot 58.7 percent from the field in 29 games (23 starts). Paul played professionally from 2017-2020.

Leron Black (6-7, PF, Memphis (Tenn.) White Station High).

Michael Finke (6-10, C, Champaign (Ill.) Centennial High).

Overview: Illinois went into Memphis for the first time since landing Cory Bradford, who played for the Fighting Illini from 1997-2002.

Black was ranked No. 38 overall nationally by Rivals.com and was recruited coast-to-coast. He went on to start his last two years, and bypassed playing a fifth-year of college after getting hurt his sophomore year.

Black averaged 15.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and shot 54.7 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line in 2017-18. He even shot an impressive 22 of 43 from three-point land that season en route to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors.

Black started 70 of 102 career games and averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and shot 49.9 percent from the field, 39.8 percent on three-pointers and 74.9 percent at the free-throw line.

Black has played overseas since 2018, with his last two years playing in Mexico.

Finke also bypassed playing his last year at Illinois, electing to be a graduate transfer at Grand Canyon. The Rivals.com three-star prospect redshirted his freshman year, and then moved into the lineup for 17 games in 2015-16.

Finke went on to start 50 of 93 games at Illinois, and averaged 8.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He shot 46.9 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three-point land and 61.0 percent at the free-throw line. Finke averaged an Illini-best 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds his redshirt junior year.

Finke started 29 of 31 games at Grand Canyon, where he averaged 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a contest, but only had two blocked shots. He shot an impressive 53.9 percent from the field, 31.8 percent on three-pointers and improved to 81.0 percent at the foul ine.

Interesting tidbits: Finke’s dad, Jeff Finke, played one year for Illinois basketball, and three years of football for the Fighting Illini between 1986-91. His younger brother, Nick Finke, played basketball at Army, and younger brother Tim Finke is currently a double-digit scorer going into his redshirt junior year for Wright State hoops.

Jalen Coleman-Lands (6-3, SG, La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere High); From Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral High.

Kipper Nichols (6-6, SF, Tulane transfer); From Cleveland (Ohio) St. Edward High.

Aaron Jordan (6-5, SG, Plainfield (Ill.) High).

D.J. Williams (6-7, SF, Chicago (Ill.) Simeon High).

Mike Thorne (6-11, C, Charlotte transfer); From Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian.

Khalid Lewis (6-3, SG, La Salle transfer); From Trenton (Ill.) Catholic High.

Darius Paul (6-8, PF, Port Arthur (Texas) Lee Junior College); From Gurnee (Ill.) Warren High.

Overview: Jalen Coleman-Lands was the highest ranked player in the recruiting class, and in a weird twist, is still playing college basketball.

Coleman-Lands made national headlines because Illinois has historically struggled to get players from Indiana. Rivals.com ranked the high-scoring Coleman-Lands at No. 39 overall nationally.

He proved to be a streaky-hot player for the Illini, but inexplicably left after two years, creating an odyssey that is still continuing. Coleman-Lands averaged 9.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in 69 career games at UI, getting 39 starts. He made 158 of 393 three-pointers for 40.2 percent during that stretch.

Coleman-Lands spent three years at DePaul — he redshirted one season and injuries limited him to nine games in another year — and then a season at Iowa State. Now, he’ll be playing for Kansas in 2021-2022. He averaged 14.3 points and 3.9 rebounds for the Cyclones last year, and shot 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Coleman-Lands has started 102 of 133 games in his lengthy college career. He has averaged 10.5 points and 2.6 points per game, and shot 39.0 percent from the field, 37.0 percent on three-pointers and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line.

The sharp-shooting Jordan was ranked No. 95 overall nationally by Rivals.com. He came off the bench for three years and started his senior year. He shot 38.7 percent from the field, 40.8 percent on three-pointers and 79.1 percent at the free-throw line in 119 career games (44 starts).

Jordan averaged a career-high 8.0 points his senior year and shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in his four-year career.

Nichols is a perfect example of how NCAA rules have made things easier for players. He went to summer school at Tulane and elected to transfer to Illinois going into his first fall semester. The then rules meant the former Rivals.com three-star prospect sat out the year as a transfer.

Nichols proved a steady off the bench performer, starting 25 of 116 games at Illinois. He averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, and shot 42.7 percent from the field, 30.7 percent on three-pointers and 74.9 percent from the free-throw line. He averaged a career-high 10.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game his sophomore year.

Rivals.com ranked Williams the No. 118 overall player in the country coming out of famed Simeon High. He played for Illinois for two years and then one year apiece at George Washington and DePaul.

Williams averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game at Illinois, where he played in 46 career games (three starts). He started all 31 games at George Washington and jumped up to 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds a contest, including shooting 40.1 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from three-point land.

Williams played in 11 games for the Blue Demons, and had 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Injuries led to two years at Illinois for big center Mike Thorne. The graduate transfer spent four years at Charlotte, redshirting in 2011-12. He started his last two years and was a steady low-post option, including averaging 10.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest, and he shot 53.4 percent from the field for the 49ers. Thorne averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in 81 career games (61 starts) at Charlotte.

Thorne made the move to Illinois but was limited to just eight games in 2015-16. He ended up started 17 of 32 games at Illinois, and shot 51.5 percent from the field and 54.4 percent from the free-throw line. He chipped in 7.0 points and 4.6 rebounds a contest.

Lewis started his college career at Delaware, and then transferred to La Salle and redshirted during the 2012-13 season. He played two years for the Explorers and got his degree, and finished up at Illinois. Lewis started 18 of 32 games for the Fighting Illini in 2015-16, and averaged 3.9 points and 3.0 assists per game. He shot 37.0 percent from the field, 25.0 percent on three-pointers and 70.3 percent at the free-throw line.

Paul was the rare player to sign twice with Illinois, but never played a game, as discussed in the class of 2013.

Interesting tidbits: The seven players combined to play 15 years at Illinois, though Thorne missed the majority of one of those seasons due to injury.

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