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Jeremiah Tilmon: "I'm coming here to win"

5-star center Jeremiah Tilmon is committed to Illinois ()

MORE: Experts break down the Tilmon commitment | Groce sets his sights on Goodwin

As Illini fans are by now keenly aware, 5-star center Jeremiah Tilmon pledged to Illinois on Monday.

Illinois has been recruiting Tilmon since he was a freshman at East St. Louis (Ill.), and that strong relationship paid off in the end. Tilmon said he has always dreamed of playing for his state’s flagship university.

“With me it’s about staying loyal,” Tilmon said. “I love my home state. I committed here because of the relationships I’ve built from everyone there especially coach Groce.”

Rumors of a pending Tilmon commitment have been circulating since the spring. There were even tentative plans for Tilmon to pull the trigger while at the Dick’s Sporting Goods high school national tournament in New York in early April.

Tilmon had let the Illini coaches know that he held the school in very high regard throughout the process, until he finally felt the time was right to go public.

“I’m glad to have this out of the way, but more importantly it’s a step in the right direction for the basketball team,” Tilmon said. “Coach Groce is a wonderful guy, he really believes in me he’s a great guy and a great coach and he’s proven to me how loyal he and has been since day one.”

The commitment comes soon after Tilmon named a top five of Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Texas.

He was on campus in Champaign for a quick visit before making a trip down to North Augusta (SC) for the Nike Peach Jam with the St. Louis Eagles.

With the addition of Tilmon, the Illini’s 2017 recruiting class now includes three. The 6-foot-10 big man joins Peoria (Ill.) Manual point guard Da’Monte Williams and wing Javon Picket from Belleville (Ill.) East. Illinois still has three open scholarship for the 2017-18 season.

The Illini have gone through a rough stretch, missing the NCAA Tournament following the last three seasons. Tilmon believes a new era is on the horizon.

“I really feel that were going to be really, really good the next couple years,” Tilmon said. "There’s no reason Illinois shouldn’t be contending for title’s every year. We have enough talent that winning should be the norm and I’m coming here to win.”

Though technically not an in-state player – Tilmon now plays at La Lumiere, a prep school in La Porte (Ind.) – his roots are in downstate Illinois.

As the No. 24 prospect in the country, Tilmon is the highest ranked Illinois recruit since McDonald’s All-American Dee Brown signed in the class of 2002 out of Proviso East.

Convincing top talent to stay home has been a struggle, with the likes of Jabari Parker, Anthony Davis, and Jhalil Okafor choosing to head to blue-blood programs in recent years.

“If others now take Illinois more serious because of me then great, but there should be no reason the top players in our state shouldn’t stay home,” Tilmon said.

The next top in-state target on John Groce’s radar is Belleville (Ill.) Althoff wing Jordan Goodwin. Rivals.com currently has Goodwin spotted at No. 53 nationally.

Already playing recruiter, Tilmon is definitely in Goodwin's ear.

“That’s my guy,” Tilmon said about Goodwin. “We’ve already talked today. He knows how much I want him here and I’m going to try and make that happen. We already have a good class coming, we just need to add a few more pieces.”

Updated Illini scholarship grid

Illinois basketball scholarship grid ()
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