The Spittin' Illini - Almost 2 decades later

33 pages. That's how long the "Bruce Pearl thread" is on the official Illini message board. See for yourself: http://mb15.scout.com/fillinoisinsiderfrm1.showMessage?topicID=45870.topic. There are posts of fans wanting to spit on the UWM head coach, or those hoping he slips and cracks his head open. Frankly, after reading a handful of their posts, I've never been so disgusted by a group of fans in my life. However, they were saved (in my eyes) by posts by UI students on the UWM message board.

It was there that current UI students informed the UWM faithful that the aforementioned Illini message board is a horrible example of judgement of their fans. The Illini students, known as "the Orange Krush," has little or nothing to do with the posts that seemingly still think it is 1990. For the most part, the current students don't care about what happened between Pearl and current UIC head coach Jimmy Collins when he was an assistant with the Illini. They want their team, ranked #1 in the country for the better part of the entire year, to win a national title. They could care less who is in their way.

But it is the "low class" alumni that thinks Pearl "stole" 10 years from their program. To be honest, somewhere in between what Pearl says and what Collins and the recruit they were both after, Deon Thomas says, is probably what really occured. But you know what? THAT WAS 16 YEARS AGO!

I envision myself as an alumnus of the UI, and I find it hard to believe that I would be so hell bent on something from so long ago when my team is the #1 team in the country, trying to win a national title. Their fans are doing nothing but hurting and tarnishing themselves. From sevearl messages on their board, you'd think that by beating UWM by 30, a mid-major from the Horizon League, that it would be Heaven on Earth for them because the Panthers are coached by the one they now refer to as "Satan."

Well, let me propose something to all of these ridiculous alumni then: You're team is loaded with talent, as evident by losing only one game this season. Luther Head is a senior, and Deron Williams is an almost gauranteed lottery pick should he choose to leave after this season, which most everyone thinks he will. Dee Brown was a second team All-America selection and the Big 10 POY. Chances are strong he will declare for the draft as well. Roger Powell, Jr, Jack Ingram and Nick Smith will also graduate, leaving your Fighting Illini with essentially James Augustine. Bottom line of this being, if you're squad doesn't win the title this year, you'd better pack a lunch while waiting for a team this good to come around again. So go ahead and beat UWM by 30 or 40 "for the fans" who wish to blame everything on Bruce Pearl. But when you lose to the winner of Arizona/Oklahoma State or to some other team in any other round of the tournament, I really hope you tell yourselves that all has been vindicated because you blewout Bruce Pearl, and your season is a success.

If you tell yourselves that, then I highly question your motives and what you are cheering for all along. It is the true fans of the Fighting Illini, the students and those not still hell bent on the recruiting scandal that see the big picture and are focused on the game itself.

GO PANTHERS!