Jereme Richmond Declares For NBA Draft

Welp, I didn’t see this one coming (although I guess I should have). Just last week, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said that he expected suspended forward Jereme Richmond to return to the team next season.  Today, those words were proven wrong. In a sudden turn of events, Richmond announced that he would be leaving Illinois after one season and declaring for the NBA Draft.  He is currently working out in Chicago and in the process of hiring an agent. Richmond came to Illinois with a lot of fanfare as he was the first McDonald’s All American to come to Champaign since Dee Brown.  He committed his freshman year of high school and Illini fans had been pining for his arrival since then.  However, his freshman season at Illinois turned into a roller coaster ride.  He showed flashes of brilliance, but also had games where he was invisible and made boneheaded plays.  He ended up averaging 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 31 games. But the real issues were off the court.  Early in th...