Illini basketball lands 5-star center Jeremiah Tilmon

In his sixth season as head coach of Illinois men's basketball, John Groce has signed his first five-star recruit, school officials announced Thursday.

East St. Louis prep star Jeremiah Tilmon, a 6-foot-10 center, has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Fighting Illini.

With Tilmon ranked No. 19 by Scout and No. 25 by both Rivals and 247Sports, he becomes the highest-rated recruit of Groce's tenure at Illinois. Groce, a former top recruiter and assistant at Ohio State, began his sixth season in Champaign with an overall record of 79-61 and a Big Ten mark of 29-43. Groce was a head coach at Ohio University before being hired by Illinois on March 28, 2012.

Tilmon is a senior at East St. Louis Senior High School. He played his junior season at La Lumiere, a prep school Indiana, where he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds.

"He has been a top priority for our program for a number of years," Groce said. "Jeremiah is one of the best frontcourt players in the country. He has everything you want at that position, he's skilled, a good scorer and passer, protects the rim, plays with toughness, and understands the game."

"He is a dominant big with unlimited potential."

Along with last week's signees (Trent Frazier, Javon Pickett and Da'Monte Williams), three recruiting services now rank Groce's recruits as a Top 10 class.