It’s like a broken record.

Another in-state superstar slipped away from the Illinois basketball program when Jalen Brunson unzipped his jacket Wednesday afternoon, revealing a white Villanova shirt before donning a Villanova hat.

It’s hard to sugar-coat. This hurts. This hurts for John Groce, and this hurts for the fans that have seen this storyline play out many times before. Brunson is an elite talent in the 2015 class, and he would have competed for a starting position at point guard next year. His departure only lengthens the running narrative that top in-state talent always seems to spurn Illinois.

But this time around, it doesn’t hurt as bad. It’s early in the recruiting season, and Groce still has several high-profile recruits on his radar. He’s wasting no time in making sure his other point guard target in the 2015 class, Jawun Evans out of Texas, knows he’s no second option.

Groce will fly to Texas on Thursday to have an in-home visit with Evans, less than a week after Evans departed the Illinois campus after his official visit. It will be his third in-home visit with the point guard. Though some fans were worried Groce’s intense push for Brunson may have drawn the ire of Evans, his AAU coach and mentor, Lamont Simmons said that’s not the case.

“He (Evans) never got that sense,” Simmons said shortly after Brunson’s announcement. “He never even worried about that or even mentioned that.”

Had Brunson chosen the Illini, they wouldn’t have gotten Evans as well. Simmons made it clear that Evans felt there was not room for two specialty point guards in the 2015 class for Illinois.

But Brunson chose the Wildcats, and it hasn’t affected Evans’ feelings toward the Illini.

“Jawun’s been thinking the same since day one, before Jalen, (and now) after Jalen,” Simmons said. “(The Brunson commitment) hasn’t changed anything for the worse (or for the better). He’s an alpha male; he’s the man. I wouldn’t say it changes anything. He just stays the course.”

Staying the course for Evans also means he still plans on taking his official visit to Oklahoma State in two weeks. This means that Illini fans hoping for news of an Evans commitment in reaction to the Brunson decision may have to wait awhile. If Simmons is to be believed, the wait will last until after Sept. 24, when Evans visits Oklahoma State.

If Evans truly harbors no hard feelings about the Illini recruiting Brunson, then they appear to be in good shape. Simmons insisted that Evans’ visit was impressive, going as far as calling it “phenomenal.” The Illinois coaching staff was extremely prepared during Evans’ visit, and you can be sure they’ll push hard for a commitment Thursday during the in-home visit.

Texas appears to be out of the Evans recruitment, with Oklahoma State posing the biggest challenge to Illinois. The Cowboys are also going hard after Evans’ AAU teammate, friend and Illini target, Elijah Thomas. Thomas is one of the top-ranked big men in the country, and he is scheduled to take an official visit to Illinois the weekend of Sept. 20. Landing Evans could definitely help the Illini’s chances of adding Thomas, who is set to announce his decision in mid-November.

The legend of Groce goes that he’s very convincing on his in-home visits, so perhaps Evans pulls the trigger Thursday. But if Evans holds to his plan, Illini fans will have to stick it out for at least a couple more weeks.

“I think it’s still up in the air,” Simmons said when asked if there was a clear favorite to land Evans.

“I think things will start to shake out about a week after that Oklahoma State visit.”

Alex is a junior in AHS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aroux94.