Didn’t we have a funeral? I remember Weber dressed up in a suit saying that the days of Bill Self were over. So why does he hang over the state of Illinois like a rock chalk cloud of recruiting pollution?

In “The Christmas Carol,” the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future were helpful entities. In the Illinois Carol, the ghost comes back and harvests our backyard while shooting his greasy grin towards anyone associated with the Illini program.

For the second year in a row, Illinois’ top recruiting target decided to jump ship and set sail under Self. Last year there was Julian Wright, this time around Sherron Collins – both top-10 national prospects and both frustrating as hell.

You can’t blame Self, though, as much as you may despise the man who packed his bags while telling you he loved you, you wouldn’t leave the fertile grounds either. It is his coaching right to use his roots in Illinois and pluck as many highly touted players out as possible.

So is Illinois supposed to stay optimistic? If not, where is the blame supposed to be pointed, the school? Gulp, the coach?

Coach Weber, or Bruce Almighty, whatever you prefer, did miss out on this one. Though he is an elite game coach, great motivator and fantastic teacher, I can’t help but think Collins should have been in the bank.

Illinois is a short trip down 57, Kansas is a trip set for Louis and Carroll.

Weber led his squad to the National Championship game, while Bucknell bounced Self.

Weber picked up a talented team and developed his talent into the NBA first round; Self picked up a talented team and developed his talent into the ground. The preseason mention of Kansas having the best backcourt was quickly doused and put into the stupid idea category.

Illinois spoke about Collins filling in for the most popular player in Illinois history, Dee Brown. Kansas can’t even assure a starting spot, they just brought in top point guard Mario Chalmers (and his father) this year.

It just doesn’t add up, thus the frustration.

I am not putting all of Illinois’ eggs in this basket, Weber does so many things so well that the program will survive without McDonald’s help. But standards and expectations have been raised; the fact is that Sweet 16 doesn’t sound as thrilling after tasting the Final Four.

A strange phenomenon has seemed to have all the elite prospects grouping together and committing to the same schools. Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, North Carolina and Texas are hogging virtually half of the top 40; and frankly, if Illinois is going to keep pace with the upper echelon they are going to have to start landing the Collins’ of the world.

Weber and Co. will have their next attempt with Chicago prospect Derrick Rose. Rose is a point guard in the class of 2007, and has visited Illinois’ campus plenty of times, but still lists Kansas as a possibility. Rose is in the mold of Dwayne Wade and could be the final verdict in the Weber recruiting trial.

If the world fell into nuclear war everything would be vaporized, and than afterwards the cockroaches would crawl out and rule the world. Weber needs a stronger exterminator! Self is dead and buried, but his ghost continues to haunt the program.

Ian Gold is a senior in Communications. He can be reached at [email protected].