Ten days ago, Derrick Rose, the top-rated point guard in the country, surprised Illini fans when he visited Illinois for the Orange and Blue Scrimmage. At that point, Illinois wasn’t even on Rose’s list of potential schools. But Reggie Rose, Derrick’s brother and recruiting adviser, said that things had changed and the two would not have made the trip if they weren’t interested in head coach Bruce Weber’s program.

“The decision that he’s going to make, it’s not like he’s going to a candy machine and just picking up some type of candy; it’s a life decision,” Reggie Rose said to the Daily Illini after the scrimmage. “Before we just make the decision, we just have to make sure it’s going to be the right decision; that was the main thing about coming back down here to take a second look.”

Although Illinois may have been a contender, Derrick Rose did what most expected him to do on Saturday night by committing to Memphis during an invitation-only press conference at the Martinique Boutique in Burbank, Ill.

Rose is expected to sign a national letter of intent on Nov. 8 – the first day of the fall signing period.

“After my visits, I sat down with my family and told them my decision,” Rose said to the Chicago Sun-Times following the news conference. “I felt kind of sad. It’s a life-changing decision. I prayed that night for God to help me choose. The next morning, the fear was gone. I knew it was the right choice for me.

“I love the environment, the coaches and the players. Who better to learn from and help me develop than Rod Strickland (as an assistant)? They told me I would be starting at point guard and that I’ll be able to play my game.”

While Rose argued that there may be no one better than Strickland to develop his game, the NBA players Weber has produced proves otherwise. All five starters from the Illini’s national runner-up team in 2005 are playing in the NBA. Most notably, Luther Head, who is in his second year with the Houston Rockets, is shooting 75 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 8.5 points per game this season, while second-year guard Deron Williams is averaging 12.8 points per game and is averaging almost 33 minutes per game with the Utah Jazz.

Rose, who led Simeon to the class AA state title in March, said Memphis was a better fit for him and that he thought he knew where he was going two weeks ago, although the trip to Champaign made things more “intense,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“It’s a good school and everything, but Memphis to me was better,” Rose said of Illinois to the Chicago Tribune. “That was my opinion. That’s why I chose Memphis.”

Rose joins the number of other in-state recruits in the past few years who have snubbed Weber and the Illini, along with prized recruit Eric Gordon who opted to play for head coach Kelvin Sampson and Indiana. According to rivals.com, the Illini have received oral commitments from power forward Bill Cole (Peoria, Ill.), six-foot-11 center Mike Tisdale (Springfield,Ill.) and point guard Demetri McCamey.