It’s not that often a high school kid from California decides to leave the Golden State for the Land of Lincoln to attend college. Bennett Williams, arguably the best player on the Illini football team last season, did it. The writer of this article did it. And most recently, Tevian Jones, a 4-star small forward, gave his pledge back on April 3 to play for Brad Underwood’s squad.
Jones hails from Culver City, California — part of greater Los Angeles — and on that day he committed to Illinois, I immediately felt a connection with a player who has yet to even arrive for classes on campus.