The day finally came that a certain someone could be forgotten, hopefully never to be mentioned again.

There was never any reason to think that the four players who committed to play basketball for Illinois wouldn’t sign on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. But deep inside, coach Bruce Weber was probably sweating until every last letter of intent slithered through the fax machine in Champaign.

Given the chance to discuss his recruits for the first time, Weber slipped into only one – maybe two — subtle mention of the aforementioned someone, who pulled the old switcheroo two years ago in the days leading up to signing day.

This time around, Weber relied on relationships that started when some prospects were in eighth grade and he counted on those relationships to pay off when the big day rolled around. And so it was that guards D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Joseph Bertrand and forward Tyler Griffey gave the Illini what is generally considered a top-10 recruiting class.

Fans and message board lurkers are now on notice that what’s-his-name is no longer relevant, not that he has been for quite some time. He’s no longer worth the wasted energy to vilify. Not worth that cup of ice you wanted to toss. And for Weber, the veiled mentions need to be a thing of the past. The silliness needs to be over.

Wednesday’s signings should have been the final hurdle in everyone’s psychological recovery. It certainly proved that Weber and his coaches still can recruit.

Weber said he was excited, “not only because we were able to land some of the top players in the country but a group of three from Illinois that wanted to be here. That’s so important. These kids were excited about coming and continued to keep that excitement.”

Some might still say that Weber has a ways to go. That he failed to take advantage of the team’s near national championship to stockpile the nation’s best talent. But his philosophy of recruiting kids early and sticking with them through their high school careers is paying off.

He said he first talked to former Lafayette High coach Dave Porter about Griffey when Griffey was in the eighth grade. He first heard about Bertrand as a high school freshman. It was the same with all four. And Weber had commitments from them before their juniors years were completed.

He already has commitments from five-star recruits Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head and four-star Meyers Leonard, all from Illinois, for the Class of 2010. For the sanity of all, it would be best if they all signed next November.

Nothing good can come from having another you-know-who.