Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[80sBelongToTheIllini]

Brunson looks good. 23 points.

[Dan]

2014 F Michael Finke had 29pts in a win over Rockton Hononegah tonight!

http://twitter.com/PeoriaIrish

[BenjIllini]

That's better! Keep it going Michael.

[Juice]

Watching the mizzou-UCLA game. If Tyler Ulis is anything comparable to Phil Pressey sign me up for the Ulis bandwagon

[Dan]

Chicago Simeon guard Jaylon Tate, an #Illini signee, with 18 pts, 6 assts, and 5 stls in win over Bloomington

http://twitter.com/IllinoisRivals

[BigTenChamp87]

Can't wait to see Jaylon et al. In Orange & Blue. Great game Jaylon.

[BigTenChamp87]

Originally Posted by Juice

Watching the mizzou-UCLA game. If Tyler Ulis is anything comparable to Phil Pressey sign me up for the Ulis bandwagon

He will be a similar type of player in college.

[Public]

I was really impressed with Deshawn Munson #35 for ESL. He has holes in his game but he's quite the athlete. Will you be at his semi final match up with Hill?

I saw him last year vs LA. Incredible athlete but no j. I heard attitude and grades are a real problem. Tennessee is a big suitor. No thanks.

[combes]

Originally Posted by BigTenChamp87

He will be a similar type of player in college.

Pressey was a much more highly rated player out of high school with tons of big offers. College coaches have not seen the same thing in Ulis yet. I like his game but major programs are still in wait and see mode.

[BigTenChamp87]

Originally Posted by combes

Pressey was a much more highly rated player out of high school with tons of big offers. College coaches have not seen the same thing in Ulis yet. I like his game but major programs are still in wait and see mode.

Ulis is only a junior and has not gone through his rising senior summer on the travel circuit. His stock will rise by he end of the summer evaluation period. Did Pressey have a 'ton of offers' after his sophomore season? Ulis has two high major offers and many more will follow by the end of next summer.

[OrangeandBlue89]

Originally Posted by HoopCity

Originally Posted by Jphill1989
Got a chance to see Malcolm Hill today again. They played a fairly weak Decatur MacArthur team in the second round. Hill's shot wasn't falling in the first half and I think he had 11 going into the locker room. Most of these were on drives or free throws. Second half he started to heat up, hit two threes in the third as well as a couple step back top of the key shots. I will say this with 100% confidence, Hill reminds me of Larry Bird. Now before anyone starts saying anything I mean this by the way they 1. Shoot and 2. How soft the ball comes out. He has almost a one handed release like Larry Bird did and if the ball hits the rim, it doesn't bounce more than 8 inches high because it hits it so soft. His touch is unreal. I think he made 13 or 14 free throws in the game as well.

The best part about Malcolm, In my opinion, is the way he keeps calm during the whole game. Some look at it as he doesn't care or doesn't have that fire but he never gets too up or too down, which is huge at the next level. I think he could play with a little more intensity defensively, otherwise theres not much to nitpick with him. He's 6'7", growing, has a great shot, gets to the rim and makes free throws. What more could you want?





I think he has already committed to the ILLINI ??

sarcasm

[Jphill1989]

Originally Posted by Public

I was really impressed with Deshawn Munson #35 for ESL. He has holes in his game but he's quite the athlete. Will you be at his semi final match up with Hill?

I saw him last year vs LA. Incredible athlete but no j. I heard attitude and grades are a real problem. Tennessee is a big suitor. No thanks.

Won't have the grades is what its sounding like. I actually walked out with the Tennessee assistant after the first quarter of their game. He mentioned he only stayed to see the 6'11" kid on Oakville (Gillmann), and he was really there to see Darreon Redick, the Junior PG on Belleville East- Who will be quite a catch for any team before its all said and done. I wonder if Groce and Co. are looking at him at all.

[SimonHoffman]

Hey Jphill,

Were you surprised at all by Hill and Reddick playing almost the entire game or is that normal from the games that you have been to? I don't think either of them sat down once besides the last minute of the game which was odd to me, especially in a game that wasn't particularly close.

[Jphill1989]

Originally Posted by SimonHoffman

Hey Jphill,

Were you surprised at all by Hill and Reddick playing almost the entire game or is that normal from the games that you have been to? I don't think either of them sat down once besides the last minute of the game which was odd to me, especially in a game that wasn't particularly close.

One of their good friends died last year from cancer (leukemia I believe?), and Malcolm in particular and I think Darreon dedicate their games to him. I was sitting next to Malcolm's mother today and she said they Malcolm doesn't come out until he absolutely has to because he knows his tiredness and pain isn't close to what his good friend went through with the treatments. It's a pretty cool thing and their coach is okay with it.

[SimonHoffman]

Wow, that's unbelievable. Makes Hill even more likable.

[TCTORNADO]

Maverick Morgan w/25 pts in a 63-62 loss to Walnut Hills. Both teams very highly rated in State of Ohio. Johnson the 6'9" Akron commit had 29 pts.
I don't know any other stats on MM, but sounded like a great game.

[brosox]

I went to see a number of games across the state yesterday. Here are my assessments of several recruits:

Diop---I was not terribly upset that we missed out on him. Yes, just looking at the kid, it is obvious that he has great athletic ability and hops. However, he is not aggressive at all and does not seem to have a "take over the game" mentality. In a close game where he was obviously the most talented player on the court, I think I saw him make one basket and he didn't take a single shot in the fourth quarter. He may have been a bit limited because the other team was playing a zone defense. But, still he seemed to be content to just hang around the outside and wait for the ball to come to him, rather than move to get himself in position to score. In my opinion, he chose OSU because he sees himself as the next Evan Turner and thinks that he will fit well into their system. He has good defensive skills and good ball handling abilities which can help him to be a point forward. I am not sure how good a shooter he is as the only basket I saw him make was a six footer. He does have nice form on his free throws.

Alexander---He is clearly a man playing among boys. He has a great body and tremendous hands. Once he gets his hands on the ball, no one is going to take it away from him. He has a very nice first step which gets him to the hole quickly. I am not sure if he projects to be a 4 because he seems to be strictly a back to the basket player who can score in close, rebound and put back missed shots. I didn't see him face the basket once with the ball from 10 to 15 feet away, so I have no idea if he has driving ability or if he can shoot the 10 to 15 foot jumper. He may be a bit undersized if he is relegated to the 5, but his lack of height at that position (I think he is only 6'8") is probably counterbalanced by his strength. He is a very impressive player and will make some team very happy.

Brunson---He is a nice steady player. I am guessing that he is no bigger than 5'11", though I believe they list him as taller. He handles the ball well, shoots well, has good court vision and seems to be a good overall kid and teammate. He is not the quickest point guard I have seen, but still seems to be able to get off his shots. If Sobolewski can succeed as a point guard in the Big 10, than so can he. If my choice were Ulis vs. Brunson, I would definitely take Ulis, but that doesn't mean that Brunson can't be a good player for us.

Ash---I can see why he seems to have dropped off the Illini map. He does not even play lead point guard for his high school team, and if one of the best high school coaches in Illinois doesn't view him as a lead point guard, I don't see much promise for him as a high point guard recruit. In all honesty, had I not known who he was and concentrated on his every move, I likely wouldn't have even known that he was considered to be a Division 1 recruit. He really did nothing to put himself above players on his own team.

Pipkins---an interesting "Ulis" type player who had hit on 8 threes the night before I saw him play. However, I don't think I saw him score a point against Morgan Park. Watching him in warmups, he does seem to have a nice outside shot. He is a good ball handler and is very quick. He has nice potential, but would not be a high priority in my opinion at this point. If I want a kid with Ulis' size, I would much rather take Ulis as he is far and away the more talented and polished player of the two.

Garrett---DePaul recruit Garrett is a nice steady player. He has a very nice outside shot and decent size for a 2 guard. If he is paired with a good penetrating point guard at DePaul, he should be pretty successful because he can hit an open jumper. He is not very quick and seems a bit mechanical when he tries to drive to the basket. He seems to have a lot of DJ in him, though with a few extra inches of height.

[combes]

I would be happy if Ulis came to Illinois but he has not had the interest from schools or the ranking that Pressey had at any age level.

[FeelYourPaign]

Brosox,
Thanks for all the comments. Great stuff

[Dan]

Simeon fights off Bloomington, sets up semifinal with Curie

Illinois-bound guards Jaylon Tate and Kendrick Nunn had 18 points each and all five starters were in double figures to set up an All-Public League semifinal with Curie at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The winner will face either West Aurora or Warren in the title game at 9 p.m.

"It is going to be a war," Simeon coach Robert Smith said. "They have been playing very well since they've been down here. They've got into a rhythm. Defensively we're going to have to be better if we're going to beat them."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,0,65402.story

Brunson-led Stevenson topples Maine South

Stevenson guard Jalen Brunson scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to propel his team to a 54-51 win over Maine South Friday at the Proviso West Holiday Tournament

Jalen Brunson negotiates his own space on the basketball court. “The way I play, sometimes I likes to start out shooting from distance and then using my speed or quickness to get to the basket,” he said.

The star sophomore guard drilled two crucial three-pointers and scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to power Stevenson to a 54-51 victory over Maine South in a Proviso West Holiday tournament quarterfinal Friday in Hillside.

http://seasonpass.suntimes.com/news_...es-maine-south

[DG1985]

Originally Posted by Jphill1989

Won't have the grades is what its sounding like. I actually walked out with the Tennessee assistant after the first quarter of their game. He mentioned he only stayed to see the 6'11" kid on Oakville (Gillmann), and he was really there to see Darreon Redick, the Junior PG on Belleville East- Who will be quite a catch for any team before its all said and done. I wonder if Groce and Co. are looking at him at all.

Just curious, if you're from the area. Does Cuonzo have any cachet down there? or is he forgotten?

[bbpeoria]

Originally Posted by BigTenChamp87

He will be a similar type of player in college.

Ulis is not close to the athletic level of Pressey.

[bbpeoria]

Originally Posted by combes

I would be happy if Ulis came to Illinois but he has not had the interest from schools or the ranking that Pressey had at any age level.

And I was curious as to why. There is a bunch of Ulis' Marian Central full games on the Cube and I was very surprised to see how average his athletic ability is. I love his passing and ballhandling but it is pretty evident to me why the top majors are not involved in recruiting.

[ILHoff]

Originally Posted by bbpeoria

And I was curious as to why. There is a bunch of Ulis' Marian Central full games on the Cube and I was very surprised to see how average his athletic ability is. I love his passing and ballhandling but it is pretty evident to me why the top majors are not involved in recruiting.

Here's Phil Pressey in high school. I know a lot of people like to compare the two, but Ullis isn't the same athlete. I will say that Ullis is a really good player and fun to watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj5UmH5TdfI

[BigTenChamp87]

Originally Posted by bbpeoria

Ulis is not close to the athletic level of Pressey.

I respectfully disagree.