Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[cash35]

Lyle tweeted he was on his way to Champaign! I really hope we put on a good show and he has an absolute blast today. Also finke will be there as well.. maybe he can do a bit of recruiting

[Dan]

Today's visitors-

2014 PG JaQuan Lyle
2014 PG Larry Austin
2015 PG Jalen Coleman

Monster visitors for Illinois basketball today @JMamba5, @_LarryAustin2_ , and Jalen Coleman! Great day to be an #Illini!!

http://twitter.com/jthompson247

On my way to Champaign

http://twitter.com/JMamba5

[RyanK]

Originally Posted by cash35

Lyle tweeted he was on his way to Champaign! I really hope we put on a good show and he has an absolute blast today. Also finke will be there as well.. maybe he can do a bit of recruiting

Pretty sure Malcolm Hill was going to attend, as well.

[BenjIllini]

Originally Posted by RyanK

Pretty sure Malcolm Hill was going to attend, as well.

Nice. I just laugh at Jerry Meyers and ESPN rankings of him. He has to be no worse than a top 50 player.

[RyanK]

Originally Posted by BenjIllini

Nice. I just laugh at Jerry Meyers and ESPN rankings of him. He has to be no worse than a top 50 player.

I meant to say he was going to try to make it. But yeah, he's a stud.

[dacookiemonsta]

Originally Posted by BenjIllini

Nice. I just laugh at Jerry Meyers and ESPN rankings of him. He has to be no worse than a top 50 player.

It is what it is.

What's even funnier is to think he's basically a year young for his class.

If he was a 2014 we'd likely be talking about a top 25 kind of ranking but at the end of the day that is nothing more than just a little extra chest thumping for message board fans.

Doesn't make him better or worse.

He's going to be very good very soon.

[Juice]

Originally Posted by RyanK

Pretty sure Malcolm Hill was going to attend, as well.

Awesome!

[UofIChE06]

Originally Posted by combes

I think White is being given a bit too much credit for Parker's poor game. What I saw was Parker missing shots he usually makes. Parker has played against the best players in the country and on the international level and has faced better players than White and been very successful. Okafor did not have a good game, either. Does anyone think that Woods was the biggest reason? While Woods did a nice job, in my opinion, Okafor and Parker stopped themselves more than any defensive stopper on the other team.

Okafor was stopped by the over under that Simeon used in their zone. They always had someone fronting him and another ready to help from the backside. White played Parker straight up.

“It’s tough when you’re playing against a lot of people your own size,” Parker said.

Still think White had a big effect on Parker's game.

[HeartofaChampion]

Originally Posted by chiefcub69

Tate, Nunn, and Peak were very good last night. Paul White leaves alot to be desired. He's a very tall athlete but can't shoot a lick and disappears a lot.

+1. Very glad to hear that he apparently isn't being recruited by us. Poor shooter and soft in terms of avoiding contact. Not a high motor guy, either.

[HeartofaChampion]

Originally Posted by Dan

Today's visitors-

2014 PG JaQuan Lyle
2014 PG Larry Austin
2015 PG Jalen Coleman

Great news! Hopefully we put on an exciting show for them on the court! Would love to land 1 of the 3. Two of the 3 would be unbelievable.

[CaliforniaIllini]

Anyone know what stats Jaylon Tate had last night? All I can find are his points scored.

[Warriors1994]

Anybody have the video of Nunn dunking over Okafor?

[combes]

Originally Posted by UofIChE06

Okafor was stopped by the over under that Simeon used in their zone. They always had someone fronting him and another ready to help from the backside. White played Parker straight up.



Still think White had a big effect on Parker's game.

Of course, Parker is going to say that. I watched the game again today. Still saw Parker missing open shots he usually makes.

[combes]

Originally Posted by Warriors1994

Anybody have the video of Nunn dunking over Okafor?

You can watch the game again on espn3

[Chilliniwek]

Originally Posted by Warriors1994

Anybody have the video of Nunn dunking over Okafor?

Here are some highlights from the Tribune site. One Nunn dunk, but don't think it's the one you are looking for. Some good video of Groce after the game.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...,3111315.story

[Chilliniwek]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaIllini

Anyone know what stats Jaylon Tate had last night? All I can find are his points scored.

Stats at the bottom of the story for a few including Tate.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...0,595898.story

[Foo G]

Originally Posted by saltygrapes

A player like Peak is great if you have a point who gets him the ball.

Peak was a beast tonight.

Tate was impressive.

Peak is a really good player on the HS level, but I don't consider him to be a unique talent when it comes to the collegiate level.
He would be a nice pickup if we had roster availability.
Paul White, on the other hand, is not a dominant player right now but has the versatility, coordination, and size to potentially develop into a special player.
Once he adds some strength and gets some consistency with his jumper, he will be a matchup nightmare.

[IlliniJim20]

Originally Posted by whitesxfan2012

+1
If you can't get stoked for the Illini's future backcourt after that game, then something is wrong. Tate driving to the hoop and making that crucial lay-up to put Simeon up 3 at the end was impressive! Parker was not good at all. Nunn and Tate clearly carried the team to victory, as the announcers even said, Nunn is the MVP of this game. I can't wait...NEVER underestimate chemistry, which is what Nunn and Tate clearly have, along with mental toughness, grit, and confidence.

Disagree wholeheartedly. Tate was the MVP, then I would say Paul White for his defense on Parker. Nunn had a monster slam, another decent basket, but not much else. Impressed with his athleticism ,but still have not seen great basketball play from him.

[IlliniJim20]

Originally Posted by chiefcub69

Tate, Nunn, and Peak were very good last night. Paul White leaves alot to be desired. He's a very tall athlete but can't shoot a lick and disappears a lot.

Paul White had the job of defending Parker all night, and did a tremendous job, holding him to 7points. He is an improving outside shooter, but isn't there yet. Simeon played zone all night and Paul White is not a zone buster.

Probably not a fit for the Illini, but I have been very impressed with his improvement

[IlliniJim20]

Originally Posted by UofIChE06

I completely get what you are saying Salty but I would say the point is the weakness of WY. That is also at least partially the reason Tate looked so good. Peak is a very good player. He is the difference between the ok but not great WY team last year and the one this year that is highly ranked and has a legit chance to knock of Simeon for states. For those against Paul White, I get your points but he shut down Parker one on one. He really gave Parker problems because Parker is not used to someone that can provide post defense against him and still keep up with him on the perimeter. I think Parker's performance had as much to do with White as it did with Parker. He kind of provides what I would call the DJ factor. He disappears a lot but he is just solid all around. A lot of people on here have been on DJ all year but he is actually playing well even though he is struggling from behind the arc (NEB game excluded). Glue guys that are asked to defend the other teams best player and typically do a good job at it are very valuable. That is White for WY.

I disagree on this point. LJ Peak is important no doubt, but the biggest difference, other than a year of experience, is their point guard Aushar Madison. Without him, Whitney Young is very much like last year.

Madison was not great last night, but if Okafor is their M-O-P, Madison is their MVP.

[IlliniJim20]

Originally Posted by combes

I think White is being given a bit too much credit for Parker's poor game. What I saw was Parker missing shots he usually makes. Parker has played against the best players in the country and on the international level and has faced better players than White and been very successful. Okafor did not have a good game, either. Does anyone think that Woods was the biggest reason? While Woods did a nice job, in my opinion, Okafor and Parker stopped themselves more than any defensive stopper on the other team.

I think the sagging zone defenses, where Okafor had three guys on him all night had more to do with it. All three guys 6'6" or taller.

He was not great, but it was tough. Also didn't help that he was getting mugged in the paint.

I also disagree about Parker. I thought White forced him into bad shots. I have seen that a lot with Parker in the several games I have seen him play. He may make tough shots, but also takes plenty of bad shots.

[Holdemall]

So, I made the long trek down to Chicago State to catch the game last night.
First, the game itself. Simeon basically led wire to wire and would have broken the game wide open if not for LJ Peak's burst in the third
(?) quarter. The score didn't really indicate the relative closeness of the game as Simeon started to stall with two minutes left and promptly
turned the ball over a couple of times leading to easy WY scores. WY managed to get a (bad) shot to tie that wasn't really close. The
game was pretty ragged as Simeon plays outstanding defense but showed a tendency to turn the ball over. I'd say most of those turnovers
were the result of trying to force passes that weren't really there. The officiating was not good at all-inconsistent though not in a way that
favored one team or the other. The ebb and flow of the game was mainly dictated by the officials "letting them play" and then inexplicably
cracking down. Lots and lots of offensive fouls. Parker was in foul trouble for a good chunk of the game. WY plays a more controlled style,
but does not have the raw talent Simeon possesses.

It seems that Simeon is most effective when they basically run isos for either Parker, Tate, or Nunn. The sequence that broke the game
open was three consecutive isos-one for Tate where he utterly blew by Ausar Madison, one for Parker where he showcased his ease with
the ball and just smoothly made his way to the hoop for the score, and one for Nunn where he channelled Brandon Paul with a physical drive
for the basket. When they try to run offense, they just get all screwed up-overly ambitious passes and the like.

Individual players:
LJ Peak: Really a smooth player and seems to have great physical makeup. Made a run in the third quarter where he must have had 12-14
points in a row. This was keyed by WY designing a nice wrinkle in their offense which took advantage of Simeon's aggressive defense by
setting picks at the 3-point line off the elbow. This resulted in either a wide open three or a lane to the basket if the help overcommitted.
It worked over and over again.

Paul White: Paul who? Was not really an entity on offense. Did a good job on Parker defensively, though it didn't seem to be as much a
challenge as one would expect.

Jahlil Okafor: Clearly felt a lot of pressure facing off against Parker. Suffered from trying to do too much on offense-had a couple of nice
plays, but really struggled against Simeon's defense. Had some nice blocks but a couple that probably should have been fouls.

Ausar Madison: Not a lot of size, but imo made up for it with his leadership ability. A few nice dimes and great speed and a tenacious
defender. Had some turnovers, but given that Simeon emphasizes creating turnovers, that is to be expected. This kid seems to have
a great understanding of the game and even flashed a nice-looking jumper. He is truly a diamond in the rough-someone Northwestern
should try to get who will subsequently be a thorn in our damn side for four years.

Jaylon Tate: Was a better pickup than most on here assumed. Has good ballhandling skills and is a leader on that team. His chemistry
with Nunn is outstanding and he makes good decisions with the ball. Has a heck of a motor and is a bit of a hothead-got into a teammate's
face when said teammate failed to come to the ball on a pass for what seemed to be the hundredth time. Turned the ball over some, but
that was mostly due to attempts to feed Pollard.

Kendall Pollard: Is a heck of an athlete and plays well on the defensive end, but for chrissakes, when someone throws you a pass-please
stop just reaching for it! The good Lord gave you hands and feet for a reason! Cost Simeon several possessions by not securing the ball-and
added several turnovers to Tate's statline, I suspect. Will be a player for Dayton, but the process will take more time than they would prefer. (sorry Dayton!)

Kendrick Nunn: Can shoot. Can jump. Plays great defense. Handles are a little loose, but they are probably better than BP's right now, so
I'll take it. The oops from Tate were a thing of beauty. He and Tate will be dynamic coming off the bench to start the year. Reminds me
for all the world of the player Head became as a senior, but with the health Head had coming out of high school.

Jabari Parker: Showed flashes of being absolutely dominant
(the aforementioned iso) but didn't really stand out. He was getting swarmed on defense, and the style of the game was more physical
than he seemed to enjoy. Not a surprise that he's going to mamby-pamby ACC-the physical play in the B1G is probably not all that enticing.
Handles really well for anyone, and as a 6'9" guy-wow! Not even close to a one-and-done imo-maybe two and done. Will not play four years
unless he gets hurt again. He's a little Sullinger-ish in the sense that he does a lot of things well, but not any one thing enough to be able to
exert a strong influence on an NBA game as a 19-year-old. Needs to figure out who he is as a basketball player, though he really is a great
high school player.

A few words on the environment at Chicago State. It's a pretty boring arena, though far nicer that one would expect for a school which is continually
teetering on the edge of de-accreditation. Seems like it is a smaller version of what Welsh-Ryan would have been if built in 2007. Was an utter
nightmare getting into the game-hundreds of people herded into a vestibule waiting for two (2) metal detectors. Everyone was in good spirits,
though. Probably the safest spot in Chicago that night-police and security everywhere, and even those guys were friendly. The immediate
neighborhood is actually quite safe, as my boss parked nearby to avoid the parking clusterf***. Well kept bungalows-a little boring, maybe.

One valuable lesson learned: There were lots of Duke and Illinois fans there. The Duke fans seemed-nervous and jumpy. You can visually identify
a Duke fan at 20 yards because they are preppy and wear plenty of product in their hair. Felt like I was at Roof on the Wit or something. Illini fans,
on the other hand, wear their orange and look like they're attending a basketball game rather than an "It's Just Lunch" speeddating situation.

[whitesxfan2012]

Originally Posted by IlliniJim20

Disagree wholeheartedly. Tate was the MVP, then I would say Paul White for his defense on Parker. Nunn had a monster slam, another decent basket, but not much else. Impressed with his athleticism ,but still have not seen great basketball play from him.

10 pts, 6rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals is definitely "not much else". He apparently impressed many here and the ESPN announcers, as they said at the end of game, Nunn was MVP. Tate played great, too. But, to say say Nunn just didn't do much in the game, is just wrong.

[DaytonIllini]

Originally Posted by whitesxfan2012

10 pts, 6rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals is definitely "not much else". He apparently impressed many here and the ESPN announcers, as they said at the end of game, Nunn was MVP. Tate played great, too. But, to say say Nunn just didn't do much in the game, is just wrong.

Agreed. He also had about a half dozen deflections, almost never allowed penetration from the arc. Not sure what more the kid could have done except cut down on his turnovers. His handle is a bit loose but not horrible. Definitely not a PG but I believe he can help relieve pressure with his ballhandling as an alternate guard. He impressed me. Not saying he'll be a superstar and certainly not as a freshman but I could see him getting some minutes due to his athleticism and on ball defense.

[NxtLvelIllini7]

I believe we recruited this guy at one time