Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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That will be extremely handy next April when we all lose our collective minds again... Hopefully, it will help us remain calm after our 2024-25 National Championship run.E-book, maybe. I’d spend all MY stash publishing in book form.
Technically, Nick Anderson and Frankie were immediate impact sophomores. But your point still stands.
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Holmes paired with either jones or Richmond would be incredible
danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
- Rochester, MN
I've been thinking the same lately. Schollies 11-13 used to be for underclassmen who weren't ready yet and maybe the occasional injury-prone gamble or sit-out-a-year transfer.
The gambles might still be there, but the sit-outs are completely gone, and the former type of player is now just going to want to see the floor at a low or mid-major. From that player's perspective, there is nothing to gain by riding the bench at a top school.
You'll be competing for PT versus a wide open transfer landscape every year either way, but instead of an open portfolio of actual floor time to market yourself with, you'll have one program who knows your skills, and then in only one situation (practice). In the meantime, you're probably missing out on better NIL money in a bigger-fish-in-smaller-pond scenario. So it's a bad choice in both the short and long term views.
The only exception I can think of* would be having such a high degree of confidence in a particular program, staff, or fit that you think it's worth trading off the short-term $ and long-term flexibility. I'm sure some kids will believe that, but as anyone who's been involved in hiring knows, picking people is hard no matter how much you trust yourself or your process.
* Edit - another one would be interest in something non-personal, like choosing a blue-blood because you'd rather win a title with limited PT than start on a bad team. But even that's becoming harder to optimize for as the transfer portal creates more parity across CBB from year to year.
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JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
You still need bodies in practice, even if players aren't seeing the floor during games.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I mean it kinda doesn't.
Anderson and Frankie didn't play as freshmen, Ayo was a frosh on the losingest team in program history, and Belo was a lot of fun in a very limited role.
Dee and Kofi are the only guys there who really drove success as freshmen, and as we've mentioned with super seniors still hanging around and the portal making good teams older and deeper, it's a uniquely challenging time for freshmen.
Morez has the opportunity to help us next year, but expecting him to be Batman is a bad idea. Luckily our staff is not expecting that and is out there seeking our big scoring star right now.
Nick didn't play as a freshman.
danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
- Rochester, MN
Agreed, but fewer and fewer players are going to want to take that role. In the past, players accepted those roles as the price of having a spot on the best team that would take them, because future starting roles were mostly filled by current bench players. In other words, it was more important to be on the team than anything else--even if you didn't progress as well as hoped, it was hard for the team to go and replace you. But now, playing time is 100% up for grabs every year, and there's really no benefit to being a bench player on a particular team - whatever small benefit it might provide with your own team is probably more than cancelled out by the lack of exposure it gives you at any other school.
I'd take Davis from FAU over either Jones or Richmond. But we certainly don't look to be in on him much. Mostly probably cuz of the prize but what doesn't make much sense is Jones or Richmond won't be much less. Or I guess it is then...
You’re right. We don’t know what kind of impact freshmen Frankie and Nick would’ve had. For comparison, Ken Norman’s first year with the Illini (after one season at JC) was spent on the bench. He didn’t become the player he was billed to become until his second season in the Orange and Blue. Then he exploded his senior year.
Think BU will have a team of developing studs,some studs come with a cost,both financially and team building.For example A. J. Storr,David Jones are for lack of a better term ME players.Domask became a stud after arriving at UI,EDG.
Loyalillini10
- Urbana, IL
I would say Wells, Jones and Holmes are all in the "stud" category.
Wont be able to get past admissions - not a grad - only one year left
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
And this is what's so awful and fan-alienating about where we are in college basketball now. We've been excited about Morez for two years now and he's obviously this incredibly talented kid on a path to being a great player and it's been so rewarding watching guys like that grow and develop in Illini history.
But the bare reality of it is there's every chance he's starring for Iowa 18 months from now, while we'll spend our time going "oh, Poopy McGee who played at Indiana, Memphis and San Diego State the last three years is a ready-made Big Ten stud, wow, Brad is cooking, cue the party gifs!"
That sucks!
Morez could be more in the vein of Deon Thomas' freshman year of 1990/91. Kaufman was "the man" 21.3 ppg but Deon was #2 at 15.1 ppg and leading rebounder at 6.8. Team was picked very low but finished 3rd in Big Ten (21-10 record).
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
It feels like we've waited 10 years to see Morez suit up in the orange and blue. If we only get him for one year, please be because the following season he's in the league. If he transfers out after all of this, man, that will be killer. No matter how good Poopy McGee is.
Yeah, my rabid fandom in college sports is predicated on following players as they mature at my alma. That we're losing that to such a massive degree makes this relationship more and more untenable. This needs to be a brief phase before we move into a better structure that benefits players, coaches, and fans.
I certainly, as a fan, do not want DGL to transfer, but wouldn’t him transferring to a smaller school, where he could star, be beneficial to him?!
If he went to on to start and star at a smaller place and averaged 17, 4, and 4, wouldn’t he have a huge market coming into his junior year?
What if he stayed “committed” to us and did this?!
If he went to on to start and star at a smaller place and averaged 17, 4, and 4, wouldn’t he have a huge market coming into his junior year?
What if he stayed “committed” to us and did this?!
The only way he's playing at Iowa is if he isn't as good as Poopy McGee. I don't think earning PT or NIL is going to be an issue for Morez.
Neither do I. Hope he sticks it out!!!
I don't follow the football side as closely, but I think we had a freshman corner who was decent hit that portal in the spring once "better" offers opened up. I just hate the idea that teams are turning into farm systems for the few mega conferences. I love winning and will likely get into it in the season, but it is losing a place as a passion for me as a fan.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
visions of the pep band playing the chorus of Hooked on a Feeling!
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
c'mon, Ben H is not the end game
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