Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#152      

ColSLU69

C
ColSLU69
We have our center! Tomislav Ivisic is an excellent addition. Great recruiting job by Brad and the staff. That gives Illinois FIVE big men on the roster: 7'1" Ivisic, 6'11" Jakstys, 6'10" Booth, 6'9" Johnson, and 6'9" Humrichous. I don't see any other scholarships going to another big man. Illinois also has THREE "wings" on the roster: 6'7" Tre White, 6'6" Jake Davis, and 6'6" Ty Rodgers. I would think that Illinois will not be adding another wing-like transfer to the roster. Illinois also has TWO ballhandlers/guards on the roster: 6'2" Kylan Boswell and 6'1" Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. That's 10 (of a possible 13) scholarships. The question on everyone's mind is who else, at what positions, will the Illini next be adding to the roster.
 
#153      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
ugottabjoshinme said:
These European pros need to retain "amateur status" by not receiving compensation in excess of expenses and possibly continuing class work. I'd imagine your example is a bit of hyperbole.
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It's just a different flavor of the "would UConn beat the Pistons?" type of argument.

College basketball is not a very high level of play in the grand scheme of things and can't be because the players are too young.

AirNeazy said:
Agreed, and even this might be an understatement.....I'd say the Adriatic League is several, several levels higher than the B1G. This is the league where Dante Exum went to get his NBA mojo back, Jokic was league MVP before coming over stateside. I think there are several veterans in the Adriatic who played B1G ball too.

Ivisic was competing against grown a** men and looks like he was holding his own at minimum. Lets ride.
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Aubrey Dawkins from Michigan many moons ago is Ivisic's teammate.

Brandon Paul plays in the same city, Frank Kaminsky is also in the league, there are a bunch of ex-NBA guys, and certainly future NBA guys among the younger natives.
 
#154      

Illini B-Ball Fan

Illini B-Ball Fan
Illini B-Ball Fan
Welcome, Iviy, you'll like it here, go Illini!!

Sports gif. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is in the WWE ring. His bald head glistening, he breaks into a wide and mischievous smile. He's about to throw down in the best way.
 
#157      

NarrowJ

NarrowJ
NarrowJ
OskieWowWow said:
Idk, I see him more as a bigger/more explosive Coleman. Also needs a ton of work on the defensive end if they want him to play the 5 on defense. Was talking more about them not upgrading from Kohler/Cooper
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Booker is a 5

EDIT: At least that is where they will play him, imo
 
#158      

ptgrd23

ptgrd23
ptgrd23
Idea Gardener said:
How does Ivisic pair with Morez?
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The old Bill Self high low game please. Ivisec at free throw line lobbing it to Morez under the basket. I think people are really underestimating how good Morez will be a a freshman. I see freshman starter minutes like James Augustine, Efrem Winters, Nick Anderson etc. He was higher rated than any of the transfers we are bringing in coming out of HS. Remember that 4 of our transfers are sophomores (Booth, Davis) or juniors (Boswell White. They are not 5th year covid players like Marcus, Quincy and Justin. Only Hamrichous is 5th year. 20 year old Ivisic I would classify as a Soph/Jr in experience.

I see Morez as 25 mpg - 12 ppg 9 rbg monster shooting 55%. I also hope to see Ivisic, Morez, and Booth blocking a lot of shots from weak side so we can pressure more on perimeter. Dain was big but not quick twitch jumper he only blocked the man he was guarding. Coleman got his share of blocks but did not actively look to do it as a 5.
 
#161      

Fly Illini Fly!

F
Fly Illini Fly!
Sorry if I missed it somewhere, any new news about Egor?

As of yesterday it was not likely but still "a work in progress" and "still trying" according to our insiders. Are we now out on him or is there still a chance?

Ain't gonna lie; really wanted him. Oh well...
 
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#164      

CrazyIlliniLady

C
CrazyIlliniLady
ChiTown said:
Because you scored 30 points in one game doesn’t make you a 20 points per game scorer.
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Just saying he has the capacity to score more than he has in the past. This year, between the knee problems and how many other good scorers we had, it wasn't necessary for him to score that much but I agree that we need another shooter on the team, and I'm expecting Daddy to get one for us. Coleman would bring far more than scoring if we could get him to return...
 
#168      

ptgrd23

ptgrd23
ptgrd23
JMO - Coleman is a unicorn that will intrigue some NBA front office to take a 2nd round flyer. He has high ceiling. If Podz can get minutes in NBA doing all the little things I don't see why Coleman can't do the same.

Lakers took 2nd round flyer on THT from Iowa State because of his unicorn skill set. Of course THT came out after freshman year.
 
#170      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
OskieWowWow said:
- Purdue and IU are going to get the preseason hype (Still not convinced by IU, but they did add a ton of talent)

- A bit shocked that MSU didn't add anyone at the 5. Can't see them as contenders because of that

- USC is a wild card

- Not really worried about UM, OSU, and Maryland despite their offseason overhauls
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I have not followed transfer portal recruiting quite as much this year, but it is worth noting that there was a graphic during the season that showed Indiana had the overall second or third "most talented" roster in the Big Ten. They finished 11th in the league, and their season ended with a 27-point blowout loss to a decent Nebraska team, but one that nonetheless was a #9 seed that lost in the First Round.

I'll fully admit I might be biased and it DOES appear that Indiana added quite a lot of nice pieces ... but at the end of the day, Woodson will need to prove a LOT more before he will get this Illini fan worried. His masterclass so far while having TJD at his height and an otherwise stacked roster was 21-10 regular season and a blowout loss in the Second Round as a #4 seed ... something Illini fans would NOT exactly be happy about from Brad, haha.

EDIT: Also, as for the general point here that needs to be said ... we have FINALLY switched positions and it is OTHER programs that need to prove it on the court that they belong in the same sentence with Illinois. Underwood has proved in multiple years here that he will reload and have his team near the top of the league. Even the relative disaster that was 2023 had us with an outside fighter's chance at a regular season title in late February. Remember in 2011 or 2013 when we'd have a bunch of talent and we had hope that we could break into the top tier of the league, but no one feared us (rightfully) until we proved it? Well, we have earned the right to be the fan base that doubts the upstarts. :cool:
 
#171      

ColSLU69

C
ColSLU69
It seems like 6'6" Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond is ranked as the best remaining guard in the transfer portal. It was thought by many that St. John's was in the lead for Richmond, but SJU just received a commitment from Utah PG Deivon Smith. Maybe that will push Richmond to some other school? I'd love to see him come to Illinois; he's a good scorer (15.7 ppg), a good rebounder (7.0 rpg), a very willing passer (5.1 apg), and a stout defender. Richmond could start at the 2, while also being able to serve as the primary backup ballhandler/point guard.
 
#172      

Illini in OC

Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Illini in OC
Fighter of the Nightman said:
THIS. I wouldn't be surprised if Underwood is as frustrated with the changes to college hoops since he started his career as any other coach ... but it's clear he isn't going to cry over spilled milk, and he is adjusting and thriving to this new reality, whether he thinks it's "good for the sport" or not.

Brad seems to understand that in a "best case" offseason like last year, you will return a very solid core (TSJ, Coleman, Ty, Goode, etc.) but will need to significantly supplement it with some real talent (Domask, Quincy, Harmon, etc.) to have a truly great team. In a "worst case" offseason, you will need to pretty much remake your entire roster from scratch and will be lucky to return 1-2 guys (Ty, DLG). And he seems to also understand that he will be still be expected to win big at a job like Illinois ... I think the man is up to the task, and I question how many coaches in this current landscape are.
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Fighter - I almost always stop to read your posts - appreciate the thoughtfulness.

I agree that Brad has completely committed to putting the best team on the floor every season. Period.
This may involve painful 90% reloads or adding a couple of studs to a rising roster.

Watching the past 3 offseasons, I've observed that Brad went:
from "get studs" (i.e. TSJ, Skyy, Mayer, Epps, etc.)
to "get studs who fit and will become EDGs this season" (i.e. Marcus, Quincy, Harmon, etc.)
to "get studs who fit and will become EDGs this season and beyond to create year-year continuity" (i.e. note the mix of multi-year players added this year)

This is what building a great program looks like. Every year Brad learns what's important to keep, what's missing, what needs to be discarded and what needs to be added. Getting better can require some real pain.

We lost some awesome guys - Sencire, Luke, Amani (watch out !!!), Dane, Nicco and Chet. More importantly, we added some what Brad feels are awesome-er guys. We just got a Pro with 4-years' eligibility - BOOM!

This is what every offseason in the future will look like for Brad, Staff and Players. The key will be for players to see ILL as the best place to spend their next year to optimize their future. As a program, we always want Brad to choose (intentional) next year's team and ensure that anyone who doesn't have a seat in the next cycle understands that this is life in the big city - not good, not bad... just is. Hopefully these players will view their Illini experience as having made them better than if they'd been someplace else. It's the circle of life.

In Brad we Trust.
 
#174      

Fly Illini Fly!

F
Fly Illini Fly!
ColSLU69 said:
It seems like 6'6" Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond is ranked as the best remaining guard in the transfer portal. It was thought by many that St. John's was in the lead for Richmond, but SJU just received a commitment from Utah PG Deivon Smith. Maybe that will push Richmond to some other school? I'd love to see him come to Illinois; he's a good scorer (15.7 ppg), a good rebounder (7.0 rpg), a very willing passer (5.1 apg), and a stout defender. Richmond could start at the 2, while also being able to serve as the primary backup ballhandler/point guard.
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I'd honestly take the dude from North Florida slightly, slightly over him despite the rankings but would LOVE to either one of those two (not gonna get both but getting 1/2 would be GREAT)
 
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