Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (May-June 2018)

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#501      

Sizzler22

S
Sizzler22
More minutes for Tevian, remember this is positionless basketball. I’m super pumped for Damone and Tevian. I think Ebo will be improved as well. Very happy with how this team is coming together.
 
#502      

Peoria Illini

P
Peoria, IL
Peoria Illini
Hummus said:
I am not trying to convince anyone nor am I trying to get Stu to tell me that there is a chance. The fact that there has been no announcement has not permanently closed the door on something happening. I was merely trying to point that out.

I will move on once it is announced that he has narrowed down his schools to OU or PU OR that he announces his commitment. Given his proximity to Champaign, there is still a possibility of a day visit to Champaign or an in-home. I pointed out that those are plausible, but given the information or lack thereof, they are unlikely to happen.

That is all the point was. I can deduce that there is still a chance, however small that chance may be. I, too, will not be betting on us, but yes, the longer it goes, the more opportunity there is for something to happen or for someone to get in his ear. I am not going into this naively, not am I trying to fish for information from Stu; I do not think that my post was a fishing expedition at all. My, my.
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I'm heading down tomorrow to pick up my son, as he's finished with finals. I guess I could stop in Normal and give Francis a lift to campus. He may have to find his way back to Normal on his own, though. LOL
 
#503      

Ga65

G
Ga65
Offensively Tevian and Kipper at the forwards can present some problems (shooting and offensive rebounding) for teams but worry about PU type teams with 6'10" at the 4 defensively. Giorgi has the size and appears to be a Mav (hopefully Jr. Year) type player who may be of some help. However, we are going to need to prevent the entry pass and double if they do get it into the post. Do believe we have a significant improvement in quickness this year if they can learn positioning. Another big will help but Kane and Ebo are an upgrade over Mav and Finke defensively IMO.
 
#504      

foby

foby
Bonnaroo Land
foby
Sizzler22 said:
More minutes for Tevian, remember this is positionless basketball. I’m super pumped for Damone and Tevian. I think Ebo will be improved as well. Very happy with how this team is coming together.
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If only I could figure out GIFs here. Dang you, Technology.
 
#505      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
PlayAZ said:
It still amazes me that with our current past recruiting and how silent many have been, that we has a fanbase automatically would give up on a talent such as Okoro.

We have not heard anything concrete for what a month or so, yet we are still a plausible school for him according to many, but a washout as far as a possible school by many on here and it is mostly due to not getting a last visit or hearing "good" rumors...

Have faith...Okoro will be an ILLINI by end of weekend.
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Too many signs pointing towards another school. Plenty of smoke before last weekend. Probably visit, couple of guys close to illini coverage felt real good about our chances... then everything flipped. Zero smoke, no visit, and all the "experts" seem certain its Oregon. Crazier things have happened, but this would be probably the biggest surprise recruiting pull at this point we would have in a long long time (JCL committing comes to mind, but maybe a discussion for another time).
 
#506      

SergioKittner

S
SergioKittner
PlayAZ said:
I would not assume this, he has been to our campus before, he knows the program, he is familiar already with the players, new and old and likes our system.

Maybe he just wants the other visits to determine if he will be missing out on something and will decide he is not really missing on anything by still choosing the ILLINI without another visit. He really doesn't need another one does he?:chief::chief:
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Schmidt said quite some time ago Okoro doesn’t need to visit again to commit to Illini. He has also stated that the allure of playing for Phil Knight’s amateur team has become a big pull for Francis. Hard to blame him.
 
#507      

Illini in OC

Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Illini in OC

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#508      

wILL-INI

wILL-INI
Charlotte, NC
wILL-INI
SergioKittner said:
Schmidt said quite some time ago Okoro doesn’t need to visit again to commit to Illini. He has also stated that the allure of playing for Phil Knight’s amateur team has become a big pull for Francis. Hard to blame him.
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Just another reason to blame the rebrand... #TeamNoShield:shield:
 
#509      

BananaShampoo

B
Captain 'Paign
Phoenix, AZ
BananaShampoo
PlayAZ said:
It still amazes me that with our current past recruiting and how silent many have been, that we has a fanbase automatically would give up on a talent such as Okoro.

We have not heard anything concrete for what a month or so, yet we are still a plausible school for him according to many, but a washout as far as a possible school by many on here and it is mostly due to not getting a last visit or hearing "good" rumors...

Have faith...Okoro will be an ILLINI by end of weekend.
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While I would love to believe this is true, your prediction is based on what exactly?
 
#510      

IlliniinIowa

I
IlliniinIowa
PlayAZ said:
It still amazes me that with our current past recruiting and how silent many have been, that we has a fanbase automatically would give up on a talent such as Okoro.

We have not heard anything concrete for what a month or so, yet we are still a plausible school for him according to many, but a washout as far as a possible school by many on here and it is mostly due to not getting a last visit or hearing "good" rumors...

Have faith...Okoro will be an ILLINI by end of weekend.
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If you get this right, you'll become this board's ultimate insider.....:thumb:
 
#513      

Whitmans Sampler

Whitmans Sampler
Eastern Iowa
Whitmans Sampler
PtownIllini8 said:
Those 6'8" or 6'9"+ PFs on the other team would then have to guard a Tevian Jones or Griff out on the floor as well, right. That stuff cuts both ways. Nova has done pretty darned well playing 4 out, 1 in basketball, winning 2 NCs in 3 years.
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+1 Exactly. If the net advantage (opposing PF having to guard Tevian Jones vs. Tevian Jones having to guard opposing PF) leans our way, Underwood would not have a problem with it. A huge contrast from Groce, who IMO seemed to focus too much on how the opposing team was able to benefit from the mismatch.
 
#514      

IlliniinIowa

I
IlliniinIowa
PtownIllini8 said:
Those 6'8" or 6'9"+ PFs on the other team would then have to guard a Tevian Jones or Griff out on the floor as well, right. That stuff cuts both ways. Nova has done pretty darned well playing 4 out, 1 in basketball, winning 2 NCs in 3 years.
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Helps having a roster littered with 5-star recruits.
 
#516      

WhiteRhino

WhiteRhino
WhiteRhino
Following recruiting will drive you crazy. I wish I had taken the blue pill and continued to just cheer for the guys on my team(s) when they showed up on campus.

But, alas, once you've swallowed that red pill you can never go back to ignorant bliss.
 
#519      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
PtownIllini8 said:
Hardly. No one was predicting Butler, there was zero smoke their way. BTW, didn't Purdue have a OV after Oregon?
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You're underestimating what a visit can do for a player/person. I'm not saying every visit you take will change your mind, nor do those who have the last visit get the guy every time, I'm tell you why the Okoro recruitment isn't as similar to Golden's as you seem to think. I'm saying, for all you know, the experts were right in thinking it was cuse. He goes on that Butler visit, it just so happens to change his mind, and he commits almost instantly after.


Okoro might be an Illini/Boilermaker/Duck from the beginning and none of these visit mattered. And maybe tomorrow he changes his mind. The fact is, at this moment, the experts say hes going to Oregon. A visit was allegedly supposed to happen this week to UI. It didn't. Maybe it means nothing, but I choose to believe the group think of experts picking Oregon rather than us still hopefuls thinking its UI.
 
#524      

FeelYourPaign

FeelYourPaign
So Cal
FeelYourPaign
WhiteRhino said:
Following recruiting will drive you crazy. I wish I had taken the blue pill and continued to just cheer for the guys on my team(s) when they showed up on campus.

But, alas, once you've swallowed that red pill you can never go back to ignorant bliss.
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Truth
 
#525      

BRucks

BRucks
BRucks
Greensboro said:
Who are you trying to convince, you just want Stu to tell you there is a chance. There is a chance, it just is a poor one at this point. I don't think getting him on campus is key, getting him on campus is a sign that he may have opened the door to Illinois and something has changed. Sure if we get him on campus it gives us another chance to pitch the program, but we have made enough pitches over the last year that one more is unlikely to change his mind.

Sure, at this point the longer it goes the better our chances because it is more time for him to change his mind or a sign that he hasn't completely decided.

It seems pretty obvious he is at a minimum a heavy Oregon lean, and our chances are somewhere between slim and none...but stuff happens and until he announces there is always a chance, but no sane person is betting on us.
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You may not be in the right place if you are looking for sane.
 
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