Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (May 2019)

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#1,152      

Courier

C
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Ayo was MIF. There's no reason to think the current staff is on bad footing there.
As was DaMonte. They're on good ground with MIF. MIF aren't the kind of guys you put your faith in though.
 
#1,153      
Hearing Tevin Mack is likely headed to Clemson.

Wouldn’t be surprised if Fletcher put down both Duke and UK in his final 5. He doesn’t have offers from either.

Mizzou, Duke, UK, Michigan State, UCLA is what I heard from someone involved with BBE.
 
#1,156      
Watching some of the Our Savior Lutheran/Roselle Catholic game. Kouma is nowhere close to as fluid as Giorgi, but he was able to move his feet and, for the most part, stay in front of the smaller, much quicker and more athletic Whitney. He's a big body who will protect the rim, rebound, and keep us from getting bullied down low like we did last year. And he looks to have a good enough touch to keep defenses honest out to about 15'. Not an instant impact player, but I do think he's a good fit for what we needed (size) and what we are trying to do on offense. I think he will contribute next year and certainly outplay his ranking. Watching him reminded me of Brian Carwell, who I believe was top 100 (maybe top 60?) out of HS.
 
#1,157      

201154JC

Rockford, IL
Watching some of the Our Savior Lutheran/Roselle Catholic game. Kouma is nowhere close to as fluid as Giorgi, but he was able to move his feet and, for the most part, stay in front of the smaller, much quicker and more athletic Whitney. He's a big body who will protect the rim, rebound, and keep us from getting bullied down low like we did last year. And he looks to have a good enough touch to keep defenses honest out to about 15'. Not an instant impact player, but I do think he's a good fit for what we needed (size) and what we are trying to do on offense. I think he will contribute next year and certainly outplay his ranking. Watching him reminded me of Brian Carwell, who I believe was top 100 (maybe top 60?) out of HS.
Good analysis. Agree on every point u made. Must be a Rockford thing. :) He's also intelligent and seemingly a good kid also. A nice addition to the Illini family.
 
#1,159      
Watching some of the Our Savior Lutheran/Roselle Catholic game. Kouma is nowhere close to as fluid as Giorgi, but he was able to move his feet and, for the most part, stay in front of the smaller, much quicker and more athletic Whitney. He's a big body who will protect the rim, rebound, and keep us from getting bullied down low like we did last year. And he looks to have a good enough touch to keep defenses honest out to about 15'. Not an instant impact player, but I do think he's a good fit for what we needed (size) and what we are trying to do on offense. I think he will contribute next year and certainly outplay his ranking. Watching him reminded me of Brian Carwell, who I believe was top 100 (maybe top 60?) out of HS.
Think he needs some Fletch time in terms of overall conditioning but he is big enough to compete now. Agree he will see some time as he fills some needs. Tough to believe his rating based on the game against Whitney. Announcers called him the best player on the floor in that game. Looked to be at least a three star.
 
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#1,162      

jmilt7

Waukegan
Weird possible transfer: Rising senior big man Eugene Omoruyi of Rutgers says on social media that he wants to transfer, right after the school scheduled a game in Toronto for him to play near home. No one there is sure what’s going on.

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketbal...eugene-omoruyi-says-he-wants-to-transfer.html

Article below opines that, "Numerous phone calls on the subject over the past 48 hours yielded a common theme: Somebody convinced him that the grass is greener — specifically, that his path to the NCAA Tournament in his final season of eligibility would be easier elsewhere." And that, "There's a strong whiff of tampering,"

Rutgers basketball: Is Eugene Omoruyi's defection the new normal?
 
#1,165      

Deleted member 643761

D
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#1,166      
Unless we still add someone we will have two scholarship players from the state. The rest cover a wide geographic area. My opinion is that is a positive in that we do not depend on one area. Think AAU ball has changed area recruiting as players are exposed nationally.
 
#1,167      
Article below opines that, "Numerous phone calls on the subject over the past 48 hours yielded a common theme: Somebody convinced him that the grass is greener — specifically, that his path to the NCAA Tournament in his final season of eligibility would be easier elsewhere." And that, "There's a strong whiff of tampering,"

Rutgers basketball: Is Eugene Omoruyi's defection the new normal?

Sad, but true. Not sure it's "tampering" --that sounds like another made-up word by the NCAA and it's stupid rules. In any case, he was convinced to go somewhere else and a lot of programs will want him.

Combining free agency with the black market for talent is kind of the worst case for college bball. If you have both, then the opportunity to buy championships should be maximized, with high roster turnover --both being bad for fans. I know the NCAA will never do anything that risks making less money, but it'd be nice if they could think longer term.

The NCAA is so far behind the curve, it's hard to imagine things getting better. I wish they would experiment with longer term commitments (doesn't need to interfere with educational choice, but similar to a non-compete, it would stop players from jumping teams at any time to the highest bidder.

Smaller programs need some avenue to overcome the big boys' advantages. The sport needs to think outside the box, and has a history of being incapable of it. Maybe a mid-major conference will try something that works well and that will catch on....
 
#1,169      
DJ Steward taking his first OV to Texas starting this Friday.

They’re the team to beat right now.

There is legit sentiment from the UT people around me that Shaka was lucky to come out of last season with his job. Pretty sure he’s in a win or go home situation this year.
 
#1,170      

PJD86

Texas
Shaka is in trouble AND Texas is Steward's leader, Louisville probably #2. Rather he pick Texas, Shaka gets canned and maybe we can get him on the rebound

(I know, I'm grasping at straws here)
 
#1,171      
Shaka is in trouble AND Texas is Steward's leader, Louisville probably #2. Rather he pick Texas, Shaka gets canned and maybe we can get him on the rebound

(I know, I'm grasping at straws here)

I’ll be honest that’s kinda where I was going
 
#1,172      

Foggy Notion

San Francisco
Shaka is in trouble AND Texas is Steward's leader, Louisville probably #2. Rather he pick Texas, Shaka gets canned and maybe we can get him on the rebound

(I know, I'm grasping at straws here)
hBbown.gif
 
#1,173      
Shaka is in trouble AND Texas is Steward's leader, Louisville probably #2. Rather he pick Texas, Shaka gets canned and maybe we can get him on the rebound

(I know, I'm grasping at straws here)

You're wanting a failing coach who is being fired to replace one that won before he came here? Yeah, that'll bring us back
 
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