Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July 2020)

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#151      
I watch his highlights when I am bored. Is a straight killer. Throw the kitchen sink at him to get him.

Same here. I absolutely love the way he plays. I’m hoping I can watch him in person since I live somewhat near his high school.
 
#153      

Michael Zanoni lit it up at Myrtle Beach over the weekend. 91 points in 3 games. Was on Illinois unofficial in October. Coach Underwood is finding great talent all over the country. Could Zanoni be another one?
Wait, 22.8 points/game at 91 points in 3 games? I don’t have a math degree, but isn’t that 30.3 p/g? 22.8 would be 91 over 4 games.
 
#154      
Jeff Goodman@GoodmanHoops

Hampton transfer Ben Stanley will choose from the following, per source.

Dayton, Oregon, Xavier, Maryland, Illinois and Hampton.
12:03 PM · Jul 13, 2020

"And Hampton"....not too many times I've seen the incumbent school listed. It just looks strange amongst the other 5 schools.
 
#156      
Stanley would go a long way in helping this team replace the production that we’re gonna lose from last year. Would be a monster get.

Is there any way he would be eligible for 20-21?
 
#157      

Soulberries

University of Illinois
"And Hampton"....not too many times I've seen the incumbent school listed. It just looks strange amongst the other 5 schools.
What worries me is it seems like he wants to stay close to home. And wasn’t Georgetown supposed to be in the lead with Maryland? Not even mentioned here.
 
#158      
Foster is going pro. Once he decided against re-class the decision was made.

We will still wind up with a great class. Where things stand right now, a class of Goode, Jones, Etienne, and Nesbitt is very attainable. :shield:

I needed to find a quote where you included Nesbitt for reference ... and as a quick sidebar, should the above class come together, it would be very difficult for anyone on this board to complain.

Nesbitt reminds me of a more complete, physical version of [gulp] Landers Nolley without the drama; Landers featured a smoother stroke, but Nesbitt is no slouch pulling up. Is this a fair comp, Indy (or anyone who has seen more than YouTube mixes) or is there one better?
 
#159      
They were both PG's coming in though and Dee was the higher rated prospect at the time.

I believe Ayo would be correct the answer to the question.

You think of him as a "pure" PG? I don't personally. I wouldn't call him a shooting guard either. I'd call him a scoring guard. He's capable of playmaking, but it's not his mindset. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands taking it up the court, and money on the break. He's mostly a penetrater, but can pass and take outside shots. Has a fantastic mid-range/pull-up/floater arsenal to fool defenders and draw fouls. His A/T is not really close to the "pure" category. His handles could be better, but I think scoring guards inherently take more risks that lead to TOs.
 
#160      
You think of him as a "pure" PG? I don't personally. I wouldn't call him a shooting guard either. I'd call him a scoring guard. He's capable of playmaking, but it's not his mindset. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands taking it up the court, and money on the break. He's mostly a penetrater, but can pass and take outside shots. Has a fantastic mid-range/pull-up/floater arsenal to fool defenders and draw fouls. His A/T is not really close to the "pure" category. His handles could be better, but I think scoring guards inherently take more risks that lead to TOs.
The original question included Dee and McCamey as possibly the two most recent highly ranked "pure point guards". I would assert that those two guys were also more scoring guards, in a similar mold to Ayo.

"I'd call him a scoring guard. He's capable of playmaking, but it's not his mindset. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands taking it up the court, and money on the break. He's mostly a penetrater, but can pass and take outside shots." You could have just as easily been talking about McCamey or Brown.

If they meet the criteria, then so does Ayo. If not, you have to go back quite awhile to get to a "pure PG" that was higher rated coming in than Curbelo.
 
#162      
I probably wasn't clear enough. I didn't mean "Best PG Recruit". More what is considered the "Pure PG" vs. Scoring PG or Combo PG. A natural distributor, setting up teammates, amazing vision and passer. They can still be great shooters... Cassius Winston comes to mind as somebody who knows how to set up teammates and makes the right play.

I'm guessing Deron is the last recruit to come in who fit that mold if you don't count DMC. Maybe HRF?
 
#163      
The original question included Dee and McCamey as possibly the two most recent highly ranked "pure point guards". I would assert that those two guys were also more scoring guards, in a similar mold to Ayo.

"I'd call him a scoring guard. He's capable of playmaking, but it's not his mindset. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands taking it up the court, and money on the break. He's mostly a penetrater, but can pass and take outside shots." You could have just as easily been talking about McCamey or Brown.

If they meet the criteria, then so does Ayo. If not, you have to go back quite awhile to get to a "pure PG" that was higher rated coming in than Curbelo.

Don't agree at all. In addition to the eye test, you don't see similar stats. McCamey was an assist machine --I believe he either led the entire NCAA, or was in the top couple guys one year. Dee was known as pass first as well. Both those guys had A/Ts radically better than Ayos. Not trying to beat you up for a difference of opinion on what defines a pure PG --I just see those guys as having very different skill sets, coming out of high school and into their careers. Dee was an unusual case in that he was playing with 2 other guards that went to the NBA, one who was a 3 time all star drafted #3 overall for his pure PG skills. Dee had "pure" PG skills, but wound up playing as a 2 guard for most of his minutes when Deron was here.

More directly to the point, I see Curbelo as closer to Deron's skill set than any of those other guards. He's about 3 inches shorter, and without his frame, so I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to put Deron-like expectations on him. But I do see the potential trust developing that comes from elite bball IQ and ability to implement the offense, even if he's Deron-light in other areas. Really looking forward to seeing him and Miller this season.
 
#165      

illinihawk16

Chicago
"And Hampton"....not too many times I've seen the incumbent school listed. It just looks strange amongst the other 5 schools.

Wondering if he maybe expects to not get a waiver to play immediately and wants to keep returning to Hampton as an option. Agreed that it's weird to list it explicitly, though.
 
#168      

GrayGhost77

Centennial, CO
No love for Tracy Abrams? I think he fits this “highest rated PG since” for Curbelo
Loved Tracy, but absolutely not a pure PG. Same with Ayo, or Dee. The last real one we had was DMac, before him DWill, and before him HRF. Can't wait to see what we look like with Curbelo as our next one.
 
#169      
Don't agree at all. In addition to the eye test, you don't see similar stats. McCamey was an assist machine --I believe he either led the entire NCAA, or was in the top couple guys one year. Dee was known as pass first as well. Both those guys had A/Ts radically better than Ayos. Not trying to beat you up for a difference of opinion on what defines a pure PG --I just see those guys as having very different skill sets, coming out of high school and into their careers. Dee was an unusual case in that he was playing with 2 other guards that went to the NBA, one who was a 3 time all star drafted #3 overall for his pure PG skills. Dee had "pure" PG skills, but wound up playing as a 2 guard for most of his minutes when Deron was here.

More directly to the point, I see Curbelo as closer to Deron's skill set than any of those other guards. He's about 3 inches shorter, and without his frame, so I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to put Deron-like expectations on him. But I do see the potential trust developing that comes from elite bball IQ and ability to implement the offense, even if he's Deron-light in other areas. Really looking forward to seeing him and Miller this season.
McCamey became an assist machine, but it took him a couple of years. His A/T ratio was almost identical to Ayo's in their respective freshman years. DMC became marginally better his Soph year. He really took a leap in that regard in his final 2 years.
Roster construction is what put Ayo in the scoring role rather than as a primary ball handler, similar to Dee's experience.
 
#171      
In my mind, I will not try to differentiate who was higher rated or better. They were all outstanding point guards for whom we all rooted for success and victory. They are Illini basketball alums, starters, and had shining moments.
 
#172      
I don't necessarily think a pure point guard and a scoring point guard are mutually exclusive. McCamey was truly both, averaging 6 and 7 assists his jr. & sr. year while also being the leading scorer. I think his situation with lack of other top scorers on his roster forced him to be the scorer, as well as the facilitator. I think a better term than pure point guard would be pass-first point guard, such as Phil Pressey or Rajon Rondo. I know I'm splitting fine hairs, but, again, don't think the fact a guard can score at a high clip eliminates him from the title of pure point guard.
The original question included Dee and McCamey as possibly the two most recent highly ranked "pure point guards". I would assert that those two guys were also more scoring guards, in a similar mold to Ayo.

"I'd call him a scoring guard. He's capable of playmaking, but it's not his mindset. He's at his best when he has the ball in his hands taking it up the court, and money on the break. He's mostly a penetrater, but can pass and take outside shots." You could have just as easily been talking about McCamey or Brown.

If they meet the criteria, then so does Ayo. If not, you have to go back quite awhile to get to a "pure PG" that was higher rated coming in than Curbelo.
e
 
#173      
McCamey and Dee 1 and 2 UI all time assists.

If Curbelo stays 4 years he'll break that record and challenge the MSU boys for the NCAA record. If he approaches 5-6 APG his freshman year....look out.

It'll be 8/9 year 4
Incorrect. McCamey is #2 and Dee is #3 at Illinois. Bruce Douglas is #1.

Assists[edit]

It shows you how good Frank, Deron and Derek were that they only played 3 years and still are in the top 10 all time!
 
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#174      
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