illynifan34
That's a winner!!
- OH
He's a good recruiter but Underwood isn't Calipari and Illinois isn't Kentucky, let's not get carried away. This is a great hire but magic doesn't happen in real life.
Illini Coaching Staff
He's a good recruiter but Underwood isn't Calipari and Illinois isn't Kentucky, let's not get carried away. This is a great hire but magic doesn't happen in real life.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
I forget the last time we successfully recruited a top 10 ranked high school player (05 team?), but just that alone can get us very excited for a long long time.
He was a big time recruiter at Pitt and Memphis as well. Yes Kentucky and Calipari helped put him on another level but he is more than capable of being our best recruiter since Jimmy Collins
illinifan87
- The Windy City
Antigua is a grand slam. Wanna know if Underwood can recruit? Well... 
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illinifan87
- The Windy City
Sounds like that'll be the dynamic with Underwood, who's pretty tough on his players. Good cop, bad cop.
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PhillyIllini
- Los Angeles
Boo this man!
I read the Tampa Bay Times article on the USF scandal. It is not good but I am sure JW did his homework.
PhillyIllini
- Los Angeles
Trust the process.
Deleted member 3875
D
Guest
And he does a darn good job as Illini Hoops radio analyst.
I think Antigua will definitely be an upgrade from the staff we had before. But recruiting for Kentucky is different than recruiting at Illinois. Still like to see Ron Coleman added, the combination of Walker, Antigua, and Coleman will be a massive upgrade.
Those two are good names, especially if Heirman can bring some of his burger boys with him.
MrOizo
- Chicago
Agree, I assuming that BU and other support staff will teach the system adequately, let the last spot give us a good shot at Chicago. If Chin and Antigua can get us a steady flow of city of Chicago and Chicagoland 50-150 ranked guys, we will be in absolutely great shape. Combine that with Walker locking most of the down state / non STL and some national recruits through Antigua, and we can focus on fit and development for a change.
Chin Coleman: 3-1
Shane Heirman: 12-1
Roger Powell: 40-1
Stephen Gentry: 50-1
Dennis Gates: 75-1
Erik Pastrana: 100-1
Mike Mennenga: 150-1
Deon Thomas: 150-1
HRH Lord Jeff Van Gundy: 900-1
Someone not yet mentioned: 300-1
In other words, I think it will end up being one of the people we've discussed, and I'm almost positive it will be Chin Coleman. UNLESS it becomes crystal clear that adding Heirman lands us Brian Bowen, Tilmon, and Mark Smith (domino effect: Tilmon played with Bowen and under Heirman, so maybe the increased comfort level draws him back in; if Tilmon comes and another major talent joins the class, maybe that's enough to tip the scales in Smith's recruitment).
Crazy that one plausible scenario has us landing a top-5 class with two 5-stars and another possible NBA talent in Smith, while the other (unfortunately more) plausible scenario has us hunting for late decommitments and JUCO transfers to fill an empty boat. Well, it's crazy that we can have the discussion on April 6th.
And then probably never get a top talent out of St. Louis ever again...
What bigs are coming through the MIF over the next couple years?
Forgot about all the STL talent that has come here recruited by Walker.... Goodwin, Smith, Tilmon... Wait a minute....
Whatever you may think of Martin's coaching abilities, beating him for the few recruits that generally come out of St Louis is going to be a very tough task...no matter who is on the staff
All of a sudden Walker's ability to produce recruits pales in comparison.
Well he has the Mattoon connection now, so there is that....I like our chances with both Walker and Antigua! Now add say Coleman/Heirman....we are set!
I'm not saying that Walker is the savior and greatest recruiter in the STL region, but based on all accounts, he is well liked and respected in the region by both players and coaches. If you officially announce him as an assistant, and then soon after fire him because a kid had a change of heart after a coaching change, then I can pretty much guarantee that those coaches will remember.
As for having to recruit against Martin and Ford, so what that it's gonna be hard? It's not like recruiting Chicago has been, or will be, a walk in the park, and I don't see anyone wanting to give up on that. We haven't really been getting the top talent out of Chicago recently, either.
I'm not saying that St. Louis is the key to the Final Four. I'm just saying, let's maybe not burn any bridges before Coach Underwood has even coached one game for us. Plus, you never know what kind of talent may come out of the two regions in the future.