Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (January 2019)

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#479      
Videos only. He seems to have some pop in his step already for being so big. 2-3 more inches off the ground would be huge for him.


Kofi's excellent pop in his step stems from the fact he started sports as a soccer player.
 
#481      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
As others have noted, Fletch, hard work, the nutrition staff, hard work and desire will transform Cockburn into a D1 monster.
 
#483      
Have we ever gotten a kid from Oak Hill before?

https://www.oakhillhoops.com/ncaadivisioniplayers

Doesn't look like we've gotten anyone directly from there, or have had any players from there finish with us. Alex Legion played there in high school but obviously he transferred to us, and then away from us hence is FIU listing on this page.

Also side note, holy moly that's a lot of D-1 talent to come through their program.
 
#484      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
As others have noted, Fletch, hard work, the nutrition staff, hard work and desire will transform Cockburn into a D1 monster.

And he's pretty monstrous already. Hard to believe that's a high school kid.

Assuming we can keep this roster together it's nice to know that we're going to have the talent to give ourselves a chance in such a critical season for this coaching staff. On both sides of Kirby, the 2019-20 academic year ought to be the one where we stop the bleeding.
 
#485      

ivwilsoniv

Aurora, IL
I apparently don't understand any part of that tweet.
I guess the guy who was guarding him was talking a lot of trash, and Whitney put up 24 against him. That's my interpretation. Not sure what the "You're sorry," has to do with anything but must have been part of the trash talking.
 
#487      
Kofi's excellent pop in his step stems from the fact he started sports as a soccer player.
So we will be only 9 players away from being able to field a mens soccer team, without even using extra scholarships? Sounds like alternative motives to me...
 
#488      
Have we ever gotten a kid from Oak Hill before?

Speaking of Oak Hill they are the odds on favorite to win the 2019 Geico National HS Championship, which ironically will be held at Kofi's former HS, Christ the King. ADLR graduated from Christ the King, too.
 
#489      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Speaking of Oak Hill they are the odds on favorite to win the 2019 Geico National HS Championship, which ironically will be held at Kofi's former HS, Christ the King. ADLR graduated from Christ the King, too.

Didn't Griffin's HS team (Stepiniac, IIRC) beat Christ the King in the NY playoffs last year? Did Cockburn play in that game?
 
#490      

Deleted member 29907

D
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As others have noted, Fletch, hard work, the nutrition staff, hard work and desire will transform Cockburn into a D1 monster.
Ok, not to be "that guy" but I guess I'll be "that guy". How do we know Fletch is going a good job? I recall he has improved verticals on many including Malcolm, Trent, etc but don't recall any of those guys ever dunking the ball and it seems to me we tire and lose steam in the 2nd half...

Obviously alot involved in losing games in the 2nd half - and clearly our aggressive D (which for some reason has our 7 foot post trying to deny a pass 18 feet from the rim) has alot to do with gassing out - but the big question I have is the method / end result demonstrable?

Or is the point, we'd really suck if he didn't do what he is doing?
 
#491      
Wow, that's like a parallel universe.
It's amazing that the posters there feel there is such a disparity between the 2 schools. Reasons for ILL as opposed to that little school that is a protruding appendage on the backside of NYC:

- UIUC is #46 ranked national university according to US News & World reports annual ranking. UConn (does that stand for University of Convicts?) is #63. Our Graduate School of Library and Information Science, College of Engineering and Department of Psychology are among the best in the country. The College of Business, College of Education and College of Law are also highly ranked. UConn does have a good graduate college for Education.

- B1G vs American Athletic Conference (????) - nuff said.

- UConn has been heavily penalized by the NCAA multiple times for multiple and serious infractions. In 1996 they had to forfeit their two NCAA tournament victories due to improper benefits being provided to athletes. In 2011, Jim Calhoun was suspended for three games and the team penalized for improper recruiting practices and placed on 3 years probation. In 2012 they received additional penalties for failing to achieve satisfactory APR. In 2018, they again ran afoul of NCAA rules and fired their coach Kevin Ollie for multiple violations including improper contact with recruits, improper gifts to recruits, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

I chuckle when I read the postings, it was almost like Loyalty Insanity!
 
#493      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
It's amazing that the posters there feel there is such a disparity between the 2 schools. Reasons for ILL as opposed to that little school that is a protruding appendage on the backside of NYC:

Illinois and UConn are both great basketball schools with great fans and represent awesome opportunities for a kid like Kofi and we all look like petty children acting otherwise.
 
#494      
Didn't Griffin's HS team (Stepiniac, IIRC) beat Christ the King in the NY playoffs last year? Did Cockburn play in that game?

Wow, what a great memory you have!! I had to look it up, but yes Stepiniac won that game and Alan Griffin had 20 and 8 and Kofi had 16 and 15. Game highlights are over on You Tube.
 
#496      

Deleted member 652751

D
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Ok, not to be "that guy" but I guess I'll be "that guy". How do we know Fletch is going a good job? I recall he has improved verticals on many including Malcolm, Trent, etc but don't recall any of those guys ever dunking the ball and it seems to me we tire and lose steam in the 2nd half...

Obviously alot involved in losing games in the 2nd half - and clearly our aggressive D (which for some reason has our 7 foot post trying to deny a pass 18 feet from the rim) has alot to do with gassing out - but the big question I have is the method / end result demonstrable?

Or is the point, we'd really suck if he didn't do what he is doing?
Great questions. I think Fletch has done amazing things as far as nutrition and strength. Our players have made fantastic gains in shaping their bodies through Fletch’s program. I’m definitely no expert when it comes to athletic training but I have wondered if we sacrifice basketball athleticism for these gains somehow. Interesting to consider IMHO
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#497      
I'll never understand why people on that connecticut board (and this one) think that Underwood was or is on the hot seat.
Because everyone has different ideas of what constitutes that. The only important set of criteria is that of JW. The buyout pretty much makes his seat ice cold, barring a reason for a dismissal.

In terms of recruiting and on court success, it's pretty easy to see why his seat would be burning hot. of course, Kofi pretty much cools the recruiting half down to freezing, but on court results are why they get paid the big bucks. Depending on how long term you're willing to look, there aren't many P6 schools that have had a worse 1.5 year period on court than we have, which is a ridiculous amount of time to judge most hires on.

Honestly, after the NW game, I would've labelled his seat as lukewarm, because trajectory wise, if this was the product plus a couple of decent recruits, we were easily 2+ seasons away from sniffing NCAAT appearances. Kofi changes so much of thatby being a guy you can play instantly and getting a skillset we dont come close to already having on the roster. If we can get guys like Archie and/or Brown to come along, then I think we see vast improvement next year.
 
#498      

Deleted member 29907

D
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I'll never understand why people on that connecticut board (and this one) think that Underwood was or is on the hot seat.
In general, many (most?) posters post based on very limited knowledge or research. So, it's an opinion based on few data points other than looking at the team record (and perhaps reading the Sun Times). Our record looks like trash and doesn't feel good but it has been tough schedule.
 
#499      

Illini_1979

Oregon
Great questions. I think Fletch has done amazing things as far as nutrition and strength. Our players have made fantastic gains in shaping their bodies through Fletch’s program. I’m definitely no expert when it comes to athletic training but I have wondered if we sacrifice basketball athleticism for these gains somehow. Interesting to consider IMHO
.
I remember similar questions coming up when Rod Cardinal was the BBALL trainer. People were concerned that the weight lifting and bulking up of the players was sacrificing their athletic ability. I suppose it is a trade-off between strength and cardiac conditioning. In an ideal world, you would want both, but time only allows for so much training. I'm sure that Fletch is aware of these trade-offs and is doing what he thinks the players need most. Hopefully this jibes with what BU's offense and defense require of the players (which seems to me to lean towards the conditioning side).
 
#500      

The Recruit

The Eternal Optimist
Denver, CO
Other than landing a much needed player, I feel like one of the things I am most excited about is the probability of keeping this team together as much as possible. Kofi's commitment is amazing for us in so many ways (not to mention the future idea of Griffen 2.0)!

Also, a good point one UCONN board was "if they gave Groce 5 years, I don't think Underwood is in any danger of losing his job right now." Haha
 
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