Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (January-March 2017)

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#28      

FatGreg

F
FatGreg
I've got a good feeling about Smith wearing the orange and blue. If he comes here, you've got to like the backcourt rotation for the next couple of years:

PG - Frazier/Smith/Lucas
Wings - JCL/DJW/Kipper/Jordan/Smith/Da'Monte/Pickett

One or two players may transfer out, but that's a lot of talent. We need some help down low and we could use some additional athleticism, but I'm certainly excited about the future.
 
#29      

OldGreg

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OldGreg
BananaShampoo said:
Me, too. I really he could be an even bigger get than Tilmon if he choose us. Not based on ranking (though I think he'll be top 50 before it's all said and done) but for how he could help us win over his time at Illinois.
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Can I pm you my personal address so you can send me what you're smoking?
 
#31      

Paigncake

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Paigncake
OldGreg said:
Can I pm you my personal address so you can send me what you're smoking?
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I think the mindset is a 3-4 year PG leading the way for several years vs. somebody like Meyers Leonard who was here 2 and really contributed 1.

As far as his ranking.. He's a top 50 talent whether the rankings agree or not.
 
#32      

SescIllini

SescIllini
SescIllini
I'm not concerned about Mark Smith's ranking, I've seen enough to see that he could help us guard bigger PG/SG like Lyle and finish in the lane against zones (BYU).

Of the big schools it sounds like Illinois is furthest along on his recruitment and mutual interest. It helps that he attended Mizzou and Ohio St and didn't catch us live against Maryland and Winthrop.

After watching tonights game we need a defensive presence at the PG and SG positions that I think Smith and Damonte can provide.
 
#33      

WARDFORTHREE

WARDFORTHREE
WARDFORTHREE
the timing will have to be right, but we will have another commit in Mr smith. Loves the Illini class.
 
#36      

Chipatsj23h

Chipatsj23h
Chipatsj23h
I think we should be patient on Smith. He is blowing up right now, more offers will start to pour in. I imagine he will want to play it out. Hes a young kid, everybody wants to see what everyone has to offer.
 
#37      

Paigncake

P
Paigncake
Chipatsj23h said:
I think we should be patient on Smith. He is blowing up right now, more offers will start to pour in. I imagine he will want to play it out. Hes a young kid, everybody wants to see what everyone has to offer.
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I think you're in for a pleasant surprise.
 
#40      

SescIllini

SescIllini
SescIllini
Smith will bring a "coach on the floor" to his play , we haven't had this type of guard since McCamey wore the uniform.
 
#44      

EfremWinters84

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S. Carolina
EfremWinters84
Good signs in this thread. Thanks for your insider insights gentlemen!

Let's get some mega-athleticism back into the program.
 
#45      

Second and Chalmers

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Second and Chalmers
UofIChE06 said:
He won't even be Top 100...rankings are basically all done at this point.
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It wouldn't be totally unprecedented for someone to sneak into the Top 100 this late. Not sure Smith is quite that good, but I definitely think he's a Big Ten caliber player from the video I've seen. Let's hope we can land him.
 
#46      

jrichisamazing

J
jrichisamazing
Man, why couldn't Smith be an athletic/shot-blocking big man?:D

Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to get a guy as talented as Smith. You can never have too many wings, but we still need a big guy and there aren't many options left. There has to be an Ed Morrow type (high motor, athlete) out there somewhere getting under recruited right?
 
#47      

SescIllini

SescIllini
SescIllini
jrichisamazing said:
Man, why couldn't Smith be an athletic/shot-blocking big man?:D

Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to get a guy as talented as Smith. You can never have too many wings, but we still need a big guy and there aren't many options left. There has to be an Ed Morrow type (high motor, athlete) out there somewhere getting under recruited right?
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A transfer from Georgetown has shown interest in Illinois and their is also Maxwell from Kansas (more mobile Mav). I think we will land a grad transfer big man, there will be more names popping up after the season.
 
#49      

oldman

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oldman
Maybe we should just focus on big guards and small forwards, since we seem to do better recruiting those kinds of players. Two of my favorite teams of all time were the flying illini and the Cazzie Russell (a Chicago kid) Michigan teams of the mid-60s.
 
#50      

TownieMatt

T
CU Expat
Chicago
TownieMatt
oldman said:
Maybe we should just focus on big guards and small forwards, since we seem to do better recruiting those kinds of players. Two of my favorite teams of all time were the flying illini and the Cazzie Russell (a Chicago kid) Michigan teams of the mid-60s.
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It's not that we recruit those players better, it's that there are more of them. High level bigs are few and far between. In reality Groce has done fairly well grabeing Morgan, Black, Finke, and now Tilmon (not to mention transfers like Thorne).

On Smith, I'm in favor of offering him, but I do wonder how much the pressure on Groce plays a role in the decision. Groce knows how important short term progress is, so getting a big class in now is probably more important to his status than long term class balance.
 
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