I meant it the other way around. Why are we pitching Shannon on playing with Whitney? Saw a tweet that said that and thought it was weird.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July 2018)
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I meant it the other way around. Why are we pitching Shannon on playing with Whitney? Saw a tweet that said that and thought it was weird.
Deleted member 643761
D
Guest
His chance to be a legend at PSU are even higher than at Illinois. I'm sure this has mattered to some players along the way, but unless it comes out of their mouth, I'm pretty convinced that this legend stuff is purely message board talk. Far less important than playing time, which has also been shown to more important on the boards than in actual recruiting situations.
Unfortunately history tells us legends nationally vs legends to specifics schools are two seperate things.
I am not so sure about that sometimes. How many top players go to Kentucky, Duke, NC, Kansas, etc. and ride the pine behind better players. It happens quite often and yet the players keep going there knowing the competition for playing time is going to be much tougher due to the number of highly ranked recruits at that school as compared to a school like Illinois. I actually feel for youngsters in some ways, because I bet this is a tough call for them with so many people in their ear and offers of this and that and so on and so forth. I would think playing time would hold more sway than I think it really does. After all, if that was highly important, Whitney would no doubt have an easier path to PT at UI of than UK. He might be one that is good enough to play anywhere, but then again he might be like Charles Mathews.
Different kids are going to have different priorities, but yeah, the "be a legend in the history of the college basketball program" is a message attuned to the demographic of message board posters, not star high school recruits.
Most commonly, what these kids want is a vision of their path to the NBA, a good relationship with the coach they're going to play for, and to please the people closest to them with their choice. But every kid is a bit different. It means something to Ayo to try to revive a down-on-its-luck program, for instance.
In general, it's about finding what a player values and portraying your school around that framework, not deciding what your strengths are and convincing someone to value those things.
What replies are you talking about? All the ones I saw were of fans from UK and Illinois saying "go here!"
ILL in IA
- Iowa City
I have always thought the same thing. If Whitney doesn't show up, you've been selling Shannon fake goods. You should only be selling the "team up with _____" when you have a commitment from one of them.
sacraig
- The desert
On the other hand, if you sell it to both of them, perhaps you get them to effectively recruit each other.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Obviously. My post was more motivated by Ayo’s recruitment and his thoughts about changing a program and the legacy that would grow out of that.
Most of the kids who are getting legit interest from UK and Duke have been the best player on most teams they've played on for their entire lives (including high school and AAU). I don't think that they really think that it's ever not going to be that way, even as they advance to much higher levels of competition.
I also think that having a level of self-confidence that would probably embarrass most of us nice, reserved midwesterners is generally a critical trait for elite athletes to have. They just operate under a different mindset than most of us do, and those who don't generally wash out when faced with elite college or pro competition.
If you view it through that lens, it's a bit easier to see why kids might go to an elite school and sit.
Great arguments on here. Agreeing with everybody today. Holding out biggest hopes for Whitney based on the distributor Ayo was in the Team USA games in Canada. Lead everybody in assists and ridiculously in assists per minute played. Maybe just maybe if Whitney is thinking he's a one and done with Ayo being a two and done, we'll overcome that blue blood allure.
The question to Corey Evans...Where does Khalil Whitney end up?
Khalil Whitney has been one of the top breakout performers of the 2018 travel season and his recruitment hit the highest level last week with Kentucky extending an offer. Illinois, Louisville and many others are a factor in his recruitment but a commitment to Kentucky seems likeliest at this point. Whitney will officially visit UK on Aug. 3 and it wouldn’t be a giant surprise if he left Lexington a committed man.
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...-more-twitter-mailbag-on-pitt-louisville-more
Board meltdown in 3...2...1
Khalil Whitney has been one of the top breakout performers of the 2018 travel season and his recruitment hit the highest level last week with Kentucky extending an offer. Illinois, Louisville and many others are a factor in his recruitment but a commitment to Kentucky seems likeliest at this point. Whitney will officially visit UK on Aug. 3 and it wouldn’t be a giant surprise if he left Lexington a committed man.
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...-more-twitter-mailbag-on-pitt-louisville-more
Board meltdown in 3...2...1
Deleted member 654622
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Guest
Sooooo, with Whitney about to jump on the Blue Blood Ship and ride into the sunset, who do we stand the best chance with for 2-3 rides next year?
Shannon, obvious choice, Allen, soon to be swept up and already being offered by bigger fish, Guerrier, strectch at best, Ledlum, love the intensity of his play, Liddell already out-grown us? Timme, getting better and more recognized, Walker a connection made but through Higgs...how well/much might he play, message that sends?,
We went from a hope (rather dim of course) of Liddell, Whitney and or Shannon to ?????
Shannon, obvious choice, Allen, soon to be swept up and already being offered by bigger fish, Guerrier, strectch at best, Ledlum, love the intensity of his play, Liddell already out-grown us? Timme, getting better and more recognized, Walker a connection made but through Higgs...how well/much might he play, message that sends?,
We went from a hope (rather dim of course) of Liddell, Whitney and or Shannon to ?????
Well....there it is.
Peoria Illini
- Peoria, IL
When it came to Chicago under Lou and Jimmy Collins we were pretty close. Granted we always put the leg work in earlier and didn't swoop in late.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Nope. Our recruiting, while excellent, was always provincial. We've never had a national footprint (except for maybe this regime), much less a dominant one.
And the leg work is the other piece.
In the last decade or so, in any recruitment anywhere in the country, when Duke or Kentucky gets involved, no matter how late in the day it is, the whole thing turns on its head. That's something unique in college basketball history.
The key point though is that they are a high profile program that is known for getting players to the NBA.
Agreed. What's our winning percentage over the last 10 years against KU, Kentucky, and Duke for a recruit they prioritized? Note, guys like Mark Smith were secondary targets and don't count.
I'd be thrilled if we could consistently beat our regional rivals for Top 100 guys.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Please, stop. There is no pact and there never was. Is the MIF in our corner? Yes. Is there a dyed-in-the-wool agreement that they are going to deliver their top guys to us? Heck no.
And this idea that the MIF had a key role in the THT debacle is flat out wrong.
sacraig
- The desert
There is absolutely no objective evidence pointing to the idea that we told THT to take a hike or that we did so in order to somehow curry favor with the Irvins. That isn't even the most plausible, Occam's razor type scenario here, so I don't know why that is the yarn some people continue to spin. If the rumors I've heard are true about the real reason, it's quite a bit simpler and less bridge-burny, if no less tragic.
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