Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (November-December 2018)

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#826      

Soulberries

University of Illinois
Kofi Cockburn visit locked down for December 28th-30th.
https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/
This seems REALLY strange to me. Not only will there be no students on campus, there will be NO ONE on campus. The University now gives everyone, except essential employees, off between Christmas and New Years. The University is essentially closed for all practical purposes. There’s nothing to visit except the academic facilities. It sounds like he’s giving us a visit, but isn’t interested enough to make it a real visit. On the bright side, the staff can use the “students are away” excuse for why no one is in the stands.
 
#829      

GortTheRobot

North Bethesda, Maryland
I’m going to accentuate the positive and say it just gives the staff more time to spend selling him on what he could bring to the team, and what they can do for him. He’s visiting...that in and of itself is good. And now...more beer...I ain’t killin’ this buzz.
 
#830      
I would think this would be a waste of time for both player and program. Hope there is very high interest, getting 3rd place in these battles doesn't move the needle.

Cockburn would be an instant starter at the 5 with Giorgi at the 4. Kane, Higgs, January provide depth at PF/C positions.

Kipper nd Tev would go to more natural SF position, with some at the 4. Ayo, Trent, Feliz, Griffin, Damonte will share minutes 1-3 position.

That would be a well balanced and tough team.
 
#833      

Deleted member 643761

D
Guest
Not so sur

Not so sure Georgi would be at the 4. He can't hardly guard the five, let alone a four who has some quicks and ability to put the ball on the floor. I am thinking Cockburn and January might actually be the the best two - certainly highest rated two - in the frontcourt with the other three as guys off the bench. That would push Kipper to the three, where there would be a logjam of he, Jones, Griffin and maybe Higgs even goes here. Guess it's a good problem to have.

The guys who have never suited up for us are always better than the guys we already have.
 
#835      

sacraig

The desert
It sounds like he’s giving us a visit, but isn’t interested enough to make it a real visit.

Sure, it totally makes sense that a recruit that could book a "fake" visit (as opposed to a real visit, as you put it) to any school in the country would choose to do so in Champaign, IL in the dead of winter. That passes the smell test.
 
#836      
Kofi,

IF you have read all the posts, I think you have realized that only you can solve this problem. Please commit and sign here -> LOI, Sign here.
 
#838      

Soulberries

University of Illinois
Sure, it totally makes sense that a recruit that could book a "fake" visit (as opposed to a real visit, as you put it) to any school in the country would choose to do so in Champaign, IL in the dead of winter. That passes the smell test.
Don’t get me wrong - I would LOVE to have Cockburn here. I think a signing of his caliber in the middle would be exactly what we need. It would be huge.

IMaybe I’m just naive to think that a recruit visits a school to learn about more than just athletics and would want to visit his potential college and department, the Irwin Center, the libraries, the computer labs, the dorms, etc. I guess I’m the only one who finds it odd.

Who knows. Maybe it’s the only time his family can work in a visit, and that’s why it’s taken so long to schedule a visit. I just wish he could have come when he could get a feel for the entire university.
 
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#839      

IllFanInMi

I
Guest
Don’t get me wrong - I would LOVE to have Cockburn here. I think a signing of his caliber in the middle would be exactly what we need. It would be huge.

IMaybe I’m just naive to think that a recruit visits a school to learn about more than just athletics and would want to visit his potential college and department, the Irwin Center, the libraries, the computer labs, the dorms, etc. I guess I’m the only one who finds it odd.

Who knows. Maybe it’s the only time his family can work in a visit, and that’s why it’s taken so long to schedule a visit. I just wish he could have come when he could get a feel for the entire university.

Maybe we are just employing a reverse psychology strategy:unsure:

We seem to do okay with getting commits without visiting and have had guys here with all the bells and whistles who don’t commit.

I’m also not so sure most top rated recruits are as concerned about much outside of the athletics, they probably don’t plan on being around long enough to even see the whole campus.
 
#840      

sacraig

The desert
Don’t get me wrong - I would LOVE to have Cockburn here. I think a signing of his caliber in the middle would be exactly what we need. It would be huge.

IMaybe I’m just naive to think that a recruit visits a school to learn about more than just athletics and would want to visit his potential college and department, the Irwin Center, the libraries, the computer labs, the dorms, etc. I guess I’m the only one who finds it odd.

Who knows. Maybe it’s the only time his family can work in a visit, and that’s why it’s taken so long to schedule a visit. I just wish he could have come when he could get a feel for the entire university.

It is weird timing to be sure, but if a recruit is trying to just get a free vacation, why Illinois in the dead of winter when no students are around (and therefore no partying)? That explanation doesn't make any sense. The only explanation that does is that he's genuinely interested but his schedule just forced him to come at a weird time.
 
#841      
Don’t get me wrong - I would LOVE to have Cockburn here. I think a signing of his caliber in the middle would be exactly what we need. It would be huge.

IMaybe I’m just naive to think that a recruit visits a school to learn about more than just athletics and would want to visit his potential college and department, the Irwin Center, the libraries, the computer labs, the dorms, etc. I guess I’m the only one who finds it odd.

Who knows. Maybe it’s the only time his family can work in a visit, and that’s why it’s taken so long to schedule a visit. I just wish he could have come when he could get a feel for the entire university.
I honestly don't think a top 30 recruit cares about seeing the computer labs and the library.
 
#842      
Who knows. Maybe it’s the only time his family can work in a visit, and that’s why it’s taken so long to schedule a visit. I just wish he could have come when he could get a feel for the entire university.

No inside info, but I can say with almost complete certainty that this is the reason. I feel like the "I'm just gonna take a visit to get a free vacation" OVs happen far less than what we might think. Most likely, if he is visiting, he has a real interest in coming here. We may be third on the list now, but also, maybe not.
 
#843      
I'm never bummed that a legit player is visiting us, but I understand why so many people aren't thrilled about the timing. My biggest concern with the timing of the visit is that there is a significant amount of time between his visit and when he could sign with us (not to say he couldn't commit sooner than that). My other concern is that he will have plenty of time to see us finish the season with a bad record and absolutely in the bottom quarter of the Big Ten. Hopefully I'm wrong, but we have a lot of valley's to trudge through this season and if he is genuinely interested in us, he'll be watching.
 
#844      
We have the engineering and technology in the computer labs & library to show video games on big screens and flip back to Sheldon-like computations when the retinal scanner detects the parents looking, don't we?
 
#845      
I honestly don't think a top 30 recruit cares about seeing the computer labs and the library.


Kind of my thoughts. He probably considers himself a one and done, so how important is seeing much of what he'd see if the visit was at a different time. He most likely cares about the team, what his role would be, etc. The team will be in town, so he can meet his future teammates. And I'd hope if there was something academically he wanted to see/talk to that Coach Underwood could convince something who is in town to come and speak with the family.
 
#846      

ILL in IA

Iowa City
I honestly don't think a top 30 recruit cares about seeing the computer labs and the library.
3/4 of our team is majoring in General Studies, Sociology, and Recreation Sports and Tourism, I bet all of these guys were sold on the educational buildings and info they got on their visits and what it means to have a degree from a fine school like Illinois.

Kofi is here on a business trip to see how he connects with the staff, roster, and to see the facilities. Take the visit whenever you can get it.
 
#847      
Our biggest target left on the board is giving us an OV. Anything can happen.

I know he has a top 8 but I think it will come down to 4: Pittsburgh, UCONN, Cuse, Illinois.

One thing to note is that Akok Akok has withdrawn from Putnam Academy and is planning to enroll next semester. Big time target for UCONN, Pitt, and Cuse. I think he winds up at UCONN.

If he stays beyond that semester, things could get really interesting with Kofi.

https://247sports.com/Player/Akok-Akok-46035535/
 
#849      
Maybe we are just employing a reverse psychology strategy:unsure:

We seem to do okay with getting commits without visiting and have had guys here with all the bells and whistles who don’t commit.

I’m also not so sure most top rated recruits are as concerned about much outside of the athletics, they probably don’t plan on being around long enough to even see the whole campus.

Agree. In fact, when was the last time that the Illini fanpalooza thingy (bells & whistles) actually helped get a top recruit to commit? I almost wish the public wasn't made aware of recruiting visits. The fan interaction with the recruiting process may come off a little creepy or desperate. In any case, I can't recall a time that it produced favorable results.
 
#850      
They may not be, and I didn't say that, just that rankings wise they appear head and shoulders above the rest. And, if Cockburn is a top 30, then it is highly likely he is better than any big on our roster. I did nothing other than what the original poster did - speculate on what could be. I would say most guys would agree that a 5-star and 4-star are going to be better than an unranked guy who wasn't in the top 300 and Kane, who was a lower 3-star. No one on the roster has shown us anything to think this train of thought is way off base at this point.
The guys who have never suited up for us are always better than the guys we already have.[/QUOT
 
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