Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2020)

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#251      

UncleBob

San Clemente, CA
The sound of only crickets is really worrisome.
 
#254      

Deleted member 4333

D
Guest
The sound of only crickets is really worrisome.

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#256      
Kedric also mentioned a commitment date of the 13th.

Another post (with GIF) coming at some point, but Tate and Kedric mentioning the 13th as a potential, likely, or definite (did not have a chance to listen) could be a gentle rustling of the tea leaves ... what they are saying, however, is open to much speculation.

Ayomide announced his commitment date as the 13th; and, as we have known for a long while, he is a hard Memphis lean. This is interesting given the quote from the 13th in re: Hopkins, which is quite interesting. This Board's insiders - QC, TC, 0440 ... (thank you all) - have posted about a quick, quiet commitment with us either leading or being more than a viable candidate than once thought. With Mac to be Spring commitment, a quiet, "Everyday Guys" commitment announcement for Hopkins would be perfect. Plus, if Memphis lands Ayomide, the announcement will be the perfect foil and an easily marketable win for BU, Chin and the team for their work as they build momentum heading into the season and in planning for / during the dead period.

Then again, as well as the above reads, it is pure conjecture, and one of Kentucky or Indiana could see its hat on Bryce's head come [10/13]. Oddly, I have a better feeling about this recruitment than, say, Nesbit's, but the fact of the matter is that if he is "ours" to lose, it is time to close and become the lead story on the 13th and 14th.
 
#257      
We’re going deep into the murky waters With this recruitment. We’re going to eventually win one of these murky water battles.
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#258      
I wonder if our AD is on this one like a couple other high value fb/bb recruits
 
#263      
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We are on the cusp of breaking into "big boy" recruiting, and while well positioned, there will be plenty of swings and misses and unfavorable nail-biters for every commitment we will land. We are no longer "playing"; rather, we are burgeoning competition poised to mature into a perennial player for Top-50 talent.

The Nesbitt situation was what it was. It was similar to but more personal than the Nolley recruitment; like Nolley, though, something about this felt off, especially for someone who was "almost 100 percent (Woodcock per Goode ... aka Trent Jr. in re: recruiting / program cheerleader)". Several things stand out about the misses, however, and implicate the impending Hopkins decision, and why, to which one poster alluded, missing on targeted 2021 wings is not yet a terrible thing.

Focusing first on the misses vis-a-vis Nesbitt, his skillset, length / size, athleticism, etc. checked many, if not all of the boxes of BU's "prototype player checklist". Our 2021 needs for players like Mac and Hopkins notwithstanding, we have seen BU's player mold validated again by this year's recruitments of Jones, Nesbitt, Cardet and now Kordell Charles; this will not change ... nor should it. Having skilled, long, rangy players that can stretch the floor and play both ends are the lifeblood of this system. That said, players like these are coveted by most every P5 program (including Memphis) making more palatable the Nesbitt loss. This makes sense in a backhanded way. We may pitch to recruits the respective development of Ayo and Kofi, both great stories but neither are enough for a rebuilding program that did not have the opportunity to leverage its turnaround heading into March; the lack of March Madness definitely hurt more than Ayo.

The commitments, wings and all, will come as the return to relevance continues. It is therefore incumbent upon this team to win in order to keep the momentum trending as BU's system is showcased on the national spotlight. In this context, it is understandable why a player looking a small sample size and the build of this team may be skittish when asking "can they deliver after this year?" and "where will I fit?". With exposure and winning, players will see more clearly BU's vision for each / how they will fit and thrive, which is why missing on Jones and Nesbitt (Cardet, too, given the 'Bama lean) is, for now, a minor hiccup. It is also why closing on Hopkins must be the first domino to fall heading into, um, Fall, as a Hopkins' commit, among other things, immediately makes the 2021 class more attractive to Spring recruits; it also demonstrates the ability of this staff to rebound and close on a Top-50 player after recently missing on one of its top targets.

Hopkins will set the tone for Spring recruiting (and beyond); winning will keep the program nationally relevant; and, the combination of both, paired with strong Spring signings, should have this program positioned to capitalize on its successes in a way that Bruce did not leverage following what the 2005 team accomplished. It is time to close, win, repeat, and ... resurrect!
 
#264      
Watching video of Hopkins and of Hawkins, it would be an interesting trio of those two with Giorgi. Hopkins much more physical but both can handle the ball and drive to the basket. Hawkins can also shoot from the outside but not sure he can play defense but not unusual for player in HS. Think 21-22 team going to be very different from 20-21. Like to add Mac to the mix.
 
#265      
One difference with Illinois in the past and blue bloods is that at Illinois we have a hard time pairing top 50 players. It doesn't seem to attract more. At blue bloods it seems like it doesn't matter if they are stacked at that position.

Hoping this time around the likes of Curbello and AceWolf attract other top 50 type players, aling with beibg a top 15 team.
 
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