Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (August 2018)

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#376      

ILL in IA

ILL in IA
Iowa City
ILL in IA
618MattD said:
Being a former college athlete, (baseball) current players are definitely aware of recruits. Players always interacting with recruits on visits, for example, selling them on why they should come join the team, talking about the school, food, fun things in the town, etc. Sometimes, and probably more so in football and basketball, current players will text recruits to help with recruiting efforts. From my experience, coaches are usually open about the guys that they really want and make sure the team knows that they need to take care of the guy and make sure he enjoys the visit.

As far as getting discouraged, not so much. You want guys that want to be apart of the team. If a guy thinks its best for him and his career to go elsewhere then so be it. You want to add guys to your family (that's what the team really is) that want to be there and are bought in.
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Well said. As a former college baseball player, I had the same experience.
All of the guys on our roster have gone through the recruiting process and have told other schools and rosters "No." So they all get the process.
 
#377      

YankeeIllini

Y
YankeeIllini
Johnny Lawrence said:
It's all about paying dues. Cal didn't walk into UMass and start hand picking blue chippers. And before we start the obligatory $$$ rebuttals that make us feel better, it's fair to note that that he turned an absolutely dreadful program into a national power in a very short amount of time with only one McDonald's All American (Donta Bright) and that was only because he was a Prop 48.
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No he did it by turning a blind eye to the gross violations committed by Marcus Camby (taking cash and gifts from agents, not to mention the services of apparently a very talented hooker) which led to UMASS vacating their Final Four appearance, and Calipari ducking out of town to take an NBA contract with the Nets. I won't even go into his time at Memphis and at Kentucky - he's a great recruiter and coach, an 100% pure slime.
 
#378      

Illwinsagain

Illwinsagain
Cary, IL
Illwinsagain
YankeeIllini said:
No he did it by turning a blind eye to the gross violations committed by Marcus Camby (taking cash and gifts from agents, not to mention the services of apparently a very talented hooker) which led to UMASS vacating their Final Four appearance, and Calipari ducking out of town to take an NBA contract with the Nets. I won't even go into his time at Memphis and at Kentucky - he's a great recruiter and coach, an 100% pure slime.
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Unfortunately, I don't think he even has to cheat anymore. So, he won't get caught and have to vacate again.
 
#379      

ILL in IA

ILL in IA
Iowa City
ILL in IA
Henson71 said:
The Deron Williams quote of IDKWTI will tell you how he felt about losing a recruit and he was a former player at the time. Players do take it personally for the recruits they spend a lot of time with - how could you not? - they are basically saying I don't want to play with you, I want to play with these other guys that I think will be better. Is Ayo, going to fault Whitney for going to Kentucky?, probably not, for all the reasons we've discussed that UK>UI, but for the majority of recruits that spend a lot of time bonding with the current team - it's hard for that team not to take it personally.
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That is a way different situation. Backing out of a commitment to go to a rival all done in a shady way. Or doing what Cliff did. But just a recruit choosing to go elsewhere is not taken personally. 99% of the time, the current roster understands the process. Its the 1% of the time that is done in a shady way that we try to apply to everything else.
 
#381      

ILL in IA

ILL in IA
Iowa City
ILL in IA
Not to dwell too much on it, but recruiting can be a really awkward process for guys on the current roster. You want great players to come and play with you to give you the best chance of winning. You also bond with the guys on the roster now and become family like. Adding in outsiders means someone in the family loses PT or transfers out. Or you lose pt or transfer out. As long as people aren't backing out of promises or being disrespectful, you hope good players come, but out of sight out of mind.
 
#384      

Indy Illini Fan

Indy Illini Fan
Indy Illini Fan
Terrence Shannon dropping his top 4 tonight. I'm guessing it will be Illinois, FSU, Depaul, and Louisville.
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#385      

infamous

I
infamous
We all know Cal cheated his way to the top. Now he is at a place he doesnt have to cheat or cheat as much. Plus the NCAA isnt coming down on the money maker elites (Kansas, UNC, Duke, Kentucky). We have already seen that.

I think we are stuck in the doldrums. We will get a top 100 guy now and then but you need to string 3 or so over a couple years to get out the bottom of the BT and be a program that the top guys will come to.

Is BU the coach to get those guys consistanlty? Who knows
 
#386      

Illwinsagain

Illwinsagain
Cary, IL
Illwinsagain
infamous said:
We all know Cal cheated his way to the top. Now he is at a place he doesnt have to cheat or cheat as much. Plus the NCAA isnt coming down on the money maker elites (Kansas, UNC, Duke, Kentucky). We have already seen that.

I think we are stuck in the doldrums. We will get a top 100 guy now and then but you need to string 3 or so over a couple years to get out the bottom of the BT and be a program that the top guys will come to.

Is BU the coach to get those guys consistanlty? Who knows
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I honestly believe we can expect a top 50 most years, with another 1 or 2 in the top 100 in each class. That is a proven model and attainable for U of I. I hope BU can get us back there.
 
#387      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
Illwinsagain said:
I honestly believe we can expect a top 50 most years, with another 1 or 2 in the top 100 in each class. That is a proven model and attainable for U of I. I hope BU can get us back there.
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Honestly, as good as Kahlil is a 1 and done kid is more of a PR win than anything else at this point, he adds a few wins the one season he is here, then is gone. Hopefully, some positive spin to get the next top kid, but I don't really want to ride the Kentucky turnover cycle. There is more to gain by finding/developing a couple solid bigs. I'm not convinced we will get a top 50 + 1-2 top 100 every year, but I would sign up for that in a heartbeat, keep them around until they are juniors/seniors so you have 5 upperclass top 100+ a couple high level Fr/So kids in the rotation and we would be very good. Certainly better than the last decade.
 
#389      

Tevo

Tevo
Wilmette, IL
Tevo
Greensboro said:
Honestly, as good as Kahlil is a 1 and done kid is more of a PR win than anything else at this point, he adds a few wins the one season he is here, then is gone. Hopefully, some positive spin to get the next top kid, but I don't really want to ride the Kentucky turnover cycle. There is more to gain by finding/developing a couple solid bigs. I'm not convinced we will get a top 50 + 1-2 top 100 every year, but I would sign up for that in a heartbeat, keep them around until they are juniors/seniors so you have 5 upperclass top 100+ a couple high level Fr/So kids in the rotation and we would be very good. Certainly better than the last decade.
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I think the big benefit of landing a true 1-and-done star is that hopefully that guy goes pro, and starts other kids thinking that's a legitimate path at Illinois. As Cal has said, he doesn't want guys who expect to play 4 years in college. He wants guys with aspirations of greatness, who expect to be among the best players in the world in short order. Getting a few guys who step from Illinois right to the NBA would do wonders for future recruiting. Probably even more than winning the Big Ten, or an Elite 8 trip would.
 
#390      

hoopsfan47

H
hoopsfan47
It may just be a minority opinion, but getting kids in your program for one year seems to me to be a complete crap shoot and not good for most programs long term. Getting kids who have skills and hoops IQ who want to win and more importantly, learn how to win at the highest level is the key. 3 and 4 year players like this are how solid and competitive programs are built. Unless a kid is a top five, most do not have the will to win for their school...but instead are looking for a place to play and a coach with connections to get them to the NBA. Cal gets pretty much any player he wants but how many titles has he produced with the most elite recruiting classes ever? Even those kind of teams have much to learn about playing together and winning. Sure have to give props to Wi. and others who take 3 and 4 star players and maintain a high level of play.

I like what BU has done and is doing to rebuild the talent level. As is seen by most, though most of these Illini kids were not highly recruited, they are athletic and seem hungry to learn. And....yes....I love Ayo, Trent, Damonte, Tevian, and Samba (in time) as a very solid group who could contribute for most any Illini team (I saw Govoner Vaughn play compliments of Chesty potato chips), with backups hungry to play and learn, as a starting point to build upon. This will not be a championship season, but for Illini basketball fans, it should draw high interest all season.
 
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#392      

Newman

N
Newman
dajuiceman2 said:
Definitely curious to see this group of 4. Up to possibly 3 IL schools with Illinois, DePaul and Loyola. I know that Louisville had been very interested.
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I would guess Illinois, Depaul, Louisville and Florida. No chance Loyola makes the top 4.
 
#393      

Calvin

C
Calvin
hoopsfan47 said:
It may just be a minority opinion, but getting kids in your program for one year seems to me to be a complete crap shoot and not good for most programs long term.
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That is definitely a minority opinion. Getting guys who are good enough to go pro after a year is a problem most programs would like to have.
 
#394      

Indy Illini Fan

Indy Illini Fan
Indy Illini Fan
Terrence Shannon Final 4: Illinois, Depaul, FSU, Maryland.

IMG has sent a few players to Maryland recently. Bruno Fernando in 2017, and Eric Ayala in 2018.
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