Mark Smith transferring from Illinois

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#4      

RickBB

R
RickBB
so...does a transfer finish class this semester....what access does he have to tutors, training table, the gym, weight room, etc?

Just curious....frankly when I saw the guy in the other thread say that around Edwardsville this has been known for a couple months and compared Smith's dad to Lavar Ball, I assumed it was a done deal. Obviously, it was.
 
#5      

PerennIaLL

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PerennIaLL
Hate to see guys leave, particularly a Mr. Basketball, but I think it was clear he either didn’t fit the program or wasn’t able to hack it at this level. Good luck Mark!
 
#9      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
Would love to hear his reasoning for transferring
 
#11      

greger

G
greger
westcoastillini said:
This is incredibly frustrating... but I am bracing for more hits.
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Me too. When Whitman hired Underwood he said it was important to make the correct choice or it would take us 20 years to recover. If all the transfer rumors are true we are starring a solid 5 to 8 years right in the face....Something isn't right.
 
#13      

Tevo

Tevo
Wilmette, IL
Tevo
Never good when a past Mr. Basketball transfers away, but I don't think anyone was really happy with how his Freshman year went. Underwood must be a tough coach to play for -- you either respond to that intensity or you hate it -- and you probably can't get a real sense of that just from pleasant meetings and recruiting. I wish Mark's season had gone differently, but it's probably best that he find somewhere that he fits better, and we find someone who fits our system better. Best of luck to all.
 
#14      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
respect my decision™
Joel Goodson
greger said:
Me too. When Whitman hired Underwood he said it was important to make the correct choice or it would take us 20 years to recover. If all the transfer rumors are true we are starring a solid 5 to 8 years right in the face....Something isn't right.
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5-8 years? Hyperbole much?
 
#15      

Deleted member 11196

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Guest
Deleted member 11196
I'm wondering if a switch back to baseball, might be the best thing for Mark ? He's only played BB for a very short time, IIRC....
 
#16      

rockillini

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rockillini
Worldly Illini said:
I'm wondering if a switch back to baseball, might be the best thing for Mark ? He's only played BB for a very short time, IIRC....
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Maybe he will. It will be interesting to hear the back story. If basketball, I'm thinking Butler or SIU.
 
#17      

nwebb1

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nwebb1
If indeed he wants to go to Missouri, do we block it?
 
#18      

PtownIllini8

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PtownIllini8
greger said:
Me too. When Whitman hired Underwood he said it was important to make the correct choice or it would take us 20 years to recover. If all the transfer rumors are true we are starring a solid 5 to 8 years right in the face....Something isn't right.
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OK Chicken Little.
 
#19      

EJ33

E
San Francisco
EJ33
I wish Mark's season had gone differently, but it's probably best that he find somewhere that he fits better, and we find someone who fits our system better. Best of luck to all
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Ditto.

Underwood gave Mark plenty of minutes to produce this year (20 mins per game) and it just didn't work.

Watching Michigan yesterday was a pretty good example of what Underwood wants. Every player can shoot and attack the basket with the dribble. They don't stand around the perimeter, rather every player tests the middle of the defense with the dribble. Someone mentioned Butler for Smith - that does seem like a better fit for his game.

This probably belongs in the recruiting thread, but we need to get a lot better at scouting and evaluation. The number of good lower rated Illinois players that keep slipping through our fingers is just staggering.
 
#20      

DB11Headband

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Chicago Burbs
DB11Headband
Worldly Illini said:
I'm wondering if a switch back to baseball, might be the best thing for Mark ? He's only played BB for a very short time, IIRC....
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Nope. All the talent is there for him to be a very good college player. If he lands in the right situation he will excel.
 
#21      

mattcoldagelli

mattcoldagelli
The Transfer Portal
mattcoldagelli
mhuml32 said:
Would love to hear his reasoning for transferring
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I mean, the reason is kind of obvious to all of us, no? He'd prefer to have the ball in his hands and get more time at PG, but that doesn't seem feasible given Trent and, next year, Ayo. And in terms of getting a level of comfort playing off the ball, he had a hard time staying on the floor in general due to fouls and defensive struggles.

The optics of it are horrendous, to be sure, but from a basketball pragmatism standpoint, there's a fairly strong case.
 
#22      

rtbritt

rtbritt
rtbritt
Worldly Illini said:
I'm wondering if a switch back to baseball, might be the best thing for Mark ? He's only played BB for a very short time, IIRC....
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I'm not sure, but is it even true that he hasn't played much basketball? Didn't he play all of high school? Middle school? Did he not play pee wee?
 
#25      

illini62707

I
illini62707
Not going to block from attending any school. As I said earlier there is a ton of guards on this team with 2 more coming. Players transfer every year from ALL programs. They all want to play. But when you got 13 guys on scholly some won't play as much as they want. I hope transfers are over, but probably not.
 
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