Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July-August 2016)

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#2,326      

illini39

illini39
Barrington, IL
illini39
No offense Stue but that is not the general consensus. There are rumors flying and everyone wants to be in the know but this is simply untrue. Are they a threat yes. Could it become more serious yes. But the job Walker and Groce have done, the amount of time and attention they have spent on him does not get shoved aside with an assistant coach who jumps ship. In addition, Ford has no track record of success and was just fired last year and Goodwin wants to win. He’s a native of Illinois and that carries a lot of weight. The SLU program is rebuilding and the A-10 as well as the conference coverage falls well below the B1G. There is no reason the relationship built with the Illini staff would diminish at this point and in fact should be revved up. I find it hilarious who all these sources are that turn out to be crap because they think they are in the know. There is a small finite group of people truly in the know and neither of us are one of them. Our moderators have clearly spelled out their positions on this and it falls in the concerned, growing threat category and not swung to the SLU side all of a sudden. I know the coach who is consulting with Goodwin has SLU connections… but Walker (also SLU alum) has had close family relationship for a while. Let’s just be patient.
 
#2,327      

Big Al

B
Big Al
It will be very interesting to see when Goodwin takes his OV's. Even with the possibility that he could commit, I hope he goes to SLU first. Then Illinois has the chance to counter everything SLU is selling him. Add in facilities, campus, fan base, alumni network, roster talent, Big 10 Conference, TV exposure, etc. and I think we come out on top when it's all said and done.
 
#2,328      

Big Al

B
Big Al
illini39 said:
No offense Stue but that is not the general consensus. There are rumors flying and everyone wants to be in the know but this is simply untrue. Are they a threat yes. Could it become more serious yes. But the job Walker and Groce have done, the amount of time and attention they have spent on him does not get shoved aside with an assistant coach who jumps ship. In addition, Ford has no track record of success and was just fired last year and Goodwin wants to win. He’s a native of Illinois and that carries a lot of weight. The SLU program is rebuilding and the A-10 as well as the conference coverage falls well below the B1G. There is no reason the relationship built with the Illini staff would diminish at this point and in fact should be revved up. I find it hilarious who all these sources are that turn out to be crap because they think they are in the know. There is a small finite group of people truly in the know and neither of us are one of them. Our moderators have clearly spelled out their positions on this and it falls in the concerned, growing threat category and not swung to the SLU side all of a sudden. I know the coach who is consulting with Goodwin has SLU connections… but Walker (also SLU alum) has had close family relationship for a while. Let’s just be patient.
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It may not be the general consensus, but the staff is definitely feeling the heat on this one. Things have really escalated over the past couple weeks.
 
#2,329      

IlliniFan25

I
IlliniFan25
IAmChrisFarley said:
UNC and Kansas fans were saying the same thing (besides crap conference) when Tilmon committed.

Nothing in recruiting makes sense


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I don't think thats quite the same comparing the ACC, Big 12 to the Big 10, whereas, the BIG > A10. JMO.
 
#2,330      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
FatGreg said:
Backup plans for Goodwin include Nojel Eastern, Justin Smith, and Abu Kigab. I expect that we'll get one of the four; the staff has clearly been making sure they have Plan B and C options available in case Goodwin goes elsewhere. There's even an (extremely) outside chance that things could heat back up with Jarrett Culver or Victor Bailey (both will probably stay in Texas, but they've had quiet recruitments).
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Lewis as well, Wilkes, Scruggs, & Bowen may all be long shots but we aren't dead on any of them yet. Frazier is also a combo, Williams/Pickett already on board. Goodwin would be great, but with all the wings on our roster Goodwin is a nice to have, not a must have.

Personally, I figure we are 1 in 7 chance & that hasn't changed significantly up or down.
 
#2,331      

BIzzy

B
BIzzy
Big Al said:
It may not be the general consensus, but the staff is definitely feeling the heat on this one. Things have really escalated over the past couple weeks.
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Theres heat in every recruitment....at the end of the day, hes not going to SLU
 
#2,333      

spillini

spillini
spillini
Greensboro said:
Lewis as well, Wilkes, Scruggs, & Bowen may all be long shots but we aren't dead on any of them yet. Frazier is also a combo, Williams/Pickett already on board. Goodwin would be great, but with all the wings on our roster Goodwin is a nice to have, not a must have.

Personally, I figure we are 1 in 7 chance & that hasn't changed significantly up or down.
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I think Goodwin's tenacity and will to win make him a must-have IMO. That type of leadership by example brings the whole team up and we haven't had enough of that these past several years.
 
#2,334      

FatGreg

F
FatGreg
Greensboro said:
Lewis as well, Wilkes, Scruggs, & Bowen may all be long shots but we aren't dead on any of them yet. Frazier is also a combo, Williams/Pickett already on board. Goodwin would be great, but with all the wings on our roster Goodwin is a nice to have, not a must have.

Personally, I figure we are 1 in 7 chance & that hasn't changed significantly up or down.
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Can't believe I forgot to list Lewis. Along with Eastern (Edit: and Smith), he's probably co-option #1. The staff likes him a lot.
 
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#2,336      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
spillini said:
I think Goodwin's tenacity and will to win make him a must-have IMO. That type of leadership by example brings the whole team up and we haven't had enough of that these past several years.
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Many obviously agree with you, I think JT was the must have because of positional need and relative options on the table...so now we are playing with house money for 2017. Give me Frazier, a big from our current list, and one of Lewis/Eastern/Wilkes/Scruggs/Kigab/... and we should be very happy & you can't be very happy and miss a "must have" IMO.
 
#2,337      

Tevo

Tevo
Wilmette, IL
Tevo
miketherevelator said:
It's more than just Tate. For one thing, I would imagine Ford is mentioning "Marcus Smart" about every third word to Jordan.
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The would Marcus Smart make for Markus Smart some very Markus Smart confusing conversation Markus Smart.
 
#2,338      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
FatGreg said:
Can't believe I forgot to list Lewis. Along with Eastern (Edit: and Smith), he's probably co-option #1. The staff likes him a lot.
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But I think it adds to your point...we are on the short list for quite a few vg wings, probably more than we should be considering we already will have plenty of wings returning + 2 more coming in 2017.
 
#2,339      

Deleted member 10676

D
Guest
Deleted member 10676
Tevo said:
The would Marcus Smart make for Markus Smart some very Markus Smart confusing conversation Markus Smart.
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haha. OK,maybe not that frequent but there are probably some conversations where Ford is happy if the only thing Jordan hears is "Marcus Smart."

And again, not saying we're out of it by any means, but there are a lot of reasons Ford can sell SLU. The Majerus SLU teams were Goodwin's favorite team growing up, he could be the man at SLU, he'd probably avg close to his EYBL numbers on that team his freshman year with what they've got coming in and back on their roster, which he certainly won't do as an Illini. Hometown boy, The Man, a coach who coached Smart, and the Eagles have a lot of guys from SLU coaching and close to the team in his ear.

Lots to be said on both sides of the coin and Illini fans obviously think we've got the best situation to sell. Only Jordan can decide what really matters the most in the end.
 
#2,340      

jrichisamazing

J
jrichisamazing
spillini said:
I think Goodwin's tenacity and will to win make him a must-have IMO. That type of leadership by example brings the whole team up and we haven't had enough of that these past several years.
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I guess it depends on your definition of "must-have". My definition of "must-have" means without that recruit the class is a failure. I definitely want Goodwin more than the other wings, but the class wouldn't be a failure if we got Lewis/Smith/Eastern instead.
 
#2,341      

spillini

spillini
spillini
Greensboro said:
Many obviously agree with you, I think JT was the must have because of positional need and relative options on the table...so now we are playing with house money for 2017. Give me Frazier, a big from our current list, and one of Lewis/Eastern/Wilkes/Scruggs/Kigab/... and we should be very happy & you can't be very happy and miss a "must have" IMO.
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I guess he's my most wanted rather than must have.
 
#2,343      

FatGreg

F
FatGreg
miketherevelator said:
haha. OK,maybe not that frequent but there are probably some conversations where Ford is happy if the only thing Jordan hears is "Marcus Smart."

And again, not saying we're out of it by any means, but there are a lot of reasons Ford can sell SLU. The Majerus SLU teams were Goodwin's favorite team growing up, he could be the man at SLU, he'd probably avg close to his EYBL numbers on that team his freshman year with what they've got coming in and back on their roster, which he certainly won't do as an Illini. Hometown boy, The Man, a coach who coached Smart, and the Eagles have a lot of guys from SLU coaching and close to the team in his ear.

Lots to be said on both sides of the coin and Illini fans obviously think we've got the best situation to sell. Only Jordan can decide what really matters the most in the end.
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No one's brought this up yet, but speaking of Marcus Smart, one thing SLU may be selling Goodwin is that they'll let him play PG. He's become a terrific ball handler over the last year and he's always been a great passer. He's also a smart kid who knows that 6'4 guys with average athleticism and shaky jumpers don't get drafted as wing players. If he proves he has the IQ and playmaking skills to run an offense, along with the lateral quickness to defend the position, PG is by far his best chance to play in the NBA. His only other chance would be to become a phenomenal shooter. If he comes to UI, he won't play point full-time.
 
#2,345      

miggytorres

miggytorres
miggytorres
jrichisamazing said:
I guess it depends on your definition of "must-have". My definition of "must-have" means without that recruit the class is a failure. I definitely want Goodwin more than the other wings, but the class wouldn't be a failure if we got Lewis/Smith/Eastern instead.
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Not a failure at all. It would be a huge "miss" in terms of impacting the "TnT" mentality that is currently more lip-service than actual production.

The only current player that is physically imposing at both ends of the court is Black. Let's hope his head is on straight and he tones down the poor fouls. When you start adding aggressive perimeter defenders like Goodwin that cannot be pushed around, it becomes easier to hide the ills of other defenders (Finke, Morgan).

Two more months and then we will get our answer!!!!!
 
#2,346      

miggytorres

miggytorres
miggytorres
FatGreg said:
No one's brought this up yet, but speaking of Marcus Smart, one thing SLU may be selling Goodwin is that they'll let him play PG. He's become a terrific ball handler over the last year and he's always been a great passer. He's also a smart kid who knows that 6'4 guys with average athleticism and shaky jumpers don't get drafted as wing players. If he proves he has the IQ and playmaking skills to run an offense, along with the lateral quickness to defend the position, PG is by far his best chance to play in the NBA. His only other chance would be to become a phenomenal shooter. If he comes to UI, he won't play point full-time.
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Do you really feel that his athleticism is "average" at this point in his development? I am bad at projecting professional basketball opportunities for kids completing their junior years of high school. My assertion is that he, like all high school kids, have a long road to hoe before thinking about the next step.

SLU would hand him the keys to the offense and hell....every sorority house on campus on Day 1. I would hope Mr. Goodwin would look at B1G competition as a huge plus in his pursuit of long-term success.
 
#2,349      

jrichisamazing

J
jrichisamazing
miggytorres said:
Not a failure at all. It would be a huge "miss" in terms of impacting the "TnT" mentality that is currently more lip-service than actual production.

The only current player that is physically imposing at both ends of the court is Black. Let's hope his head is on straight and he tones down the poor fouls. When you start adding aggressive perimeter defenders like Goodwin that cannot be pushed around, it becomes easier to hide the ills of other defenders (Finke, Morgan).

Two more months and then we will get our answer!!!!!
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Agreed. And that is why I like Lewis so much. He is long, athletic, tough around the rim, great rebounder, high motor, and in the past 6 months has really turned into a plus shooter. But we'll see if the rumors are true about us cooling on him.
 
#2,350      

Illinithad

I
Northeast Missouri
Illinithad
FatGreg said:
Highly possible that the Corey Tate hire swings things in SLU's favor. Backup plans for Goodwin include Nojel Eastern, Justin Smith, and Abu Kigab. I expect that we'll get one of the four; the staff has clearly been making sure they have Plan B and C options available in case Goodwin goes elsewhere. There's even an (extremely) outside chance that things could heat back up with Jarrett Culver or Victor Bailey (both will probably stay in Texas, but they've had quiet recruitments).

Hopefully, we can overcome the Corey Tate and 30-minutes-from-home factors and land Goodwin. I believe he's a program changer in terms of both talent and leadership.
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So based on this, was Mizzou a much bigger factor a week ago when Tate was in Columbia than what we thought? I'm doubting it but just asking.
 
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