Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July-August 2016)

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#3,526      

Illinithad

Northeast Missouri
I'll play.

If it's me, I'm planning a date on Friday day night one week with one of the cute looking girls and then doing the same on another Friday for the other. However, I'm talking to the head cheerleader as much as I can. I'll show her that I'll treat her right and hopefully she falls in love with my personality and sees that I'm due for a growth spurt. Plus, one of her friends can vouch for me (Tilmon).

If you get one, the other two are most likely out of the running, but if you can get all three to commit and agree to play together...that's where legends are made.;)
 
#3,527      
This is what is somewhat frustrating. If you (Wilkes & Scruggs) aren't really considering playing for Groce why string him along??? Just cut your lists to XU, IU and whoever else and decide. SMH.....makes no sense!

Sometimes they do it out of respect for the staffs that have put so much time into them. It's a subtle way of saying I appreciate you, but it's not going to work out.
 
#3,528      
Re: Scruggs and Wilkes. I say go for them! We have a very solid class already. Hopefully we get Frazier and a big in the fold, and it looks like the staff is still dedicating resources to both endeavors. I think we are in a perfect position to swing for a home run. If we miss, so what, we still have a very solid class. Where I think Groce has gotten in trouble in the past is swinging for the home run without pursuing a plan B. However, I don't see any targets we "need" that we would miss out on by pursuing these 2. And although we face some stiff competition, IU, Xavier, UCONN etc. are not Kentucky and UNC. So long as we don't lose focus of getting a PG and a Big, I see no harm in trying to hit a home run with scholarship #6 and rolling it over to 2018 if we miss.
 
#3,530      

landon02

Illinois
Im saying Wilkes to U of I not happening he does like UCLA but hes staying home...Scruggs loves U of I and i think it will come down to us and Xavier...Frazier i think will be ours....There is a dark horse in on Tillmon even though he verballed there is a little bird in his ear and hes listening is what i have been told...Also dont be suprised if we end up getting Nojel Eastern from what im told MSU is recruiting over him and hes upset about that...
 
#3,532      

Mike

C-U Townie
Im saying Wilkes to U of I not happening he does like UCLA but hes staying home...Scruggs loves U of I and i think it will come down to us and Xavier...Frazier i think will be ours....There is a dark horse in on Tillmon even though he verballed there is a little bird in his ear and hes listening is what i have been told...Also dont be suprised if we end up getting Nojel Eastern from what im told MSU is recruiting over him and hes upset about that...

What slime is in on Tilmon? He's a verbaled recruit.
 
#3,533      

BananaShampoo

Captain 'Paign
Phoenix, AZ
I don't think anyone noticed you were gone.

Dude hasn't posted in two years and has a total of 13 posts and we were supposed to remember? :thumb:

I will give him that he did seem to call Elijah Thomas going to TAM and Jawun going to OK State. Hope the part about Scruggs/Eastern/Frazier is right and Tilmon is wrong. :tsk:
 
#3,534      

landon02

Illinois
Hahahahaha your right i have been gone but im back my sources are the same and i have added more.... Also remember Travis Ford got us before!!!!
 
#3,536      

ILLINIFAN2

Des Moines, IA
Let me guess who the birdie is, Ford/Goodwin.... Now, if Tilmon was still in ESL I might be a bit worried but since he is at La Lu that puts me more in the "comfort" zone that we aren't being "backdoored"
 
#3,537      
Let me guess who the birdie is, Ford/Goodwin.... Now, if Tilmon was still in ESL I might be a bit worried but since he is at La Lu that puts me more in the "comfort" zone that we aren't being "backdoored"

Wouldn't necessarily be "backdoored" coming from Goodwin. Would just be two friends/players talkin about hoopin together.
 
#3,538      

Psycho 86

King Monkey Nut
Mooresville,Indiana
I was under the impression Pickett,Williams , Tilmon and Goodwin were all friends.
 
#3,539      

ILLINIFAN2

Des Moines, IA
Where is Jimmy Collins when you need him, somebody needs to throw the new Blazer keys at Tilmon to lock in his commitment... :D Just a little Tuesday morning humor...
 
#3,540      
I don't think it's going to happen, but if Tilmon decommits and goes to SLU and then we're spurned by Wilkes (IU/UCLA), Scruggs (XU), Eastern (MSU), Kigab (Oregon), and Kiir (UL/NC St), it's going to complete the process of crushing my will and spirit. It will fit right into the Livingston/Eric Gordon/Cliff/Snyder/Elijah Thomas/Evans/Brunson/Goodwin narrative arc. Add in the situations with Jamar Smith/Carlwell, Jereme Richmond, Cosby, Darius Paul, and the plague of injuries the last two years and it's just been sad and very hard to remain emotionally invested.

It feels like a critical moment for the program: keep Tilmon in the fold, add some combination of Frazier, Scruggs, Eastern, Wilkes, Kigab, Justin Smith, Kiir, and Uyaelunmo, make the tournament this year, and it's looking like UI is back on track. Lose Tilmon, end up with a class that looks something like DMW, Pickett, Frazier, Epperson, a 5th year, and an open ride, and it's likely we sink into the abyss completely. It kind of all hinges on Tilmon sticking to his commitment. I don't like the recent rumblings.
 
#3,541      
Let me guess who the birdie is, Ford/Goodwin.... Now, if Tilmon was still in ESL I might be a bit worried but since he is at La Lu that puts me more in the "comfort" zone that we aren't being "backdoored"

Well.....Tilmon is headed back to ESL, so let the speculation begin
 
#3,542      

whatahack

St. Peters MO
Why can't Tilmon be in Goodwin's ear and tell him to punt SLU and go to UI?????
 
#3,543      
Only way Ford can make JGood a NBA PG is for Tilmon to help Ford out in making JGod look like a NBA PG. Provided the NBA buys that.
 
#3,545      
However, the experiments the last few years throwing Bertrand, Henry, Hill and now DJW down there - guys that are true wings - I'll pass.

Yep, height has little to do with it. It is the ability and skill-set to play the position. I have always claimed that Groce's biggest problem has been positional recruiting, rather than overall level of recruiting. That is, if Groce had been able to get the SAME level recruiting at key positions (e.g., PG and C), our team's success would had been different.

People love to bring up the Golden State Warriors as example of flexibility, but the truth is that the talent level required is a lot higher than we currently have on this team. Talent can mask a lot of positional gaps. Our own Flyin' Illini were a team that also thrived on flexibility, but that team had A LOT more talent than what we currently have. Worlds apart.

With the current level of talent, we have enough problems getting players to become consistent at their natural position (e.g., DJW at SF), let alone them becoming very consistent and effective at multiple positions, especially positions that they may not have (at least yet) the skills for. We can also solve problems by significantly elevating the talent level on the team, getting great talent with the flexibility to handle multiple positions. The fallacy, however, is that we can turn average overall talent to multi-dimensional effective players. Chances of that happening are simply not good.

PS. On Villanova, don't confuse talent with depth. Nova had limited depth but really great talent, including positional talent. They had the luxury to have two exceptional PGs who could play together (Arcidiacono/Brunson), great play at SG/SF (Hart), and C (Ochefu). Sure, they had an undersized PF who may never be considered a pro prospect at that position but was really a PF in HS/AAU (watched him multiple times). The equivalent would be us solving all positional needs with very good talent and discussing whether Roger Powell can play PF...
 
#3,549      
Just looking around on Twitter and happened to notice Scruggs follows most of the Xavier basketball team and staff. I would say that's a decent sign as to what school he's leaning towards.

Although Elijah Thomas followed every Illinois fan on twitter and the staff and still went to Texas A$M. :)
 
#3,550      
Well this would make Tilmon an absolute, bold faced liar, which I don't think he is. Less than a week ago, after the Goodwin announcement, he personally told Piper that he "wasn't messing with SLU"

I didn't say SLU, I said ESL, East St Louis, for high school
 
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