Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2016)
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Meyer was steadfast in his pick for TAM when Elijah was literally saying Illinois was his favorite. I don't think he was the only one.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
TAM wasn't in the picture until Meyer made that CB pick a week or so before. Before then it was Illinois and OK St getting all the love.
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I heard it nine days before and before Meyer made his pick. It was out there. The UI coaches knew then. The guys covering the team knew, too.
I seem to remember a few people popping in to assure everybody there was no way Elijah was leaving Texas, suggesting it was mostly out of his hands.
It's been a rough few years....
sacraig
- The desert
Amazing how they've done absolutely nothing with it, too, eh? Very Rick-Barnse-esque.
I hate that he strings Groce along like he actually has a shot. Just tell him so he can fill the spot with the best available talent. smh...everyone wants the dramatic announcement. pfffff
This is just part of the territory with top recruits. I am not a fan of it, but it's just how it is. Noteworthy is the fact that JT skipped all of it. I think that speaks volumes in his favor.
If he has decided for UCLA, I'm guessing Groce already knows.
No one's been "strung along" here. And Groce already has Pickett in this class as a wing, plus Nichols on the roster. This was a chance to get some icing on the cake, no damage done.
This is about one of the least dramatic 5 star recruitments I've seen, you need a reality check.
IlliniInOK
- no longer in OK! Centralia, IL
99% of us would announce the same way if the option had ever been given to us. The guys that do this are the cream of the crop, and why shouldn't they get some attention for being awesome at what they do? Like combes said, if Wilkes is going to UCLA, the coaching staff knows. Evan Daniels wouldn't be telling people to bet the house on him going to UCLA two weeks in advance if he didn't have some pretty solid info.
Yep. They're going to be so good, even Alford will have a hard time messing it up. Final Four talent the next few years.
It sucks that the best high school players want to go to the biggest name schools and team up with other top players to compete for championships and get as much TV time as possible. They're all thinking they can beat out the other guys on the roster and get maximum exposure to improve their draft position and increase their chances of signing big endorsement deals.
The part that sucks the most when you're a fan of one of the have-nots (like Illinois) is that, objectively, these kids are making the best business decision possible. It's hard to fault them. Sure, lots will wash out, transfer, etc., but it makes a lot of sense to go play for a top-10 school with a bunch of 5-star talent. Very few NBA prospects are interested in "being a trailblazer." They're just chasing a paycheck. Understandable. Thanks for being different, Jeremiah Tilmon!
I think it's harder for Illini fans, because the culture of super teams, 21st century around-the-clock advertising, the YouTube generation, social media, and so on, really coalesced right as our program went into a death spiral. The last ten years have been the worst stretch in the program's history, and the nadir coincided with the maturation of social media and broader information technology. We're historically a top-15 program, but we've been left behind by schools that have been able to capitalize on recent success in an unprecedented way through various media platforms. The result of this process has been a consolidation of brand capital among a top tier of "trendy" programs. It feels (to me, anyway) like we were on the cusp of being in the same realm as programs like Wisconsin, Syracuse, Texas, et al. Now it feels like we've got a long way to go to escape our new identity as a B1G also-ran. The information age is a kind of echo chamber where brand identity becomes ossified quickly.
But I thought you had to win to get recruits. UCLA had an overall losing record last year.
Don't think 99% would do it that way. I don't know, maybe if I was 18 years old now instead of 30 years ago, I would see it differently. But this old school guy likes to stay out of the spotlight for things like this. Way too much look at me with kids today.
I liked JCL's announcement.
I liked Sam McLaurin's.
Remember most of these kids have a huge spotlight on them, and have had that for awhile. Even the humblest kids can get wrapped up in the attention. Plus, these kids want to make it to the league, having positive attention keeps them in the headlines. Being a known commodity is usually regarded as a good thing for NBA prospects.
You all may have done it differently, but I'm going to assume you've lived VERY different lives from Kris and others. You're influences and environment are probably very different too. Let the kid have his moment, from all accounts he has been a class kid throughout the process. Of all the recruitments to get upset about this is NOT the one.
You all may have done it differently, but I'm going to assume you've lived VERY different lives from Kris and others. You're influences and environment are probably very different too. Let the kid have his moment, from all accounts he has been a class kid throughout the process. Of all the recruitments to get upset about this is NOT the one.
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Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
"F*** It, Im going to Illinois"
I dont know, Tom Cruise's was pretty great.
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
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