Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (April 2017)
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I hope he does go to BU. He'd get to sleep in his bed every night. That's always a plus.
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Francis Okoro and EJ Liddell interviews. Liddell lights up when he talks about Illinois. Also interesting that Okoro mentions his cousin and that "He hasn't told me, just wants me to focus on playing." Sounds like we'll be recruiting Okoro's cousin as much as him (whoever that is).
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UK might have just done us a huge favor.
Not that I thought Smith was going there, but now he could burn that OV somewhere else...
Not that I thought Smith was going there, but now he could burn that OV somewhere else...
Smith. Goes farther towards changing the narrative that is gaining steam.
Deleted member 8213
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Brad Underwood is going to earn that $3 million... meet the team, the press, fill out the staff, try to keep the recruits from being Conzou'd, and who knew he was supposed to kiss every high school basketball coach in Chicago's !!! too all in the 1st 3 weeks on the job?
Answers 1 through 1 million are which ever one says yes first, and if they both say yes then both.
Gun to my head, Waters.
Thanks for sharing; I didn't think to look ahead to MSU's '18 class.
To me Winston is a pretty good comp to TJL in terms of minutes played, PPG, and A:TO. Both were decent freshmen that were preferable to bad upperclassmen, but neither was dominant. Neither have size or a game that make them a good fit to shift over to the 2. Both seem "beatable" for playing time by a good PG prospect but it depends on how these guys develop.
I don't know anything about Loyer, but at MSU Mark would have a year on him, while as at UIUC, Frazier's coming in '17 and will be immediate competition for PT at the 1. If both Frazier and Smith are in your best 5 guys and you want them both on the floor, I don't know for sure who has the ball in their hands, but based on size alone, you'd generally anticipate that Frazier's the 1 and Smith's the 2. Others here know more about their respective games than I do, so maybe I'm wrong here?
Thinking about competition at the 2, at UIUC you've got DMW coming in who's a RS candidate, JCL -- whose game is limited to shooting the open 3 and doesn't have elite defense, and AJ and DJW who weren't able to beat out JCL for playing time. I think Smith easily takes minutes here due to his more versatile game, and he has the size to defend opposing 2s.
At MSU, I admit the returning SGs (Langford/McQuaid) are perhaps equally weak, but there's 2 of them who got meaningful PT (while at UI, only JCL saw meaningful minutes.)
So I think the path to PT at the 1 is easier at MSU, and at the 2 it's easier at UI.
I believe his cousin is who he lives with, more like a uncle/dad kind of thing then a same age young man. So I took it as he just isn't telling him about recruiting yet wants him to just focus on playing.
Generous indeed, i don't think people understand how hard it is to make it in the NBA.
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
Certainly not the card-carrying NBA haters that populate this board.
Illinois is definitely recruiting him. He has grown to 6-9. Can shoot it and handle it. Needs strength. He is the type of player that Illinois complain that we lost when they go to Wisconsin.
Gonna be tough for that complaint to come to fruition without a Wisconsin offer.
Ubermensch
BOOM! Feed my ego.
Does he come with Bo Ryan? Sign me up.
Deleted member 10676
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My understanding of the Underwood spread offense is that the 1 and 4 (would usually be considered a 2 in most offenses) are essentially interchangeable and he would be looking for players that complement each other. Ideally they can both bring the ball up, shoot, pass, etc, so I think he would happily pair Frazier and Smith at those spots (if they can beat out Lucas)
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Wait, Hendricksen tweeted that at the Chicago coaches?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Deleted member 8213
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No he brought it up in his Illini mailbag article...
http://www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2017/04/10/henricksen-illinois-basketball-mailbag/
"As of Sunday, April 9 the four biggest, most talent-filled high school programs in the state and their coaches –– Simeon, Young, Curie and Morgan Park –– had not heard from the new Illinois head coach.
...
Is it a fresh coach’s mistake? Probably, yes, if you knew and understand the landscape of Chicago basketball and the tightness there is among the basketball people and how they talk and feel. I do know the top Public League coaches have been befuddled by there being zero communication with Underwood in three-plus weeks on the job."
Deleted member 10676
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No, but it comes from question 6 in this article Henricksen published this morning.
http://www.suntimeshighschoolsports.com/2017/04/10/henricksen-illinois-basketball-mailbag/
Thanks! That would be good news for our sell to Smith. Hope we get him. If we miss, do you think we see TJL and Frazier on the floor at the same time as the 1 and "4"?
I also want to thank Damonte and Trent for sticking with their decisions to play for the Illini. It has been a rough month to be an Illini fan. I am about exhausted from thinking about who is coming and who isn't, who the coach would be and who It would not be, then thinking we kept the entire class to no we did not. Its been a long time since we had one of the top teams in the country and I have dreamed about it happening again often. I really hope the new staff can pull in some great loyal players that really want to be an illini and make that dream happen again. Go Illini. Come on recruits be a man whose word is his bond, be proud to be an Illini!
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Do you have a source on that? I haven't seen any indication that the new staff is recruiting him. There were reports that the old staff had reached out, but nothing more than that.
Deleted member 8213
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Personally I think Lucas will be hard to get out of the lineup with Smith or without. Folks always get starry eyed over recruits and I know its a brand new system, but he showed a lot of vision and played very good D for a freshman. Need to work on his shot, but his BB IQ and motor is there.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
This is how I feel, too. Very frustrated with reading "I'm still committed to Illinois" and "Confirming my commitment to UI" and then one or two days later seeing the exact opposite.
To be clear, I think they should do whatever they think is best for themselves and their families. I don't resent that priority even one little bit. I just don't like to be played in the process.
Trent and Da'Monte have stayed strong and steady, especially Trent. And I really appreciate it.
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