Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2017)

[DB11Headband]

Not sure how much this means to star Bball players, but I agree. Illinois has a beautiful campus!!

C'mon now. I can't speak for the current players, but I know for a fact that players from previous teams enjoyed going to the bars and having a good time. These are college kids...of course they want to go to a school where they can have fun.

 

[sacraig]

C'mon now. I can't speak for the current players, but I know for a fact that players from previous teams enjoyed going to the bars and having a good time. These are college kids...of course they want to go to a school where they can have fun.

Some of them (like any sample of college students) perhaps enjoyed it a little too much.

 

[robjilla]

To most Chicago people, anywhere outside of Chicago is basically as far away as Finland.

So not true Sir.

 

[Peoria Pipeline]

247 breaks out CG, PG, & SG and then does an overall guard rating. Ayo is overall #11. As a point of reference for 2017, Mark Smith overall guard was #36 and Frazier was #51.
Just saw where D'aMonte was #75 overall guard in 2017

I think Ayo is a really good player, I still think Mark Smith is a little better. We could have one of the most talented group of guards in the country. Three guard lineups is almost a given, and its going to be fun to watch!

 

[Peoria Pipeline]

Preach. My dream is to retire and move north and never feel heat or humidity again.

Come out to San Diego, no extreme heat, no extreme cold....can't beat it.

 

[Illini Beer 4 All]

Mr. WhyNotMe‏ @AyoDos_11 11m11 minutes ago
More Mr. WhyNotMe Retweeted TIPTON EDITS
ACC or Big 10 ��
https://twitter.com/AyoDos_11/status/917787734730829824

If he'd like to win go Big Ten. In the ACC Wake is behind Duke, UNC, Virginia, Syracuse, still probably Louisville, Notre dame, fsu, etc.

GT and VT are on the rise, so is wake, but the path to the top is very hard.

At Illinois, jumping northwestern, Minnesota, and Iowa isn't particularly hard. Passing Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan isn't insurmountable, especially if we land guys like Ayo. Then you are there with Maryland and MSU at the top of the big ten.

That won't happen in a year, but if Ayo comes to Illinois, I am very comfortable he will be in a better position to play for a conference title.

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[Deleted member 631370]

If he'd like to win go Big Ten. In the ACC Wake is behind Duke, UNC, Virginia, Syracuse, still probably Louisville, Notre dame, fsu, etc.

GT and VT are on the rise, so is wake, but the path to the top is very hard.

At Illinois, jumping northwestern, Minnesota, and Iowa isn't particularly hard. Passing Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan isn't insurmountable, especially if we land guys like Ayo. Then you are there with Maryland and MSU at the top of the big ten.

That won't happen in a year, but if Ayo comes to Illinois, I am very comfortable he will be in a better position to play for a conference title.

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That's fair, though a Wake fan could probably make a similar point. Even if they get a dynamite class, they'll still be behind Duke, UNC, and a few others. But they could probably compete with Syracuse, Louisville (especially given what's happening to them), Notre Dame, UVA, etc.

Similarly, they could argue that Illinois will always be behind Michigan State and probably Indiana, and will still have to contend with Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio State, Maryland, etc.

Both programs, if able to get Ayo, are still looking at middle-of-the-pack status in their conference until they can string together some strong seasons and move up. Ayo would help either move up, no doubt about it. I do think Illinois' ceiling is a bit higher, though. But not substantially so in the near-term.

 

[helppitch]

C'mon now. I can't speak for the current players, but I know for a fact that players from previous teams enjoyed going to the bars and having a good time. These are college kids...of course they want to go to a school where they can have fun.

Bars, in many cases, do not bring back the greatest memories for Illinois basketball. I'm sure a lot of kids enjoy time there, but we have had several notable exceptions that haven't enhanced the Illini's program.

 

[BMo79]

I think Ayo is a really good player, I still think Mark Smith is a little better. We could have one of the most talented group of guards in the country. Three guard lineups is almost a given, and its going to be fun to watch!

I would tend to agree with you, more on the fact that Smith wasnt a Basketball only guy or even basketball first , till he got hurt . he is still learning how to use his body only for Basketball. I myself think EJ next year is a BEAST of a talent, and might be more talented then both Ayo and Smith when its all said and done

 

[Ulysses Everett McGill]

Preach. My dream is to retire and move north and never feel heat or humidity again.

We are kindred spirits. I despise heat and humidity. They say we'd perish here on Mother Earth without Ol' Sol but I might be willing to give it a shot.

 

[SescIllini]

I think Ayo is a really good player, I still think Mark Smith is a little better. We could have one of the most talented group of guards in the country. Three guard lineups is almost a given, and its going to be fun to watch!

Coach K and Coach Cal concur, considering the interest they gave Smith. I'm more impressed in Ayo than I was 6 months ago. His handles are better but can be improved upon. He physically matured quite a bit in that time frame as well.

 

[Ulysses Everett McGill]

BU has stated several if not many times that he likes to post up his guards. I absolutely love that and hope like hell it pans out with the likes of Mark Smith and maybe DaMonte, guys with size and scoring/passing skills. I think it's a skill set that can translate well to the NBA for a guy who can execute all phases of the post up. Do folks see that as a selling point for an Ayo or other good-sized guard these days, or do these kids look at anyone suggesting they'll be developed on that aspect of the game like they have two heads?

 

[RedRocksIllini]

It's possible that would mean you are dead!

Don't be a dreamkiller, dude.

 

[BMo79]

if you had to choose between nolley,tht and the fin, who do u take? Ill go Nolley (6'6 sharpshooter), THT (Simeon pipeline), Fin

the Fin, he is also 6-6 sharpshooter wh ocan do a little of everything, Plus he is visiting starting this evening so he has to be top of the list, then THT , then who ever else we can find if we dont land the first 2

 

[Deleted member 631370]

if you had to choose between nolley,tht and the fin, who do u take? Ill go Nolley (6'6 sharpshooter), THT (Simeon pipeline), Fin

1. THT -- the kid is so versatile and well-rounded. I can appreciate the Draymond Green comparisons.

2. Close between Nolley and Valtonen, but I'd lean toward Nolley just because I'm more familiar with his game and the competition he faces here. But Valtonen is very intriguing.

Any of the three would be a win. THT would probably be the biggest splash -- he's heralded on the national AAU scene, he's a Simeon kid, and he's probably the most sought-after of the three. But, if there are compatibility issues between him and Ayo (if that's an actual thing), then there's that to consider.

Doesn't really matter, because a simple reading of the tea leaves suggests that we're by no means the favorite with THT.

 

[Illiniwek06]

if you had to choose between nolley,tht and the fin, who do u take? Ill go Nolley (6'6 sharpshooter), THT (Simeon pipeline), Fin

THT, Fin, LN. I want the staff to tell LN to beat it so badly (but only if they are able to land THT/Finn ).

 

[Combo]

For some reason, mentioning Chicago usually gets a reaction along the lines of "Oh yeah, Al Capone. Bang. Bang." Hopefully, the young man likes shiny black cars and tommy guns. If so, he's ours.

I've had that reaction many times in travels through Europe, South America, and Asia. Amazing that a century later, that image still holds.

 

[EJ33]

Preach. My dream is to retire and move north and never feel heat or humidity again.

Or, you could just drive straight west on I-80.

 

[BananaShampoo]

So...has anyone seen or heard about how Elias' visit is going? No golf cart or OPH sightings or anything?

 

[foby]

if you had to choose between nolley,tht and the fin, who do u take? Ill go Nolley (6'6 sharpshooter), THT (Simeon pipeline), Fin

THT first although he could turn out to be anywhere from Calvin Brock to Nick Anderson on the Simeon scale.

And I would definitely not be sad if it was the Finn.

Given all things surrounding Nolley's recruitment, a distant third.

 

[foby]

So...has anyone seen or heard about how Elias' visit is going? No golf cart or OPH sightings or anything?

https://twitter.com/illscoopRyan/status/917829235540185088

 

[IlliniSuperFan]

(Worst case scenario) Say we bust on this recruiting class and only get the Finn. Any chance we save the other 2 scholarships for next year instead of signing a couple 2 stars?


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[foby]

(Worst case scenario) Say we bust on this recruiting class and only get the Finn. Any chance we save the other 2 scholarships for next year instead of signing a couple 2 stars?


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Most likely would use one or both this spring.

 

[BananaShampoo]

https://twitter.com/illscoopRyan/status/917829235540185088

Hope he has a fantastic time. I'd really love to lock him up and get this recruiting season rolling finally.

In other news, I took a look at ASU's b-ball roster (sad I had no idea given that I live in Phoenix and attended ASU for grad school). I totally forgot that Carlton Bragg is on the team there and had no idea that Mickey Mitchell (formerly OSU commit) ended up there. Shows how low on the totem pole ASU basketball is here and in the collective mindset. I've literally heard nobody here ever discuss the basketball team at ASU and I've been here going on 6 1/2 years.

 

[helppitch]

The Ayo decision will determine if this recruiting year is a success or not

A year ago the same was said about Jordan Goodwin & then Tilmon. An awful lot can change over the course of the year.