Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2017)

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#3,528      

bigillinfan11

bigillinfan11
bigillinfan11
Have to like getting back to back mr basketball most likely. I think this helps with Whitney a lot. Also have seen Cole Anthony and Francis Okoro congratulate Ayo. He may help with them. Have to hit a homerun on this visit with THT.
 
#3,529      

IlliniFin86

IlliniFin86
IlliniFin86
IlliniGman said:
So, if we strike out on THT, who do you think staff will try to prioritize to fill the remaining spots? Do you think they will go hard after Darius Days or maybe Jericole Hellems? Haven't heard much about those guys in a while so I wasn't sure if they were even on the radar anymore. I would think we would be trying to round out the class with some size to go with the plethora of guards/wings that we now have
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Both Hellems and Days have eliminated Illinois. In fact Hellems is announcing tomorrow.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JericoleHellems/status/921195101250113536
 
#3,533      

Captain Bubbles

Captain Bubbles
Fairfield, IL
Captain Bubbles
If you recall, Brad Underwood said this shortly after Mark Smith committed. I think this quote back then applies to Thursday with Ayo:

"I think the life blood of our program is recruiting. To be able to get Mr. Basketball in this State, we gotta be the option. Not just a option, we gotta be the option." - Brad Underwood
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Great job by Brad and staff. Go Illini!
 
#3,534      

illinifan87

I
The Windy City
illinifan87
Watched some THT highlights again. Love his game. Got that old man at the YMCA feel to him. In a good way. Doesn't look the part but kid can ball and would be super versatile here.

He's definitely a 3-4 yr guy.

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
 
#3,536      

GortTheRobot

G
North Bethesda, Maryland
GortTheRobot
miketherevelator said:
THT has retweeted every Chicago kid who's announced, including ex-Fire teammates. Heck, lots of kids from other parts of the country that he has only played against. Congratulations or acknowledgements is not taking anything away from someone else's 'moment'.
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Fair point, but this close to his own visit, maybe he feels like it would be misconstrued as a hint to his own choice.
 
#3,537      

JudsonFTS

J
JudsonFTS
The group that became the Flying Illini rallied around making their state school great.

I hear that from AYo who takes this already good group to another level.

Let’s hope it snowballs. We have a Simeon warrior on campus next. That would be a fantastic add!
 
#3,538      

EfremWinters84

E
S. Carolina
EfremWinters84
In the event some are thinking THT might believe we're already loaded at guard, I think we just need to look at the two schools leading in his recruitment. Neither Michigan State nor Iowa State is going to just hand him a job on Day 1. Division 1 basketball is competitive.

His presence in Champaign next fall will give us one of the Top 5 backcourts in the US, with a minimum of three guards on the court at all times.

I can't even fathom how fast our Offense will be, with presumably a swarming/denying defense.
 
#3,541      

KrushCow31

KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
KrushCow31
I got a question about rankings. Why are 247s rankings so drastically different than Rivals? A few spots I can understand but Ayo is like an 10 spot difference. THT is like 70 spots, Nolley was like 60. Mark Smith was like 40 but that's more understandable due to his late rise. I've noticed it for a lot of Chicago guys we are targeting. Are their rankings just that much worse than Rivals or do they really think THT deserves to be in the 100s?
 
#3,542      

Deleted member 631370

D
Guest
Deleted member 631370
Takeittothehoop said:
What a week in recruiting it would be if the Illini could secure a commit from another great Simeon talent!
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Indeed.

Though admittedly, I still view THT as a long shot. The vibes from the get-go haven't been particularly positive for us. From the fallout with the Irvins to the note a few weeks ago about Illinois being "on the outside looking in", this one just doesn't seem favorable for us. Reminds me a bit of the Derrick Rose or Kris Wilkes recruitments -- we were always on the list and even got official visits, but there was never a sense that we were a legit option.

Just my interpretation. Fortunately, (1) he has played his recruitment very close to the chest, so it's tough to say who he really likes and doesn't like, (2) he hasn't cancelled his visit yet even though Ayo is on board, and (3) if he is amenable to playing with Ayo, we now offer him the opportunity to play on a roster with a bunch of home state studs.

I give us a 25% chance on this one. Honestly, I sorta hope we reach out to Tim Finke and see where we stand, because if it's true that he played hurt this past summer, I have this feeling that he's going to regain a bit of his mojo and turn out to be a really good player.
 
#3,543      

Illiniwek06

Illiniwek06
N of I-80
Illiniwek06
Jakthemaniac said:
Just went past the Jordan stores my way out of work—no real sign there’s a big event going on from the street. Looks like they’re doing it in the upstairs space, had a guy on the stairs that looked like he could be checking press passes.


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You should have stuck around! When I got there, the security guy said it was invite only. Took a lap around the store trying to figure out what to do. Security guy came back and hooked it up with a VIP pass. :D
 
#3,544      

SublimeBeast

SublimeBeast
Dieterich, IL
SublimeBeast
Verified Insider said:
Indeed.

Though admittedly, I still view THT as a long shot. The vibes from the get-go haven't been particularly positive for us. From the fallout with the Irvins to the note a few weeks ago about Illinois being "on the outside looking in", this one just doesn't seem favorable for us. Reminds me a bit of the Derrick Rose or Kris Wilkes recruitments -- we were always on the list and even got official visits, but there was never a sense that we were a legit option.

Just my interpretation. Fortunately, (1) he has played his recruitment very close to the chest, so it's tough to say who he really likes and doesn't like, (2) he hasn't cancelled his visit yet even though Ayo is on board, and (3) if he is amenable to playing with Ayo, we now offer him the opportunity to play on a roster with a bunch of home state studs.

I give us a 25% chance on this one. Honestly, I sorta hope we reach out to Tim Finke and see where we stand, because if it's true that he played hurt this past summer, I have this feeling that he's going to regain a bit of his mojo and turn out to be a really good player.
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Sorry, but every time I see the word "vibes" from here on out, I'm going to think of the WF board. :D
 
#3,545      

Future Walk-On

Future Walk-On
Peoria, IL
Future Walk-On
Verified Insider said:
Honestly, I sorta hope we reach out to Tim Finke and see where we stand, because if it's true that he played hurt this past summer, I have this feeling that he's going to regain a bit of his mojo and turn out to be a really good player.
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Haha...I would say def go after Finke...but secretly I want him to go to Bradley and be a stud in the now terrible MVC. :thumb:
 
#3,547      

Dren1

Dren1
Glenview, IL
Dren1
Verified Insider said:
Indeed.

Though admittedly, I still view THT as a long shot. The vibes from the get-go haven't been particularly positive for us. From the fallout with the Irvins to the note a few weeks ago about Illinois being "on the outside looking in", this one just doesn't seem favorable for us. Reminds me a bit of the Derrick Rose or Kris Wilkes recruitments -- we were always on the list and even got official visits, but there was never a sense that we were a legit option.

Just my interpretation. Fortunately, (1) he has played his recruitment very close to the chest, so it's tough to say who he really likes and doesn't like, (2) he hasn't cancelled his visit yet even though Ayo is on board, and (3) if he is amenable to playing with Ayo, we now offer him the opportunity to play on a roster with a bunch of home state studs.

I give us a 25% chance on this one. Honestly, I sorta hope we reach out to Tim Finke and see where we stand, because if it's true that he played hurt this past summer, I have this feeling that he's going to regain a bit of his mojo and turn out to be a really good player.
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While I am still hopeful about THT given that he is still scheduled to visit, I agree with all of your thoughts about him. Finke, not so much. Even if he was hurt, the lack of interest from all major schools is sort of a red flag. I guess time will tell.
 
#3,550      

frozenrope9190

frozenrope9190
Aurora, IL
frozenrope9190
So if we receive no more commits for the rest of 2018, is this recruiting season still considered a success? Just curious.
 
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