Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (August 2019)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#26      
RockfordIllini
The Hutcherson kid has length and shooting, 2 things we need and 2 things Underwood seems to really be looking for. We can never have enough knock-down shooters.

How many more games would we have won had Alstork or Smith been able to hit the broad side of a barn? Shots are there in this offense. Need guys who can make them.
 
#27      
EyeoftheIllini
Well if Kalkbrenner is good then I see him as a test case as to how far the Illinois program has come. We always say good players aren't afraid to go to a blue blood or other top team even if they have a good recruiting class or current roster because they believe they will get minutes. It's time the Illinois start pulling in players like that instead of ones with stop watches that might be swayed by how much perceived playing time there might be available.
 
#28      
Illiniwek33
Calvin said:
I'd rather have guys who leave early to go pro. HRF, Deron, Ayo come to mind....
Click to expand...

Obviously, but HRF and Deron were two of the best point guards we have ever had. Ever! Wouldn't it be great if we could get a class of Dee, Deron and Augie once every 3-4 years? Last year's freshman class was pretty close imo. Hopefully they have a similar trajectory.
 
#29      
Deleted member 654622
illini0440 said:
Staff isn’t sold on Luke or else he’d probably already be committed by now.
Click to expand...
Buddy of mine watched him play at the Highland shootout. Said he had skills but was soft like Charmin.
(same buddy that told me Okoro was going to Oregon before anyone was talking about them being a player BTW) let me just pat myself on the back for that one
 
#30      
Illiniguy90
PtownIllini8 said:
Would you expect it to be any different at Purdue who will have 7'3" Senior Matt Haarms and 6'9" junior Trevian Williams ahead of him? I think we land Miller, Kalkbrenner, Curbello or Watson & Kasabuke, or the wing from Curie who's name escapes me at this time.
Click to expand...

Not sure why you're making the comparison with Purdue. But sure let's make the comparison.

I expect Purdue's 2020 starting lineup to look something like
1/2: don't matter for Kalkbrenner's playing time
3. JR Aaron Wheeler (6-9)
4. JR Trevion Williams (6-9)
5. SR Matt Haarms (7-3)
with contribution at the 5 from SO Emmanuel Dowuona (6-11)

If Kalkbrenner goes to Purdue he can compete with Dowuona and play ~10 backup minutes to Haarms in 2020. Then in 2021 the starting role is all Ryan's.

I expect Illinois' 2020 starting lineup to look something like
1/2: don't matter for Kalkbrenner's playing time
3. JR Tevian Jones (6-7)
4. JR Giorgi Bezhanishvili (6-9)
5. SO Kofi Cockburn (7-0)
with contribution at the 5 from SO Bernard Kouma (6-10) and contribution at the 4 from SO Benjamin Verdonk (6-8)

If Kalkbrenner comes to Illinois he can compete with Kouma and play ~10 backup minutes to Kofi in 2020. But Kofi's likely not going to the NBA after just 2 years so he'll still be around in 2021 (I'd love to be proven wrong on this!). So Ryan's going to be looking at backing up Kofi again in 2021 with Giorgi still playing as well. Maybe he'd be able to backup both Giorgi AND Kofi in 2021 and work his way up to 16 minutes per game. But he's not looking at cracking 20 minutes until his 3rd year with Illinois (again unless Kofi leaves after just 2 years).

There are a lot of teams out there like Purdue that will have openings for Ryan in year 2 and he's going to end up at one of those programs (unless Illinois can really sell him that Kofi's a 1AD player).
 
#31      
Illiniguy90
drsmitty74 said:
Why would he not see minutes? I would think that with Kane leaving, it opens the door for him to step in and be the first big off the bench as a freshman. None of us know what we have in Kouma, yet. Plus, it seems to me that Kalk's defensive ability puts him ahead of what we have seen in Kouma's limited highlight clips.
Click to expand...

I'm not comparing Kalkbrenner to Kouma. Even if Kalkbrenner plays well enough that Kouma doesn't get a single minute, there are probably only ~12 minutes for Ryan in 2020.

Now that's fine for his freshmen year, but Kofi is probably still going to be there in 2021 and maybe even 2022 and that means Kalkbrenner's minutes are limited his 2nd and maybe 3rd seasons as well. I don't see Kofi being a 1-2 year player despite the hype. I could maybe buy 3 years and then NBA or more likely Europe. I'd love to be proven wrong here but I doubt Kalkbrenner is going to base his decision on the pipe dream of Kofi leaving in just 2 years.
 
#32      
PlayAZ
drsmitty74 said:
2. I agree we'll probably miss on both Kalkbrenner and Addison Patterson. Kalkbrenner is going to be looking at Giorgi + Kofi and isn't going to see minutes available until his 3rd season.
Click to expand...

Why would he not see minutes? I would think that with Kane leaving, it opens the door for him to step in and be the first big off the bench as a freshman. None of us know what we have in Kouma, yet. Plus, it seems to me that Kalk's defensive ability puts him ahead of what we have seen in Kouma's limited highlight clips.[/QUOTE]

We know what we know....we don't have a player. IF that comes about, another Kane down the road?
 
#33      
drsmitty74
Illiniguy90 said:
I'm not comparing Kalkbrenner to Kouma. Even if Kalkbrenner plays well enough that Kouma doesn't get a single minute, there are probably only ~12 minutes for Ryan in 2020.

Now that's fine for his freshmen year, but Kofi is probably still going to be there in 2021 and maybe even 2022 and that means Kalkbrenner's minutes are limited his 2nd and maybe 3rd seasons as well. I don't see Kofi being a 1-2 year player despite the hype. I could maybe buy 3 years and then NBA or more likely Europe. I'd love to be proven wrong here but I doubt Kalkbrenner is going to base his decision on the pipe dream of Kofi leaving in just 2 years.
Click to expand...
But your calculation of 12 minutes is assuming Both GB and Kofi are off/on the floor a the same time.
 
#34      
Deleted member 643761
RockfordIllini said:
The Hutcherson kid has length and shooting, 2 things we need and 2 things Underwood seems to really be looking for. We can never have enough knock-down shooters.

How many more games would we have won had Alstork or Smith been able to hit the broad side of a barn? Shots are there in this offense. Need guys who can make them.
Click to expand...
So is hutcherson going to score 20 a game or is he the next Jason Kidd
 
#36      
bombayIllini
Illiniguy90 said:
2. I agree we'll probably miss on both Kalkbrenner and Addison Patterson. Kalkbrenner is going to be looking at Giorgi + Kofi and isn't going to see minutes available until his 3rd season. Patterson is likely to get a lot more interest if he performs well in his Senior year.
Click to expand...

So, essentially, Kalkbrenner will be looking for a school with players worse than GB and Koffi? Perhaps way worse than?
 
#37      
Efrem Winters fan
Joseph Kerr said:
I see your freshman year differently than most, new team, new coach, new scheme. What if the offense wasn't run through him or they considered him a third or fourth option, and he made the most of the opportunities. At Division III, playing off the ball as he did, he is at the mercy of who he plays with, and since he isn't a brute down low, who knows. He shoots well as a percentage, which means he makes the most of what he got. He averaged 20 his second year....6 rebounds. He grew as a player and growth is something that matters. At 6'6", somehow we put him as a back up to Trent at PG? Trent drives, passes back, 3 points.... I see a lot of value in this kid.

Terry Porter played Division III, averaged 2 points his freshman year, NBA player in the end. Not saying we have an NBA player coming, but Division III coaches rule the game, since their players aren't scholarship players.
Click to expand...
I agree with these points and would add that I think he would benefit greatly from the sit-out year in terms of learning BU's system, physical S&C training and overall skills development.
 
#40      
TxChief
Dude said:
Buddy of mine watched him play at the Highland shootout. Said he had skills but was soft like Charmin.
(same buddy that told me Okoro was going to Oregon before anyone was talking about them being a player BTW) let me just pat myself on the back for that one
Click to expand...
Starting to sound like a true Insider. Are you an Insider?

Be very careful. You should know the risks here. Do you run a barbershop? Are you affiliated with an AAU program? Does your last name start with the letter "Irvin"?

This board is littered with the bones of Insiders. (Until they change their IDs)
 
#42      
Efrem Winters fan
Here's what I am hoping for...

Last season we lacked depth/experience. We had way too many new players to anticipate good chemistry although I think we did start to achieve that later in the season. I expect us to play fast and continue the high intensity defense that challenged some very good teams last season. Hopefully we foul less, play under better control and are able to add some complexity to our schemes due to players understanding BU basketball better. I think we will have a much deeper rotation this year than last. Hopefully Kofi can stay out of foul trouble and is fit enough to log some good minutes. Even then I think there will be plenty of minutes to go around and BU will want to keep fresh guys on the court. We had some players last year that were clearly gassed in some games because we didn't have the flexibility and depth we have this year. I think Kalkbrenner will get plenty of minutes and his defensive prowess almost guarantees it.
 
#44      
Illiniguy90
bombayIllini said:
So, essentially, Kalkbrenner will be looking for a school with players worse than GB and Koffi? Perhaps way worse than?
Click to expand...

...
No. He’s most likely looking for a place where he can play some good minutes as a freshman and take over in year 2. Also a place with solid guards and wings so that the team around him can win. Illinois guards in 2020 are a question mark, and we have no proven wing players. Both Tevian and Giorgi haven’t proven themselves at that position yet. I think it’s a tough sell to get Kalkbrenner unless you can show continuity in the backcourt and convince him there’s a spot for him with Kofi.
 
#45      
bombayIllini
Illiniguy90 said:
...
No. He’s most likely looking for a place where he can play some good minutes as a freshman and take over in year 2. Also a place with solid guards and wings so that the team around him can win. Illinois guards in 2020 are a question mark, and we have no proven wing players. Both Tevian and Giorgi haven’t proven themselves at that position yet. I think it’s a tough sell to get Kalkbrenner unless you can show continuity in the backcourt and convince him there’s a spot for him with Kofi.
Click to expand...

Will play along.

So, a Miller is not enough? That is continuity. And, it is also as speculative as your reasoning.

And, Tevian and Giorgi have a whole year to prove him wrong. What if they prove him wrong? I happen to think they will prove him wrong - assuming he is thinking like you, which I doubt.

Also, "take over in year two" means either a school where the players ahead of him are worse than that at IL in year two OR that the players are so good that they bolt to the pros. Which school with one-n-done has he hopes for that we know of?
 
#46      
Illiniguy90
bombayIllini said:
Will play along.

So, a Miller is not enough? That is continuity. And, it is also as speculative as your reasoning.

And, Tevian and Giorgi have a whole year to prove him wrong. What if they prove him wrong? I happen to think they will prove him wrong - assuming he is thinking like you, which I doubt.

Also, "take over in year two" means either a school where the players ahead of him are worse than that at IL in year two OR that the players are so good that they bolt to the pros. Which school with one-n-done has he hopes for that we know of?
Click to expand...

IF we land Miller, and IF Giorgi/Tevian show they can play the 3/4 effectively I think that goes a long way towards recruiting Kalkbrenner. Neither of those things have happened yet. I’m still living in the world where we haven’t had a good illini team in over 10 years and while I’m super excited that this could be the year we turn things around, I’m not about to start counting my bricks before my glass house crashes down
 
#47      
Deleted member 236589
Illiniguy90 said:
IF we land Miller, and IF Giorgi/Tevian show they can play the 3/4 effectively I think that goes a long way towards recruiting Kalkbrenner. Neither of those things have happened yet. I’m still living in the world where we haven’t had a good illini team in over 10 years and while I’m super excited that this could be the year we turn things around, I’m not about to start counting my bricks before my glass house crashes down
Click to expand...
Most realists are living in the same world as you are. Excitement and intrigue tempered by historical irrelevance.
 
#49      
Pop'sBlackDog
Dude said:
Buddy of mine watched him play at the Highland shootout. Said he had skills but was soft like Charmin.
(same buddy that told me Okoro was going to Oregon before anyone was talking about them being a player BTW) let me just pat myself on the back for that one
Click to expand...
Because begging for props on a message board isn't soft at all. You are talking about high school kids my friend...ole softie.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back