Finally, a logical and rational ideaWhat if, and just hear me out, we can't get any new commitments because the entire roster has already notified the staff that they are coming back next year to win back-to-back nattys? It makes too much sense to be wrong.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (December 2020)
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At least he has no desire of walking around the campus and is fine laying in bed to watch a video....
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Technically if Frazier and Monte stay we would still have their open scholarships to fill. Might as well throw a couple hail mary's in there.What if, and just hear me out, we can't get any new commitments because the entire roster has already notified the staff that they are coming back next year to win back-to-back nattys? It makes too much sense to be wrong.
Do we really need to pile on QC? His info may have been bad, or only good for a few minutes after he got it, but NO ONE's going to look very good with recruiting when we're missing right and left.
I expect by now that posters have realized an "insider" would be better off saying we have a 1 in 4 chance with any given recruit --at least it would look like they know what they're talking about. Those of us who put our faith in 247's crystal ball have been right far more than any "insider".
I expect by now that posters have realized an "insider" would be better off saying we have a 1 in 4 chance with any given recruit --at least it would look like they know what they're talking about. Those of us who put our faith in 247's crystal ball have been right far more than any "insider".
Heck our own staff has been wrong
Well thats not good
I’d like to add to the Larry Bird discussion. Here is my proof that Larry was in my backyard this summer!
billybaroo
- Pebble Beach, CA
My read is that this is the usual casting of a wide net approach by our staff. I've only seen one highlight video, but Storr looks pretty solid to me. He's got a college ready body, plus athleticism, and nice shooting stroke from deep.
adogster
- Scottsdale, AZ
I agree. If you run off the well meaning, so called insiders, this board loses a ton of excitement and fun
AirNeezy
Orange Krush '13 -'14
I might be crazy but all the doom and gloom and "I still have faith that BU can land us great talent" sentiments are so weird to me.
With Ayo, Kofi, Curbelo, Adam Miller, Goode, even Mark Smith; BU has *already* shown that he can land top 50/top 100 elite level recruits (at levels we haven't seen since the JR, BP3, DJ, ML 09 and10 classes). And lo and behold, we're now a nationally ranked top 5 team.
One bad recruiting cycle changes all that?
With Ayo, Kofi, Curbelo, Adam Miller, Goode, even Mark Smith; BU has *already* shown that he can land top 50/top 100 elite level recruits (at levels we haven't seen since the JR, BP3, DJ, ML 09 and10 classes). And lo and behold, we're now a nationally ranked top 5 team.
One bad recruiting cycle changes all that?
It isn't, but the way recruiting works at this level, there are some barriers and head fakes that are part of the process. I think one of the things that people don't realize is that the recruiting process is both recruiting and negotiating. Negotiating can mean a lot of things, some of which involve competition from other programs, deception on what you're up against, reading what's happening behind the scenes, and many other things that can be considerations in a potentially cut-throat deal.
Building relationships makes the whole process easier, but it's never easy at the highest level. Even the established, blue-blood programs are competing hard with each other. It's just that they tend to know how to navigate it, have already built some of the supporting relationships, and have less competition to worry about from the lower tiers.
Clearly, the staff is still working on the things they need to establish a strong finish. They've overcome a lot of obstacles so far, and seem to get in on a lot of high-potential prospects. After that though, it's been hit or miss, with plenty of miss. I think they've earned a long leash though, given how much of a turn-around they've already done. I get that fans are impatient, but if you look back at what they started with, we're really fortunate to see this thing get built back up in just a few seasons.
I agree that one bad recruiting cycle is exactly that: just one bad cycle. A bad cycle here, a bad season there is fine. So I'm not going to get too worked up about this.
But it does mean we're not yet at the place I assume we all want this program to end up: as a perennial contender for the B1G title and high tourney seed. We still have work to do on that, and this class is a minor setback. If we have a similar problem next season it gets quite a bit more concerning though, and I think given this program's recent history I'd be surprised by any fan that didn't least have that in the back of their mind.
AirNeezy
Orange Krush '13 -'14
100% see what you're saying. But we're not talking about John Groce consistently whiffing on recruits here (which the vibe on this board recently reminds me of).
From where we were when BU was first hired and the elite talent that we've pretty much immediately landed since then, to being literally 5 seconds away from a B1G championship (30 seconds away from an outright title if you include the Maryland game) in his 3rd season, there's not much reason to panic at all at least in my opinion. But you are right that with the last ten years, can't really blame our fanbase for constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
A late bloomer, plus he didn't latch on with a high exposure AAU club (Kankakee is a bit of a truck). His true class is '22 (he's 17). Storr has been tearing it up lately, against VG competition.
sacraig
- The desert
I don't know if you know this, but... everyone is wrong sometimes. It happens. The thing about being wrong is that you also need to learn from being wrong so you can improve your chances of being right in the future. Here's hoping they do that.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Agree with everything in your post, but let's not forget that D1 recruiting is quite different than the vast majority of things.
sacraig
- The desert
Yes and no. If you get duped by some recruit or if you overestimate your chances, it's important that you recognize you were wrong, reflect on why you felt the way you did, and take that into account next time. That's no different than anything else in life. Critical evaluation and continuous improvement is a good way to go about life.
Didn't Groce land Nunn (#56) and Hill (#70) in his first recruiting cycle and follow it up with Leron Black (#42) and then DJ Williams (#77), Jalen Coleman-Lands (#37) and Aaron Jordan (#118)? That's six 4* players in his first 3 years. It's not like Groce ONLY missed.
He did but he could not land a stud point guard or a stud big. Guards make your team go. And Groce was not a very good coach.
True. In fact 247 ranks Groce's 2015 class as #15 in the nation and his 2013 class as #13. I think both of those are higher rankings than any BU class. And he'd also landed a pretty nice incoming class before he was fired (most of those guys jumped ship). He missed out on a lot of the very top targets, but who amongst Illini coaches since Self can say they haven't?
Problem is he didn't really develop any of that talent or win games, but he wasn't as terrible a recruiter as some make him out to be.
Totally agree with his lack of PG and his lack of coaching ability, but recruiting wasn't entirely his issue. I'm not a sky is falling guy, but I can understand why the misses this cycle have been a little disconcerting for some fans.
Agree on the short memory and exaggerated Groce ineptitude. But I am never willing to give Groce credit for Hill. Just like I don’t give BU credit for Monte or Trent. I am keenly aware that many people here disagree with me.
I think that's fair, but he still had to keep him, which can be challenging these days. I'm not comparing Mark Smith's production to Malcolm's, but as far as recruiting rankings go, Underwood lost Smith.
Tacomallini
- Washington State
I read QC's posts, not for recruiting "news," but rather for the occasional not-appropriate-for-a-professor comment on undergrad coeds.
Illini has recruited some really good players, even in down years. So, after Self, you have to say the problem was the lack of player development (and game-time coaching). You give those teams to a coach like Bo Ryan, Illinois would have been a tourney team almost every year. Now Illinois has some elite talent and hopefully strong coaching. It's time.
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