Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (Week of July 5th, 2021)

[IlliniKat91]

I wish a better Ambassador for Illinois other than Geoff was sitting next to Kofi, yes.

Who would that be on our current staff?

He has no relationship with Frazier, so that's a no go. We're waiting on the end of July for our AC3 from what little we have to go on. If you send Underwood or JW we look desperate and thirsty af. So, really, the best guy to talk to him is the one who helped him train prior to the G League, someone he reportedly likes and trusts. Then we hope that we really are hiring Tim Anderson, a fact that along with his NIL offers at Illinois is enough to bring him home.

But, if you're just in the mood to be salty, none of that is going to matter to you. I'd just rather look at it as us setting things up the best we can and seeing what happens. I won't be happy if he goes, but I won't be wailing and gnashing my teeth either. The world will continue to turn.

 

[WhiteHorseWings]

Investigating College Basketball’s Transfer Movement​

The article is 3 years old, but I think the underlying data (2012-18) provides some good context for the realities of modern college basketball. In short, this is the norm.

"In the past six seasons, teams that have retained the same head coach have averaged 10.4 players transfer out of the university, while teams with two or three coaching changes have averaged 14.0 and 15.5 transfers over the six-year span, respectively."

I am not disagreeing with you, or necessarily even the original sentiment that it’s probably not BU. I was responding to the suggestion that there is zero evidence people aren’t buying into BU’s sometimes overbearing style, simply because DaMonte and Trent stayed. That’s a huge exaggeration. There’s plenty of evidence. I’d say just as much as the contrary.

But I understand people dont like to let objectivity get in the way of their feelings.

 

[EliteIllini]

This board has so many betas it's nauseating. We are coming off a #1 seed. We have a tourney roster now with upside. A new, rising AC that absolutely bleeds Orange and Blue. Went punch for punch with a blue blood for our old ACs. An AD that actually gets IT. We are consistently on recruits' radar who wouldn't even wink at us before. 3 incoming 4*'s. A HC that I wouldn't replace with anyone we could realistically get. A developing culture with DOGS.

If you don't think we are heading in the right direction, just bandwagon other teams then. Be better. Our program was in shambles before Brad. Honestly, I'm surprised he turned it around this fast. If Kofi's back, we will have a top-10 team in the best conference with a packed State Farm Center. The program is going to start recruiting itself.

 

[Kendall Gill’s Uncle]

The Garcia stuff just shows again there aren’t any insiders. No one knows, including people that run premium boards. Just have to realize it’s all rumors, take it with a grain of salt a d realize that’s why you’re here. If you’re looking for a facts, join the coaching staff.

 

[Fanview]

I think people from both sides of the fanbase ostracize each other because we're all angry. Some of us want others to see the bright side and some want to point out the negative. We need both sides to just meet in the middle.
1. These recent recruiting misses before and since Orlando has left sucked
2. There's things to be optimistic about. Frazier is putting us in a great position with some top recruits and we've got a 3rd AC that has yet to be announced
3. We landed a new commit without a full staff
4. We should be a tournament team this year - 3 years tournament team is a lot more consistent than we've been in a long time

 

[Emerson Bigguns]

The Garcia stuff just shows again there aren’t any insiders. No one knows, including people that run premium boards. Just have to realize it’s all rumors, take it with a grain of salt a d realize that’s why you’re here. If you’re looking for a facts, join the coaching staff.

Recruiting is like a game. Insiders may have heard the current score, but it doesn’t mean it’s in the bag. Getting mad at people who are wrong about an ongoing recruitment, is like getting mad at Pat Hughes when he tells you the Cubs are up 2 after 8 innings & then having someone hit a 3 run home run…. “ But you just said we were winning!”

 

[illininutt]

I think our next 2022 commit:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1413289755966595074

 

[ILL GUY]

braden huff crystal ball to wisconsin when it rains, it pours

 

[Goldtop]

braden huff crystal ball to wisconsin when it rains, it pours

Unfortunately the rainy season seems to be the norm with the occasional light cloud cover. Usually when good news seems imminent, the storm clouds soon roll in. And maybe that is what makes the sunshine all the more enjoyable when we get it. Illinois will be fine. Underwood has quite a track record of getting just the right people in place to make some thunder of his own.

 

[Illinivek23]

Unfortunately the rainy season seems to be the norm with the occasional light cloud cover. Usually when good news seems imminent, the storm clouds soon roll in. And maybe that is what makes the sunshine all the more enjoyable when we get it. Illinois will be fine. Underwood has quite a track record of getting just the right people in place to make some thunder of his own.

Hmmm...Gard or BU. Not too hard IMHO.

 

[EliteIllini]

Being in the NBA alone with his ties to Jamaica and the money he could make through that is worth several times more than any school could ever promise him. It's about development the next year. Plain and simple.

 

[Flight33]

Seems the recipe for success, from a fans standpoint at least, is to be completely surprised by recruiting success. Podz is the only one I can remember was anticipated to come to Illinois before he actually committed. Atleast that has been the case recently. So, despite the last couple of days, I have complete faith that Underwood will continue to bring in the players he needs regardless of whether they are his first choice or not.

 

[Illinoise]

I like the looks of Sencire Harris’ game. How about that interesting spelling of his first name too. Pretty cool.

 

[grantlab]

I understand the NIL and OA argument, but am I the only one who isn’t seeing a clear path to improvement for Kofi at Kentucky? Kofi averaged 17.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season, and going to UK means sharing minutes at the 5 with Tshiebwe. Is he putting that up again at UK? I get the “go somewhere where you can showcase more range and a broader set of NBA skills” argument, but is that really Kentucky? It seems like if Kofi was really thinking about maximizing long term value and his goal of ultimately making it to the league, he goes somewhere where he can truly become a better player than last year and also has a chance to prove he’s NBA ready (whether that be passing out of the post, having a mid-range game, etc.). If the only factor in Kofi’s decision was NIL, he would have already been in the NBA. He needs to use the season to improve, just like Ayo did. I’m curious how this all plays out.

 

[BretMyBeachHouse]

I understand the NIL and OA argument, but am I the only one who isn’t seeing a clear path to improvement for Kofi at Kentucky? Kofi averaged 17.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG last season, and going to UK means sharing minutes at the 5 with Tshiebwe. Is he putting that up again at UK? I get the “go somewhere where you can showcase more range and a broader set of NBA skills” argument, but is that really Kentucky? It seems like if Kofi was really thinking about maximizing long term value and his goal of ultimately making it to the league, he goes somewhere where he can truly become a better player than last year and also has a chance to prove he’s NBA ready (whether that be passing out of the post, having a mid-range game, etc.). If the only factor in Kofi’s decision was NIL, he would have already been in the NBA. He needs to use the season to improve, just like Ayo did. I’m curious how this all plays out.

I don't know the best spot, but I don't think it will be about playing time. If he goes to UK and averages 14 and 8, both drops, but shows he can pass well out of the post, I think he helps himself. I'd be curious what scouts are saying, but I think the apparent lack of a passing game is a bigger deal than the lack of a midrange game.

 

[Peoria Pipeline]

Top 2 or 3 worst posting day in Loyalty history for a guy most have probably never seen play. We get Harris a recruit clearly on the rise and crickets..

 

[Seagee]

This. They were one of the first to tell us it shifted to UNC. People are just emotional and feel played. But that's what happens when you get information about ONGOING negotiations. Now people want someone to point fingers at. It's okay to be mad. We're all pissed. I just wish people didn't take out their anger on our own

Whining about insiders aside, it was objective fact that Garcia started following several Illini players on social media in recent days and only one player from other schools. Things change, especially during the very week that unlimited dark money just became legalized.

 

[illini.culture IG]

Top 2 or 3 worst posting day in Loyalty history for a guy most have probably never seen play. We get Harris a recruit clearly on the rise and crickets..

Right. And it’s funny, because only a month ago I wasn’t even expecting kofi to come back or to land a quality big and I was doing fine, and then when the possibility of both of these scenarios came to life, I acted like they were all of a sudden necessities for next season. Relax. We still got Trent, Monte, Curbelo, Hutch, and I really like Omar’s athleticism paired with Andres court vision. BU was still able to bring in three 4 star recruits, and has landed 2 great 2022 guys with a broken staff. Let’s all just take a breath and calm down.





Or ignore this message and do want you want. Fine with me.

 

[pruman91]

wow.....did I miss something last night ??????
I thought this thread was up over 30 pages last night ??? .....I must have been in more pain than I thought.....

Well anyway, what's going on with recruiting now......???

Thanks in advance for any updates...

 

[LongLiveTheChief]

Does anyone have any insight on our realistic chances of landing Sandraque Nganga? I saw we made his top 11 list but have not heard his name much since

 

[Illinifanalways]

At UK look at the high 4 and 5 star guys on the roster most of them want to play in the NBA yesterday. With Kofi he would help them to achieve their goal. I believe Kofi at UI would help his status for the NBA against playing at KY. Just my take. So, Kofi come back to Champaign.

 

[texillwek]

Does anyone have any insight on our realistic chances of landing Sandraque Nganga? I saw we made his top 11 list but have not heard his name much since

Realistically, we have a 16% chance of landing him.

I haven't seen anything mentioning him with Illinois since this article: L I N K

 

[LongLiveTheChief]

Realistically, we have a 16% chance of landing him.

I haven't seen anything mentioning him with Illinois since this article: L I N K

At least we aren’t last among the 11 then. Thanks for the update. That was the last I had seen but didn’t realize we were above 10%

 

[illini80]

There is obviously a good reason or he wouldn’t be there, but why would Kofi attend a UAA event? Just to be available to other coaches?

Also isn’t this a no contact period for recruiting where coaches can watch games but not speak with recruits? Or do those rules not apply to transfers? I see nothing on the NCAA web site that differentiates them.

 

[TCTORNADO]

This board has so many betas it's nauseating. We are coming off a #1 seed. We have a tourney roster now with upside. A new, rising AC that absolutely bleeds Orange and Blue. Went punch for punch with a blue blood for our old ACs. An AD that actually gets IT. We are consistently on recruits' radar who wouldn't even wink at us before. 3 incoming 4*'s. A HC that I wouldn't replace with anyone we could realistically get. A developing culture with DOGS.

If you don't think we are heading in the right direction, just bandwagon other teams then. Be better. Our program was in shambles before Brad. Honestly, I'm surprised he turned it around this fast. If Kofi's back, we will have a top-10 team in the best conference with a packed State Farm Center. The program is going to start recruiting itself.

This is just an outstanding post from a guy that just joined less than 3 months ago. Welcome aboard, we need more guys like you. Great 13th post!!