Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[aaeismacgychel]

wait, what? staff didn't run Podz off. he left of his own volition. that's not a miss, in my book.

I don't know if this is necessarily the full truth. There a sliding scale between being straight up Creaned and leaving entirely on your own volition. Adam Miller is a good example of someone leaving entirely on their own volition despite tremendous opportunity. Based on what was made available when Podz entered the portal it sounds like he did leave on his own volition though it also seemed like he was heavily recruited over and that the staff communicated to him there wasn't really a spot for him to get playing time of much significance and seemed like the coaching staff somewhat moved on from him.

People can argue of course on whether or not that made sense at the time (or how unfortunate it looks in hindsight), but I do think Podz leaving was pretty far from being entirely his own desire. I think based on hindsight, it's pretty fair to say him leaving was a decent if not major miss by the staff. At the same time though, it's also pretty fair to think that at the time TSJ, Mayer, Skyy, RJ, and Luke were all higher priorities. So it's a miss but an understandable one. It just hurts because we really could have used a shooter and team player like him last year and he was wildly successful.

 

[eas23]

I love seeing the real heights. How about Tsheibwe at 6'7 1/4.

 

[WyattEarp]

back to cottage cheese! yes!!!

small curd or large curd?

LARGE CURD. Go BIG or go home.

 

[Old Farm Illini]

I'll keep the Podz thread going.. Would he have become the version that he is now without the gigantic chip on his shoulder from feeling like he was overrecruited and underutilized? I was cut from a team and then worked my butt off and ended up starting on a team that ultimately, and easily, beat the team I was cut from. It was a different sport, but sometimes you just need to experience that to get closer to your potential. You become a different version of yourself and that's always overlooked when these discussions happen. This isn't a bad look for Brad, it's just a success story for the kid. Good for him.

 

[Illini65418]

I'll keep the Podz thread going.. Would he have become the version that he is now without the gigantic chip on his shoulder from feeling like he was overrecruited and underutilized? I was cut from a team and then worked my butt off and ended up starting on a team that ultimately, and easily, beat the team I was cut from. It was a different sport, but sometimes you just need to experience that to get closer to your potential. You become a different version of yourself and that's always overlooked when these discussions happen. This isn't a bad look for Brad, it's just a success story for the kid. Good for him.

Another reasonable take! Absolutely could be the case as well. It would only be a bad look for BU if this consistently happened, which it hasn't. In my mind it's absolutely okay to recognize Podz as a miss by the staff/BU (hence the overrecruiting and underutilization) while also recognizing these misses happen all the time in D1 athletics. No one's faith should be shaken in BU being able to put out a competitive team each year.

 

[HailtotheChief]

He should have played? Based off what? This past season at Santa Clara? not how it works. If you watched practice while he was here and saw the multitude of defensive lapses, scouting report errors and even offensive lapses you'd understand why he didn't. Also to say he should have been playing over Monte is very laughable.

Well, Podz looks pretty darn good almost immediately after leaving if what your saying is true. It seems your implying he only developed only after he left and was player of the year along with Drew Timme in his conference. If that is what your suggesting that is not good to imply. Podz was clearly better than many thought. That didn't happen overnight! He didn't go from being a bench warmer behind players you mentioned to being co player of the year with a 1st team All American and then drafted without being darn good to start with. Clearly when given an opportunity he thrived. Its only been a year since he left Illinois and now he is likely to be selected in NBA draft before any Illini. If he only improved after he left then thats not a good look! It most certainly is not laughable to think he had and has more talent. I think he had ability here and you clearly dont. We can disagree. We certainly needed his shooting. To suggest he only got better after he left to become that type of player if the year is a stretch. If so that's not good he developed so fast elsewhere. I believe he got better here too he just didnt play. I am a die hard Illini fan and have been for years but I won't ignore the player Podz was and is almost immediately after leaving the Illini. He deserves credit. He praised learning from Trent. I hope we don't lose players that are getting drafted! I am happy for him and I do wish he had played and stayed. I feel we could gave used him on the court. You can have your opinion and I can have mine. NBA scouts can too. I appreciate all our players. I even appreciate your post 440. Like I said I trust BU but everyone makes mistakes. You can love sports, teams, and people but they aren't perfect. Also, have what ever thoughts you want. We can disagree and I won't call your thoughts laughable. Its all good. I just want to get, develop, and keep the best players when can as much as possible.

 

[HensonHall71]

Podz's agility numbers are not eye popping, but good enough. He is certainly not slow. I would guess the defensive issues were more about the step up in competition from high school than lack of athletic talent.

Draft Combine Agility | Stats | NBA.com

Draft Combine Agility data

www.nba.com

The anthrometric measurements don't really help any of our guys, though Hawkins has fairly decent length.

Draft Combine Anthrometric | Stats | NBA.com

NBA Draft Combine Anthrometric data

www.nba.com

Thanks for sharing- TSJ is showing well in all the agility numbers he was literally the fastest 3 quarters sprint and shows well across the board - CoHawk does not have good agility numbers. Not sure it matters that much for draft stock, but it can only help TSJ

 

[Joel Goodson]

And you know this how? I don't know but I'm assuming it was either suggested or he was told what to expect for playing time.

being told expected tick is a far cry from being run off (more like keeping it real). also, he would've had the opportunity to change the playing time calculus via performance (practice and games).

Podz chose a pass of less resistance and it worked out beautifully for him.

now, back to cottage cheese!

 

[SoILIllini]

Geez it's like people have never heard of a player taking a giant sophomore leap... that + going significantly down in competition will do some things

If you want to blame BU, lump every other HM coach in there along with him

 

[EyeoftheIllini]

When you bench a player for another most likely incorrectly they will leave. They recruited over them along with returnees RJ and Goode who clearly BU preferred then why stay when you know in your gut you are a better player but likely will be behind them again. It was most certainly a miss and a miss judgement. Clearly it was since Podz is very likely to be drafted ahead of any Illini. Had Podz played over or just as much as those two and DMW he likely wouldn't have left. If you want good players to leave bench em when they should play. You don't need to say anything. Podz is clearly better than those he sat behind but rarely played. That also is likely why he didn't have more offers when he transfered. Coaches trust BU to be right more than not. I do too. That said Podz had good reasons to leave.

Did RJ and Goode even play the same position as Podz?

 

[DB11Headband]

In
Suff
Erable

 

[OB positive]

Agree with everything other than the DMW comment - it seems pretty clear it was a miss on the coaching staff's behalf given his performance this year, his combine results and where NBA scouts/experts have him being drafted. Maybe the coaching staff didn't do the best in showcasing his skills/talent in practice and that's why his practice reports weren't glamorous, but I'm sure you could point out these types of misses for virtually every D1 coach, even those at the top of the profession. Don't think the consistent BU defenders should be taking too much offense to this, feels like a reasonable take and not one that indicates a red flag for BU.

I don't know what you were watching last year but I saw every game Podz played in. While he had some good moments here and there he showed no reason to play him ahead of Luke, RJ or anyone else. He was too much of a liability on defense. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just looking to bash Brad. Yes it turned out once he transferred to a weaker team in a weaker conference he blossomed. No way to have forseen that with what he did he here. It has worked out well for him, good for Podz, wish him well.

 

[Birdus]

Happy for Podz. If he would not have left, he would have never gotten this far. TSJ would have been getting a majority of the playing time. Smart move on his part.

 

[Boskydell]

Halftime. Pretty much put TSJ in the corner,but nobody passed him the ball.

 

[Username]

In
Suff
Erable

Riiiight?!?
Just relax
Don't overreact

I'm trying to take my own advice
Soooo - deep breaths

Can't we all just do that?
Or what is the other option?
Meditation?
I don't know
No other thoughts?
Go Illini!

 

[Joel Goodson]

Did RJ and Goode even play the same position as Podz?

nope. but to their credit, that's not a deterrent

when RJ explodes this season, it'll be another round of bashing

 

[Grandpa]

When Podz left, who did we bring in, based on their resume up to that point, that was a worse player than Podz?

All of them if Underwood had put the ball in Podz' hands and got out of the way, instead of telling him to stand in the corner and wait for a pass.

 

[CentralILLini]

Well, Podz looks pretty darn good almost immediately after leaving if what your saying is true. It seems your implying he only developed only after he left and was player of the year along with Drew Timme in his conference. If that is what your suggesting that is not good to imply. Podz was clearly better than many thought. That didn't happen overnight! He didn't go from being a bench warmer behind players you mentioned to being co player of the year with a 1st team All American and then drafted without being darn good to start with. Clearly when given an opportunity he thrived. Its only been a year since he left Illinois and now he is likely to be selected in NBA draft before any Illini. If he only improved after he left then thats not a good look! It most certainly is not laughable to think he had and has more talent. I think he had ability here and you clearly dont. We can disagree. We certainly needed his shooting. To suggest he only got better after he left to become that type of player if the year is a stretch. If so that's not good he developed so fast elsewhere. I believe he got better here too he just didnt play. I am a die hard Illini fan and have been for years but I won't ignore the player Podz was and is almost immediately after leaving the Illini. He deserves credit. He praised learning from Trent. I hope we don't lose players that are getting drafted! I am happy for him and I do wish he had played and stayed. I feel we could gave used him on the court. You can have your opinion and I can have mine. NBA scouts can too. I appreciate all our players. I even appreciate your post 440. Like I said I trust BU but everyone makes mistakes. You can love sports, teams, and people but they aren't perfect. Also, have what ever thoughts you want. We can disagree and I won't call your thoughts laughable. Its all good. I just want to get, develop, and keep the best players when can as much as possible.

 

[Illini65418]

I don't know what you were watching last year but I saw every game Podz played in. While he had some good moments here and there he showed no reason to play him ahead of Luke, RJ or anyone else. He was too much of a liability on defense. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just looking to bash Brad. Yes it turned out once he transferred to a weaker team in a weaker conference he blossomed. No way to have forseen that with what he did he here. It has worked out well for him, good for Podz, wish him well.

I did as well, though he didn't play much. He played 4 MPG average last year in only 16 games, not exactly enough to get in a rhythm each game or truly get a good look at his talent/skills/potential.

Do you believe he is still a liability on defense? It appears NBA scouts are willing to overlook that if so, as well as the weaker team/weaker conference narrative. You'd think the scouts/analysts would be more concerned about this if this was truly the reason he succeeded this year given he will be playing daily against other top P5 conference players that were drafted.

So either he drastically improved this year given development from Santa Clara's coaching staff or he always had this level of skill but wasn't put in the right position or not utilized correctly to succeed and showcase his skill. Honestly, most likely a combination of both. I think it's narrow minded to say this is bashing Brad. As I have mentioned twice, this happens all the time in D1 sports! It is ok to criticize your coach for their decisions (incredibly tough ones that are not easy, but that's why they get paid millions a year) while recognizing they are still doing an excellent job. I just don't understand why every BU criticism, the seemingly valid ones, seems to always come back to "stop bashing Brad." No one is perfect and I am not saying I would have made a different decision than BU last year if I was in his shoes, but saying this wasn't a miss (letting him go/not working to retain him) isn't correct, IMO. Losing a projected 1st round draft pick putting up those numbers is a miss (even if you try your best but "missed" the potential/skill they had.)

 

[Joel Goodson]

All of them if Underwood had put the ball in Podz' hands and got out of the way, instead of telling him to stand in the corner and wait for a pass.

the limburger is a bit runny today

 

[sharpshot16]

So how about Adam Miller? Who wants to talk Ace?

 

[Emerson Bigguns]

All of them if Underwood had put the ball in Podz' hands and got out of the way, instead of telling him to stand in the corner and wait for a pass.

When you have a Kofi Cockburn, it's everyone's job to stand in the corner and wait for a pass.

 

[alaskaillini]

Geez it's like people have never heard of a player taking a giant sophomore leap... that + going significantly down in competition will do some things

If you want to blame BU, lump every other HM coach in there along with him

This is the best take. It is not unusual to be nervous, confused, overwhelmed when stepping up in competition (especially from small high school to high major college basketball). Once a comfort level is reached, sometimes there is a big jump in performance. There is also a benefit to being a high usage player rather than in short term limited minutes off the bench. BU had to go off his performance last year.
Not a miss by BU, and a great leap by Podz. He deserves credit for stepping up, but BU doesn't deserve condemnation for not predicting it and doing more to encourage him to stay.

 

[LurkerintheOpen]

I was gonna ask if we wanted to ponder what could of been if Jereme Richmond had a better head on his shoulders while in orange and blue.

So how about Adam Miller? Who wants to talk Ace?

 

[OB positive]

I did as well, though he didn't play much. He played 4 MPG average last year in only 16 games, not exactly enough to get in a rhythm each game or truly get a good look at his talent/skills/potential.

Do you believe he is still a liability on defense? It appears NBA scouts are willing to overlook that if so, as well as the weaker team/weaker conference narrative. You'd think the scouts/analysts would be more concerned about this if this was truly the reason he succeeded this year given he will be playing daily against other top P5 conference players that were drafted.

So either he drastically improved this year given development from Santa Clara's coaching staff or he always had this level of skill but wasn't put in the right position or not utilized correctly to succeed and showcase his skill. Honestly, most likely a combination of both. I think it's narrow minded to say this is bashing Brad. As I have mentioned twice, this happens all the time in D1 sports! It is ok to criticize your coach for their decisions (incredibly tough ones that are not easy, but that's why they get paid millions a year) while recognizing they are still doing an excellent job. I just don't understand why every BU criticism, the seemingly valid ones, seems to always come back to "stop bashing Brad." No one is perfect and I am not saying I would have made a different decision than BU last year if I was in his shoes, but saying this wasn't a miss (letting him go/not working to retain him) isn't correct, IMO. Losing a projected 1st round draft pick putting up those numbers is a miss (even if you try your best but "missed" the potential/skill they had.)

I didn't say it wasn't a miss or that it didn't turn out to bite us in the butt. I'm saying there was no way to predict what happened and that people should stop acting like Brad or the entire coaching staff should have seen it coming.