What is the argument against us?
He didn't get better here? I'd say it's pretty obvious he did.
There is going to be competition for playing time at Illinois? Anyone who doesn't want that challenge should go play elsewhere.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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He didn't get better here? I'd say it's pretty obvious he did.
There is going to be competition for playing time at Illinois? Anyone who doesn't want that challenge should go play elsewhere.
The argument against Illinois is that Underwood prioritizes experience over talent, and Podz playing 5 mpg his freshman year while Damonte played 28 mpg is clear evidence of that.
Plus, all the 5th year guys Underwood recruits will hurt recruiting freshman
Meyer didn't play for us. Mayer did. I have subconsciously chosen to forget about him.
Damonte Williams?
I saw nothing in his time that made me think he should have played one more second than he did as a freshman.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
About the best quote we as fans could hope for, no? Obviously good luck to TSJ, but man would I love one more year of watching him be a stud for the Illini and getting drafted first round next year.
JMO I don't think Brad ran Podz off.
We only had 5 returning players -
Coleman PF , RJ SF , Luke SF , Podz G and Brandin L C. Only Coleman had any significant playing time.
Incoming
-two transfers at SF (TSJ and MM) one transfer center (DD)
-Four freshman G (Skyy, Jayden, and Sencire) and PF (Ty)
Among the guards only Skyy was rated higher than Podz and it was well know he planned on being a one and done
I think Podz coming from small HS was a little overwhelmed by B10 level of play and decided he would be more comfortable as big fish in the small pond at UC Santa Clara. He left without giving Illinois a chance. After Skyy left there was plenty of playing time at guard. When Jayden struggled in February Brandon would probably have started or at least played as much as Ty. Illini were dying for outside shooter - his strength. He did not bet on himself.
UC Santa Clara was 23-10 and was eliminated first round by Sam Houston college in NIT. They only played only one P5 team beating CAL who was 3-29. They lost twice to Gonzaga (at home by 5 and by 18 in Spokane). Not exactly the same being at Illinois with UCLA, VA , Syracuse, TX and Missouri non conference, the b10, then Arkansas in NCAA.
Wish Podz had stayed but that is up to him.
We only had 5 returning players -
Coleman PF , RJ SF , Luke SF , Podz G and Brandin L C. Only Coleman had any significant playing time.
Incoming
-two transfers at SF (TSJ and MM) one transfer center (DD)
-Four freshman G (Skyy, Jayden, and Sencire) and PF (Ty)
Among the guards only Skyy was rated higher than Podz and it was well know he planned on being a one and done
I think Podz coming from small HS was a little overwhelmed by B10 level of play and decided he would be more comfortable as big fish in the small pond at UC Santa Clara. He left without giving Illinois a chance. After Skyy left there was plenty of playing time at guard. When Jayden struggled in February Brandon would probably have started or at least played as much as Ty. Illini were dying for outside shooter - his strength. He did not bet on himself.
UC Santa Clara was 23-10 and was eliminated first round by Sam Houston college in NIT. They only played only one P5 team beating CAL who was 3-29. They lost twice to Gonzaga (at home by 5 and by 18 in Spokane). Not exactly the same being at Illinois with UCLA, VA , Syracuse, TX and Missouri non conference, the b10, then Arkansas in NCAA.
Wish Podz had stayed but that is up to him.
What I don’t understand: it was clear BP didn’t earn minutes based on (among other things) his defensive acumen. But, what did the staff realistically expect to get out of the 1 on that end of the court this year? Was he told he’d be competing at the 2 rather than the 1? Was he not running any PnR with the second unit in practice? If he was, did he get WAY better at it over a single summer?
The step down in comp caveat no longer applies. He simply belongs on the court with all of these other certain NBA players.
The step down in comp caveat no longer applies. He simply belongs on the court with all of these other certain NBA players.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
mommy, make it stop!
I'd say the difference is probably confidence. Getting your behind kicked in practice can be disheartening, and some guys might get in their heads about it. Being the MAN on a team is a different scenario. At SC he was free to make mistakes and not look over his shoulder at the next guy on the bench. When the shots started going down, he probably started feeling himself. It's carried over. Good for him.
Santa Clara University is a private (Jesuit) institution. Not part of the UC system.
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
You can be sure Juwan is putting the full court press on RayJ.
Mayer didn't play for "us" either. IMHO.
Lot of NIL just freed up at UM. 🫣
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
Like the NIL that couldn’t keep their all American and cited that as the reason?
Something tells me RayJ would command significantly less NIL than Dickinson
I thought Goode was our 2...?
What NIL? It's all going to football
Do you know what they say about opinions — even humble ones?
Would their admissions department even admit RayJ?
They have denied TSJ from TTU and Love from UNC. RayJ might be a different case because he's played 4 years so maybe he's graduated but then why would he have even bothered entering the portal if he could grad transfer?
4 years split between Boise st and Toledo for RayJ.
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