And then how do you rank a kid like Abrams in terms of how his career turned out? I hate to say one of the worst because I loved his game, but man he had the absolute worst luck when it came to his body.
Dj Williams did?? I don't remember that.
Hmmm. Dain is a GOOD player. Not a star, but if you think Amani and Morez will be ahead of him...awesome, BUT you won't find a better backup big!
It's not as simple as just looking at the top 100. There are years where there is just a ton of talent and some guys that would be top 25 end up top 40 and vice versa.
Did he really? Can't seem to find anything on that. Always thought he had the measurables but couldn't put it all together.
I'm guessing he's thinking of Myke Henry.
Look, you and I have been on here long enough to know that our fanbase isn't exactly rational. Dain isn't very flashy, but he gets boards on both ends of the court, blocks shots, has a solid post-up game and a capable turnaround jumper from 10-12 feet. I don't know, I guess that isn't enough...Yea let's just push out a guy that has the ability to score, rebound, is a decent rim protector, and can pass just because we don't like post ups anymore
Games aren't just run and gun up and down the court, there's a ton of half court action and you always need guys who can score in different ways and take advantage of matchups. There were a couple times against EIU where Dain got the ball and I already knew he was going to score. That kind of high efficiency is valuable.
Agreed. There are misses, but if I think of my Top 5 Illini during this time period, three of the Top 5 are numbers 1, 2, and 3 on that list (Dee, Cook, Frank). The other two (Ayo and Deron) are in the top half of the list (top 50 guys). And my next two (Kofi and BP3) are also in the top half.
Really impressive interview. Morez really seems to have it all..maturity, intelligence, and work ethic to go along with his undeniable talent. Very excited to see him in O&B!
Dain was hands down easily our most efficient inside scorer last year. He was also #1 in rebounds and blocks on a per-minute basis.
Yeah, I think sometimes people mix up possibility with probability or likelihood. There is fairly clear correlation between how highly a recruit is ranked and their college performance, especially once you get into the Top 50 and even more so in the Top 25. There are going to be many players who don't meet those lofty ranking expectations (hello Jereme Richmond), and there are going to be many who perform much better than their ranking (hey Trent), but overall, a higher ranked recruit is more likely to outperform a low ranked recruit. Doesn’t mean they will, but it is more likely.
I'm not a rankings don't matter at all person, but the names that popped into my head that aren't on that list in no particular order:
I like Dain but he goes to fast for his own good at times. He was our most efficient scorer because 90% of his shots are at the rim. He relies on his spin move too much and often times he looks off balance and awkward when he is finishing his shot causing him to miss more of those than he should. They need to get him to make sure he stays under control while making those moves so he gets an and 1 situation instead of two missed free throws. He's got the size there is no reason why he can't also develop some classic post moves like Crowl from Wisconsin. It would benefit him to have more than one option when he gets the ball in the low post. This is why people are already thinking he will be behind Morez and Amani next year imo.
Aka skim for Louisville, Indy, 0440, DB11, Dan, Joel, etc. to post something b/c the rest of us are just meatballs.I know a lot of you skim for the important posts....but do yourself a favor and watch that MJJ interview on the home page. All of it.
There is no crowd that says "rankings don't matter." However, there is a crowd that says "rankings are not the end-all be-all" and "guys outside the top 100 can still be good/great."
I wholeheartedly agree with your post. And with the benefit of hindsight and knowing how guys turned out, I would absolutely take Trent over Rich McBride. But, coming out of HS before Rich hurt his back, dude was a walking bucket! It would have been really interesting to see how he would have fared had he been completely healthy, because even at "partial ability", he was pretty good! The other comps are pretty easy choices....
Very cool indeed.
