Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#252      
Goillinikobd
If we are going to “get older” by growing our own, don’t forget we have 2 freshman recruits on the roster for next year.

No one seems to mention them except calling them “gravy”.

Otherwise stop recruiting and just portal and hope for the best.
 
#253      
HensonHall71
Big Z would be an amazing to get next year- he’s much more of a rim protector than Tomi and would be a great 1-2 punch. I think Morez would be thrilled given he wouldn’t have to play the 5, he would get all of his minutes at the 4 which is his natural position

Add a SG like McKneely along with Sarr and we’d be a Final Four contender
 
#254      
SummerofGeorge
At this point, I am much more interested in who we are keeping rather than who we are adding. I think who we are keeping has at least a fair amount of significance in who we decide to bring in. If we can run back KB, TW, MJ, and TI then I will be pumped. Honestly wouldn’t mind Davis coming back in a reserve role. He knows the system now, understands his role, and is a capable shooter. Plug in the holes around that and the incoming freshmen and I can see a really competitive team.
 
#255      
SVSTORM
Any portal rumors outside of the Illinois sphere?

dave chappelle tyrone biggums GIF
 
#257      
Combo
HensonHall71 said:
Big Z would be an amazing to get next year- he’s much more of a rim protector than Tomi and would be a great 1-2 punch. I think Morez would be thrilled given he wouldn’t have to play the 5, he would get all of his minutes at the 4 which is his natural position

Add a SG like McKneely along with Sarr and we’d be a Final Four contender
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I think that's the dream scenario. Plus of course retaining Tomi, Morez, Tre, and Kylan.
 
#263      
Brosky
HensonHall71 said:
Big Z would be an amazing to get next year- he’s much more of a rim protector than Tomi and would be a great 1-2 punch. I think Morez would be thrilled given he wouldn’t have to play the 5, he would get all of his minutes at the 4 which is his natural position

Add a SG like McKneely along with Sarr and we’d be a Final Four contender
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Morez is exclusively a center. Period.
 
#264      
nichi
IllinitripleJ said:
I assume none of the big boys were interested. Santa Clara has a good coach in Herb Sendek and he spotted something in Podz that Brad totally missed. I think Wiscy passed on him coming out of high school as well. Interesting that Podz is similar to Jakucionis and Brad totally blew Podz off in his one year at Illinois.
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I like the Podz / KJ comparison. Both have excellent height for position, elite ball skills, and average athleticism. Podz is probably a better shooter; KJ a better playmaker?

The biggest difference is the level of competition they faced before Illinois. Podz played against low level high school competition. Maybe he was just not ready for the big leap in competition.

On the other hand, KJ had competed against skilled, mature kids and grown men in Europe -- and still struggled against some of the better college defenses.
 
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#267      
PepeSilvia
The transfer portal is crazy with how many people are entering and im sure I've missed a lot of guys but I love watching mid major basketball and these names stood out at glance.

Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Houston State. Will be a senior, Legitimate scorer and multi level scorer at that. Elite Free throw shooter and a very good 3pt shooter. He's a combo/shooting guard with good size and athleticism. He's a bit shorter but he reminds me a bit of a more physical Antonio Reeves.

Blake Harper, Howard. Jumbo 6'7ish point guard. Will only be a sophomore , Not a very explosive athlete but he's smooth, skilled, and has a good frame to add weight(would be great with Fletch). Will likely be near the top of a lot of transfer lists. Really smooth lefty stroke and I think he will translate as a spot up set shooter. I think Illinois would have a good sell with how they utilized big pgs in Domask and KJ the last two years.

Kobe MaGee, Drexel, will be a junior. 6'6 physical guard/wing that shot nearly 44% from 3. I think he's a perfect role tough role player type.

Cooper Schwieger, Valpo, junior. Played 2 years for the Rev. Don't know if he's a roster fit next to Morez and Tomi(need some rim protection)but the kid can play. Has a bit of an awkward shot but he can pick and pop a bit, good post up game, and can put the ball on the floor a bit to drive out of the high post.

Kennard Davis, SIU, Junior. Just averaged 16 points per game as a 6'6 wing for the salukis. Good athlete and can play on both ends. Shot 37% from 3 but I think he's more of an average shooter than a true plus shooter. Would love him as a Justin Harmon type bench role. From St. Louis.

Kam Craft, Junior, Miami OH. Been mentioned here before but a legitimately elite shooter with good size but some injury question marks. Went to Buffalo Grove high school.

Bobby Durkin, junior, Davidson. 6'7 wing that went to Glenbard West. I think this kid has a lot of upside and would be more affordable than someone like Craft. Good frame, sneaky athleticism, and elite shooting upside. Shot 35% from 3 on nearly 8 attempts per game at Davidson, career 85% free throw shooter. I think he could step in and immediately be a better version of Jake Davis with a chance to develop into something more.
 
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#268      
JBfor3
What makes Dix such a sought after transfer? Solid stats but the second option on an underwhelming team. I'm genuinely curious - not trying to poke holes.

Where is Owen Freeman ending up?
 
#271      
WyattEarp
AnnoyedWithGarza said:
Offensively, I agree. I think Big T is more of a 4 on offense and Morez is a 5 on offense. On defense I would switch thise two.
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As strange as that sounds, until Morez’s defensive footwork gets better in and around the basket…I would be inclined to agree with you.

But then again, I’m not sure how having him guard perimeter-oriented swingmen 4s & 3rd guard types would go. Don’t have enough of a sample size to guess.
 
#272      
RockfordIllini
JBfor3 said:
What makes Dix such a sought after transfer? Solid stats but the second option on an underwhelming team. I'm genuinely curious - not trying to poke holes.

Where is Owen Freeman ending up?
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Same question on Dix. Very good shooter, good size, can get his own shot at times, but not an elite athlete. Basically the prototypical Iowa player in the Fran era.

I am not opposed and I get the premium on shooting. To me it’s just a question of price and who else we are targeting or planning on bringing in. If this is our splashy, $1M Terrence type transfer I don’t love it. I would prefer we get someone who is a better athlete and a better two way player.

Feels like we went all in on offense last year. And though I think there were some schematic issues on defense, KJ and Ben were never going to be great defenders and even Will, though long, was going to struggle defensively at times due to his slight build. In short, we went a little too Iowa in our roster construction for my taste and this would literally move us more in an Iowa direction. Which I think just caps our ceiling as far as a March run.

If he’s more of a complementary, 3rd/4th option kind of pickup I’m all for it. But not sure I love him as our Alpha scorer. JMHO.
 
#273      
nichi
ChiefGritty said:
Well, if true that's a problem.

Pairing him with Ivisic will be core to our season if we can get them both back.
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There's a lot that can be done with those two on offense together. It's a matter of how the defensive matchups work.
 
#274      
cs04
Morez could make a huge leap solely by not leaving his feet/biting on fakes while on defense. He's got enough size/length to defend the 5, just needs to avoid the cheap fouls. I think it'll happen as the game slows down a bit for him like it does for most second-year players.
 
#275      
Boskydell
PepeSilvia said:
The transfer portal is crazy with how many people are entering and im sure I've missed a lot of guys but I love watching mid major basketball and these names stood out at glance.

Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Houston State. Will be a senior, Legitimate scorer and multi level scorer at that. Elite Free throw shooter and a very good 3pt shooter. He's a combo/shooting guard with good size and athleticism. He's a bit shorter but he reminds me a bit of a more physical Antonio Reeves.

Blake Harper, Howard. Jumbo 6'7ish point guard. Will only be a sophomore , Not a very explosive athlete but he's smooth, skilled, and has a good frame to add weight(would be great with Fletch). Will likely be near the top of a lot of transfer lists. Really smooth lefty stroke and I think he will translate as a spot up set shooter. I think Illinois would have a good sell with how they utilized big pgs in Domask and KJ the last two years.

Kobe MaGee, Drexel, will be a junior. 6'6 physical guard/wing that shot nearly 44% from 3. I think he's a perfect role tough role player type.

Cooper Schwieger, Valpo, junior. Played 2 years for the Rev. Don't know if he's a roster fit next to Morez and Tomi(need some rim protection)but the kid can play. Has a bit of an awkward shot but he can pick and pop a bit, good post up game, and can put the ball on the floor a bit to drive out of the high post.

Kennard Davis, SIU, Junior. Just averaged 16 points per game as a 6'6 wing for the salukis. Good athlete and can play on both ends. Shot 37% from 3 but I think he's more of an average shooter than a true plus shooter. Would love him as a Justin Harmon type bench role. From St. Louis.

Kam Craft, Junior, Miami OH. Been mentioned here before but a legitimately elite shooter with good size but some injury question marks. Went to Buffalo Grove high school.

Bobby Durkin, junior, Davidson. 6'7 wing that went to Glenbard West. I think this kid has a lot of upside and would be more affordable than someone like Craft. Good frame, sneaky athleticism, and elite shooting upside. Shot 35% from 3 on nearly 8 attempts per game at Davidson, career 85% free throw shooter. I think he could step in and immediately be a better version of Jake Davis with a chance to develop into something more.
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Really like your list. Am familiar with Davis, Craft, and Durkin- was my favorite player on that Glenbard West team. How about Pierce and Huff? I'm such a homer; love bringing back Illinois hs players who've had success elsewhere. Seem to remember someone on this board mentioning some sort of personality problem with Craft a while back? Could be wrong.
 
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