Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#51      
All these "Way-Too-Early" top-25's having Michigan in the top-5 is so, so laughable. Yes, they don't really matter, but it is just annoying. Rothstein, Fanta, etc., all with Michigan top-5 šŸ˜‚.... They have their first decent year in years and now we are back to shoehorning them up in the rankings just on brand-name alone.
 
#52      
The 42% claim is only true for his play in the Monenegrin league. In the higher level ABA he shot 27% this season.

I like his other skills and am sure he'll be able to do a lot well. Seems to be a plus rebounder. Am a little skeptical the 3pt shooting will translate immediately.
How old are the guys playing in the ABA top league. I’m assuming there are grown men in that league that he wouldn’t be facing in college. It might make more sense to average those for the expected college result, which would put him at 34.5%. I’d take that from a PF.
 
#53      
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#57      

Another weekend out of pocket with family meant I missed a bunch of stuff! Missed targets, new commitments, and a new euro big! I've started with an update to the tracker & scholarship based on the latest commitments and will be going back through the weekend posts to add names I might have missed.

If anyone has an update that I missed please feel free to let me know!

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#58      
Is Mirkovic expected to the starting 4? I was assuming they'd still be trying going after another big. Somewhat close to a Morez replacement.
I'd be surprised if they tied up resources in another major big at this point. With both Ivisii, Mirk, JJ, plus Ty being able to swap in for PF, that's already 5 scholarships going to the 4 and 5 position, of which 3 in Tomi, Z, and Mirk project to get big minutes while Ty will get most of his at guard. Just doesn't make sense to me while you still need an additional 4 W/G (2 starters, 2 backups) to fill out the roster.

Considering you have 3 walkons, 2 freshmen, and you might want to keep an open scholarships, just not sure there's much of any space left for another PF without shorting your backcourt depth
 
#60      
How old are the guys playing in the ABA top league. I’m assuming there are grown men in that league that he wouldn’t be facing in college. It might make more sense to average those for the expected college result, which would put him at 34.5%. I’d take that from a PF.
Eh, NCAA basketball is also full of grown men these days.

The Big Ten is probably a step up in competition from the ABA. If you look at ABA rosters, yes there are more experienced players, but not a lot of guys who have the talent/athleticism of a high-major starter. It's certainly a higher level of competition than high school level in the US - probably more akin to a low major. At the same time, guys like the Ivisic's and Mirkovic are young, developing, improving players. So I think it's really hard to project out what ABA stats will translate to in NCAA/Big Ten play.

Tomi's 3pt% went down from 42% in ABA to 36% in NCAA, as a point of reference. Probably at least in part because of better defenders. On the other hand, Big Z's went up. Probably because he's a young player who is improving.
 
#61      
I'm still a little torn on Mirkovic. His clips show skills, but he looks like he has an old man game (lots of fading away and a lack of explosive athleticism) and that doesn't seem to fit with what high level teams use.

We need to get more athletic on the front line still in my view, hoping the mystery "not in the portal" guys fit that bill.
 
#62      
Is Mirkovic expected to the starting 4? I was assuming they'd still be trying going after another big. Somewhat close to a Morez replacement.
Yes. Mirkovic will likely start. He is averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds on the same team Tomi averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds the previous year. David does play a bit more. Their per minute production is pretty similar. This is a very good basketball player.
How old are the guys playing in the ABA top league. I’m assuming there are grown men in that league that he wouldn’t be facing in college. It might make more sense to average those for the expected college result, which would put him at 34.5%. I’d take that from a PF.
It's a top 10 professional league. Most guys are too old for college. (Has a teammate who is 36) He isn't the only teenager on the squad, but he is the only one who plays regularly, and he plays starter minutes.
 
#64      
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#65      
Here’s his best records from past 2 seasons. He can score and rebound for sure. Will be a solid contributor and important piece once he adjusts to the new environment.
FYI, these stats are not from his ABA play, but from Euroleague Next Gen, which is a U18 competition. In this U18 competition, i.e. against other players aged 18 and younger, his 3pt% was 26.3%, including 23.5% in the most recent season (2023-2024). I wouldn't read too much into this, given that there's been 1-2 years development between these games and now, but it doesn't do a great job easing my concerns about whether his shooting will translate either.

 
#66      
I'm still a little torn on Mirkovic. His clips show skills, but he looks like he has an old man game (lots of fading away and a lack of explosive athleticism) and that doesn't seem to fit with what high level teams use.

We need to get more athletic on the front line still in my view, hoping the mystery "not in the portal" guys fit that bill.
My O&B-tinted glasses are showing me a 6’9ā€ Marcus Domask, albeit a younger version.

(I agree with you on hoping to see more athleticism with the remaining adds)

Edit: I’m really hoping he can get on campus much earlier than Tomi did.
 
#67      
I'd be more worried about Mirkovic's if he wasn't 6'9 and this was the NBA. He will present more problems for other teams than they'll create for him. There of course will be exceptions when UI runs up against future NBA 4s and 5s, but there aren't a ton of those around.
 
#68      
I'm still a little torn on Mirkovic. His clips show skills, but he looks like he has an old man game (lots of fading away and a lack of explosive athleticism) and that doesn't seem to fit with what high level teams use.

We need to get more athletic on the front line still in my view, hoping the mystery "not in the portal" guys fit that bill.
I agree. This kid doesn't look much more different then Ben H. I don't know why were suddenly moving away from high flying athletes like TSJ and physical freaks like Kofi and moving towards players you would normally see playing on Iowa. It will be interesting to see how this pivot plays out.

Even last years team was incredibly athletically limited outside of maybe DGL.
 
#69      
I'm still a little torn on Mirkovic. His clips show skills, but he looks like he has an old man game (lots of fading away and a lack of explosive athleticism) and that doesn't seem to fit with what high level teams use.

We need to get more athletic on the front line still in my view, hoping the mystery "not in the portal" guys fit that bill.
I'm with you. These Europeans are really skilled, but I don't know how well it translates to the college game. The athletic and physical teams seem to do the best year by year.
 
#71      
Looks to me Like Mirkovic can have a bit of a back to the basket game which we didn't really have at all this year. He seems highly skilled around the hoop and can face up and extend his range to 3 when needed. Sounds like he rebounds too, so his game would have fit well this past season and no reason it isn't going to fit next year.
 
#73      
I don’t like the optics of a University of Illinois athlete not being able to get into Michigan… but if it keeps Morez from wearing Blue and Maize I’ll get over it.
I'd be more willing to believe that the phony account is being run by a Michigan fan taking shots than an Illinois kid couldn't get in. Particularly since he didn't need to finish classes before he could transfer (what held up TSJ).

My money is that someone is just trying to come up with a reason why Morez leaves if Yaxel actually ends up playing for Michigan
 
#74      
This ā€œrumorā€ is also completely unsubstantiated…
Correct but we also have TSJ as a real-life example.

As a younger man I would've placed far more importance on Illinois' standing in the academic world. As I approach retirement I'm more concerned with seeing a championship (or at least another FF) in my lifetime.
 
#75      
Correct but we also have TSJ as a real-life example.

As a younger man I would've placed far more importance on Illinois' standing in the academic world. As I approach retirement I'm more concerned with seeing a championship (or at least another FF) in my lifetime.
I don't think I ever would have really placed importance on Illinois's standing in the academic world based on athletic admissions. If we were sending basketball players out to develop cancer therapies or revolutionary aircraft or something, then sure. But we aren't, so I want the best team money can buy.
 
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