Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#52      
logjam
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#56      
the juiceman cometh
I think it would do us all well to remember that insiders main source of information is sources in the Illini camp. They are providing great and valuable info about what that side of things knows and is being told.

I don't think there are any insiders into the Stojakovic camp, and certainly no insiders into AS's brain (I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume Lville isn't his therapist). So the information can't be perfect. But it's as good as we could ever reasonably hope for. Just have to calibrate for a certain inevitable amount of uncertainty.
 
#59      
OB positive
NarrowJ said:
I was in the camp that thought that Andrej & co would be less money-focused, but appears I was wrong on that.

Negotiations are still taking place, Illinois has been told he is coming as soon as the $ situation is finalized. His agents are still telling other schools that the recruitment is open (exactly as they should until negotiations are finalized though). However, as of right now, no other visits are scheduled.

It’s worth noting that the domestic agents as a whole are much more (searching for the right words here… but “difficult to deal with” should suffice). As an example, there are domestic agents shopping players they currently have no relationship with. This recently happened to Groce/Akron where he had players announce they were returning, but then were contacted by agents who had legit offers on the table for them prior to even having any sort of relationship or communication with the players themselves. Just went and shopped these kids to other schools, got some numbers, then cold-contacted the players saying “hey I can get you X deal with school Y, want to enter the portal and hire me as your agent?” I’m unsure how often this is happening, but it’s a thing….
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I think for a lot of the players it's about a good fit for them as much as money but the agents and the parents are a whole different matter. I wonder how many times a player was happy with an offer and was ready to sign only to have someone in their circle step in and put on the brakes because they wanted more money no matter who was offering.
 
#60      
CoalCity
Even less if you throw out the stupid counting posts
 
#63      
Licensed2ILL
IMPE Legend said:
Any chance we are involved with Filip Jovic? I believe he played with Petrovic and was also linked to Wisconsin a while back. If and when we sign Stojakovic(or someone similar) Jovic looks like he has the ability to slide into the 3/4 spot for us if we don't get a 2nd big name(or a 1st for that matter)
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Uh, probably. The name checks out.
 
#64      
the juiceman cometh
OB positive said:
I think for a lot of the players it's about a good fit for them as much as money but the agents and the parents are a whole different matter. I wonder how many times a player was happy with an offer and was ready to sign only to have someone in their circle step in and put on the brakes because they wanted more money no matter who was offering.
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I also think a lot of us get caught up in the large amount of money at play ("what, $2 million not enough for you?!") and forget that when you're in that situation it's all relative, and money is not always just currency, but there's also a "measure of worth" aspect to it. If one team says, essentially, "you're worth $2 million to us" and another says "you're worth $3 million to us," even if money is not a big factor to you (and it is to most people) that's going to affect the way you feel about the decision. Suddenly your brain is telling you "that coach values you more." Or "maybe you fit that scheme better, why would they offer so much money if you aren't a good fit." Or "clearly they're going to game plan around your strengths, since they're making such a big financial investment."

And again, it's all relative. To someone who is hearing offers in the millions all the time, millions are maybe similar to what $100k increments are white collar professionals. $2 million vs $3 million is essentially $200K vs $300K. If two employers are competing for your services, how many of you are taking the $200K offer over the $300K? How much better of a fit does the lower offer have to be to turn down $100K?
 
#66      
jacekpardol
I'm been critical of Brad at times but I will say that Brad is fantastic at pivoting if he doesnt get his primary target. I have all the confidence that if we dont get Andrej he'll get someone of equalish caliber. Having said that I might get on the horn with Sarr and Claude and tell them they might want to wait to commit.

It's not like Weber/Groce when they flame out on a primary and they end up settling on some 2 star recruit or a transfer from Robert Morris College.
 
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#67      
IMPE Legend
the juiceman cometh said:
And again, it's all relative. To someone who is hearing offers in the millions all the time, millions are maybe similar to what $100k increments are white collar professionals. $2 million vs $3 million is essentially $200K vs $300K. If two employers are competing for your services, how many of you are taking the $200K offer over the $300K? How much better of a fit does the lower offer have to be to turn down $100K?
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Depends on the individual. If you think you have a long career in your given profession then you take less now if it creates more opportunity later. If you realize you are at or near your peak you take the higher amount without question. The less you are willing to weigh those two things only reflects how much you believe in yourself.

I'm going to jot that down for my TED talk...
 
#69      
Dee_4_Three_83
the juiceman cometh said:
I also think a lot of us get caught up in the large amount of money at play ("what, $2 million not enough for you?!") and forget that when you're in that situation it's all relative, and money is not always just currency, but there's also a "measure of worth" aspect to it. If one team says, essentially, "you're worth $2 million to us" and another says "you're worth $3 million to us," even if money is not a big factor to you (and it is to most people) that's going to affect the way you feel about the decision. Suddenly your brain is telling you "that coach values you more." Or "maybe you fit that scheme better, why would they offer so much money if you aren't a good fit." Or "clearly they're going to game plan around your strengths, since they're making such a big financial investment."

And again, it's all relative. To someone who is hearing offers in the millions all the time, millions are maybe similar to what $100k increments are white collar professionals. $2 million vs $3 million is essentially $200K vs $300K. If two employers are competing for your services, how many of you are taking the $200K offer over the $300K? How much better of a fit does the lower offer have to be to turn down $100K?
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The added layer with fit is "Do I take the $200k instead of the $300k if the $200k leads to more promotions that will get me to $500k in 2 years?" There's a lot of variables in this process, but fit has to be a big part of the equation. Basketball players aren't particularly modest when it comes to their intrinsic belief in their ability to make it to the NBA. You have to believe to get there and work as hard as they do to be the best. I know that UNC has a pedigree, but our pedigree is pretty good right now (5 consecutive tourneys, 1 elite 8, 2 NBA draft 1st/2nd rounders with 2 more coming) as well. UNC's last NCAA appearance was a gift and their coach is on the hot seat. That doesn't inspire confidence if I am AS. That's just one suitor that has been discussed, but you get the drift.
 
#72      
HereSoIDontGetFined
What I will say is this: if you and I know these players are full well capable of changing their minds at any moment, then so should the insiders - and probably more so. I have no problem with reporting information. I do - and have - had a problem with how that information is often presented, with locks and booms and Denzel Washington proclaiming victory when everyone knows that's not yet the case.

There's a reason guys like Woz never received flak about their reporting - because when he did so, it was set in stone and ink was dry. Even guys like Piper and Werner do it right, by reporting on visits and pros and cons and only pushing articles on commitments when the public announcement comes. This is not the case with inside recruiting info. It's all vibes and hype and half-truths and kids being pressured into commitments they aren't really prepared to offer which makes them more likely to be rescinded once the player is home and away from the hype. Fact is, Andrej isn't coming until he's publicly said so, and even then one has to be wary of a change of heart until he puts a uniform on.

There will be a future where players are employees with binding contracts that protect both player and university. And it's coming sooner than anyone thinks. And at that point, a lot of this stuff goes away.
 
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