he's young - a change of scenary and being around older guys that know the culture... Kylan, Tomi, Ty... could be the right situation to get the best out of him. Obviously very talented from the basketball side of things.
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Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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unless it's severe, wouldn't hit the "pass" button on luis. could elevate you to F4 status, and you trust your culture to not let it hurt your team. and if it doesn't work out just in case, this team's old, mature and talented enough.
I’d say some of the concerns are severe …
If he comes back to college … The price tag will also be ridiculous …
Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
Who would be theoretically potential suitors for RJ Luis if he were to return? Miami would probably be an obvious...
Redd and Fagbemi are really walk-ons without a scholarship but can be awarded one if Underwood decides to do that. The Illini technically have 3 open scholarships available.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
There's still only one roster spot available though, regardless of how many of the three remaining scholarships are offered.
I think we do the eject in case of emergency thing a lot, and it just doesn’t really work like that.
Brad’s also got donors to keep happy. And forking over $2 million (at cheapest) only for him to be kicked off the team if it isn’t working is not how millionaires calculate ROI.
PG: Petro/Bos
SG: Bos/Luis/Ty
SF: Luis/Stoj/Ty
PF: Stoj/Ty/Mirk/Ben
C: Ivisic/Ivisic
That's a final four favorite right there.
(and I know for certain I'm gonna have 3 or 4 replies to this post saying smth like "Bos, Stoj, Luis can't be on the same team" for x, y, z made up silly reason, but okay. that team would run through everyone talent wise, and the pieces would compliment superbly. Ty would play A LOT off the bench for his versatility and everyone around him can stroke it. Z would be a very efficient back up center)
SG: Bos/Luis/Ty
SF: Luis/Stoj/Ty
PF: Stoj/Ty/Mirk/Ben
C: Ivisic/Ivisic
That's a final four favorite right there.
(and I know for certain I'm gonna have 3 or 4 replies to this post saying smth like "Bos, Stoj, Luis can't be on the same team" for x, y, z made up silly reason, but okay. that team would run through everyone talent wise, and the pieces would compliment superbly. Ty would play A LOT off the bench for his versatility and everyone around him can stroke it. Z would be a very efficient back up center)
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ptgrd23
- orange county CA
No need for Luis. I think we have a potential FF team without his drama.
We have size, scoring, passing, and rebounding. Our athleticism is Ty, Kylan and big Z. The elite 8 team lacked size (true post) and had TSJ, Quincy and Coleman for athleticism. TSJ was complete package - 3 point shooter, drive to hoop, could guard 1-4, one man fast break. Best athlete at Illinois since Nick Anderson or Derek Harper.
Florida under Golden
16-17
24-12
36-4
Underwood
29-9
22-13
TBD
We have size, scoring, passing, and rebounding. Our athleticism is Ty, Kylan and big Z. The elite 8 team lacked size (true post) and had TSJ, Quincy and Coleman for athleticism. TSJ was complete package - 3 point shooter, drive to hoop, could guard 1-4, one man fast break. Best athlete at Illinois since Nick Anderson or Derek Harper.
Florida under Golden
16-17
24-12
36-4
Underwood
29-9
22-13
TBD
Luis and Stoj would be SG/SF and Ty the 4 in that lineup. Until Ty shows he can score outside of point blank range, it’s absurd to consider him a SG. Or SF for that matter.
Probably irrelevant as I highly doubt we get Luis
Why do you think Stoj can't play the 4?
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1m4tr
Cliffmas
How do you think Avdala’s game would translate in year 1 of college basketball? Is he a difference maker or just a good cog on a good team if he doesn’t have to be the 1st or 2nd option?
Heck, look at football which will have 105.
I see no reason we would want him to play the 4.
Rotation can be… Mirk, Ty , Ben and big Z (Big Z at center too)
Stog can be a SF, SG and perhaps PG at times.
Luis is a Small Forward. Both Stojakovic and Ty can comfortably play 2-4.
I think it's a no brainer to bring another guy in. As we saw last year some guys probably won't pan out and more depth can never be a bad thing with injuries and illnesses too(or maybe someone like Davis redshirts with Hum coming back and likely playing his role).
Probably no surprise I think the category should be a star type player big splash. At this point, there is already quality depth and another big piece would be the biggest needle mover for next year.
Jamir Watkins would be my top take. I think his toughness, athelicism, physicality, and length would add another dimension to the team and cover up for other guys deficiency in those areas. Take any 5 of Boswell, Petrovic, Stojakovic, Watkins, Ty, Tomi, and Zvonimir and id argue it's the most talent starting lineup and top 7 in the country. Plus, you have Mirkovic and Humrichous behind them. I think Watkins legitimately elevates the team to a true national championship contender and would slot in perfectly as the best perimeter defender on the team and a killer secondary scorer behind Stojakovic.
That being said I would still obviously be thrilled to add RJ Luis or Darrion Williams. Williams reminds me a bit of Domask in that he's an undersized forward but is capable of handling the ball, a capable shooter(great free throw shooter), and he could realistically play "booty ball" and enter the post from the perimeter.
Luis is also a no brainer(the guy was an all American). Very big and physical guard and a fantastic rebounder(probably the best rebounding guard in the country). I'm not really sold on his shooting ability but he's still a fantastic versatile piece that is capable of taking over games and is a terrific defender.
My only question with Luis is really how things ended with Pitino at St Johns. Obviously, he excelled with Pitino so he should do the same with a coach like Brad but is he tired of playing for coaches that will chew you out like that? He was terrible in that game but the Red Storm also had no outside shooting to open the floor up.
1A. Jamir Watkins
1B. RJ Luis
2. Darrion Williams
Honestly think you're leaving out what could be a dominant jumbo lineup with Luis/Watkins as well. I think Luis and Stojakovic are both capable of running the offense and facilitating so you could run out something like:
Stojakovic, Luis, Ty, Mirkovic/Humrichous, Tomi/Zvonimir.
All 6'6+ lineup with 4 guys that can shoot from 3. Good luck to any opposing team trying to get a rebound and I think you would still be versatile enough defensively because Luis, Stojakovic, and Ty are capable of defending guards and that defensive length would cause issues.
Our first 2026 recruit
Unless he's developed some semblance of a 5-10 foot jumpshot (forget 3-pointers), Ty can't play the 2 (comfortably or not). We might list him as a guard, but he's effectively a PF. Stojakovic is a 3/2.
Which scholarship counts? Football obviously as there are a LOT more of them to go around...
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