Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#76      
the juiceman cometh
NarrowJ said:
I think its a perfectly valid concern to have.

Keaton, while not really a 'true PG', was amazing in his role and isn't a situation we can automagically duplicate.
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Yes and the key to that role was being a good pick-and-roll ball handler. Which requires being able to shoot off the dribble, being able to drive, and good decision making. Which of those does Blackwell lack?

I genuinely think Blackwell in that role for us, if we retain the core of this team, could be in the NPOY discussion.
 
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#78      
Kendall Gill’s Uncle
ChiefGritty said:
"He's never done that before and his career high in assists is 5" how's that for a reason.


Right, we had two true PG's this season.


Mirk as Big Slavic Domask is intriguing, but that would change our offense a lot, we'd have to play faster, fewer post touches for Tomi, it just doesn't seem like the best way to put the puzzle pieces together.

John Blackwell has a family connection here and would cost a ton of NIL money and be a show of strength against the right kind of competition. The one obvious missing piece on the roster is a facilitating, ballhandling lead guard who is a strong defender.

It's natural and understandable to try and talk our way into those two things being a match. But they crystal clearly are not.

There are nine zillion guys in the portal, find the right fit. NUMBER DANG ONE!
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With the amount of match-up hunting that we do, our offense isn’t exactly assist central anyhow. We were like 116th in assists as a team.
 
#79      
NarrowJ
the juiceman cometh said:
Yes and the key to that role was being a good pick-and-roll ball handler. Which requires being able to shoot off the dribble, being able to drive, and good decision making. Which of those does Blackwell lack?
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Lack entirely? None.

Can he do it at a level we need to lead a top 5-10 offense? Jury is definitely out there.
 
#81      
illiniwil
HensonHall71 said:
This ^ Our offense will be running through Mirk a lot more next year, so we don't need a traditional PG to initiate the offense every time down the court. Blackwell, Andrej, Coleman, Morillo can all handle it well enough to get it up the court if that is the concern, plus Mirk can always bring it up like he did this year with another PF guarding him.

I'm very excited to see what new offense Tyler draws up to take advantage of our skill set next year!
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i cant wait to see what the training room/strength and conditioning does to Mirk. remember how young he is.
 
#83      
EmeraldCityIllini
I imagine part of the appeal of Illinois for Blackwell would more on ball duties. Which means he should be motivated to distribute more.

And to be fair to him, he’s had to watch Tonje and Boyd dribble a lot for 2 years. He might just need the opportunity.

Feel like we went through this with Andrej a bit though, don’t think you’re necessarily a selfish player. Some guys just aren’t good passers. And idk where Blackwell falls in the spectrum
 
#85      
Turn N’ Burn
Our pitch for a portal acquisition to come in and be a lead guard can be very compelling. On the flip side, you could point to Kylan’s situation and say he was sold a bill of goods that did not come to fruition. Two young freshman came in and he had to adjust. I am not saying it will happen, but signing QC might give pause to veteran portal targets.
 
#87      
jrichisamazing
PizzaHutParkingLot said:
More athleticism would raise our ceiling. We were #295 in pace per KenPom, and elite shot-making covered for it. Adding some pace in spots would generate easier looks and take some pressure off having to hit tough ones all game. A full season of Andrej should help there.

This has been mentioned already, but adding a tough, experienced, playable guard in the Petrović spot would be huge.
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We were very pedestrian in shot making though.

We weren't athletic, but had a great rebounding team. We didn't shoot well, but had a great offense.

Imagine how high the ceiling is if we can improve on both.
 
#88      
thefalcon5
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Then who is? You’d have to go through the exercise.
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Do I?

of course with literally every other roster in flux an Illini team of returners and Blackwell is going to look the best when compared to others who have maybe 6 guys committed.

If you really want an answer it’s probably Michigan as boring as that sounds. But I’ll play the game for you. Let’s assume you return Cadeau/Morez/Mara/McKinney/Cason and add the 3rd ranked class coming in. That alone gets them close to Illinois. They’ll add a transfer or two and with Yaxels money off the books I’d wager it’ll be pretty darn good ones.

Or let’s look at MSU. They basically return everyone except Kohler and Cooper. They’ll add also add the 5th overall class. Or maybe Duke tickles are fancy. Or inevitably Houston/Florida/literally any team with deep pockets.

I’m putting it in perspective. I think it’s ridiculous to criticize my take of potentially next years team just because everyone else’s roster isn’t set. I personally don’t think Blackwell elevates us to be the absolute best team in the country. Top 10 sure but top overall is a tough mantle to claim.
 
#89      
Aillini32
EmeraldCityIllini said:
I imagine part of the appeal of Illinois for Blackwell would more on ball duties. Which means he should be motivated to distribute more.

And to be fair to him, he’s had to watch Tonje and Boyd dribble a lot for 2 years. He might just need the opportunity.

Feel like we went through this with Andrej a bit though, don’t think you’re necessarily a selfish player. Some guys just aren’t good passers. And idk where Blackwell falls in the spectrum
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100%. That’s my biggest concern with a Blackwell and Coleman backcourt. Yes, Keaton is not a “PG” per se but he has good vision and is a good passer. Blackwell has not show that and it’s rare to see a guy completely flip into being a good lead guard in year 4, especially someone who Wisconsin brought in a lead guard 2 years in a row to run the show. He’s a very good player but I worry they will need Coleman to initiate more
 
#90      
madillini4
RabidDawgClassic said:
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And there it is

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#91      
RabidDawgClassic
thefalcon5 said:
Do I?

of course with literally every other roster in flux an Illini team of returners and Blackwell is going to look the best when compared to others who have maybe 6 guys committed.

If you really want an answer it’s probably Michigan as boring as that sounds. But I’ll play the game for you. Let’s assume you return Cadeau/Morez/Mara/McKinney/Cason and add the 3rd ranked class coming in. That alone gets them close to Illinois. They’ll add a transfer or two and with Yaxels money off the books I’d wager it’ll be pretty darn good ones.

Or let’s look at MSU. They basically return everyone except Kohler and Cooper. They’ll add also add the 5th overall class. Or maybe Duke tickles are fancy. Or inevitably Houston/Florida/literally any team with deep pockets.

I’m putting it in perspective. I think it’s ridiculous to criticize my take of potentially next years team just because everyone else’s roster isn’t set. I personally don’t think Blackwell elevates us to be the absolute best team in the country. Top 10 sure but top overall is a tough mantle to claim.
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Cason is already out for next season, btw. Planning to redshirt.
 
#92      
Fly Illini Fly!
thefalcon5 said:
Do I?

of course with literally every other roster in flux an Illini team of returners and Blackwell is going to look the best when compared to others who have maybe 6 guys committed.

If you really want an answer it’s probably Michigan as boring as that sounds. But I’ll play the game for you. Let’s assume you return Cadeau/Morez/Mara/McKinney/Cason and add the 3rd ranked class coming in. That alone gets them close to Illinois. They’ll add a transfer or two and with Yaxels money off the books I’d wager it’ll be pretty darn good ones.

Or let’s look at MSU. They basically return everyone except Kohler and Cooper. They’ll add also add the 5th overall class. Or maybe Duke tickles are fancy. Or inevitably Houston/Florida/literally any team with deep pockets.

I’m putting it in perspective. I think it’s ridiculous to criticize my take of potentially next years team just because everyone else’s roster isn’t set. I personally don’t think Blackwell elevates us to be the absolute best team in the country. Top 10 sure but top overall is a tough mantle to claim.
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Well, we clearly would be RIGHT THERE. None of those teams are definitively above Illinois if we land Blackwell and return our major pieces. I’m not guaranteeing a #1 ranking, but we’d have a very strong case (yes, even when all the rosters are completed).

Also, Cason’s out for the year.
 
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#93      
WyattEarp
AirTran said:
That is great observation. The spread offense - which Illinois runs numerous versions of, doesn't use a pure point guard. There is no key "distributor' of the ball. It's all about creating match ups.
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I agree with what you are saying. I’m sorry to split hairs and be a pain in the arse… and especially since it has little to zero bearing on the point you are making. You’re totally right…
IMG_8129.jpeg


BUT technically and for accuracy’s sake. Brad’s claim to fame offense…what he calls the “spread offense” Is one specific offense. It’s the 2 guard front…High post and freethrow line extended wings. Old school UCLA set-look. [Johnny Orr-orig…also Dana Altman still sometimes runs a version of it]

Technically the stuff we’re doing now is MORE of a “true spread” with optimized NBA like spacing…5-Out. Tyler Underwood being the chief, brainchild of it. And they generally call it a 5-out now.

Maybe you knew that. I dunno. I just thought I’d clarify.
 
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#94      
HailtotheChief
Illinisnake said:
If Ty is healthy he is going to play a large chunk of minutes. He defends, rebounds and is a threat and mismatch in the interior. I’m not sure why people are doubting him, he didn’t stay here to become a voice.

Also, Brad trusts him.
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I dont see it. Who are you benching for Ty at the 3 or 4? Ty cant shoot to play the 1 or 2. Who are you benching or taking chunks of minutes from? Are you taking minutes from Andre at the 3 or Mirk and plugging in Ty as an undersized 4? Ty will be a role player off the bench at the 3 imo if he stays behind Dre and maybe Jake. If we want spacing Ty cant play the 1 or 2 plus we added 2 high end freshman guards and are high end guys for that role too.
 
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#95      
RollChief
I was trying to recall a "what to expect" in terms of portal timing for a roster turnover. Obviously things are different going to the final four instead of exiting in the R32, but I would imagine things are about to start happening fast. Here is last year's timeline for reference (correct me if I have any dates wrong):
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#96      
Scoregasm
RabidDawgClassic said:
Different eras and different genres. I picture the portal narrator as more of a post-apocalyptic warrior. And given the current state of college athletics, that seems fitting.
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Capt. Boswell should enter the portal and end up in the future to battle the aliens invading the planet.
 
#97      
March2TheArch
I love that we’re right there with the other programs in the Top 10 conversation. The goal from April to March for 11 months is working our way to a 1 seed as often as possible. Starting with a preseason top 10 AP ranking is the first step.

The OSOC mantra proved true yet again. One seeds don’t lose those Alabama games or those Wisconsin games. None of the Big 10 outside Michigan looks all that scary. I’m not impressed by Fears/Carr/Scott. We should be aiming to up our Big 10 wins to 17-18. And our non-conference should be perfect to one loss. Entering the BTT I hope we’re at 4 losses or less.

All the ingredients are there.
 
#98      
ChiefGritty
NarrowJ said:
Lack entirely? None.

Can he do it at a level we need to lead a top 5-10 offense? Jury is definitely out there.
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Blackwell rocks, and is a legacy here, and of course beat the brakes off us twice this year.

In the context we're used to around here, where we've been replacing our whole roster every year, Blackwell is a golden opportunity, like with TSJ and Boswell it has a feeling of "he should have been here the whole time".

HOWEVER, we are not in the same context. We are in a "get our team back and add that perfect puzzle piece and we are NUMERO UNO" context. It's more about complimenting what we're keeping than the mass-scale construction jobs we're used to doing.

The "retention is everything" muscle has atrophied here, and I think some combination of Michigan's title win and Denzel Culture makes people feel that portalmaxxing is the only path to our dream of a national title. But wake up folks, the national conversation is all about the juggernaut we can be if we bring everybody back.
 
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