No argument on your point, but I bet he wasn’t the only one that felt that way bc of Trent
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I am not sure why Podz continually gets brought into the equation on these boards. We should congratulate him on what he has been able to accomplish, but when he played at Illinois, he was simply not good enough to get major minutes on a team that won a share of the B1G (which is common for young players out of high school). He decided to play elsewhere to showcase his abilities (with guaranteed starter minutes), and that worked out for him. However, I am tired of seeing it brought up that Brad potentially mishandled the situation. Playing time is earned in practice and the game, not handed to you.
McNeil would be a home run if Blackwell falls through. I’d obviously prefer Blackwell, but the gap isn’t much.
Arguably best shooter in the portal. Taller, more athletic version of Plummer. Two years left too.
FWIW, he’s listed in orange on the spreadsheet.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Big AND a Guard - injury proof as much as possible
Rob Wright did that too. Have to actually get the offer though
Even Brad was skeptical, assistant coaches had to convince him to offer
I think the sophomore version of Brandon Lee is absolutely playable. For that matter, I thought the freshman version was too.
Thanks for the info. I still say he would've been a perfect "fit" for the Illini. But I doubt we could've provided him with enough minutes next season.
I think the issue is it's hard to believe someone improved so much in one offseason to go from unplayable at Illinois to pick 20 in the NBA. Seems like maybe IL missed on him.
While reading a blurb on Ty it mention that Tre White was a transfer to the 24-25 team. That made me wonder if Tre had stayed for the 25-26 season would Wagler have gotten the chance to get on the court for any kind of significant minutes? Maybe it would have been KB that would have lost playing time. Early in the season I think they would have wanted his senior leadership on the court.
I wasn't very happy when White transferred especially to Kansas but it worked out pretty well after all.
I wasn't very happy when White transferred especially to Kansas but it worked out pretty well after all.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
CrazedUIFan
UI Fan in QC Land
Would we have pursued Andrej if that were the case?
I guess you’re right since playable is low bar.
Point is, that team would be quite thin in case an injury happens or somebody doesn’t pan out (like Petro).
Someone who’d average 6 points per game off the bench as a floor spacer would help, IMO. We clearly have the $$ since we’re going after Blackwell.
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Only the staff knows. F5 season is fun for a little while after a Final Four run. But, frankly, starting to tire a bit.
Other professional leagues have better structure (salary caps, multi-year contracts, luxury tax, etc.). NIL is just the Wild Wild West of who’s got donor money and a competent coaching staff.
I’ll hope for the best on Andrej and Blackwell. But ultimately trust a staff that has consistently got us in the tourney and made a couple deep runs this decade.
Sort of fatigued at this point with the season opener 6+ months away. Keep in mind Yaxel didn’t officially exit the draft till end of May. Even if our roster is finalized we may not know if Michigan returns Mara and Morez for another month.
FightinIllini30
Future insider
If the 5-year rule passes would we take back Ben or Kylan? Or would it even take effect for this upcoming season?
Its just part of the dialogue that gets brought up when we compare things to past roster construction. Reality is... Brad potentially did and also potentially didn't mishandle it. We'll never know. Bottom line is, Brad relied on 3 freshmen and it backfired. He learned his lesson to get older and go with "fit" and not recruiting rankings and has adjusted as well as anybody could imagine and its brought us to the position where we're talking about preseason #1 and coming off an final four. Fail forward, great job Brad.
For our offense, I feel like the biggest thing we've been missing is this guy. When you're watching the game and your team leaves the one guy open that you can never leave ipen....you start yelling at your TV before he even takes his shot because you know its going in when he's that open.
This team needs one of those guys. Jake Davis is almost like that, but he doesn't shoot a high enough volume to be the guy you worry about.
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
But a whole lot cooler!
Point well taken. There are more "What ifs" that I considered.
Perhaps posturing/bluffing. (He has a great agent, right?)
Chuck Nuggets
Dip your nuggets in my staff source sauce.
I'd take Ben back in a heartbeat. That guy is the prototype bench role player. I wouldn't be able to sign the paperwork fast enough.
To me this points to is how extremely critical the Blackwell recruitment is.
Land him, and you have a potential All American candidate. Miss, and we’re debating whether we’ll add anyone at all.
I’M NOT saying either stance is wrong. Just need to lock it down. Crucial final piece to a title contender.
So, when is Blackwell going to commit elsewhere so we can pivot and so the board can go into meltdown mode?
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