Is that @BryceHopkins getting cooked to start off the highlights?
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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I see more KJ than I do Keaton. (outside of just being two European guards and looking more alike)Yeah I'll go ahead and make the comparison, no matter the stretch or the reach it may come off sounding like....
There's a WHOLE LOTTA Keaton Wagler in those Stef Vaaks highlights. Damn!
Color me excited!!!
The shot is more like KJ than Keaton — form and creating space off the bounce.
Keaton killed you with poise in his decision making. Called it the “old man game.”
Vaaks is more-so quick and decisive, like Kasparas.
I actually think he can be better than KJ — or definitely more efficient — if he keeps the TOs down (which Kasparas struggled with).
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+ Zens
Our fanbase is too rabid...Last year it was make the SW16 or its a failure...This year its make the Final4 or Bust!
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
FIFY
Zavier Zens
At reading comprehension?
"Guard" ≠ "Lead Guard"
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I was occupied all weekend and couldn't check the Board. Came back late last evening and paged through the daily recruiting threads, and continued this morning. My goodness, you'd think we lost everyone from last year's team, the coaching staff has not demonstrated a whit of competitive or personnel selection competence in the past several years, and so far we're adding nothing but NAIA benchwarmers in the portal.
Shaking my d$#n head. I logged off Friday afternoon giddy with anticipation for next season, Blackwell or no Blackwell.
The bar of dissatisfaction has been raised again. It wasn't all that long ago that a top 25 raking was a great season. Then they needed to finish 2rd or 3rd in the BT regular season with a semi final appearance in the the BT tourney to be considered enough. A Sweet 16 was mandatory as well.
Now, unless they win it all some fans will consider the season a failure. The team is required to have 15 lottery eligible players or the team has no depth whatsoever.
Coleman is not backup PG. He’s going to start at SG.
Morillo is interesting since he can play 1-4. The thing is we’re counting on him to be ready. If he is, he’ll definitely see the court since he can fill 4 of the 5 spots.
pruman91
- interviewing new NL's daily....I really really am
On July 31, 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays had the best record in the AL and were just a game behind the best record in the majors. They traded for Shane Bieber.
It's not being negative to suggest that stacking more talent on top of more talent is a good idea. It's the way the best organizations have operated in professional sports for decades.
This board has routinely built up our talent to be higher than it actually has been. The reality has been that quite few other teams have loaded up more than we have. We're now on the cusp of another great season. I think we'll be in contention for everything, including the title.
But there's not a great team we've fielded in the last fifty years that I've been watching, that wouldn't have been better with an extra piece. If you think that this team is the one team in our history or the one team in the country, that couldn't use a little more, you don't know how sports works.
It's not being negative to suggest that stacking more talent on top of more talent is a good idea. It's the way the best organizations have operated in professional sports for decades.
This board has routinely built up our talent to be higher than it actually has been. The reality has been that quite few other teams have loaded up more than we have. We're now on the cusp of another great season. I think we'll be in contention for everything, including the title.
But there's not a great team we've fielded in the last fifty years that I've been watching, that wouldn't have been better with an extra piece. If you think that this team is the one team in our history or the one team in the country, that couldn't use a little more, you don't know how sports works.
Nah most fans on this board know we are set. I honestly can't believe the amount of people that don't realize there is only one ball.
Vaaks is a stud and Coleman is a walking bucket, we will be great.
Yes. The meltdown has begun! Love it! Just think about what next year could be like. We have only just begun.
I'm fine without adding Blackwell. That would have been a massive get, but I feel like our roster is good enough without adding someone that could potentially cause more selfish styles of play. I would like to add a veteran guard and a change of pace big that can just be a large man under the basket for matchup reasons. These would be our depth 9/10 guys off the bench for break glass injury/foul trouble scenarios.
Again we have assembled a talented roster with a lot of guys that have a wide range of abilities. I've learned to just trust Brad and he will get the guys and will make it work.
I'm guessing he will slide over and become more of a lead / ballhandler while Vaaks gets a breather
Or, we do what some other teams do and we go out and get a guy this summer specifically to backup Vaaks for 5-10 mins per game
Morillo also keeps being listed as a PG, but idk about that
It would be easy to pick out the ones who could win the lottery and they would b**ch non stop because they had to pay taxes. Never good enough for some...it's sad really. Honestly, I truly believe most are just the type of people who want to be able to say "I was right, you were wrong" so saying we can't win the title or go to the final four, when there are 350 plus schools, is a pretty big safety blanket for their egos. Shrugs, I'm glad I'm ok with not always being right.
Sure, and Keaton was our starting SG to start the season but as the year went on he assumed more primary ball handling duties. I have to assume Coleman will have a somewhat similar path into January and beyond.
Plus we are position-less anyways
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
Here, enjoy a little detour from our regularly scheduled programming to nerd out about why our Balkan basketball recruiting is probably the smartest plan in the history of recruiting.
www.instagram.com
TLDR: they are the tallest men in the world by average
we have the data on Instagram: "I visited Montenegro once. Our tour guide was 6 foot 5 (1.97 meters) but told us he was the shortest guy from his town. See last slide for video from the tour bus while we went up the mountain in Kotor (72 switchback
25K likes, 642 comments - wehavethedata on April 19, 2026: "I visited Montenegro once. Our tour guide was 6 foot 5 (1.97 meters) but told us he was the shortest guy from his town. See last slide for video from the tour bus while we went up the mountain in Kotor (72 switchbacks). 😳 #montenegro...
www.instagram.com
TLDR: they are the tallest men in the world by average
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annual reminder to not be disappointed when people say we will get every big name in the transfer portal and then we don't...IMO Blackwell made absolutely no sense if we were getting everyone back.
Mirk usage will go up from last season. Stoj will take plenty of shots. Vaaks will have the ball a ton, and Coleman/Ivisic will also get plenty of usage.
There is only one ball.
Mirk usage will go up from last season. Stoj will take plenty of shots. Vaaks will have the ball a ton, and Coleman/Ivisic will also get plenty of usage.
There is only one ball.
Feel like all people would like to see is a lead guard off the bench. That isn’t that crazy a request.
Sure there’s some unrealistic expectations that if we don’t pursue and get Christian Anderson we ought to be shamed.
However, just getting a guard who’d play the Harmon role of 15 minutes of the bench would satisfy most people (including me). There’s really no reason that role shouldn’t be attractive for someone looking to jump from the mid majors.
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I've set a new high score on the Ignore Button.
I don't think most are worried about the point guard, they are worried if the point guard gets injured. You can survive on Mirk bringing it up from time to time but to count on a freshman PG is a little much, no matter how much most on here think these freshman are Wagler 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0
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