RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
But Self was right up there with “bunnies.”
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
Surprisingly, we had a better net rating with Andrej and Boswell on the floor together than otherwise, and it was entirely due to higher offensive rating. That may have been before their injuries though.
Absolutely no reason we can't pick up a serviceable backup PG
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
exactly. and it ain't rocket science. barring injury or severe foul trouble, Brad's not gonna do that (giant mismatches). the OP is hoisting another straw man
Feb 18th, 2009 wont allow me to agree with the second part. I 100% agree with the first part though
I'd like to see the Illini add players for the last two open roster spots. And these are my 2 specific suggestions via the transfer portal.6'3", 190-pound, junior PG Tylen Riley (Tulsa) and 6'10", 210-pound, senior PF Kyle Evans (UC Irvine). [If they are still available in the portal.]
Tylen Riley played his first 2 years at Cal Baptist. He played last year for Tulsa, a team that lost by 6 points to Auburn in the championship game of the NIT. Riley made the All-Tournament Team for the NIT. For the season, Riley averaged 15.0/3.9/4.4 while shooting 44.8/38.9/87.1 for Tulsa. Those numbers show he is a decent rebounding guard (which Brad likes), and a very good 3-point shooter (which the Illinois offense always needs), while averaging 15 points/game... all in 27.7 minutes/game. I think that a player like Riley, who has worked his way up the collegiate basketball ladder, would love the opportunity to play for a championship caliber team like Illinois, and earn more NIL money than he's previously been paid at Cal Baptist or Tulsa. I also think that Tylen could easily play 15 minutes/game for the Illini next season (maybe more if injuries to Vaaks and/or Coleman) without upsetting the apple cart of playing time for the other guards on the roster. I'd envision Vaaks and Coleman as starting guards for the Illini next season, with Riley and Morillo coming off the bench as very solid backups.
Kyle Evans was at Colorado State his first 2 seasons (including a RS year). He played the last 2 seasons at UC Irvine. Last season, Evans averaged 12.1/8.7/0.9 while shooting 62.0/20.0/78.8 for UCI. Those numbers show that he is a very good rebounder, with a great FG percentage (I assume that's lots of shots/dunks in the paint), but not a very good 3-point shooter (on a minimum number of attempts). He's also a very good FT shooter for a big man. Evans played 28.6 minutes/game this past season. I think that Evans could average 10-12 minutes/game for Illinois (more if Mirk is injured or sick). Based on where he's played, I think that Evans would like to play a role on a championship caliber team like Illinois, all while getting paid more NIL money at IL than he's been paid at his previous two stops.
I'm guessing that Illinois could pay BOTH Riley AND Evans for far LESS than it was willing to pay for ONE player, namely John Blackwell.
I'd really like to see a roster including Tomi/Z, Mirk/Evans, Andrej/Jake, Coleman/Morillo, and Vaaks/Riley. Yes, I know that's 10 players. And that Brad only plays an 8-to-9-man rotation. But that roster provides solid depth at all 5 positions on the court, particularly important in case of injuries/illness, which WILL happen at points in the upcoming season. And like other posters have noted, that type of depth, and a deeper rotation, really paid off for Michigan this past season. I also think that there would still be some minutes available for developing players like Ethan Brown and Jason Jakstys... especially in our blowout wins!
Tylen Riley played his first 2 years at Cal Baptist. He played last year for Tulsa, a team that lost by 6 points to Auburn in the championship game of the NIT. Riley made the All-Tournament Team for the NIT. For the season, Riley averaged 15.0/3.9/4.4 while shooting 44.8/38.9/87.1 for Tulsa. Those numbers show he is a decent rebounding guard (which Brad likes), and a very good 3-point shooter (which the Illinois offense always needs), while averaging 15 points/game... all in 27.7 minutes/game. I think that a player like Riley, who has worked his way up the collegiate basketball ladder, would love the opportunity to play for a championship caliber team like Illinois, and earn more NIL money than he's previously been paid at Cal Baptist or Tulsa. I also think that Tylen could easily play 15 minutes/game for the Illini next season (maybe more if injuries to Vaaks and/or Coleman) without upsetting the apple cart of playing time for the other guards on the roster. I'd envision Vaaks and Coleman as starting guards for the Illini next season, with Riley and Morillo coming off the bench as very solid backups.
Kyle Evans was at Colorado State his first 2 seasons (including a RS year). He played the last 2 seasons at UC Irvine. Last season, Evans averaged 12.1/8.7/0.9 while shooting 62.0/20.0/78.8 for UCI. Those numbers show that he is a very good rebounder, with a great FG percentage (I assume that's lots of shots/dunks in the paint), but not a very good 3-point shooter (on a minimum number of attempts). He's also a very good FT shooter for a big man. Evans played 28.6 minutes/game this past season. I think that Evans could average 10-12 minutes/game for Illinois (more if Mirk is injured or sick). Based on where he's played, I think that Evans would like to play a role on a championship caliber team like Illinois, all while getting paid more NIL money at IL than he's been paid at his previous two stops.
I'm guessing that Illinois could pay BOTH Riley AND Evans for far LESS than it was willing to pay for ONE player, namely John Blackwell.
I'd really like to see a roster including Tomi/Z, Mirk/Evans, Andrej/Jake, Coleman/Morillo, and Vaaks/Riley. Yes, I know that's 10 players. And that Brad only plays an 8-to-9-man rotation. But that roster provides solid depth at all 5 positions on the court, particularly important in case of injuries/illness, which WILL happen at points in the upcoming season. And like other posters have noted, that type of depth, and a deeper rotation, really paid off for Michigan this past season. I also think that there would still be some minutes available for developing players like Ethan Brown and Jason Jakstys... especially in our blowout wins!
Morillo is a pg though. Why would he be put in the awful position of trying to guard Mirk. I would hope fletch would be turning all his baby fat into muscle and thinning him down to make him quicker.
I can answer that question in three words: Final Four, baby!
It's great to see enthusiasm from this fan base. But enthusiasm has its downside. We should be a good team next year. We will not go undefeated, and one of those losses might end our season.
In general, I like where this program is headed. Our briefly reviled coach has shown that he can develop NBA-level talent (esp among unheralded players, which is quite a feat!).
Still it would do everyone here a lot of good to remember President Lincoln's quote of Persian literature at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1859: "This too shall pass." The highs always recede and the lows never last.
The best part of all these high hopes and the necessary criticism thereof is that no one is asking a question that everyone used to ask: "Are we elite?" I, for one, hope that we become good enough to be hated, á la Duke, UCONN, and a handful of programs that have become good enough for everyone to despise their consistent excellence.
sacraig
- The desert
That's true in any year. When you have 13 players on the roster, injuries can be catastrophic. But there are only 13 spots and a finite amount of money to go around. We are, so far, in better shape at every position than we have been in a long time. I am not too worried at this point, even if I do think we would ideally get another backup big or guard.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I think our fans are not only aware of that, they're SO aware of it that this once-in-a-generation opportunity to actually be one of those teams has folks taking an unusual degree of emphasis on this roster being "complete".
Plus we were huffily sniffed at about how going to the Final Four was going to mean "money would be no issue" and lo and behold we backed off the mega-dollar top portal guy yet again. Some of us have evolved to ignore those tea leaves by now, but alas.
Its not true that teams only have 1 body thats an experienced big man to split to back up 2 spots. Ben played a vital role this year with Mirk and Z and tptally why i hope and think we add another big.
By all accounts Blackwell backed off us, not us backing off Blackwell.
sacraig
- The desert
Why do you think we necessarily backed off due to money? If you believe the insiders, then we had the money, but he backed off of us because of his (or his camp's) perception of his usage here.
Obviously, we don't have a way to independently confirm whether the insiders are 100% correct there, but we also don't need to immediately jump to the conclusion that the insiders are full of it about money. They've generally earned the benefit of the doubt, IMO.
Its been said several times playing time nor money was the problem it was usage for Blackwell here....
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Took a weekend sabbatical (after Andrej confirmed he is staying) from Loyalty. Apparently I missed out in the fun of Portal Madness.
And that's what's important!
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
1. This is what I'm here for: "Still it would do everyone here a lot of good to remember President Lincoln's quote of Persian literature at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1859..." Props for packing so much into a reference: UIUC, Lincoln, Wisconsin, Iran, state fairs generally.
2. User name checks out
I think if someone is putting the money up we should be spending it and find another big portal transfer who is more concerned about being on a winning team than personal goals. Assuming they are the right fit.
Boom. There it is.
Committed April 22nd but wasn’t official until he signed on July 31st
I remember all of the people freaking out because nothing was finalized for 3+ months (and also should note what a waste of time that was worrying about it!)
He needs to develop an outside shot first before he's going to be ready for competitive B1G play. We've tried carrying players at 1-3 without an outside shot before and it just doesn't work.
If by "fun," you mean confusing, maddening, disappointing, and - in addition to some other things going on in life - so annoying it caused one to drink for literally the first time in 5 years, then yeah, the weekend was TONS of fun!