Illini Basketball 2026-2027

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#51      
Joel Goodson
LvilleILL1 said:
Already hearing some stuff.....will post something by the end of the weekend after the first week is done.

I will add one nugget already: Stefan Vaaks has exceeded expectations so far.
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so, he's pretty good?
 
#52      
SescIllini
LvilleILL1 said:
Already hearing some stuff.....will post something by the end of the weekend after the first week is done.

I will add one nugget already: Stefan Vaaks has exceeded expectations so far.
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Wow on Vaaks...expecting Coleman to impressed. He has been developing quickly, just continues to look better at each event.

See Vets being better and more confident
 
#53      
RollChief
LvilleILL1 said:
Already hearing some stuff.....will post something by the end of the weekend after the first week is done.

I will add one nugget already: Stefan Vaaks has exceeded expectations so far.
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One of the best transfers out of the portal is exceeding expectations?

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#54      
NarrowJ
RollChief said:
One of the best transfers out of the portal is exceeding expectations?

View attachment 50603
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Want to revisit the 'Vaaks is the best offensive player in the portal' hot take 8 months from now

Haggerty holds that honor at the moment, but will be interesting to see how the year plays out (you could maybe even argue Vaaks > Blackwell offensively now, given his size, versatility and playmaking)
 
#56      
Red77sng
Fletch needs to work with Z. Pushups, pushups, pushups - saw him with his shirt off, and his chest is borderline inverted. Talent aside, Z needs to put on muscle and I find it extremely odd (even as a hard-gainer myself), that he is that muscle-deprived.
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lol so you think fletch hasn’t been working with Z give me a freaking break
 
#57      
Emerson Bigguns
jjv0004 said:
Let me guess. Q is going be better than Wagler and Lucas Morillo is going to be a borderline starter. :illinois:
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I mean, the odds aren't great, but Q is the highest rated recruit we've had since cell phones were a thing you used once, to call your dad or your lawyer.
 
#60      
wc_illini
Uihoop2023! said:
Q Doesn't have to be better than Wagler...Vaaks upgrade from Boswell and returnees get better
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You could also look at it as Vaaks --> Wagler and Q --> Boswell. Not necessarily in terms of their role, but in comparing "value". So if Vaaks is a step down from Wagler, then either Q or the returnees need to make up the difference (and then some if we want to be better).
 
#61      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
wc_illini said:
You could also look at it as Vaaks --> Wagler and Q --> Boswell. Not necessarily in terms of their role, but in comparing "value". So if Vaaks is a step down from Wagler, then either Q or the returnees need to make up the difference (and then some if we want to be better).
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If we’re ranking the 4:

Wagler, Vaaks, Boswell, Coleman
 
#63      
Fan Since '70
Watching a lot of Vaaks footage, I believe he will be a very able Wagler replacement. Coleman should provide better offense than Boswell, and hopefully can provide decent defense to boot. Z, Davis and Morillo I expect to be first guys off the bench. In early part of season, Zens, Brown and Williams will be given opportunity to show if they can earn a spot in rotation. IMO, Vaaks and Coleman make us slightly better than last season and bench is deeper. Barring injuries, I hope to see Illini back in Final Four and Illini have the experience and added power to go further.
 
#64      
PepeSilvia
Illiniguy13 said:
Think I'm going with Tomi...does he stay relatively healthy this year? "Good Tomi" makes us so dang hard to deal with
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In general would just like to see more of Tomi in the post.

He's capable of scoring in the low post and opening things up from the inside-out while being a good enough passer to punish teams that try to cheat in.

Maybe he was injured but I think he just spent too much time away from the basket this year.

Likewise with Mirk. If teams are going to play and guard him with basically wings then he should be punishing them inside. UConn will be a prime example likely playing Khamenia in the Karaban role. Khamenia does not have the weight to hang with Mirk in the paint.
 
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#67      
Ga65
PepeSilvia said:
In general would just like to see more of Tomi in the post.

He's capable of scoring in the low post and opening things up from the inside-out while being a good enough passer to punish teams that try to cheat in.

Maybe he was injured but I think he just spent too much time away from the basket this year.

Likewise with Mirk. If teams are going to play and guard him with basically wings then he should be punishing them inside. UConn will be a prime example likely playing Khamenia in the Karaban role. Khamenia does not have the weight to hang with Mirk in the paint.
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I saw an article saying Landon Davis was the next best athlete on the team after QC. (Before Williams commitment). I haven’t seen any video on him and he is generally left out of any playing time conversation. Was this reporter on the spiked orangeade or has he been ignored due to his ranking?
Do believe we have really high level athletes in LW, QC, AS, and big Z and Mirk with Bird level. Still believe elite rim protection key to our defense.
 
#69      
CleverHandle1
LvilleILL1 said:
Already hearing some stuff.....will post something by the end of the weekend after the first week is done.

I will add one nugget already: Stefan Vaaks has exceeded expectations so far.
Click to expand...
I think Vaaks is going to flourish under BU. He'll be more discipline and strategic.
 
#71      
Nohops 73
RIP_Chief_2003 said:
Fletch needs to work with Z. Pushups, pushups, pushups - saw him with his shirt off, and his chest is borderline inverted. Talent aside, Z needs to put on muscle and I find it extremely odd (even as a hard-gainer myself), that he is that muscle-deprived.
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I’m intrigued with Z’s potential improvement this off season. If he can add serious strength plus an additional 20+ pounds it could totally transform his game. Would not get pushed around as much and could be a low post threat with quickness and leaping ability. Not sure if he has the drive to make these changes, but I’d love to see it!
 
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