With lots of beautiful women.
Former Illini in College Hoops
- Status
Curbelo tweeted his year was done unless they made the tournament. Who knows at this point though.
blackdog
- Champaign
Some very nice highlights and he makes some impressive moves but also the defense on a lot of those plays is not anywhere close to B1G standard.
It ain't Purdue.
Again, the WCC is not as bad as you guys make it out to be. 2/9 opponents in that conference are pretty much elite teams. Santa Clara should make the NIT, and BYU has a shot at the NIT as well (it probably depends on how many auto-NIT bids there are this year, which are conference regular season champions that lose in the conference tournament and don't qualify for the NCAA Tournament... aka 1-bid leagues, which I haven't kept track of)
lol. yea, better. way better.
Actually they are portrayed pretty accurately. The WCC has only two teams with a NET ranking below 50, and only four ranked lower than 100. For comparison, only Minnesota in the B1G is ranked higher than 100 (21). The SOS rankings for the two conferences aren't even close, with the average SOS for the WCC at 106, and the B1G at 21, and the BPI is similarly skewed with average BPI for the WCC at 138 and the B1G at 53. We could do this for every conference with similar results comparing P5 conferences to the WCC. Outside of Gonzaga and St. Mary's (who play decent non-con opponents but who beat up on weak sister conference opponents, inflating their individual rankings), THE WCC doesn't have much to offer.
I am not saying the WCC is equal to the Big Ten. Not even close, but there are different LAYERS to mid-major conferences. The WCC is 8th in NET, that makes it a top 25th percentile conference in the country. I feel like people are acting like the WCC is on par with the Horizon, which is not true. Any player that is Co-WCC Player of the Year is at least worthy of national respect, regardless of the fact that he wouldn't be Big Ten Player of the Year. We got people that legitimately think his "defense" would prevent him from seeing major tick on our team which isn't even all that good or deep. If his defense is so bad, how did he manage 1.8 steals and 0.5 block per game? Maybe he doesn't get quite as many in the Big Ten but those are pretty elite defensive box score stats.
Podz is definitely "one that got away", which is OK, it happens, and as I've said, the transfer portal has helped us a lot with Shannon, Mayer and Dainja on this year's team alone. He clearly took huge strides and was more or less blocked with all the Super Seniors last season. Don't just take my word for it:
"His spectacular play has catapulted Podziemski into the draft conversation, with upside of potentially a first-round selection.....
He's one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, but also has the size to generate his own shots in the mid-range and at the rim. From all three levels, he's been a fantastic scorer all season......
On the defensive end, he’s been disruptive as well, being one of the top producers of steals in the West Coast Conference. Podziemski has the size to defend multiple positions and has an energy that is contagious.....
Draft Projection
Late First or Early Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft."The dude is good enough to be on the NBA radar, but not good enough to play at Illinois? Or do people just think they know more than the SI Draft Digest Staff, that is literally paid to look at players across the country and discuss who has a shot at the NBA. That is completely ridiculous.
If you think anything other than the fact that had he stayed, Podz would not only be starting but would certainly be a VERY HIGH IMPACT starter throughout the Big Ten, then you are completely mistaken. This is a potential NBA player, not a guy that would be behind Jayden Epps and RJ Melendez because of the "mighty Big Ten", lol
We could have used some decent 3 point shooting this year. JMO but Meyers TSJ and Hawkins are average. Goode has never regained his 2022 touch.
However the bigger weakness of this team was inability to shut down big scorers. Pickett PSU, Boue NW, Perkins IA etc scored at will. Pods would not have helped with that.
We played 3 freshman guards this year. Then two. Then last week one. Pods would have helped the last 3 weeks.
JMO - there is very little chance we will see Pods in NBA much less be a first round pick. The athleticism just is not there.
However the bigger weakness of this team was inability to shut down big scorers. Pickett PSU, Boue NW, Perkins IA etc scored at will. Pods would not have helped with that.
We played 3 freshman guards this year. Then two. Then last week one. Pods would have helped the last 3 weeks.
JMO - there is very little chance we will see Pods in NBA much less be a first round pick. The athleticism just is not there.
I've been wrong before, and I'll be wrong again I'm betting. My comment wasn't so much targeted at Podz, he's turned out pretty well. I have no opinion on whether he gets drafted, as the NBA seems to be drafting on potential against a perceived league standard player. I don't follow the NBA anymore, as it's not basketball any more, it's entertainment. I was commenting more on the perception of the WCC. If you pull the top team out of every conference and then evaluate the WCC against the others (including the MAC, AAC, and other smaller or mid-major), I think we'd find that the WCC slips even farther down the conference totem pole due to the predominance of Gonzaga within their conference. I acknowledge a sincere disrespect for Gonzaga on a National scale, as IMO they have been able to take advantage of a very unique situation. Have they been successful? Yes, unequivocally. Would they have enjoyed the level of success and national attention they've received over the past 15-20 years if they had to play in a P5 conference? I don't think so . . . . but as I mentioned above, I've been wrong before and I will be wrong again.
This is pure speculation. And reasonable, and maybe even intelligent, knowledgeable people can disagree with you. Lets meet back here on draft day.
Recent history says that transfers from Brad/Illinois have not become NBA players. None were drafted.
Now recruiting has been improving so mabye Skyy, Adam, Andre or Pods might break the streak and get drafted but it is a long shot.
Mark Smith
DJ Williams
Jalen Coleman Lands
Michael Finke
Greg Eboigboden
Matic Vesel
Samba Kane
Alan Griffin
Anthony Higgs
Jermain Hamlin
Tevian Jones
Tejon Lucas
Adam Miller - TBD
Omar Payne
BBV
Pods - TBD
Jacob
Andre -TBD
Skyy - TBD
Now recruiting has been improving so mabye Skyy, Adam, Andre or Pods might break the streak and get drafted but it is a long shot.
Mark Smith
DJ Williams
Jalen Coleman Lands
Michael Finke
Greg Eboigboden
Matic Vesel
Samba Kane
Alan Griffin
Anthony Higgs
Jermain Hamlin
Tevian Jones
Tejon Lucas
Adam Miller - TBD
Omar Payne
BBV
Pods - TBD
Jacob
Andre -TBD
Skyy - TBD
Even if he is not drafted, that doesn't prove that he wasn't on the radar. Kofi Cockburn wasn't drafted, he was still "on the radar".
Again, people have to genuinely believe every available source out there is completely wrong, and they are right (and who knows how many Santa Clara games people actually watched).
Goillinikobd
- Southeastern US
I hope there is no schadenfreude going on here. There is undeniably an element of tragedy in all this. We need to at least recognize that. Yes, he made bad decisions. Wow, how dare he, a 19:year old kid whose name was mentioned in the same sentence as “All American“ 18 months ago.
Some day we will know the whole story, including the halftime at the Houston game.
I would wager that there is much more to his story than any of us, including out insiders, know.
Again, I say it’s time to let it go.
More likely is superficial analysis by those who think he will be drafted.
ESPN 2023 Mock Draft - posted today
Podziemski is shooting 45% for 3 on the season, but is much more than that, seeing a significant amount of offense handling in pick and roll, in isolation, pushing in transition, or coming off screens. He is smart when operating off hesitation moves, splitting or rejecting ball screens, and passing on the move, but has seen his production drop off fairly dramatically against better competition this season, shooting just 43% inside the arc with nearly as many turnovers as assists against top-100 caliber competition. NBA teams have some concerns about Podziemski's physical tools, as he doesn't boast great size, length or frame and has had some tough moments defensively one-on-one against better competition. With that said, he clearly brings an intriguing combination of toughness and smarts which allowed him to lead the WCC in rebounding and post a strong 1.8 steals per game.
Brandin Podziemski | 6-5 | SG | Age: 20.0 | Santa Clara | No. 39 in Top 100
It's hard to find a more productive player in college basketball over the past 10 games. Podziemski is averaging an outstanding 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 57% for 2 and 48% for 3 over that stretch, helping him win co-WCC player of the year honors. Unfortunately for him, and NBA scouts, Podziemski's NCAA tournament hopes were dashed when Santa Clara lost in double overtime in the WCC tournament quarterfinals, leaving the Broncos hoping for an NIT invite on Sunday.Podziemski is shooting 45% for 3 on the season, but is much more than that, seeing a significant amount of offense handling in pick and roll, in isolation, pushing in transition, or coming off screens. He is smart when operating off hesitation moves, splitting or rejecting ball screens, and passing on the move, but has seen his production drop off fairly dramatically against better competition this season, shooting just 43% inside the arc with nearly as many turnovers as assists against top-100 caliber competition. NBA teams have some concerns about Podziemski's physical tools, as he doesn't boast great size, length or frame and has had some tough moments defensively one-on-one against better competition. With that said, he clearly brings an intriguing combination of toughness and smarts which allowed him to lead the WCC in rebounding and post a strong 1.8 steals per game.
I mean, he's literally only had one player he recruited to Illinois be drafted at all, so not sure this says as much as you think it says.
How about, how many players in the history of Illinois basketball have transferred and be drafted? lol
There are kind of two different eras of transfer rules so it doesn't really make sense to compare. The last time Illinois was getting players drafted, transfers were a lot rarer.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
My main takeaway from that video is Gonzaga plays garbage teams all year.
agree. i was making fun.
Ignatius Shang
5th year PhD, school of Information Sciences
- Champaign, IL
Southern Utah won by 1 point for the two consecutive games in the WAC tournament. And in today's game they upset Utah Valley in a 3+1 with 4 seconds left... by Tevion Jones. Happy for him! Hoping to see him in the big dance.
This is the confirmation that this is Tyler's burner account that we've all been waiting for.
The guy is listed in the top 50 of most draft boards. He’s the co-POY of a conference that has other NBA pros in it. If Podz was only playing 15 minutes a game on this team, or most other teams, then those coaching staffs either have stacked rosters or no idea what they are doing. I can’t imagine anyone thinking even a 2nd Rd NBA pick would be riding the bench at Illinois bc our talent is so good ahead of him.
That’s crazy dude. Guys that get paid to analyze draft picks think he’s a better prospect right now than just about everyone on our team.
Either Podz got way better in the offseason last year, or our staff completely miss evaluated his talent by playing RJ and Goode ahead of him last year. Bc Podz is far better than both right now.
Big Jack
- Decatur
If Podz was only playing 15 minutes a game on this team, or most other teams, then those coaching staffs either have stacked rosters or no idea what they are doing. I can’t imagine anyone thinking even a 2nd Rd NBA pick would be riding the bench at Illinois bc our talent is so good ahead of him.
That’s crazy dude. Guys that get paid to analyze draft picks think he’s a better prospect right now than just about everyone on our team.
Either Podz got way better in the offseason last year, or our staff completely miss evaluated his talent by playing RJ and Goode ahead of him last year. Bc Podz is far better than both right now.
- Status