Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (April 2017)

[Leonardite]

2017
Fransesco Badocchi

2018
#164 PG Michael Davoe

I noticed these two guys don't have any huge offers. Seem like guys we'd have a really good chance with. Must be guys the staff has targeted as "fits."

 

[PhillyIllini]

Can we stop with these two narratives. Tilmon fit BU's system just fine. He can get up and down the floor. He can hit the mid range jumper. He would still get plenty of post ups in half court sets. And guards constantly attack the rim in BU's system so Tilmon would have plenty of opportunities for offensive rebounds. He's a big loss.

And Pickett had a lot of talent and potential too. Not even close to a Jaylon Tate scenario. The only reason he isn't as big of a loss is because guards are plentiful. 7'0 athletic big men with NBA potential are not.

Going to have to disagree. Consensus ranking was in the 200s and if you don't like stars and numbers, which I'm not personally a big fan of, his offer list wasn't impressive. Best of luck to Javon, but personally wasn't excited when he committed and 100% ok seeing him move along.

 

[PhillyIllini]

I noticed these two guys don't have any huge offers. Seem like guys we'd have a really good chance with. Must be guys the staff has targeted as "fits."

Or backup plans to better options that are still currently on the table.

 

[brillinian]

This guy is correct. Zo will do very well at Mizzou. He's going to have the STL area locked down. If we don't hire Chin Coleman then the Irvins will be done with Illinois and Zo will slide into Chicago too. We can't lose Chicago to Zo, we need to hire Chin very soon. The Irvins already like Zo so the last assistant spot is make or break. Believe in Chin or not but this is what needs to happen.

I thought the Irvins were already done with Illinois. Who's the last player they sent us and how long ago? I honestly don't know.

 

[hooraybeer]

This guy is correct. Zo will do very well at Mizzou. He's going to have the STL area locked down. If we don't hire Chin Coleman then the Irvins will be done with Illinois and Zo will slide into Chicago too. We can't lose Chicago to Zo, we need to hire Chin very soon. The Irvins already like Zo so the last assistant spot is make or break. Believe in Chin or not but this is what needs to happen.

we need to hire chin if he is the best long term option for the program. We don't need Irvin in our corner to be successful

 

[Deleted member 380722]

IIRC Bragg liked Illinois mostly for academics, besides Groce.. From that standpoint, Illinois should be in a good position to land him. Obviously he wasn't a one and done liked he'd hoped. Maybe he's thinking long term now.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

This is the easy part for Cuonzo. Now he is going to have to win some games and also convince recruits over time that grinding defense and ugly low scoring offense is where they want to spend 1 to 4 years.

Reminds me of Mike London at UVA. Reeled in a good amount of talent (from the Beach area) away from VaTech but once on board - could not coach. The problem is the disruption over those 2-3 years and recruits that fall for it. The good news is we now have a much bigger net and a much better on court coach. Of course its all still speculation until they land.

 

[Indy Illini Fan]

Coach O's Twitter follows

2017
#11 PF Brandon McCoy
#37 PG Tremont Waters
#92 CG Mark Smith
Fransesco Badocchi

2018
#33 PF Emmitt Williams
#164 PG Michael Davoe

For discussions sake, does anyone think there is a legitimate chance we sneak into the McCoy sweepstakes considering he is originally from Chicago?
Or Waters for that matter? He would be electric with Frazier in the backcourt

McCoy is said to be announcing Wednesday.

 

[KRSAS]

Martin is nothing but a flash in pan hire. He has consistently recruited well and had poor results on the floor. I would argue that he hasn't out performed any of his predecessors at a single stop he's been at. Also, after leaving each program after a 3 year stay(consistency), each one has tanked due to the mess he has left behind. Yes, he can recruit, but he has shown very little coaching ability or ability to manage a program long term.

Missouri St.
Three seasons prior to Martin
Reg. Season 61-36
Conf. 32-22
Zero NCAA appearances

Three seasons with Martin
Reg. Season 61-41
Conf. 26-28
Zero NCAA appearances

2 years after Martin
Reg. Season 27-38

Tennessee 3 years prior to Martin
Reg. Season 68-37
Conf. Season 29-19
3 NCAA appearances

3 years with Martin
Reg. Season 63-41
Conf. Season 32-20
1 NCAA appearance

2 years after Martin
Reg. Season 31-35

California 3 years prior to Martin
Reg. Season 66-36
Conf. Season 35-19
2 NCAA appearances

3 years with Martin
Reg. Season 62-39
Conf. Season 29-25
1 NCAA appearance

I'm pretty happy he ended up at Mizzou and not in Champaign.

I think its just a lot of hype and not to mention $$$$$$ to give to recruits. I'm sure he will have some decent wins at Mizzou but then he'll be exposed for recruiting scandals.

 

[IllinistuckinGopherland]

This made me dumber reading it.

Orlando Antigua has gotten far more guys in the league and I didn't realize Tilmon knew C. Martin on such a deep level before he got announced at Missouri? Lol?

You don't think both coaches promised the kid would excel in their program? Sheesh.

Funny part is before it was his mom who was talking to the coaches but I won't go down that road.

Obviously the JT-dad/cuonzo situation is driving the decision to go to Mizzou. But I don't understand the logic that this kid would just shrug his shoulders about a new coach/new system. He should be expected to completely reevaluate whether this is still best for him.

Sorry for "making you dumber", I try to add points of view when I think they are relevant. Then people insult them. Good ol message board dynamics.

 

[Oldtoysrock]

Martin is nothing but a flash in pan hire. He has consistently recruited well and had poor results on the floor. I would argue that he hasn't out performed any of his predecessors at a single stop he's been at. Also, after leaving each program after a 3 year stay(consistency), each one has tanked due to the mess he has left behind. Yes, he can recruit, but he has shown very little coaching ability or ability to manage a program long term.

Missouri St.
Three seasons prior to Martin
Reg. Season 61-36
Conf. 32-22
Zero NCAA appearances

Three seasons with Martin
Reg. Season 61-41
Conf. 26-28
Zero NCAA appearances

2 years after Martin
Reg. Season 27-38

Tennessee 3 years prior to Martin
Reg. Season 68-37
Conf. Season 29-19
3 NCAA appearances

3 years with Martin
Reg. Season 63-41
Conf. Season 32-20
1 NCAA appearance

2 years after Martin
Reg. Season 31-35

California 3 years prior to Martin
Reg. Season 66-36
Conf. Season 35-19
2 NCAA appearances

3 years with Martin
Reg. Season 62-39
Conf. Season 29-25
1 NCAA appearance

I'm pretty happy he ended up at Mizzou and not in Champaign.

I think its just a lot of hype and not to mention $$$$$$ to give to recruits. I'm sure he will have some decent wins at Mizzou but then he'll be exposed for recruiting scandals.

Excellent well documented post. "Just the facts ma'am, just the facts". That's a Dragnet reference for you youngsters. Wow I'm old!

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[Kramer116]

Obviously the JT-dad/cuonzo situation is driving the decision to go to Mizzou. But I don't understand the logic that this kid would just shrug his shoulders about a new coach/new system. He should be expected to completely reevaluate whether this is still best for him.

Sorry for "making you dumber", I try to add points of view when I think they are relevant. Then people insult them. Good ol message board dynamics.

In a normal situation this would make sense. This is not a normal situation.

 

[Paigncake]

Obviously the JT-dad/cuonzo situation is driving the decision to go to Mizzou. But I don't understand the logic that this kid would just shrug his shoulders about a new coach/new system. He should be expected to completely reevaluate whether this is still best for him.

Sorry for "making you dumber", I try to add points of view when I think they are relevant. Then people insult them. Good ol message board dynamics.

What about Martin's system makes Tilmon a fit and what about Underwood's makes him a poor fit?

This "fit" thing is so over exaggerated. That's really where I get frustrated with the discussion. You can fit a fringe 5* center in any system.

I probably shouldn't have said the dumb comment sorry I'm just not understanding where people are coming up with some of this.

The kid isn't reevaluating what's best for him a different parent who wasn't involved in much of anything 2 months ago has taken over his recruitment similar to Cliff Alexander.

And, as mentioned before in my edit i think, Orlando Antigua has a exponentially better track record as an assistant coach working with bigs.

 

[KrushCow31]

Watch Tilmon test the waters and then decide he still likes Illinois best and recommit and this place will be real awkward.

 

[rockillini]

Wrong!

Originally Posted by rockillini View Post
I'm over Tilmon, but I have one last thought I'd like opinions on that no one is talking about.

Isn't Porter Jr. talking to Tilmon a violation of "NCAA Bylaw - 13.02.13 Representative of Athletics Interests" since his father is now a paid coach at Missouri. I understand that the two kids could talk before the hiring, but after he got hired he was still talking to Tilmon openly on snapchat, Twitter and other platforms.

Isn't against the rules for coaches family members (spouse, kids, mom. etc.) to recruit and encourage them to change their mind.

Just making sure I'm not losing my mind.

Any thoughts on this?

Not if Tilmon initiates the contact.

Once you sign on that line, you can’t talk to any other schools or recruiters except to say, “I’m spoken for.”

 

[Paigncake]

Not saying MZ has a better fit. I was just saying that it would make sense for him to want to back out of his UI commitment to find the best situation for him as of today. Then the shady aspects of Gonzo convincing his dad come into play. I would think UNC, Kansas, etc would be better choices for him, but might not be his choice to make. I don't know anything on this, so I was just saying his decision to back out seems reasonable, albeit disappointing for us.

My ONLY issue with him backing out is that when Underwood and Walker visited him and gave him a pitch of Underwood's vision he reaffirmed his commitment.

As far as I'm concerned that is akin to resigning the LOI when you do that. He said he was good to go. All the guys reaffirmed their commitment.

He retweeted his UI photo on twitter... Then... A few days later.. He decommits via twitter with a well thought out message that allegedly wasn't even written by him.

So you really have to ask yourself what changed from the day that he reaffirmed his commitment face to face with Underwood and reaffirmed his commitment to suddenly backing out w/o telling any of the staff etc?

 

[Whitman2020]

Why are we still taking about Tilmon?

 

[GortTheRobot]

I know it's partly sour grapes, but I just see leaving Illinois for Mizzwho as fishy. If he were to leave Illinois because it's a first year coach, and he has a chance to go to a blue blood, it would make a lot more sense.

 

[kuhl84]

Not saying MZ has a better fit. I was just saying that it would make sense for him to want to back out of his UI commitment to find the best situation for him as of today. Then the shady aspects of Gonzo convincing his dad come into play. I would think UNC, Kansas, etc would be better choices for him, but might not be his choice to make. I don't know anything on this, so I was just saying his decision to back out seems reasonable, albeit disappointing for us.

I think the problem people are having with your post is the supposition that this decision is based on Missouri being a better fit, versus what is best for dad.

Playing for a coach with an incredibly slow pace, along side Porter who will find a way to get 20 shots per game because his dad is the coach and his number 1 priority is to get his kid drafted as high as possible, does not seem to me to be a formula that is best for Tilmon.


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[FiveStar]

I think the problem people are having with your post is the supposition that this decision is based on Missouri being a better fit, versus what is best for dad.

Playing for a coach with an incredibly slow pace, along side Porter who will find a way to get 20 shots per game because his dad is the coach and his number 1 priority is to get his kid drafted as high as possible, does not seem to me to be a formula that is best for Tilmon.


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And to the contrary, playing in a system that gets you up and down, puts you in multiple pick and rolls and post ups every possession, or isolates you at the elbow, is 100% the way for a big man to strut his stuff for the NBA.

 

[mattcoldagelli]

This guy is correct. Zo will do very well at Mizzou. He's going to have the STL area locked down. If we don't hire Chin Coleman then the Irvins will be done with Illinois and Zo will slide into Chicago too. We can't lose Chicago to Zo, we need to hire Chin very soon. The Irvins already like Zo so the last assistant spot is make or break. Believe in Chin or not but this is what needs to happen.

This all sounds fine in theory. Here's how it goes in practice:

- we get pretty much the exact same level of Chicago recruits we get now until on-court results change substantially
- Nick Irvin complains that Chin Coleman should have been our first AC hire, not our third
- we require recruits from elsewhere to win enough to change perception with elite Chicago prospects


I'm fine with us skipping some of these steps.

 

[kuhl84]

Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

And to the contrary, playing in a system that gets you up and down, puts you in multiple pick and rolls and post ups every possession, or isolates you at the elbow, is 100% the way for a big man to strut his stuff for the NBA.

Yea, that too. I was going to write that, but responding on my phone is a pain in the rear.

BTW, I really appreciate your posts regarding usage of players in Brad's system. Very informative.

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[FiveStar]

Yea, that too. I was going to write that, but responding on my phone is a pain in the rear.

BTW, I really appreciate your posts regarding usage of players in Brad's system. Very informative.

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I just happened to be lucky enough to learn the basics directly from the horses mouth at a couple clinics. We're all so excited for BU for different reasons, and his offense is definitely mine. There's so much versatility, so many options, so many ways to create mismatches, so hard to guard. I can't contain my excitement.

Where Groce seemed to want/need specific players for specific positions in his offense, this offense can can be catered at different points to accentuate strengths of players playing the same position with completely different skill sets. Hope everyone is getting as much out of my posts as you are. Thank you for the kind words.

 

[Deleted member 10676]

Sounds like if Antiqua can get in on McCoy at this late date, he really will live up to the hype (or the baggage). And MSU as usual is sitting in the cat seat (old Red Barber phrase.)
http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2017/04/michigan_state_target_brandon.html

For Michigan State, two open scholarship are on the table for McCoy, Brian Bowen, Mark Smith and Blake Harris. The Spartans could have another scholarship come available if Miles Bridges enters the NBA Draft.

 

[Deleted member 10676]

https://twitter.com/Evan_Flood/status/851084513589506049

Joe Henricksen‏ @joehoopsreport 60m60 minutes ago
Joe Henricksen Retweeted Evan Flood
Oh, the fun and dynamic style he plays with ...

Not being able to see 'Zo at college this year ranks among my big personal disappointments (whether at ILL or anywhere). Most fun hs player I've seen come along -- maybe ever. And I can remember watching Bill Small play at West Aurora, so that's a long long time.