that is exactly what I said....just trading Pickett for Smith......win win
Kendall GillVerified account @KendallG13 6m6 minutes ago
Welcome to the Family Mark Smith! You have my blessing to wear #13. Play in it with pride!!!! Illini Til I Die!!! @IlliniAthletics
Now that is Awesome!!!!
MARK SMITH @Mark_Smith_13 35m35 minutes ago Replying to @KendallG13 @IlliniAthleticsFind Mark Smith's twitter response and you will like him more. (Feel free to edit) Technologically inept.
If MS plays 3 years or more, he can break the "and one" record for illini.
Ready for some S&C positivity gang?
So, I stand by what I said about Smith earlier. He's obviously a terrific player, but expecting him to be much better than where he's rated is bad and unfair to him. It's a low-percentage proposition.
HOWEVER, we don't just have Smith, we also have Frazier and Da'Monte, two other guys with similar attributes, all of whom with a lot of athleticism and upside, who are good fits for a system that will hopefully be very well coached.
Each is below 50/50 odds of blowing up over way their rankings, because that's how it works. But those odds compound when you stack recruits of that quality. So the chances that ONE of them is a four-year all-conference type stud is probably well better than a coin-flip.
Honestly, I feel like we're getting a second chance at that DJ, BP3 and JoeBert class. Those kids were great players and didn't get the help or the coaching they deserved. That should have been a memorable era of Illini Basketball.
We've got the right people in place now. Let's go get 'em!
The Matrix wins!! BIG things are still to come Fighting Illini friends.
:shakehands:
THIS is what I wanted to hear!
Side note, it must show my young age that when I saw he was wearing #13 I originally thought of Cory Bradford
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Went from Frazier/Williams/Pickett/Tilmon @ what #11 nationally?
To Frazier/Williams/SMITH/Potentially Tilmon/Badocchi? @ what 5-7 nationally?
I would say that is a pretty good trade off...cant see Pickett getting any better options than what he had, cant imagine that door is still open, Tilmon's is another case all together though.
It's no secret I really want THT but I think as the summer goes on, more people are going to want him. (Unfortunately that will mean more schools too.)We need Badocchi or any bigs now. Bragg/Tilmon come if they want, but I am ok to leave one scholly for "bigs" to the next season.
For guards I hope we add a grad transfer shooter. Next year use this spot for Ayo/Finke/THT
Talen Horton-Tucker, 2018 SF, Mac Irvin Fire: Horton-Tucker (pictured above) may have been the most valuable player for any team in Hampton. The Mac Irvin Fire product is positionless and has no problem playing the 1-4 and doing a little bit of everything. Horton-Tucker brings toughness and grit to the floor, while also mixing in some playmaking and passing abilities. The 6-foot-5 forward stayed in attack mode and made things difficult for opposing defenses. With his versatility and toughness, Horton-Tucker is an instant glue-guy that high-major programs will want to see heading into Indianapolis.
Mark isn't the reason Charlie ain't coming. Ayo is the reason Charlie ain't coming.
I was about to post the same thing.
I felt similarly when Groce got AJ, DJW, and JCL. Many of us were thinking at least 1 of those guys was going to be a stud and everyone had a different opinion on who would step up. Well as we all know only 1 of those guys has contributed and he is really only above average in 1 area (3-pt shooting).
I think we all agree that Groce's biggest problem was not getting his guys at PG and C. But another big failure was not developing that guard group (or simply mis-evaluating).
Just got back from the ceremony at Edwardsville. So excited that Mark Smith is officially apart of the Illini Men's Basketball Program. I can't wait to watch him dominate in the Orange and Blue. #WeWillWin