Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (April 2018)

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#2,076      

NeaforThree

NeaforThree
NeaforThree
HTime said:
Thanks for the link. Ayo is silky smooth and will be fun to watch. I love the Frankie comparison. Frankie was so smooth and hopefully Ayo can turn into that same type of player. :thumb:
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Frank personified swag and an expectation to win on the basketball court. If Ayo can bring that as well, it might just be the culture change we need to build our program back.

Man sometimes I get so depressed thinking about those 2000s teams and players and how we're not even close to being that relevant right now (along with being a student at UI all through the first 4 year tourney drought in 30 (?) years :(). Whenever we get back, I hope it's sweeter knowing all the tough times we've gone through the past 10 years :chief::hailtotheorange::chief:
 
#2,078      

NeaforThree

NeaforThree
NeaforThree
jcgoldie said:
I understand the tendency to massively overhype recruits and compare them to all-time greats... I recall more than one poster comparing Mark Smith to Deron... :( And I'm also a huge fan of HRF, but I think Ayo is faster. I hope he turns out to be 1/2 as crafty.
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Spot on. Mark Smith and Deron have similar builds and strength, the difference being that Deron actually had quickness on a basketball court.
 
#2,079      

Deleted member 29907

D
Guest
Deleted member 29907
Spoon House said:
This is actually a minor gripe I have with his game. This habit will get him blocked in the B1G.
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Not sure, TF got to the rim alot and used his body and quick release to be very effective at the rim without dunking. If you float it lazy and slow - yes.
 
#2,080      

haasi

haasi
New York
haasi
NeaforThree said:
Spot on. Mark Smith and Deron have similar builds and strength, the difference being that Deron actually had quickness on a basketball court.
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And not just quickness- change of speed and a much more sophisticated understanding of how to play the PG a position.


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#2,082      

NeaforThree

NeaforThree
NeaforThree
haasi said:
And not just quickness- change of speed and a much more sophisticated understanding of how to play the PG a position.


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Yessir, Him and Dee are 1B-1A for my favorite Illini ever. I remember when Deron first got to the NBA, people were shocked at just how quick his crossover and change of speed were for someone with his build.

Shame how injuries hampered and ended his career, I firmly believe he was on pace for the Hall of Fame. He was a complete BEAST in Utah and his first couple years with BKN.
 
#2,083      

RickBB

R
RickBB
Well thanks...now I just went down the Frankie Williams wormhole on YouTube.

HRF is my favorite of all time too. Absolutely nothing was like the Peoria Central - Peoria Manual games at Robertson Fieldhouse.
 
#2,084      

SampsonRelpenk

SampsonRelpenk
Edwardsville, IL
SampsonRelpenk
Second and Chalmers said:
Yup. Watching these videos takes me back to being a big, clumsy white teen from the suburbs idolizing guys like Frank and Allen Iverson. It never quite came together that way on the basketball court :tsk:
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At least you dared to dream! I was painfully self-aware as a child, and instead modeled my game after Sean Harrington.
 
#2,085      

Epsilon

Epsilon
M tipping over
Pdx
Epsilon
But who is going to play this guy's role...?


[YOUTUBE]ax8lKv5J2Ic[/YOUTUBE]
 
#2,088      

Kostas

Kostas
Naperville, IL
Kostas
RickBB said:
Well thanks...now I just went down the Frankie Williams wormhole on YouTube.

HRF is my favorite of all time too. Absolutely nothing was like the Peoria Central - Peoria Manual games at Robertson Fieldhouse.
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Frank was great! Silky-smooth on the court and pretty funny off.
Had a speech comm class (needed a filler my last semester) with Frank. First day, we had to do impromptu speeches on what we appreciate. When Frank's turn came, he stood up and said "I'd like to thank everyone for paying their tuition so I can have a scholarship, play ball, and go to the NBA". Still cracks me up.
 
#2,089      

NeaforThree

NeaforThree
NeaforThree
Kostas said:
Frank was great! Silky-smooth on the court and pretty funny off.
Had a speech comm class (needed a filler my last semester) with Frank. First day, we had to do impromptu speeches on what we appreciate. When Frank's turn came, he stood up and said "I'd like to thank everyone for paying their tuition so I can have a scholarship, play ball, and go to the NBA". Still cracks me up.
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LMAO that's priceless. Once again the sham of amateurism and the "student-athlete" on full display :thumb:
 
#2,092      

SescIllini

SescIllini
SescIllini
Ga65 said:
Blake Hinson #23 PF
Doesn't seem to confirm popular opinion here as it seems we backed away from him and put full court press on Golden.
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Golden looks much better than that ranking. I think his game and fit translate better than some other players ranked much higher.
 
#2,093      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
ivwilsoniv said:
Illinois class up to:
- #12 on Rivals (#4 in B1G)
- #26 on 247Composite (#7 in B1G)
- #19 on 247 Non-composite (#4 in B1G)
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As a follow-up, Griffin's re-ranking on Rivals moved his 247 composite score from 330ish to 214. Class ranking went from 26 to 24.
 
#2,096      

Hands Malone

H
Quad-Cities, IL
Hands Malone
PtownIllini8 said:
....and handles. Deron was like Frank, had the ball on a string. Smith, well he needed work there. I like the kid, so I'm not going to dis him, but if you watched him play, even in HS, his handles didn't give you a great feeling.
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Deron had a basketball IQ. I have not seen that yet in Smith.
 
#2,098      

IlliniCC

I
IlliniCC
Ayo is no longer a Composite 5 star on 247sports. Those recruiting sites are up to their anti-Illinois bias again!;)
 
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