Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (January 2020)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#526      
I like CH but unless he greatly improves his footwork and speed, he will not gain much playing time. Don't get me wrong, he can shoot and is coordinated enough, but as a former scout, I was always one to watch bigs footwork. He is very methodical in his movements, which works in HS, but college players will shut those lanes off faster than he has seen before. I am glad we got him, but don't see a ton out of him the first season unless he gains a lot of foot speed.

Glad he is an Illini and mad respect to him for taking on a challenge and moving away from his home.

I agree with this. It's not to say he can't develope into a nice player, but we're talking about a very thin, very robotic, slow footed forward. I see a 4 year player who can really improve with his work in the weight room. His ball handling, shot and court vision are all nice for his size, but he isn't fast enough at this time to blow by college athletes enough to use it.

If all pans out he looks like a nice stretch 4 who can beat teams with his shot and passing. Obviously I hope he blows by my expectations.
 
#527      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
I agree with this. It's not to say he can't develope into a nice player, but we're talking about a very thin, very robotic, slow footed forward. I see a 4 year player who can really improve with his work in the weight room. His ball handling, shot and court vision are all nice for his size, but he isn't fast enough at this time to blow by college athletes enough to use it.

If all pans out he looks like a nice stretch 4 who can beat teams with his shot and passing. Obviously I hope he blows by my expectations.

This. Hawkins is a lottery ticket. We've seen it many times before, with a huge range of results. Good for him to go for it. Hopefully, he rises to the occasion.
 
#528      

Punesguy

Ft. Collins, CO
WOW! Putting him beside Curbelo and Miller........and Final Four comes to mind.
Can't wait to see a year from now after Fletch puts about 20 lbs on him. Look what he did with Kofi! This kid could be a lot of fun to watch! :shield:
 
#529      

Ubermensch

BOOM! Feed my ego.
When I watch Hawkins I'm reminded of Griffin's high school footage. He seemed very clumsy and awkward to me, though obviously not untalented. One thing I'm sure of is this staff can develop talent. Give Hawkins a couple years to gain strength and improve his footwork and skills and he could be a really good player. The kid has real potential.
 
#530      

hooraybeer

Pittsburgh, PA
Can't wait to see a year from now after Fletch puts about 20 lbs on him. Look what he did with Kofi! This kid could be a lot of fun to watch! :shield:

i picture him as a mike tisdale style pick and pop guy in this offense
 
#531      
i picture him as a mike tisdale style pick and pop guy in this offense

I'm thinking more like Mike Finke, but yes.

Hope we pull in another banger or 2 (Kouma?) so Hawkins doesn't have to constantly battle down low like Finke did. Felt bad for the kid. Played out of position most of his time here.
 
#532      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
When I watch Hawkins I'm reminded of Griffin's high school footage. He seemed very clumsy and awkward to me, though obviously not untalented. One thing I'm sure of is this staff can develop talent. Give Hawkins a couple years to gain strength and improve his footwork and skills and he could be a really good player. The kid has real potential.

They were both awkward, but Griffin exhibited quickness and quick twitch athleticism that Hawkins can only dream of.
 
#537      
When I watch Hawkins I'm reminded of Griffin's high school footage. He seemed very clumsy and awkward to me, though obviously not untalented. One thing I'm sure of is this staff can develop talent. Give Hawkins a couple years to gain strength and improve his footwork and skills and he could be a really good player. The kid has real potential.
Not expert but betting he sees time as freshman replacing Kipper. Believe he is quicker than BBV and another different piece.
 
#539      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Rugged, grinder, tough, Slasher
Needs to work on outside shooting, ball handling

Do you feel his game will translate to high D1? From strictly reading about him, I'm pretty intrigued. Could step into a DMW-like role for us, with more O (and less D, at least initially).
 
#540      
They were both awkward, but Griffin exhibited quickness and quick twitch athleticism that Hawkins can only dream of.
Hawkins has guard-like handles though. He's going to be up against other 4s and they will have trouble dealing with the fact that he can shoot well from distance and can put the ball on the floor.
 
#545      
I like CH but unless he greatly improves his footwork and speed, he will not gain much playing time. Don't get me wrong, he can shoot and is coordinated enough, but as a former scout, I was always one to watch bigs footwork. He is very methodical in his movements, which works in HS, but college players will shut those lanes off faster than he has seen before. I am glad we got him, but don't see a ton out of him the first season unless he gains a lot of foot speed.

Glad he is an Illini and mad respect to him for taking on a challenge and moving away from his home.

I'm not too worried. Kofi looked like he was wearing cement shoes in some of his highlights from last year. So I'm hoping/assuming Coleman can make a similar jump with a full pre-season of Fletch workouts, if not more since he's a lot more nimble than high-school Kofi.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.