Drew Timme IMO.I believe EJ was the biggest miss for are current roster !!
We would be right there with Gonzaga fighting for that number 1 even ahead of Baylor in my opinion..
Drew Timme IMO.I believe EJ was the biggest miss for are current roster !!
We would be right there with Gonzaga fighting for that number 1 even ahead of Baylor in my opinion..
There is so much conjecture here that it's utterly hilarious. He actually left Iowa St., a year after it being a garbage program, after he got caught stealing something and it was dropped. His stats were mediocre. His actual contribution to the program was mediocre. Even if he had came to Illinois his additional contributions had been... Let me break it down for you.. Mediocre.You're looking at it in hindsight. People saying THT wasn't a bad miss, can only argue that in retrospect, not because Ayo is better than THT, but because THT only played 1 year of college whereas Ayo has played 3. At the time of their recruitment, nobody thought Ayo would be in college longer than THT, which was one of the main reasons many wanted THT instead of Ayo (if they had to choose 1) because people thought THT would be a 3 or 4 year college player. If THT was still in college for a 3rd year, there'd be quite a debate over who would be better for Illinois (Ayo or THT) as a 3rd year player. Especially given the makeup of our current team where we already have 2 guys in TF and Curbelo that can handle the ball. And the main piece we are missing is that athletic 3-4 role that THT can play. The best 3-4 we could have had were EJ or Timme though, so ideally we'd have had Ayo and EJ/Timme.
People arguing "Missing THT wasn't that bad", i mean the only reason you can say that is because THT was in fact SO GOOD that he left Iowa State after his freshman year, and in only his 2nd year in the NBA is playing a key role off the bench for the Lakers. Usually guys that can be labeled "not bad misses" are players that don't perform at the spot they landed in. THT performed. He performed so well that he jumped to the league. Nobody would have thought that he could accomplish that his senior year at Simeon. I have to laugh out loud those labeling THT a cancer. He was nothing but a team guy at Simeon, did his 1 year at Iowa State, bet on himself and got picked in the 2nd round, and now is a key player on the best team in basketball. He's had a huge ascent in 4 years.
Based on our current team EJ is the missing piece but would be hard to choose between he and Timme. Have to pick him as biggest miss as he is local.I believe EJ was the biggest miss for are current roster !!
We would be right there with Gonzaga fighting for that number 1 even ahead of Baylor in my opinion..
So I guess the Lakers already know they can't draft AyoInteresting take.
THT most likely would have meant very little to the big picture of Illinois basketball. He wouldn’t have dramatically improved our record the season he’d have played. Meanwhile Ayo is a likely All-American on a team that should be back in the top ten if we take care of business tomorrow. Iowa State is not good.
And we all know both of them playing here wasn’t a realistic option. The staff wanted both and did everything they could to try and make it work. THT wanted to come here but in the end we had to choose one or the other.
With that in mind, taking Ayo vs THT isn’t even debatable as it relates to the Illini basketball.
just choked on some coffee, lolSo I guess the Lakers already know they can't draft Ayo
i agree. And I think he hurts the most because he was the most gettable being from Belleville. I think Timme is a better player, but I think he was always a longshot so I don't put that on the staff. Losing an out of state, far away kid to Gonzaga isn't really a loss IMO.I believe EJ was the biggest miss for are current roster !!
We would be right there with Gonzaga fighting for that number 1 even ahead of Baylor in my opinion..
Look who is lurking in the background....
Good catch, it must be down to Kentucky and IllinoisLook who is lurking in the background....
Everything I am hearing is Kentucky
What exactly do people think THT did that would have cost us Ayo? Has it ever been confirmed that they refused to play together? I've heard tons of rumors but nothing definitive.
Right. I'm pretty sure consensus at the time was that if we could only have one, we'd rather have Ayo...and I think everything that has happened since has confirmed the correctness of that impression. THT was obviously very talented, but it's pretty clear Ayo has had a much bigger impact than his team and college basketball in general than THT.And when Kentucky seals the deal, it's pretty much over.
Regarding THT, it boggles my mind that someone would argue that was a bad miss. At it's worst, that was a good miss. It's an unfortunate reality in college basketball that you have to be very careful to avoid issues with player cohesion eroding the program's culture. Underwood put his faith in Ayo, and it's pretty clear in hindsight why that was the better choice, even if you lament losing someone as good as THT. JMO, obviously. Ayo is all-in on TEAM, and that's especially huge given how much rebuilding we needed.
You must be new around hereAny chance we can move past THT vs Ayo?
Your logic doesn't hold. What if they would have been better?If THT were here for 3 years, he'd be a stud. Want to know why that isn't conjecture? Because I'm fairly certain a guy in the rotation for the LA Lakers, if you put that player on a college team, would dominate. I don't think that's going out on a limb.
It doesn't matter how much contribution you think THT made to Iowa State his freshman year. I mean their 23-12 was still far better than our 11-21 season with Ayo as a freshman. So even if you just want to compare apples to apples, THT had a bigger impact on Iowa State his freshman year, than Ayo did at Illinois. So if you want to label that contribution mediocre, then how could argue Ayo's was better? It certainly wasn't.
If THT were here for 3 years, he'd be a stud. Want to know why that isn't conjecture? Because I'm fairly certain a guy in the rotation for the LA Lakers, if you put that player on a college team, would dominate. I don't think that's going out on a limb.
It doesn't matter how much contribution you think THT made to Iowa State his freshman year. I mean their 23-12 was still far better than our 11-21 season with Ayo as a freshman. So even if you just want to compare apples to apples, THT had a bigger impact on Iowa State his freshman year, than Ayo did at Illinois. So if you want to label that contribution mediocre, then how could argue Ayo's was better? It certainly wasn't.
Based on our current team EJ is the missing piece but would be hard to choose between he and Timme. Have to pick him as biggest miss as he is local.
Shouldn't we all give this a Break? Oops let me rephrase that.Ayo averaged more points and assists and shot a higher percentage both from three and the field overall. Not sure how you can conclude that THT had a bigger impact than Ayo just because his teammates were better.
Don't forget Krutwig. By the way who is Krutwig?EJ is certainly up there in near misses. Terrence Shannon is too and Tyler's good friend at SFA, TJ Holyfield. Maybe throw in Castleton for good measure.
IDKWKIDon't forget Krutwig. By the way who is Krutwig?
Agreei agree. And I think he hurts the most because he was the most gettable being from Belleville. I think Timme is a better player, but I think he was always a longshot so I don't put that on the staff. Losing an out of state, far away kid to Gonzaga isn't really a loss IMO.
I'm stj.mad a out Laphonso Ellis lolol it will be awhileAny chance we can move past THT vs Ayo?
Jordan Goodwin (A double- double) machine would compliment this team rather nicely. I will never get over the LePhonso Ellis miss.I'm stj.mad a out Laphonso Ellis lolol it will be awhile