Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (January-February 2018)

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#1,526      

IllFanInMi

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IllFanInMi
foby said:
Personally, I think it is the SIZE that gets blown way out of proportion. The lack of speed/athleticism are the killers. I remember a team that topped off around 6'7" and was one of many here's all-time faves. Upgrade the speed/athleticism in this system, and big things can happen without big men.
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Tough to compare the 89 Flyin Illini team to today’s game. That was a different era when most bigs/size guys were trained to be post players. Guys now with size and athleticism are trained early to develop as all around players that can impact a game in multiple phases. 89 Team was able to beat teams with speed and athleticism and take advantage of a team’s “post size” by making teams bigs run Block to Block and simply wear them down and neutralize their size advantage.

This doesn’t translate to today’s game when teams have the athletic size guys who can run the floor and are skilled all over the court.
 
#1,528      

Deleted member 342779

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Deleted member 342779
Need Bigs

Yes, we would take transfer bigs that actually produced. Finke, Ebo, Vesel .. the latter 2 might contribute down the line, but none of those guys are giving you much now, nor will they next year. We need immediate help.
 
#1,529      

Deleted member 631370

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Illinibatt said:
There seems to be a perception here that the team will lack size next year.
But, as is, the team will have plenty of size next year.

Black 6'7"
Eboigbodin 6'9"
Finke 6'10"
Vesel 6'10"

If I am a transfer big man, I'm looking at that (and 2 seniors) and thinking why would I want to go there next year?

For these reasons, I think it is more likely that the next big we land will be in the 2019 class after Finke and Black graduate.
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If any quality big is deterred by the likes of Vesel and a Michael Finke who is essentially a stretch 4, then perhaps that big isn't particularly "quality" after all.

We clearly have a size problem. Not literally because we're not tall enough, but because we have nobody that can defend the 5 position effectively. It's not about height as much as it is about skill.
 
#1,530      

Deleted member 631370

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foby said:
Personally, I think it is the SIZE that gets blown way out of proportion. The lack of speed/athleticism are the killers. I remember a team that topped off around 6'7" and was one of many here's all-time faves. Upgrade the speed/athleticism in this system, and big things can happen without big men.
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We can have a reasonable debate about whether it's size or athleticism or shooting or attitude.

The fact that one can make a convincing case for any of those suggests that we have several problems. And we are not going to be competitive until we make progress in addressing all or most of them. We don't need a team full of tall, lengthy, uber athletic shooters, but we need a minimum of small improvements in all of those categories.
 
#1,532      

blmillini

B
Bloomington, IL
blmillini
Illinibatt said:
There seems to be a perception here that the team will lack size next year.
But, as is, the team will have plenty of size next year.

Black 6'7"
Eboigbodin 6'9"
Finke 6'10"
Vesel 6'10"

If I am a transfer big man, I'm looking at that (and 2 seniors) and thinking why would I want to go there next year?

For these reasons, I think it is more likely that the next big we land will be in the 2019 class after Finke and Black graduate.
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We don't have a problem with height. We have a problem with playing big.

Black can barely get above the rim and has no chance of shooting over any Big 10 big that squares up on him and he definitely can't stop anyone at the rim defensively.

Eboigbodin looks to be a nice addition but is too young and does not yet have enough weight and strength.

Finke may as well be 6'5" because he does not play like he is 6'10". He might be a serviceable professional player because he can shoot and has enough length to shoot over top of other players, but that doesn't help us much in the paint.

Vessel is just a deer caught in the headlights right now. Who knows how he will develop but I expect him to be similar to Finke.

So, with that, we maybe have one pseudo-big.
 
#1,533      

Spoon House

Spoon House
Spoon House
blmillini said:
Black can barely get above the rim and has no chance of shooting over any Big 10 big that squares up on him
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I just have to nitpick here. Black did literally this over Happ a few times in the Wisconsin game. His J is ridiculous.
 
#1,540      

kuhl84

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Orlando, FL
kuhl84
Dan said:
At about the 1h08m mark of the podcast (or -00:38:00)
http://www.news-gazette.com/podcasts/?p=saturday-sportstalk&e=podcast-saturday-sportstalk-2-17-18
Tate: "..He wants to graduate this year. He'll probably transfer after this year to another school I would think."
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I didn't hear the podcast, but saying he "wants to graduate" and "probably will transfer" is not definitive.

Tate was alluding to the fact he transfers, that doesn't mean Tate knows he will transfer. Big difference, especially with Tate as the source.

I'm not saying I have any information, just that people are taking a substantial leap. He may want to leave, but I don't think BU would force him to leave. He is a good team mate and we all know about the "culture" thing he is preaching. There are others that wold be nudged before AJ.
 
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#1,541      

Spoon House

Spoon House
Spoon House
whatahack said:
I hate to see him go. He seems like a high quality kid. But I certainly understand.
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Oh, without a doubt. I think even without having Rob visit here to confirm it, it's been obvious that AJ is a hard worker and a quality individual. AJ's run earlier this season was one of the high points for me to watch.
 
#1,542      

TCTORNADO

TCTORNADO
TCTORNADO
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
 
#1,543      

whatahack

W
St. Peters MO
whatahack
TCTORNADO said:
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
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Good for him and for us....
 
#1,544      

TCTORNADO

TCTORNADO
TCTORNADO
Foggy Notion said:
Will we have enough players to field a team?
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The answer is Yes and they will be the right players. If Whitman gave Lovie the go ahead to blow up the FB roster, I see no reason for BU not to do the same. This confirms all the offer activity. The number is for sure 5 and maybe 1 carryover.
 
#1,545      

Deleted member 631370

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Deleted member 631370
TCTORNADO said:
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
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Good. I really want AJ for another year.
 
#1,546      

IllinistuckinGopherland

IllinistuckinGopherland
IllinistuckinGopherland
TCTORNADO said:
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
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Good. We need AJ and Finke next year. Our staff has recruited exactly one guy for three open spots this year. It’s silly to think we can fill the two remaining spots, and then go get two additional players who would improve on AJ and Finke.

As seniors next year, it’s not like they’re tying up long term scholarships.

Because of positional depth, coaches should be begging Finke to stay.
 
#1,547      

kuhl84

K
Orlando, FL
kuhl84
TCTORNADO said:
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
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Figured we would hear from him. Tate is reckless.
 
#1,548      

IlliniinIowa

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IlliniinIowa
TCTORNADO said:
Rob Jordan with a tersely worded tweet that the AJ "transfer" or whatever is "fake news" and that merely he graduates from UI in the Spring and will start his Masters in the Fall. I really like that he stepped forward to address these rumors.
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Thank God. We need shooters desperately!!!

Thank you Rob...
 
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