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....at least I have a gauge now.Don't believe Fred Van Fleet was offered by B10, so he probably wasn't B10 caliber as a recruit?
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (January-March 2016)
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....at least I have a gauge now.Don't believe Fred Van Fleet was offered by B10, so he probably wasn't B10 caliber as a recruit?
Really? You really think if you put that team in a power conference they compete with the cream of the crop based off of one game? If that's the case then Georgia State should be able to do that as should Murray State since they beat Middle Tennessee. UT Arlington should be able to compete in the Big Ten as well since they beat Ohio State one time on the road and the Buckeyes finished 7th in the conference. Western Illinois and Milwaukee should also be good teams since they both beat Wisconsin.
Are there some Fred Van Fleet's out there? You bet. However, just because someone plays well at the high school level does not mean that they are going to be good college players. There was a girl in small school here in Illinois who averaged 41ppg as a senior only to fail to average even 20ppg playing JUCO ball.
I don't know really , I just think that the whole argument of "B10 caliber" and the idea that B10 teams (or P5 teams) are by nature, always better than their mid major brethren seems extreme on the opposite side....just like saying Jaylon Tate was a B10 caliber player as a recruit but VanFleet wasnt.
I will take a team with heart, grit, BB IQ, and great chemistry...but otherwise lesser talents, over many teams that are superior in talent. It's a team game....more talented players don't always make for the best "team"...just like some excellent athletes don't rate as excellent BB players.
blackdog
- Champaign
You know whats a common thread with all those Cinderella teams? Experience. Most of the teams are senior heavy teams that have been playing together for years. They know the system, they understand what their roles are, and they execute to the best of their abilities. That makes up for a lot of the gap but you see most years they will eventually run into a team that has more talent and can execute. Look at every team in the final 4 this year and see they all have talent but also a lot of experienced players.
We want to be the team that has the heart, grit, BB IQ, chemistry, but also the talent because that's what goes deep into the tourney, and historically that's where we have been. Our most successful seasons what have we had? Not only the talent to win, but players that have the experience too. Gotta have that blend to really be a successful program.
Long story short, gotta have the talent (and have that talent stick around for awhile) if you really want to win at the highest level.
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Don't believe Fred Van Fleet was offered by B10, so he probably wasn't B10 caliber as a recruit?
Its Van Vleet by the way.
You seem to be constantly ignoring the facts and circumstances. He was injured during the summer. No Big Ten coaches have seen him play. How could he have a Big Ten offer?
He doesn't even have offers from all of the Missouri Valley schools in the state. Not one Big Ten school. This isn't the kind of kid Illinois can take a chance on right now with the abundance of wings already on the roster.
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Don't believe Fred Van Fleet was offered by B10, so he probably wasn't B10 caliber as a recruit?
Everybody trotting out FVV knows many big 10 teams were trying to get involved after he committed to wich St right?
In an interview his dad even said Illinois was trying to get involved. FVV decided to be loyal to his early commit.
If he wanted to play in the B1G he could Have easily done so
Chastain has been good for the board
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Chastain was injured in Football as a freshman and didn't play basketball that year. He finished with a school record 2,081 career points. I want to say he averaged 19+ as a sophomore, 23-24 as a junior and 26 as a senior.
Being the tallest kid on the team didn't mean he played in the post on offense.
I saw he play live a handful of times and he is special and athletic ( I believe he finished with just under 100 dunks for his career - many in traffic). He mostly played on the perimeter on offense and he also handled the but fairly well. I am not sure at what level he will play at the next level.
The Pontiff
- Chicago, IL
Dang, I thought I was a college basketball junkie but finding time to watch MTSU against UTSA in early Jan is taking it to another level.
As for this debate, it would be hard to imagine a Conf USA team being able to consistently compete within the grind of a P5 conference. Sort of like the 1A/2A vs 3A/4A IHSA argument, there may be one to three solid P5 players and on any given day, could pull the upset. But I don't imagine there's the depth on a team like MTSA to be consistent enough to pull out 8 to 9 B1G wins.
Chastain's video is definitely interesting. Many things to like about his game...
1. His size and athleticism. This has been discussed at length.
2. The high release on his jump shot. Most kids in high school have a tendency to bring the ball down before they shoot...especially in a catch and shoot situation. He keeps the ball high and releases his shot quickly. It doesn't matter what level of competition you're playing...that will be tough to guard with a 6'6 player.
3. Versatility. His post moves probably need work, but he has the ability to take smaller guards down low and cause problems. If his ball handling holds up and he can play the 2, this could be a significant advantage. His ability to play inside out is of value.
Concerns:
1. His ball handling. I notice in those videos that he definitely favors his right hand and seems to switch to the left only when necessary. I'd like to see more video to determine how weak his left hand is. When he did dribble with his left it looked sufficient, but I'm not sure he has BIG 10 level confidence in it yet. Then again...a guy like Calvin Brock never did. BIG 10 defenders will focus on this.
2. Level of competition. Any chance we could bring the kid to campus for an unofficial and let him play pickup ball with the team? I'm sure they could give the coaches a better idea as to whether he can handle it.
1. His size and athleticism. This has been discussed at length.
2. The high release on his jump shot. Most kids in high school have a tendency to bring the ball down before they shoot...especially in a catch and shoot situation. He keeps the ball high and releases his shot quickly. It doesn't matter what level of competition you're playing...that will be tough to guard with a 6'6 player.
3. Versatility. His post moves probably need work, but he has the ability to take smaller guards down low and cause problems. If his ball handling holds up and he can play the 2, this could be a significant advantage. His ability to play inside out is of value.
Concerns:
1. His ball handling. I notice in those videos that he definitely favors his right hand and seems to switch to the left only when necessary. I'd like to see more video to determine how weak his left hand is. When he did dribble with his left it looked sufficient, but I'm not sure he has BIG 10 level confidence in it yet. Then again...a guy like Calvin Brock never did. BIG 10 defenders will focus on this.
2. Level of competition. Any chance we could bring the kid to campus for an unofficial and let him play pickup ball with the team? I'm sure they could give the coaches a better idea as to whether he can handle it.
This guy! I hope I'm not going to bed disappointed Wednesday night! :thumb:
midastouch11
- New York, New York
The Uncles and Cousins Raving About Their Relatives Recruiting Thread 2016.
As opposed to the Old fuddy duddy curmudgeon get off my yard 3A and 4A enablers recruiting thread? :thumb:
The real issue is that he's not at a position of need. We are log jammed on the wings. If the tables were flipped and we had multiple pg's and big men then maybe he would a get a look. I like what I see from him personally. But we don't need him. We got plenty of wings as is with one already in the fold for 2017 with others being possible as well. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if we look back in a couple years and Chastain is the man at some mid major leading his team in the ncaa tournament and a bunch of people are wondering how we missed on him.
midastouch11
- New York, New York
Is that what you consider this thread usually?
I only watched the one recent 5 minute highlight video of Matt, and I don't know enough to offer an opinion if we're missing out. It seem possible he could be a high major player, and possible he may not.
He also may be more athletic than just that video showed, but I certainly didn't see anything from an athleticism viewpoint that Malcolm Hill wouldn't be able to do with ease on his way to 50 a night against that competition (obviously this is unfair, as he's been training in a B1G weight room for 3 years). While there is a real chance Malcolm's "lack" of athleticism *may* prevent him from being in the NBA, posters downplay how athletic many of these guys, including Malcolm are when comparing to High School.
He also may be more athletic than just that video showed, but I certainly didn't see anything from an athleticism viewpoint that Malcolm Hill wouldn't be able to do with ease on his way to 50 a night against that competition (obviously this is unfair, as he's been training in a B1G weight room for 3 years). While there is a real chance Malcolm's "lack" of athleticism *may* prevent him from being in the NBA, posters downplay how athletic many of these guys, including Malcolm are when comparing to High School.
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One thing that a lot of us are forgetting about taking "under the radar" or project type players is the fact that we don't develop players like some of the other programs like, say, Wisconsin. I can't think of anyone under Groce that has truly risen above and taken things to the next level by becoming a much better player than their "ceiling" would have suggested. Even those with potential haven't thrived the way they should be. We all knew what Malcolm Hill was going to be. Same goes for JCL.
Pretty much. Everybody just follows the scouting services rankings. If he has 4 stars we drool. Five stars we cry. 3 stars we relunctantly give approval. Rinse.. Repeat...
It isn't remotely true that everyone knew what Hill would be.
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