Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July 2018)

[Greensboro]

if there's one thing that this staff has demonstrated they do very well at this point, imho, it's having plan b guys in the works. look how well we've done filling out the roster for this year following a losing record season, with no official visits left.

They're not all plan B. Some are plan C and D.

+1 - With all of our spring signings from last year gone (Matic, Smith, & Ebo) & none of this years having played a game yet, a couple not even on campus yet, I think it is a bit premature to say we have done well if we are looking for more than filling a scholarship and that needs to be the bar.

 

[PtownIllini8]

You may not be, but I am very confident that we have done more than 'filling a scholarship'.

Yeah, last year's late bigs always had the feel of guys we were taking a chance with because there was nothing to lose. This year's spring signees don't have that feel at all. It sure appears that we're building a winning roster.

 

[EJ33]

Wait a minute! If Shannon has graduated, why aren't we signing him now? Tell him to take a Red Shirt his first year, get a leg up on classes, learn our system, and come out on fire as a RS Frosh?

I'm sure there's an obvious answer (Shannon is not rushing his choice, wanting a better offer, coaching staff wants to wait, etc), but this was my first reaction as well.

Joe Henricksen said he doesn't think it makes sense for Shannon at Illinois if they sign Whitney. Maybe that's a factor.

 

[bobbob]

A fifth year grad transfer coming off an ACL surgery is the poster "filling a scholarship" signing.

 

[Deleted member 654622]

A fifth year grad transfer coming off an ACL surgery is the poster "filling a scholarship" signing.

 

[illinitiger]

I read an article on a recruiting web site ~1 month ago that he's fully qualified (sorry, no link). If that's true, he's going the prep school route to raise his profile, really work on his game and be able to hit the ground running in his freshman year. Given that he's still 17 and has just burst onto the high profile scene, his rationale is understandable.

"raise his profile" jumps out to me...implies potentially other suitors in the future.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Joe Henricksen said he doesn't think it makes sense for Shannon at Illinois if they sign Whitney. Maybe that's a factor.

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

 

[Desert Illini]

Joe Henricksen said he doesn't think it makes sense for Shannon at Illinois if they sign Whitney. Maybe that's a factor.

I'm down with this, IF the level of confidence in KW is sufficiently high. Say like oh... 90+% likely he signs.

 

[FiveStar]

I'm down with this, IF the level of confidence in KW is sufficiently high. Say like oh... 90+% likely he signs.

All the tweets about Whitney sound like he’s gonna jump into the top ten. Just makes it even harder but it would be sweet

 

[NBB1979]

Any new info on Cunningham out there? Is there still a possibility we can land him?

Per review of Cunningham's twitter account - i'd assume he's back at Dayton.

 

[Deleted member 649710]

Eric Bossi: Whitney can play anywhere in America."

He Gawn.

 

[SeattleSlim]

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

yep

 

[TownieMatt]

Only a matter of time before blue bloods come in with offers for Whitney. If he wants to bite on one of those offers, I just hope he does it quickly and doesn't drag this thing out. When you're in our position, you need to move on to the next guy quickly. If he drags it out, we'll keep recruiting him while backup targets fall off the board.

 

[FeelYourPaign]

Only a matter of time before blue bloods come in with offers for Whitney. If he wants to bite on one of those offers, I just hope he does it quickly and doesn't drag this thing out. When you're in our position, you need to move on to the next guy quickly. If he drags it out, we'll keep recruiting him while backup targets fall off the board.

Yes, big time recruiting. . . And worse yet near big time recruiting. . . Is really tough. E could certainly use a break. None bigger than Whitney committing to the beloved.

 

[t7nich]

40 plus offers out for 2019, and counting.

 

[IlliniDent]

He Gawn.

Can this statement never be used, it has to be one of the more annoying things repeatedly posted on this (and every other) board.

Everyone complains about wanting top talent but when we actually go for it it means that we are recruiting against the big boys. This is what happens. Of course we don't want them getting involved but lets be honest if there ever was a top 15 recruit we had a shot with, its someone like Whitney who we have been on since the beginning. Yes it's going to get hard but this isn't unexpected. Welcome to big boy recruiting.

 

[Calvin]

40 plus offers out for 2019, and counting.

I don't really care how we get good talent here, but 40 offers and counting sounds indiscriminate...especially if we're at 3 schollies plus turnover. I get that we're in full rebuild, but it's still sad.

 

[PtownIllini8]

Can this statement never be used, it has to be one of the more annoying things repeatedly posted on this (and every other) board.

Everyone complains about wanting top talent but when we actually go for it it means that we are recruiting against the big boys. This is what happens. Of course we don't want them getting involved but lets be honest if there ever was a top 15 recruit we had a shot with, its someone like Whitney who we have been on since the beginning. Yes it's going to get hard but this isn't unexpected. Welcome to big boy recruiting.

Well said! You have to hope his close relationship with Ayo, his MIF coach saying great things about Coach U and his long relationship with our staff is enough to land him. If Whitney were to come aboard we certainly become even more appealing to a big like Cockburn or Timme.

 

[Joel Goodson]

I don't really care how we get good talent here, but 40 offers and counting sounds indiscriminate...especially if we're at 3 schollies plus turnover. I get that we're in full rebuild, but it's still sad.

Nope. Having irons in the fire is the smart play. If our plan A guys commit elsewhere, we won't be late to the party. Ad infinitum. Surely you don't believe that all 40 offers are commitable right now, right?

 

[mattcoldagelli]

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

 

[TCTORNADO]

40 plus offers out for 2019, and counting.

I think I read that the number for 2019 offers is at 48 and counting.

 

[illini62707]

Disagree, that Shannon not coming to IL doesn't make sense if Whitney comes. When all is said and done Whitney may be in the college ranks 1 year. There is room for both of them.

 

[redriver]

I think I read that the number for 2019 offers is at 48 and counting.

I don't know why anyone would be sad or give a ........ about that number. It isn't about how many girls you ask out, it is about if you love the one you marry. Some are embarrassed by the most meaningless things. Apparently some are so rapped up in the rankings, they unconditionally believe that if some pimpled face boy gets hired by scout, he becomes all knowing. They must certainly know more than the coaches the U of I hired. Wow.

 

[Newman]

I don't know why anyone would be sad or give a ........ about that number. It isn't about how many girls you ask out, it is about if you love the one you marry. Some are embarrassed by the most meaningless things. Apparently some are so rapped up in the rankings, they unconditionally believe that if some pimpled face boy gets hired by scout, he becomes all knowing. They must certainly know more than the coaches the U of I hired. Wow.

Come on.. Don't act like the coaches wouldn't prefer the higher rated players. If you had to ask them who their priority targets are, they would all be 4 and 5 star players. If we miss out on them, we move on and get back-up plan 3 star guys. Rankings aren't meaningless and there's a correlation between them and good offers. If we take a guy with bad offers, we're taking a chance on them and it's not because our coaches are better at identifying talent, it's because we missed on higher priority targets and don't have better options besides leaving a scholarship open. You're being fooled by coachspeak.

 

[SescIllini]

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE

What has hurt us before is that we end up getting neither. This probably best explains both the PG and C drought at Illinois in recent years. Probably best for a player like Kahill to get onboard or eliminate us early so we don't end up missing on players like Shannon if they play the same position.