Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (July-August 2016)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#4,501      
Johnny Lawrence
FatGreg said:
UCLA national title in '94-95, mostly. I thought Ed O'Bannon was going to be an NBA hall of famer and I loved watching Tyus Edney. Just happened to be pretty much the first year that I really followed sports and, like many kids, I was a shameless bandwagoner. Also, I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Illinois as a young kid, so even though I didn't remember living in California I felt a connection to it.
Click to expand...

Good enough. I'm from the same era so I know what you're saying. Plus I always liked their uniforms.
 
#4,506      
RyanK
We had no chance with Scruggs, no point to waste either sides time.
 
#4,509      
Illiniguy13
Psycho 86 said:
SILENT VERBAL !! :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb: LOL
Click to expand...

Funny funny :thumb: FWIW I think it's fair to say we're the team to beat for Ramey early out of the gates. All the time in the world for this to change, but at this point in time we're sittin pretty.
 
#4,510      
Greensboro
RyanK said:
We had no chance with Scruggs, no point to waste either sides time.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but the article sure doesn't read that way coming from the Scrugg's side, sounds like it was Illinois that pulled out & at this point pulling out when you have gotten this close to a visit coming doesn't seem like you are saving much on resource side.

“(The Illinois coaching staff) was awesome in letting us know the situation,” Peterson said. “It was a tough conversation but a good one.”
Click to expand...

So maybe it is the orange koolaid, but I'm going with the theory there aren't infinite number of scholarships, we already have Frazier & Williams in 2017 and we are going to ride those horses for pg/cg.
 
Last edited:
#4,511      
Joel Goodson
sacraig said:
You could easily interpret it the other way, too. I think it's more likely that they didn't think they needed so many PGs bunched together in age. So, whether they thought the odds with Scruggs were good or not, they saw no point in rolling out the red carpet, spending a bunch of money and a bunch of time, and risking looking like they are insincere on the visit if they really didn't want another PG anymore. Instead, it is face- and time-saving for all involved to have this conversation and let everyone (including Scruggs) invest their resources elsewhere.
Click to expand...

+1

Agree w/your take. We have our PG. We also have an incoming combo and a freshman PG. The house is full and we're showing loyalty to Frazier.

And, as others have mentioned, we're in good shape to land an elite or quasi-elite '18 PG.
 
Last edited:
#4,512      
Greensboro
CAHALL15 said:
It sounds like they were appreciative in Illinois letting them know the situation and maybe even a little disappointed that they wouldn't be visiting as it said in the article, "It was a tough conversation to have, but a good one." Having good communication and being upfront with recruits and their coaches may help with future recruits.

Wilkes has said that he and Scruggs are going to pick which schools are best for themselves. I don't think this hurts us with Wilkes, though a commitment from Scruggs would help, in my opinion. Plus, the combo guard and point guard role has already been taken in this class. Onto Kiir and Wilkes.
Click to expand...

The quote on conversation is from AAU coach, who IIRC is also Wilkes AAU coach...so may help us in the long run by not playing Scruggs along, however, I'm still not ready to believe this gives us a significant shot at Wilkes.

Also although it sure reads like it was us that no longer needs Scruggs, that still is hard to believe that we ever would pass on a top pg. But I like the idea that the staff is more than happy with Frazier/Williams/Lucas and other options for remaining 2 scholarships (on paper for 2017 & 2018)...so please don't anyone ruin that with a dose of realism.
 
#4,516      
HoopCity
Greensboro said:
The quote on conversation is from AAU coach, who IIRC is also Wilkes AAU coach...so may help us in the long run by not playing Scruggs along, however, I'm still not ready to believe this gives us a significant shot at Wilkes.

Also although it sure reads like it was us that no longer needs Scruggs, that still is hard to believe that we ever would pass on a top pg. But I like the idea that the staff is more than happy with Frazier/Williams/Lucas and other options for remaining 2 scholarships (on paper for 2017 & 2018)...so please don't anyone ruin that with a dose of realism.
Click to expand...

Wilkes or one of the bigs and save one for Finke or Ramey whichever wants to commit first. I would want Finke and have Marquise Walker commit too as he has said he wants to go to Illinois ...
 
#4,517      
JudsonFTS
CAHALL15 said:
It sounds like they were appreciative in Illinois letting them know the situation and maybe even a little disappointed that they wouldn't be visiting as it said in the article, "It was a tough conversation to have, but a good one." Having good communication and being upfront with recruits and their coaches may help with future recruits.

Wilkes has said that he and Scruggs are going to pick which schools are best for themselves. I don't think this hurts us with Wilkes, though a commitment from Scruggs would help, in my opinion. Plus, the combo guard and point guard role has already been taken in this class. Onto Kiir and Wilkes.
Click to expand...

I like it. Set a definite course once commitments are in hand and work hard on the your priorities not redundancies. I am very happy with Frazier.
 
#4,518      
sacraig
Adnarel said:
So, does that make "we have too many PG's" the new board meme?
Click to expand...

Nah. I don't think we even have too many PGs. We just have too many '16 and '17 PGs. If we want to grab another one or two in '18, then that seems fine to me. Another step toward class balance.
 
#4,519      
coryfor3
FatGreg said:
It's a little different, but for the sake of illustration, I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago and never particularly wanted to go to the state school. I followed Illini football and hoops, but as a kid I was a bigger fan of Michigan football and UCLA basketball - Illinois was probably my #3 or #4 team. I thought that staying in-state sounded incredibly boring. I wanted to get the heck away from home and explore new horizons. I was 100% positive that I would move to NYC, LA, or maybe Miami as an adult - just had no home state pride whatsoever.

Long story short, I eventually made the practical decision to go to Illinois (top academics + in-state tuition) instead of USC or Ohio State (both of which I was considerably more excited about in a lot of ways). Never regretted it for a minute after I stepped on campus; best years of my life were in Champaign. From the moment I started school, I was a diehard Illini fan and have been now for 17 years. Settled down in Chicago, etc. If I'd been a 4-star HS basketball player, though, there's about a 1% chance I'd have gone to UI. Obviously, with Tim's connection to the program there are tons of variables at play, but I wouldn't be surprised if he found the expectations suffocating at times; growing up in Champaign and being a 2x legacy could cut both ways.

I'll be fine with whatever he decides, as long as he stays out of the B1G and doesn't go anywhere near Travis Ford.
Click to expand...

I can agree with this. I never intended to come to the U of I for school. I followed Illini sports and cheered for them but I ultimately chose UIUC because it offered in-state tuition (and fortunately for me, a significant tuition waiver not available elsewhere) high quality education and had a large school, Div.1 athletics, school spirit feel that I was looking for. I loved being there. I'm a lifetime fan now. That said, at 17 or 18, with tuition no factor, I would have gone elsewhere. Not saying that would have been the right decision but it it the one I would have made at 17 or 18. I would have likely ended up somewhere in the South or out East.
 
#4,520      
Deleted member 29907
westcoastillini said:
Huh? I don't get this
Click to expand...

Nobody more attractive than the one who turned you down.. ;)

To me this at least says we have confidence in our position - confidence sells.

Sounds like we're moving to a position of getting hand.

[YOUTUBE]8g3tQaqizh0[/YOUTUBE]
 
#4,521      
bigruss22
Hard to tell a top 40 guy you don't have room but it was the right call for both sides.
 
#4,522      
FatGreg
I'm hoping for an Epperson-Wilkes finish to this class. As the list of prospects we're still in on continues to shrink, we seem to be realistically down to:

Wing: Wilkes, Justin Smith, Eastern, Kigab
PF/C: Epperson, Kiir, Uyaelumno

I feel like the wings are all long shots at this point - we're in on all of them, but other schools seem to be favored for each. We seem to have as good a chance as anyone with both Epperson and Kiir; Uyaelumno seems to be a long shot.

I can't get a clear sense of where we stand with Eastern, but it feels like it's not happening. Same with Smith - just doesn't feel like he's coming here. Kigab is an Oregon lean, but if he doesn't end up there I think it's between us and Cal. Wilkes might be the most likely at this point (?!).

My gut feeling is we end up with Epperson and either Kigab or Smith. Anybody else feeling something different or privy to any interesting info? I know lots of people think we'll end up with Kiir. For some reason, I think the staff might go full court press on Epperson.
 
Last edited:
#4,523      
Greensboro
FatGreg said:
I'm hoping for an Epperson-Wilkes finish to this class. As the list of prospects we're still in on continues to shrink, we seem to be realistically down to:

Wing: Wilkes, Justin Smith, Eastern, Kigab
PF/C: Epperson, Kiir, Uyaelumno

I feel like the wings are all long shots at this point - we're in on all of them, but other schools seem to be favored for each. We seem to have as good a chance as anyone with both Epperson and Kiir; Uyaelumno seems to be a long shot.

I can't get a clear sense of where we stand with Eastern, but it feels like it's not happening. Same with Smith - just doesn't feel like he's coming here. Kigab is an Oregon lean, but if he doesn't end up there I think it's between us and Cal. Wilkes might be the most likely at this point (?!).

My gut feeling is we end up with Epperson and either Kigab or Smith. Anybody else feeling something different or privy to any interesting info? I know lots of people think we'll end up with Kiir. For some reason, I think the staff might go full court press on Epperson.
Click to expand...

Personally with that list & no indication we are the leader on any of those guys...I would take any one of them today & be happy to get just one, getting 2 just seems like too much of a long shot.
 
#4,524      
Illiniguy13
FatGreg said:
I'm hoping for an Epperson-Wilkes finish to this class. As the list of prospects we're still in on continues to shrink, we seem to be realistically down to:

Wing: Wilkes, Justin Smith, Eastern, Kigab
PF/C: Epperson, Kiir, Uyaelumno

I feel like the wings are all long shots at this point - we're in on all of them, but other schools seem to be favored for each. We seem to have as good a chance as anyone with both Epperson and Kiir; Uyaelumno seems to be a long shot.

I can't get a clear sense of where we stand with Eastern, but it feels like it's not happening. Same with Smith - just doesn't feel like he's coming here. Kigab is an Oregon lean, but if he doesn't end up there I think it's between us and Cal. Wilkes might be the most likely at this point (?!).

My gut feeling is we end up with Epperson and either Kigab or Smith. Anybody else feeling something different or privy to any interesting info? I know lots of people think we'll end up with Kiir. For some reason, I think the staff might go full court press on Epperson.
Click to expand...

It's fishy Kiir hasn't set up any OV's yet, and as others have alluded to it's possible he may be facing qualification issues. It seems like we have as good a shot as anyone w/ Kiir but wouldn't surprise me if the staff is going all in on Epperson at this point, like you said.
 
#4,525      
Big Al
Illinois was a long shot with Scruggs. They are probably well aware of where they stood with him, with or without Frazier on board. This way, by being upfront with Scruggs, they can save a little face. It shows that you are committed to your guys and that you mean what you say (in regards to Trent Frazier: "He's our guy."). Integrity and honesty are easily lost. I think it also makes the sell to Kris Wilkes of being Malcolm Hill's replacement much more impactful. It also should help when dealing with Loren Jackson (Mayan Kiir's coach) who has said, "Everybody says the same thing." Maybe it means more coming from Coach Groce now.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back