Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (March 2017)

[zpfled]

Frazier, yes....he is the one, to me, that has been loud and clear about his devotion to the program...When you have one guy who does that, then the others who, to my knowledge, have not made a public statement(written or verbal)....it makes people wonder.

That's where the edginess comes from.

Frazier was also the one who most publicly stated that Illinois better not fire Groce. Frazier is just more outgoing on social media than the other recruits, it seems.

I see where your edginess is coming from, but I just don't share your concerns. It seems like all the momentum is on Underwood's side right now. Tilmon and Frazier are the two most important pieces of this class, and they are both looking good.

I think Williams will come around once he meets with the new coach (and the old coach--Walker--who can provide some continuity of relationship). We'll see about Smith, but if he likes Illinois as a school, Underwood sure has a leg up in recruiting him to an exciting style of play.

 

[IlliniBone]

And I get that and you're right.

I guess my point is, when a person can take the time to post a pic with another schools jacket on, then straighten it out that it's not what you think....kind of knowing that they put questions into a fan bases mind, why not just clear it up? Yes, kids are different. Some joke, some are more excited and straight forward, etc. Some fans are different. Some look into everything, some just roll with whatever happens.

Real life is, there is no way to tell that this is all wrapped up until it comes from the mouth of the family, coach or player.

Tilmon, Williams and Pickett dont owe it to the public to announce their "re-commitment". The only ones they need to do that with are the coaches. I think we get a little spoiled with Frazier putting everything out on twitter but it doesnt seem like the other guys are like that. I dont believe Tilmon has ever announced anything on Twitter, why would he start now? All we as fans need to know is they haven't asked out of their LOI's and from all reports will not be asking out.

 

[zpfled]

And I get that and you're right.

I guess my point is, when a person can take the time to post a pic with another schools jacket on, then straighten it out that it's not what you think....kind of knowing that they put questions into a fan bases mind, why not just clear it up? Yes, kids are different. Some joke, some are more excited and straight forward, etc. Some fans are different. Some look into everything, some just roll with whatever happens.

Real life is, there is no way to tell that this is all wrapped up until it comes from the mouth of the family, coach or player.

There's no way to tell that this is wrapped up until the players enroll in classes.

But until then, I think you gotta just think about something else for a while. You're going to drive yourself sick with worry.

 

[Roundball Shaman]

The silence is deafening. But it looks like this will be the norm for this administration and our new coaching staff.

This is the new Illini business plan:

"Silence is golden...
But my eyes still see
Silence is golden, golden...
But my eyes still see"

- Bob Crewe & Bob Gaudio

 

[Goldtop]

I don't get he suspicion that D Williams is waiting to see what Smith does as some have said. It is no different a scenario than when we were looking to have Goodwin in this class. If he wasn't bothered by a class of Frazier and Goodwin, why should he be bothered by Smith?

 

[Adnarel]

I take issue with the notion that it's silly to be comfortable with this silence. Lemme see if I can talk you down from the edge a little bit.

Yes, in this age of social media, it is reasonable to expect some sort of reaffirmation to the program in the face of a coaching change. I firmly feel that it is unreasonable to expect such a reaffirmation before BU has had a chance to meet with each and every recruit. Remember, these young men talk to each other, they talk to their families, and they talk to whatever other voices have their ear at their high school and community.

IF, and only if, after all players have met with Underwood and JW has been officially announced, we still have not seen any "splashy" announcement are we allowed to get reasonably concerned. Until then, it's all fake news.

But I do sympathize with you on waiting for the nut punch here. I really do. It would be a 100% Illinois thing to happen.

 

[ballislife17]

I don't get he suspicion that D Williams is waiting to see what Smith does as some have said. It is no different a scenario than when we were looking to have Goodwin in this class. If he wasn't bothered by a class of Frazier and Goodwin, why should he be bothered by Smith?

There was never a point where we realistically had Goodwin, Frazier and DMW.

I think if DMW is going to stay, it is because he has been a lifelong Illini fan, and can't see himself going anywhere else. He is automatically going to be loved here just by virtue of his dad, and everything he does positive on the court will be icing on the cake.

 

[afpharmdawg]

There was never a point where we realistically had Goodwin, Frazier and DMW.

I think if DMW is going to stay, it is because he has been a lifelong Illini fan, and can't see himself going anywhere else. He is automatically going to be loved here just by virtue of his dad, and everything he does positive on the court will be icing on the cake.

And anything he does negative will be instantly scrutinized by this board

 

[illiniknight]

At this point the only plausible scenario for why we haven't heard yet is the delay in officially announcing Walker. If that comes and goes with silence, those players are searching for other schools, period.

In order to start really searching for other schools don;t they technically have to ask out of their LOI? By rule other schools wouldn't be able to talk to them before then without commiting a violation.

Ok but seriously, I know they can contact places unofficially and find out where they stand. At this point no news is not a bad thing, but I agree that if they finish the in-person visits, announce the assistants and the recruits still stay silent that is a bad sign. At this point, since they have me the new coach, if they ask out of the LOI they are gone.

 

[illiniknight]

I'm far more worried about Lamont Evans than I am about any of the recruits, but some of the perspectives on this subject are marinated in the usual magical realism around here.

I am more worried about him as well. He is part of the long-term viability for Underwood. A coach who both knows how to run Underwood's system and is good at recruiting for that system. He is a vital piece.

 

[DoctorOrange]

Guys, let's not be silly here. At some relatively soon point each of Tilmon, Pickett and Da'Monte will splashily reconfirm their commitments on their various social media accounts in exactly the same fashion as Frazier did, or alternately we will learn that they have asked out of their LOI's.

To think that there is a sustainable "neither" option beyond the April 12 signing day, at the absolute longest, is an total absurdity.

At this point the only plausible scenario for why we haven't heard yet is the delay in officially announcing Walker. If that comes and goes with silence, those players are searching for other schools, period.

This is where I am. For all those asking about why they would need to make an affirmation on twitter, I ask why not? If you look at all of these kid's twitter mentions you'll see comments asking them if they're still going to Illinois, or telling them to go to Mizzou, etc... I have no doubt that they're getting asked repeatedly at school if they're still going to Illinois. It would be so easy to shut all of that up with a simple twitter announcement stating that you remain committed to the University of Illinois. I think we will see that from our remaining recruits shortly if they plan on staying with us.

 

[UofI08]

After being recruited by, and then committed to, a staff led by Groce for 3+ years, wouldn't you assume the players want to actually meet the new guy before deciding anything? They've literally had a week to try to figure out Underwood's coaching philosophy and set up a meeting with him.

So far, none of the commits have asked out of their LOI. That's better than a lot of programs that make coaching changes. I posted last page that Underwood was still coaching SFA when Pickett and Williams committed to Illinois. They've probably never met the guy and I highly doubt they were getting recruited by SFA. These players have a lot to digest in a very short period of time. The fact that none have asked out of their LOI signals to me that they are at least open to meeting Underwood and giving him a great chance to sell his vision for them at Illinois.

 

[mattcoldagelli]

This is where I am. For all those asking about why they would need to make an affirmation on twitter, I ask why not? If you look at all of these kid's twitter mentions you'll see comments asking them if they're still going to Illinois, or telling them to go to Mizzou, etc... I have no doubt that they're getting asked repeatedly at school if they're still going to Illinois. It would be so easy to shut all of that up with a simple twitter announcement stating that you remain committed to the University of Illinois. I think we will see that from our remaining recruits shortly if they plan on staying with us.

And yes, if your goal at the moment - like those of us posting here - was to feel as good as humanly possible about the state of Illinois basketball moving forward, that would all make sense.

The fallacy, of course, is assuming that the current priorities of someone spending their free time on IllinoisLoyalty.com* have any overlap at all with the current priorities of a HS basketball player.


*obviously not meant to be a dig, given that I myself am one of those someones

 

[CAHALL15]

If following Coach Underwood on Twitter were equal to a commitment, then we would gain Mark Smith, but lose Javon Pickett with the rest of the class also being intact.

Since there is some talk about which assistant coaches will come, I'll add to this here since it was mentioned in the coaching staff thread. Much like the hiring of Underwood, the jobs for assistant coaches need to be listed publicly for one week prior to the official announcement. I believe that deadline is either today or tomorrow and some of the support staff jobs will also become available for announcements later this week.

 

[haasi]

And yes, if your goal at the moment - like those of us posting here - was to feel as good as humanly possible about the state of Illinois basketball moving forward, that would all make sense.

The fallacy, of course, is assuming that the current priorities of someone spending their free time on IllinoisLoyalty.com* have any overlap at all with the current priorities of a HS basketball player.


*obviously not meant to be a dig, given that I myself am one of those someones

What percentage of posters on this board would consider other programs if they were 5* recruits? My guess: higher than one might think. Once you're not just a fan anymore but a player, you have to think about everything - roster makeup, scheme, availability of playing time, coach, success of coach's player development to NBA, location of school, etc. As fans of course we want every 5* to come to UI, but even for Illini homers who are high major level players (DaMonte, Tim Finke, etc.), the decision isn't necessarily so easy.

 

[mattcoldagelli]

What percentage of posters on this board would consider other programs if they were 5* recruits?

But this is exactly my point - if we were 5* recruits (or really, recruits of any type), we would not be posters on this board.

 

[haasi]

But this is exactly my point - if we were 5* recruits (or really, recruits of any type), we would not be posters on this board.

Well of course. Except me that is:

 

[westcoastillini]

I'm not sure this is a deafening silence. I think it's more of the ordinary type. I wouldn't expect public statements from our players who have signed LOI's unless it is to opt out of them. In that case, I rather prefer the silence.

As for Smith, the silence is expected. His camp had thrown out a date of April 12th as a goal of deciding by then. Sounds like they are appropriately weighing their options.

My guess (and nothing but a guess) is Smith goes elsewhere.

 

[Adnarel]

If he does, then we get DMW. Maybe it's a false dichotomy I've created here, but I haven't taken the time to formulate an opinion on which player I prefer to suit up for us. I know people are going to jump on me for not immediately saying Mark Smith, but in the back of my mind I wonder if we would be better for having a solid, 4-year player in DMW.

 

[combes]

My guess (and nothing but a guess) is Smith goes elsewhere.

It is always smart to take the field against one school. I feel pretty good about him since he grew up an Illinois/Big Ten fan, and he was probably going to come here even with Groce here. Walker was his main recruiter under Groce and he remains on staff. Underwood makes a good impression, and Smith gets to look at an offense that averaged 86 ppg last year. He knows all the recruits well except probably Frazier. If Tilmon had reneged, then I might feel less confident in getting Smith, but I think he ultimately ends up here.

 

[kuhl84]

Tilmon's have been consistent that his committment is solid if Walker is still an assistant. U of I has not made Walker's position official yet, so why would Tilmon make a public statement prior to Walker?

With regards to Pickett and Williams, there are lots of roster questions. They need to know how BU feels they fit in his offense, within the roster he is assembling. Are DJW and AJ going to be here? What about Transfers in? Are they being explored? What about Smith...is he being recruited as a 1, a combo, or a 2 - 3? Only 5 guys really get playing time in positions 1 - 3...if everyone stays, it is really crowded.

They need answers to these questions, and they need to build enough of a relationship to trust the answers.

It completely unrealistic to expect anything else.

 

[combes]

I take issue with the notion that it's silly to be comfortable with this silence. Lemme see if I can talk you down from the edge a little bit.

Yes, in this age of social media, it is reasonable to expect some sort of reaffirmation to the program in the face of a coaching change. I firmly feel that it is unreasonable to expect such a reaffirmation before BU has had a chance to meet with each and every recruit. Remember, these young men talk to each other, they talk to their families, and they talk to whatever other voices have their ear at their high school and community.

IF, and only if, after all players have met with Underwood and JW has been officially announced, we still have not seen any "splashy" announcement are we allowed to get reasonably concerned. Until then, it's all fake news.

But I do sympathize with you on waiting for the nut punch here. I really do. It would be a 100% Illinois thing to happen.

Until you hear of one of them asking for a release, it is a non-issue, imo.

 

[bobbob]

This is where I am. For all those asking about why they would need to make an affirmation on twitter, I ask why not? If you look at all of these kid's twitter mentions you'll see comments asking them if they're still going to Illinois, or telling them to go to Mizzou, etc... I have no doubt that they're getting asked repeatedly at school if they're still going to Illinois. It would be so easy to shut all of that up with a simple twitter announcement stating that you remain committed to the University of Illinois. I think we will see that from our remaining recruits shortly if they plan on staying with us.

Because even if Recruit says "yes, still Illinois" today, someone will ask him tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

Because tomorrow Mizzou will hire an assistant coach that will "change everything" and the day after that some kid will switch from Temple to Dayton and "the dominoes change everything!" so people will keep asking.

And maybe because there is that 1% chance they decommit and they don't want to deal with people complaining that they affirmed the decision.

And maybe because high school students don't owe me anything.

 

[haasi]

So is status quo as far as we know it:

1. Walker has signed on but not made it public yet. Is probably negotiating exact terms?
2. Tilmon is presumably good (Tate, Cusumano, etc.) but presumably has no reason to say anything until Walker's announcement?
3. DMW Pickett and Smith - no info.
4. Evans is likely coming but OSU still trying to grab him. And
5. Underwood also has his third assistant in mind, but identity not publicly known.

Fair to say that this could all be hanging on the assistants? Walker has made it known that he's signed up but perhaps still negotiating exact comp, which is dependent upon Evans status and assistant #3. And we're not gonna know about some/all players until staff is officially in place?

 

[TownieMatt]

So is status quo as far as we know it:

1. Walker has signed on but not made it public yet. Is probably negotiating exact terms?
2. Tilmon is presumably good (Tate, Cusumano, etc.) but presumably has no reason to say anything until Walker's announcement?
3. DMW Pickett and Smith - no info.
4. Evans is likely coming but OSU still trying to grab him. And
5. Underwood also has his third assistant in mind, but identity not publicly known.

Fair to say that this could all be hanging on the assistants? Walker has made it known that he's signed up but perhaps still negotiating exact comp, which is dependent upon Evans status and assistant #3. And we're not gonna know about some/all players until staff is officially in place?

As others have pointed out, it looks like we're waiting out the formality of the one week job posting requirement to announce Walker. I expect that to happen tomorrow, and for other hirings to be announced as those job postings expire later in the week.