No way does Smith commit to a lame duck coach. Period. Also, if you remember correctly UI was out of the Brunson picture mostly because of the Brunsons and then were allowed back in. It may have cost Groce Evans but he couldn't exactly pass on Brunson if the family was open to considering UI. He would have been absolutely roasted.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (March 2017)
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No way does Smith commit to a lame duck coach. Period. Also, if you remember correctly UI was out of the Brunson picture mostly because of the Brunsons and then were allowed back in. It may have cost Groce Evans but he couldn't exactly pass on Brunson if the family was open to considering UI. He would have been absolutely roasted.
The staff that was going to be fired? Sure that had a lot to do with why he isn't on board but not for the reason you are saying.
For years every hindsight mistake and any other negative event regardind the the basketball program was blamed on Weber. Are we now going into a similar period regarding Groce? Surely some of this was Obama's fault.
Kentucky/Cal has sent many players to the NBA but they came ready and were one and done regardless where they went. I'm concerned Kentucky is sniffing, but automatically saying this recruitment is over. Underwood can teach the game well and his offense is esthetically pleasing.
I think Smith has a better chance of being the man at UI than Kentucky and that can give him more crucial minutes.
I think Smith has a better chance of being the man at UI than Kentucky and that can give him more crucial minutes.
Trakis
- Chicago, IL
Yeah it's hard to see Smith getting minutes his Freshman year there. Plus Calipari pulls so many top 10 5-star guys that he basically swims in one-and-done's every year. It's cut throat there to play if you're a young 4-star.
Kramer116
- Chicago
There were videos of UCF fans handing them shots at a bar are all night may have been that
Evans committing to OSU has absolutely nothing to do with Brunson. That's an internet myth at its best. While Illinois probably lead early in that recruitment, by the time Evans started taking his official visits, OSU had caught up and was leading in that recruitment. Person really close to the situation told me that if Evans did not commit to UI on his visit, he was gone (to OSU). Nothing to do with Brunson.
Still have yet to see ANY proof that Groce's pursuit of Brunson cost UI Evans. It's as speculative as the weather for Evans' official visit and the flight issues causing UI to lose Evans.
Groce's error in the Brunson recruitment was his passivity once Snyder gave a verbal. Other than that, Groce pursued players and they made decisions.
I hope DMW stays with the Illini and fully recovers from the knee. He was playing at a good clip before the injury and his motor was going like never before. He was scoring in different ways (3's, pull up jumpers, driving in) before the injury, a great addition to the offense.
I hope our players learned from this experience at UCF/Orlando. Stay focused on your goals and avoid the silly college stuff that will get you in trouble.
I hope our players learned from this experience at UCF/Orlando. Stay focused on your goals and avoid the silly college stuff that will get you in trouble.
Deleted member 175495
D
Guest
The error with this is we firmly believe we were the leaders for Evans based mainly on crystal balls before the kid took any visits. The same crystal balls we discredit when it isn't in our favor. None of us really know how it played out. None of us know if we were ever really the favorite. The getting in on a kid early and getting him to mention you in early interviews was a stable of CJG. Unfortantly so was not landing the kid once the process played out.
I guess we'll see in time the difference in the wrath of Groce compared to the wrath of Underwood when it comes to going against team rules - not sure the players want to go that route.
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Not sure if this is true for all fanbases, but our relationship with the whole crystal ball thing is ridiculous. Can we just accept that most crystal ball picks are just guesses just based on where a player has recently visited or some rumor on social media? The vast majority of these, even by the top guys, aren't based on rock-solid insider info. Can we, as a fanbase, stop lambasting someone who changes a pick away from Illinois. It's embarrassing.
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Deleted member 4723
D
Guest
Piling on Groce appears to be your game here and that's fine if it makes you feel good. But at least be honest - to characterize his recruiting as "terrible" while at the same time this board is so pleased that BU may well be keeping (Groce's) potential top 10 class together is disingenuous. Give the guy a break!
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
I like it! Let's speculate:
2018 and 2019 are going to be interesting (not even going to touch 2020 yet). Right now we have two open rides available for this year or next. We're obviously pursuing Smith hard, so he would take one of those spots if he commits. I don't expect us to pursue any other HS kids for the 2017 class, so that leaves one spot open for 2018. However, it seems very likely that we'll have some attrition that will open at least one ride. Given that, I'll guess we have two spots open for 2018.
2018: Here's where things get interesting. The two guys that have been mentioned the most (because they're the two best in-state players in the state) are Ayo Dosunmnu and Tim Finke. However, our 2017 class is chalk full of potential lead guards and wings, especially if Smith commits. Does the new staff continue to pursue those guys, or does the focus shift to bigs?
2019: We'll likey have four or five rides in this class, but this is when the need for bigs becomes immediate. Finke and Black will both graduate, leaving Tilmon as the only big on the roster as things stand. Luckily you've got two good in-state options in this class - E.J. Liddell and Francis Okoro. Liddell likes Illinois, and had a good relationship with the previous staff. He's also a hell of a player, just put up 43 against Pickett's Belleville East this month. Keeping Walker will presumably help with Liddell as well. Okoro is more of a mystery, there hasn't been much news on his recruitment. He's not an Illinois native, so how much pull will we really have? Who knows.
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mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
Dan
Admin
"Quick takeaway from those lists: We may be hearing a lot more about Texas recruits in the near future. They seem to make up half these lists."
https://twitter.com/UIHoopsRecruits
https://twitter.com/UIHoopsRecruits
Man all those Texas names. Maybe Henderson wouldn't be a bad guy to keep as an assistant with his Texas connections, and he obviously knows the system.
I watched the Texas 6A State Championship the other day. The amount of talent and athleticism on that floor was insane. I've seen a lot of Illinois high school basketball, but I think Texas has surpassed us.
Edit: Guess I should also add the game is more finesse down here as well. I wonder how some of these kids would adapt to the physicality of the B1G.
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The last couple guys we had from Texas turned out okay.
Deron Williams, Warren Carter, who else have we had? Really can't remember.
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The legendary James Griffin
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