(edit: as skyIdub said...) couldn't Goode and Melendez be the pieces in the Augie to Luther/Frazier range, in this example? The key piece here seems to be what it's always been: can we lock down the state, particularly Chicago? So far, results are pretty promising given the amount of time the staff's been here, with Hopkins the main disappointment. If we can feel confident we'll get at least half of our needed star-level players from in-state, then it makes it so much easier to fill out the roster with the pieces from seemingly random connections (Frazier, Curbelo, Hawkins, etc.) that complete the team.
But we still have #33 Miller and #46 Curbelo (and maybe even #46 Kofi), so they're already not the best players. And those guys could be playing together for 3 years.
Too busy to look it up....but how did Loyola's recruits rank compared to the Illini this year???
For as long as I can remember, ASU has been known for nice weather, pretty girls, and...let's say a casual attitude toward academic performance. That has to sound really good to a high school kid with little interest in actually getting or using a degree. We also didn't do much to burnish our appeal in the last week or so.
ASU is hiring a handler to get him last second there's just not much we can do about that.
How is it not a fair question.....the post I was responding to was making the claim that to win big you have to recruit top talent and gave the 05 team as a comparison to this years team.....and I don't totally disagree with this statement, but Loyola has had a pretty good year and some have them getting to the elite 8 or farther....was just wondering how their current roster compared to ours with ranked recruits....I'm guessing their rankings are significantly lower than our current players...the post I was responding to said nothing about coaching....just player rankings.....all I was suggesting is that highly ranked players are not always necessary to win....so in responding to the post I think it's a pretty fair question
This. In an age of increasing transfers + more top kids going immediately pro (not to mention possible NBA rule changes making that even more relevant), it's critical to find the guys that will be both productive and will want to stay here for at least two years. If we can continue to see improvement amongst the guys that come (getting as many as possible drafted, too) and a desire to want to stay here, everything recruiting-wise -- including nabbing those top 50 targets -- will take care of itself.
Just to play devil's advocate here, is Cory Patterson (Football) not a similar situation? In his case, it worked out and he's proven himself to be serviceable.
Last weekend was the Illini's first tournament appearance since 2013. Our current coaching staff had losing records their first two years here. Some of the kids being pursued this cycle have never stepped on campus or met the coaches in person due to the pandemic. Until very recently, the Illini have been an afterthought to kids who are now in high school; they were toddlers the last time we were relevant. Give it time. The current publicity should help in '22, '23 and down the road, if the success can be sustained.
As a U of A alum, I feel like I can offer a credible answer. Walking to class in Nov. thru March is much easier due to weather and scenery. Of course watching the scenery may lead to neck injury. It has little to do with basketball, facilities, coaches, and degree value.
Uh the field is who we are against (always) and that is what I am saying.
