Well to Depaul's credit they actually made a decent hire going back to Leitao considering that they weren't going to attract or pay for a bigger name or rising star. Now picking up Heirman has opened some doors and created connections that didn't exist before. With a new facility on the way, there are some things Depaul can sell. Good for them because they are on the brink of not being worthy of their conference membership.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (May-June 2017)
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Well to Depaul's credit they actually made a decent hire going back to Leitao considering that they weren't going to attract or pay for a bigger name or rising star. Now picking up Heirman has opened some doors and created connections that didn't exist before. With a new facility on the way, there are some things Depaul can sell. Good for them because they are on the brink of not being worthy of their conference membership.
If it hasn't been mentioned, Tyger Campbell committed to Depaul yesterday and plans to reclassify to the 2018 class.
Edit: https://mobile.twitter.com/EvanDaniels/status/861747723766312961
Edit: https://mobile.twitter.com/EvanDaniels/status/861747723766312961
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
Peoria Illini
- Peoria, IL
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
Long haul is where we are headed with recruiters. DePaul hired former HS coach to get Tyger. Not a bad move in their situation. That might last another year or two.
Coach O and Chin have long term connections. Our recruits will come.
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
2018 is a long ways around....plenty of time for beach footwear to show up..
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
I lived in IA for several years and fortunately moved away, not being overcome by Herky the Hawk propaganda. You may want to move closer to CU and pickup on more of the positive recruiting vibes however under the radar they are. We have a very competent staff that will bring in the players of choice to fit the needs, hang in there.
I say we use 1 this year. Roll 3 over. The 3 would be for Ayo, THT, and Ignas.
I don't buy the "long haul" thing. The best thing for long-term success is short-term success. The more you win games, the better you can attract recruits (Weber's post-2005 results notwithstanding). Hiring a 5 star player's coach to secure his commitment isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I'm not saying we're not on the right track. I do think Underwood and staff are very competent. However, poo-pooing another program's short-term victories is BS. Those short-term victories very often are the stepping stone to bigger, long-term success.
Actually, if DJW wasn't able to get minutes under Groce due to motor, I would think he'd be in worse shape with BU. Looking up his stats, he had 320 total minutes as a freshman, and 150 as a soph. Kipper, Finke, and Black I would expect to be ahead of him, and I doubt the couple inches he has on the taller guards would be enough to force himself into the lineup if we can't add anyone.
Worst case is we're small, and don't really have a center. I'm not expecting worst case though.
Peoria Illini
- Peoria, IL
I didn't poo poo it. I said it was a good move for DePaul, given their situation. And you can't set aside Weber's post-2005 recruits, because his staff wasn't set up with recruiters for the long haul. Is Hierman a long term recruiter? Maybe. Is Porter, Sr. a long term recruiter? Maybe. But do you see Missouri set up for the long haul with Cuonzo's track record? Have you seen anything in Leitao's past that shows long haul success? I don't.
Underwood has a short record, so we won't know either. But we've seen the kind of recruits Coach O can bring in, and we've seen Coleman bring in kids to programs that are higher rated than the usual recruits those programs usually get.
Most programs are up and down and don't experience long term success. The blue bloods do. But what happened to Georgetown? Georgia Tech was a powerhouse back in the day. What happened to Wake Forest after Chris Paul left? Texas has struggled. There are more examples of short term success due to a couple of recruits, than there is for long term success.
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
Campbell is overrated, imo. He is not as good as Smith. Plus DePaul obviously hired his high school coach to get him.
With regard to the DJ Williams transfer as it relates to our recruiting needs...
I totally agree with those who are saying that it would have been nice to see what he could do in BU's offense and when given enough minutes for eval.
However, I disagree that we will miss his height (listed at 6'7"). I think we all understand our needs (rebounders, rim protectors and the mentality to go along with). I don't think any of those traits were his strong points. Charles Barkley was 6' 4" (true height - listed at 6'6"). THT is a far superior rebounder, rim protector at 6'4".
I think we need to remember our needs in the context of the new offense, and how that might look a little different than traditional post play.
I totally agree with those who are saying that it would have been nice to see what he could do in BU's offense and when given enough minutes for eval.
However, I disagree that we will miss his height (listed at 6'7"). I think we all understand our needs (rebounders, rim protectors and the mentality to go along with). I don't think any of those traits were his strong points. Charles Barkley was 6' 4" (true height - listed at 6'6"). THT is a far superior rebounder, rim protector at 6'4".
I think we need to remember our needs in the context of the new offense, and how that might look a little different than traditional post play.
In the context of the BU offense, give me 5th year transfers McIntosh and Alstork . A rim protector like Tilmon would be a bonus. Unfortunatately, rim protectors are slim pickens. McIntosh is 6'7" with an NBA body. He like to drive to the basket and can post down low.
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
I thought I saw something about Alstork going to Georgetown? Or was that just an OV? Anyone have info on that?
Sal Iacuzzo
- Yonkers, NY
I think he is on his visit there now.
He was scheduled to visit there yesterday. We're next after that on Thursday.
What about Finke?
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
Thank you.
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
Much rather have Smith. Height and strength make him much more valuable, particularly in BU offense. Don't care about the stars. If they were total indicator WI wouldn't have beaten us like a drum the last few years.
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
Well, Heirman also appears to be a pretty good coach, who I'm sure has many connections in the AAU world as well. He's not like a typical HS coach -- he's connected to many programs, and got kids from all over to come to La Lumiere. Not sure why we should expect his impact to only last a year or two. Heck, lots of folks wanted him at Illinois. Good hire by DePaul.
Hmmm. DePaul gets a 5-star commit before we do with their assistants on the job a matter of days. Yeah.
Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like Mark Smith, but when is our turn going to come.....starting to wonder if it ever will. Have to keep holding out hope.
I would rather have Smith. And I also would rather have Ayo. Not that upset about Campbell. I'd rather have a bigger guard.
Peoria Illini
- Peoria, IL
He very well may be. But he has no track record in DI college recruiting or coaching. I'll take my chances with O and Chin and Jamall and a well respected coach over Leitao and Hierman, even though Hierman just pulled in a 5 star guard that used to play for him.
On the face, I would say we are better set up for long term success over DePaul. History may prove me wrong.
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
I personally think it's good if/when college hoops in the state of Illinois gets better. I hate it when all schools in our state are shut out of the NCAA tourney. If it makes it more competitive for recruits, then so what? Illinois will still get their share with good recruiters and coaches, and it's not like we can't recruit from out of state.
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