Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (May-June 2017)
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intriguing.....
I have very little doubt he will be at Kentucky when offered. Only reason he won't be is if he doesn't like all the talent in the same class ahead of him, which there will be a lot of. He won't go to Kansas though.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I have not read much on Ayo, other than here. The reference to getting him to the League as fast as possible, does he think he is a 1 and done?
Deleted member 175495
D
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Doesn't really matter if he isn't signing for a while. Board is wide open.
My thought on the whole Irvin family sphere of influence on these kids is that it was always overplayed. if anything, I think negatively recruiting against us is probably a bigger deal than them actively pushing kids to come here (which, if I'm being honest, probably isn't what is happening now).
I think if any favors have shifted our way, its the Irvin's are/have stopped being so negative towards us and are more neutral on the subject. In all likelihood, hiring Chin has done very little to sway our power in Chicago--as would hiring most anyone who the Irvin's see as favorable.
The belief that the Irvin's are the key holder's to talent in Chicago and that they refuse to give us grade A recruits has become so engorged online. Chin might be the best addition we could've made to help us sign guys like Ayo, but he certainly isn't some golden ticket to 5* 's.
You take Finke, Ayo, THT, and Conditt if they all want to come. We can just oversign by 1. The big boys do it all the time. If they all want to come, BU and staff will take them.
sacraig
- The desert
This may be an unpopular opinion, but it has always seemed to me that the Irvins legitimately do have their players' best interests in mind (at least in part because the players' best interests are their own best interests). It also seems pretty clear that most good recruits really value the input of their AAU coaches, which makes a lot of sense.
So the Irvins legitimately do have a pretty fair big of influence on where their players are likely to play college ball, and if the Irvins had an overall negative view of UI, it probably did hurt us. One important voice expressing doubts to a player can do a lot, even if that player really did like us. So, even just flipping their opinion to neutral at least means they no longer have that negative voice.
They really seem less like gatekeepers and more like a hill in the landscape of a player's decision. If they are positioned such that we have to drag the player uphill to get them here, we will lose out on more recruits than not. If they are positioned such that it's downhill for the player to end up in Champaign, then we will have a much easier time. We also have to remember that there are other hills in that landscape with competing priorities, and those hills just get bigger when you add more stars to a recruit, so sure, the Irvins aren't the sole deciding factor.
I don't think they would have to oversign. Rumors persist that Jordan will graduate early and there will be another scholarship for next year. But Illinois is loaded at the wing position. You add a dominant guard and one wing it will crowd things.. 2 wings? Plus Ayo?(who is going to start wherever he goes) I don't know.You take Finke, Ayo, THT, and Conditt if they all want to come. We can just oversign by 1. The big boys do it all the time. If they all want to come, BU and staff will take them.
Change of topic, but is EJ Liddell more of a wing or front-court guy at the next level? Seems like a bit of a tweener.
I'll defer to others on this, but my impression is that he is a skilled front court guy. You probably don't want him defending Big Ten wings, but the guy also has some perimeter skills.
Please refresh my memory. Does this mean less likely to go to Notre Dame (maybe because fewer scholarships available, or Carmody is more likely to play Finke's position, or whatever) or more likely (maybe he's buds with Carmody)? Thanks
Liddell is 6'7", and while most basketball players have long arms, he has exceptionally long arms making him play more like a 6'9" guy. I don't like the word tweener for him, because in college he'll be effective with his current skill set at the 4. He scores from all three levels which makes him a nightmare matchup. Remember that he just finished up his sophomore year, so there is plenty of room for growth. He needs to work on his ball handling and quickness if he wants to be a legitimate small forward. What you have right now is a really good player though...high IQ, shooter, passer, shot blocker, rebounder, good temperament, efficient with not a lot of wasted motion. I typically don't like the HUDL videos for basketball players, but you should definitely check his sophomore year highlights out.
Sort of like Miles being a lottery pick for Weber?
lol. in all seriousness, in a guard heavy offense its a decent pitch for ayo
618 Illini
- Chicago
Bulls were just on the clock and I was hoping they took Evans. Would be great for Underwood to sell in Chicago market. Too bad they didn't but congrats to Underwood for coaching a pro
Dan
Admin
Peoria Manual's Adam Miller has 1 Goal-- To be the nation's #1 prep player
http://www.week.com/story/35721638/...he-nations-1-prep-player#.WUs9XCWADMQ.twitter
http://www.week.com/story/35721638/...he-nations-1-prep-player#.WUs9XCWADMQ.twitter
But he didn't.
Sent that out before the end of the first round, thought he'd go somewhere in the 27-30 range.
I had read rumors that Miller was transferring to Bloomington High. Is this true?
He's definitely going somewhere, Morgan Park, Lalu, and Bloomington are the most likely destinations.
I would put my money on BHS.
FT35
- Naperville
At the moment, no.
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