Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (November-December 2016)

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#2,076      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
BananaShampoo said:
I was actually curious based on the graph you posted what regions were strongest for producing top-level basketball players. I looked at # of NBA players produced for each state, then looked at the population of each state and ranked them according to "Population Per NBA Player Produced", then combined into regions. Here it is:

NBA_Players_by_Region.jpg


As expected, the Midwest is best at producing NBA players, followed by the Pacific region, Northeast, and South (all very close together), with the Plains/Mountain West states bringing up the bottom. FYI, I included Texas in the Plains states. Interestingly, outside of the Plains states, the other regions produce pretty close to the same amount of NBA talent.
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Cool idea, I'd like to see the data split with these divisions. Not saying you divided them wrong, but this is how I think of the US being divided. Either way, the outcome probably doesn't change too much, I can see the Southwest being the third though.
 
#2,077      

BirdDog9048

BirdDog9048
The Chief Lives
Chicago, IL
BirdDog9048
BananaShampoo said:
I was actually curious based on the graph you posted what regions were strongest for producing top-level basketball players. I looked at # of NBA players produced for each state, then looked at the population of each state and ranked them according to "Population Per NBA Player Produced", then combined into regions. Here it is:

NBA_Players_by_Region.jpg


As expected, the Midwest is best at producing NBA players, followed by the Pacific region, Northeast, and South (all very close together), with the Plains/Mountain West states bringing up the bottom. FYI, I included Texas in the Plains states. Interestingly, outside of the Plains states, the other regions produce pretty close to the same amount of NBA talent.
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Looks like someone has too much time on their hands... :D

In all seriousness though, nice research. Without even having to look it up, I'm going to assume that Indiana dominates by that metric. That's a pretty decent jump from the Midwest to the Pacific, too.
 
#2,078      

BananaShampoo

B
Captain 'Paign
Phoenix, AZ
BananaShampoo
BirdDog9048 said:
Looks like someone has too much time on their hands... :D

In all seriousness though, nice research. Without even having to look it up, I'm going to assume that Indiana dominates by that metric. That's a pretty decent jump from the Midwest to the Pacific, too.
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Slow work day. ;)

Yeah, Indiana is high on the list. Actually 3rd, after DC (not surprising), and North Dakota (which has 2 NBA players born there and a very small population, so is somewhat of a fluke).

Here is the actual order by my metric:

State Pop. Per NBA Player
DC 112,038
North Dakota 378,464
Indiana 389,393
Louisiana 424,611
Maryland 462,031
Wyoming 586,107
Washington 651,850
Oregon 671,496
Arkansas 744,551
Mississippi 748,083
Missouri 760,459
North Carolina 772,523
Minnesota 784,228
Illinois 803,750
Tennessee 825,037
California 850,974
South Dakota 858,469
Georgia 928,624
Ohio 967,785
Alabama 971,796
Michigan 992,258
New Jersey 995,335
New York 1,041,884
Massachusetts 1,132,404
Pennsylvania 1,163,864
Texas 1,194,309
Virginia 1,197,570
Wisconsin 1,442,834
Kansas 1,455,821
Kentucky 1,475,031
Iowa 1,561,950
South Carolina 1,632,049
Connecticut 1,795,443
West Virginia 1,844,128
Oklahoma 1,955,669
Florida 2,027,127
New Mexico 2,085,109
Nevada 2,890,845
Utah 2,995,919
Arizona 3,414,033
Colorado 5,456,574


The rest of the states have no NBA players from them.
 
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#2,079      

chief78

chief78
Florida
chief78
Lord Snow said:
I've heard that all before. Once they got a taste of Midwest ball they always cry about it. Of course there's exceptions around.
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I played high school basketball in Illinois, so I have an idea how it goes in Illinois. Have you played Palm Beach/Broward/Dade county high school teams? I can assure you there are many teams that would have no issue with physicality. Many teams in those three counties rely on athleticism and allowing physical play is a plus for them.
 
#2,080      

Serious Late

Serious Late
Peoria via Denver via Ann Arbor via Albuquerque vi
Serious Late
Can we please stop applying anecdotal commentary to someone's statement about national trends? Yes, there are good teams in the Southeast. However, based on BananaShampoo's data above, it is hard to disagree, at least comparatively, that the Midwest is more likely to produce top end talent (on a per person basis) than the Southeast. Why are so many trying to insinuate that the depth of talent in the Southeast is comparable to that of the Midwest?
 
#2,081      

tpbradley

tpbradley
tpbradley
Serious Late said:
Can we please stop applying anecdotal commentary to someone's statement about national trends? Yes, there are good teams in the Southeast. However, based on BananaShampoo's data above, it is hard to disagree, at least comparatively, that the Midwest is more likely to produce top end talent (on a per person basis) than the Southeast. Why are so many trying to insinuate that the depth of talent in the Southeast is comparable to that of the Midwest?
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This is what happens when there's no recruiting news I guess.
 
#2,088      

Lord Snow

Lord Snow
Lord Snow
TCTORNADO said:
So that Bruninga/Smith package deal is still alive.:D
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I dont know about Bruninga but Mark Smith is legit. Exactly the kind of player we need. Already outperformed Jordan Goodwin and JAvon Pickett in their match ups this season.
 
#2,090      

illini8507

illini8507
illini8507
What has smith been doing to stay off the radar so long? Has he been playing on a lower level AAU team? Or not playing at all? Focusing on other sports? Just kinda curious, because we never heard his name until the last couple weeks, but you'd think a kid with that type of talent wouldn't go unnoticed until December of his senior year.
 
#2,091      

WesterveltVictoryCigar

WesterveltVictoryCigar
WesterveltVictoryCigar
illini8507 said:
What has smith been doing to stay off the radar so long? Has he been playing on a lower level AAU team? Or not playing at all? Focusing on other sports? Just kinda curious, because we never heard his name until the last couple weeks, but you'd think a kid with that type of talent wouldn't go unnoticed until December of his senior year.
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Committed to Mizzou for baseball.
 
#2,092      

ILHoff

I
ILHoff
Lord Snow said:
I dont know about Bruninga but Mark Smith is legit. Exactly the kind of player we need. Already outperformed Jordan Goodwin and JAvon Pickett in their match ups this season.
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After seeing him play I must admit he's very impressive. I think he's a high major player. The IL Metro East area is loaded with talent. If they fielded a team of Tilmon, Smith, Pickett, Liddell, and Goodwin I think they would beat any team compiled from Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. That is the most talent ever in that area.
 
#2,094      

Illininer

I
Illininer
Illininer said:
I've watched Mark Smith play twice this year, against Carbondale and Althoff. He's listed at 6'4, is built like a rock and is very quick. He plays point and can do whatever he wants to on the floor. He's a better athlete than Goodwin is, IMO. He can shoot definitely shoot the 3 and he's capable of going end-to-end with guys "bodying" him up and throwing down the "hammer" over top of them. He has a high B-ball IQ and is very unselfish. I'd say he's also every bit of the hustler that Goodwin is, but does it without the "flair". Supposedly, only put in a couple weeks of AAU, but based on his showings this year, I'd put him in the top 100. I was more impressed by Smith than Goodwin.

Some team is going to get a steal and I would gladly take him despite us having so many guards next year.
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I'll throw this back out since it is relevant again. Feel free to look him up on Twitter. He's got a few of his monster dunks on there.
 
#2,095      

illini8507

illini8507
illini8507
ILHoff said:
After seeing him play I must admit he's very impressive. I think he's a high major player. The IL Metro East area is loaded with talent. If they fielded a team of Tilmon, Smith, Pickett, Liddell, and Goodwin I think they would beat any team compiled from Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. That is the most talent ever in that area.
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Yes, we really need to capitalize on the rich downstate talent pool. It doesn't happen often, and we know what kind of springboard it can be.

Mark smith
Damonte Williams
Jordan Goodwin
Javon pickett
Jeremiah Tilmon

Would have been an awesome 2017 class... I'd definitely put that team up against any 5 seniors from the Chicago area. Outside of Justin smith, who else is there?

Side note wrt mark smith. He plays pg, so does ford go after him even though he's promised the pg spot to JGOOD? And what would Jordan think about all that. Fun stuff to think about.
 
#2,096      

Deleted member 14522

D
Guest
Deleted member 14522
I have seen Mark Smith play against Althoff and Belleville East. Kid is built for the big ten. Very strong physical guard. More of a combo guard in college I would predict. Good outside shooter, good passer, and good handles. I like his demeanor on the court. You can tell he is a fierce competitor. I hope we offer because the kid plays hard. Seems like a winner.
 
#2,097      

EJ33

E
San Francisco
EJ33
cardsillinifan said:
I have seen Mark Smith play against Althoff and Belleville East. Kid is built for the big ten. Very strong physical guard. More of a combo guard in college I would predict. Good outside shooter, good passer, and good handles. I like his demeanor on the court. You can tell he is a fierce competitor. I hope we offer because the kid plays hard. Seems like a winner.
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We've had pretty good luck with guys named Mark Smith.
 
#2,098      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
Lord Snow said:
Its the south. Outside of Memphis there is no basketball hotbed. Just gotta find the good players. The weakest basketball region in the country by far.
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Ever heard of the Georgia Stars or the Atlanta Celtics? Two of the best AAU programs in the nation. Always have high D1 talent throughout their teams and current and former NBA players.

I would make a list, but I'm tired.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#2,099      

downstateIllini

D
downstateIllini
Anybody else going to the Highland Shootout next month? Tilmon vs Goodwin is the nightcap. Pickett and Damonte (if healthy) are playing there too
 
#2,100      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
Sounds like smith is strong and competitive. I've seen a couple dunks on twitter, but he's 6'4 so he should be able to dunk anyway. For those who have seen him, is he more athletic than the guys on our current roster? Also, How well does he shoot the 3?
 
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