Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2016)

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#1,251      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
Latest perspective from IU viewpoint (Justin Albers):

Is it a done deal? No. As I reported earlier this week, the real reason Wilkes is attracted to UCLA is the opportunity to be in Los Angeles, train against pros in the offseason, and jump to the NBA after one year, which I’m told he believes is a possibility.

But my belief remains that Wilkes will be a Hoosier because Crean has done the best job recruiting him, has recruited him longer than anybody else, and has the best track record of developing players like Wilkes.

http://albersangle.com/index.php/2016/10/18/kris-wilkes-espns-silly-update/
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#1,252      

dweebs19

dweebs19
dweebs19
I feel like Wilkes is behaving like other Ill instate kids behave before they decide to attend another university
 
#1,257      

The Pontiff

T
Chicago, IL
The Pontiff
Obelix said:
Latest perspective from IU viewpoint (Justin Albers):
Click to expand...
Is it a done deal? No. As I reported earlier this week, the real reason Wilkes is attracted to UCLA is the opportunity to be in Los Angeles, train against pros in the offseason, and jump to the NBA after one year, which I’m told he believes is a possibility.

But my belief remains that Wilkes will be a Hoosier because Crean has done the best job recruiting him, has recruited him longer than anybody else, and has the best track record of developing players like Wilkes.

http://albersangle.com/index.php/201...-silly-update/
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I guess not a bad idea, though I didn't think training with pros was exclusive for LA. Pretty sure plenty of pros train in Chicago during the summer. As for the family, if they think that UCLA is his surest ticket to being a high 1-and-done, then I'm guessing they won't be too bummed about not seeing as many games for just that one year. Once he's a pro, then it's out of their control anyway. Or I'm sure he can move them to his new hometown.
 
#1,258      

Illiniguy13

Illiniguy13
Illiniguy13
dweebs19 said:
I feel like Wilkes is behaving like other Ill instate kids behave before they decide to attend another university
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I'm looking for excuses to remain hopeful of course, but those quotes about IU vs UI/UCLA are very Goodwin-esque. If he were an in-stater and we were in IU's position I'd consider him gone. Then again we're snake-bitten when it comes to this stuff :D
 
#1,261      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
combes said:
Good move for Loyola. Willing to take Negron and have him likely redshirt his first year is a way to get s player who probably wouldn't have gone there if he hadn't been injured.
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Why redshirt? I think part of the attraction if he went to Loyola was that he would not have to RS but have an opportunity to play right away. He had a ACL surgery, but i'd imagine he will try to play next year, correct?
 
#1,262      

The Worm

The Worm
CHICAGO, IL
The Worm
The more that is being publicly reported on Wilkes, the more hopeful I'm getting about our slim chances. Not going to MM @ IU is the only thing feeding that hope.

At this point, if it's not going to be IU, it'll be equally disappointing to lose him to Alford @ UCLA. That guy is such a prick-let's be honest.

We're due for a resurgence.
 
#1,263      

Illiniguy13

Illiniguy13
Illiniguy13
The Worm said:
The more that is being publicly reported on Wilkes, the more hopeful I'm getting about our slim chances. Not going to MM @ IU is the only thing feeding that hope.

At this point, if it's not going to be IU, it'll be equally disappointing to lose him to Alford @ UCLA. That guy is such a prick-let's be honest.

We're due for a resurgence.
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Gonna have to disagree there. Alford is trash & not deserving of a talent like Wilkes but I really don't want to see Clappy release Wilkes on us in conference.
 
#1,264      

combes

C
combes
Obelix said:
Why redshirt? I think part of the attraction if he went to Loyola was that he would not have to RS but have an opportunity to play right away. He had a ACL surgery, but i'd imagine he will try to play next year, correct?
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I read that it was worse than just an acl. Pretty much everything in the knee. They were talking 18 months. They could be way off, though.
 
#1,265      

Newman

N
Newman
I'm wondering if Wilkes decision is dependent on Waters'. IU has some question marks at the point without him and that has to hurt recruiting other positions.
 
#1,266      

Brass Cannon

B
Brass Cannon
Newman said:
I'm wondering if Wilkes decision is dependent on Waters'. IU has some question marks at the point without him and that has to hurt recruiting other positions.
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??? We're overloaded at guard. Wilkes year we will have 2 seniors capable of playing the point and a sophomore.
 
#1,267      

Newman

N
Newman
Brass Cannon said:
??? We're overloaded at guard. Wilkes year we will have 2 seniors capable of playing the point and a sophomore.
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IU has a 3 star pg that averaged 5.9 per game, and shot 38% overall.. Not exactly a guy that top recruits are going to run to play with.. who are the other point guards on the roster?
 
#1,268      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
Newman said:
I'm wondering if Wilkes decision is dependent on Waters'. IU has some question marks at the point without him and that has to hurt recruiting other positions.
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I don't know about that. It is not that we have a sure thing at PG or that the position is (or has been) a strength for Illinois. If he is basing his decision on PG, then he goes to UCLA for sure. But I doubt he will make his decision on a random recruit that IU is after.
 
#1,269      

Newman

N
Newman
Obelix said:
I don't know about that. It is not that we have a sure thing at PG or that the position is (or has been) a strength for Illinois. If he is basing his decision on PG, then he goes to UCLA for sure. But I doubt he will make his decision on a random recruit that IU is after.
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I wasn't implying that he's determining his decision based on the point guard position in general. The decision to pick his home school has to be easier if Crean signs a more talented class, especially if there's a top pg coming. Indiana was always going to be a top school for Wilkes but not too long ago, many were hoping that Indiana would have a top class of in-state guys but that never came true. With other in-state guys choosing other schools, Indiana's other hope was to reel in national recruits but if Waters doesn't commit then Indiana doesn't likely have the same sell as they previously were expecting. Right now Illinois and UCLA have that advantage of being able to sell a balanced and talented roster while still being a key contributor at his preferred position. IU has the advantage of being the home school but with so many great players leaving after this year, I think they needed a couple more high profile recruits to really entice Wilkes into committing. Wilkes may not be a one and done but he certainly believes he can be. If he might just play one year, he'll want to win. IU isn't the safest bet for that in 2017-18 at the moment.
 
#1,270      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
respect my decision™
Joel Goodson
Obelix said:
I don't know about that. It is not that we have a sure thing at PG or that the position is (or has been) a strength for Illinois. If he is basing his decision on PG, then he goes to UCLA for sure. But I doubt he will make his decision on a random recruit that IU is after.
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FWLIW, I concur.
 
#1,273      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
Newman said:
I wasn't implying that he's determining his decision based on the point guard position in general. The decision to pick his home school has to be easier if Crean signs a more talented class, especially if there's a top pg coming. Indiana was always going to be a top school for Wilkes but not too long ago, many were hoping that Indiana would have a top class of in-state guys but that never came true. With other in-state guys choosing other schools, Indiana's other hope was to reel in national recruits but if Waters doesn't commit then Indiana doesn't likely have the same sell as they previously were expecting. Right now Illinois and UCLA have that advantage of being able to sell a balanced and talented roster while still being a key contributor at his preferred position. IU has the advantage of being the home school but with so many great players leaving after this year, I think they needed a couple more high profile recruits to really entice Wilkes into committing. Wilkes may not be a one and done but he certainly believes he can be. If he might just play one year, he'll want to win. IU isn't the safest bet for that in 2017-18 at the moment.
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I don't know Newman, but both IU and UI have a lot to prove in terms of being a safe bet for 2017-18. We are not exactly the safest bet either, with many key players leaving after this year. So it would be strange, if that was such a big factor, that 2 out of the 3 finalists are UI and IU. UCLA is in a different league recruiting wise. If that was such a big factor (safe bet) his final list would be a lot different IMO, especially for a high 5* recruit like Wilkes who could have his choice of schools.
 
#1,274      

Smacko

S
Lexington, KY
Smacko
Do we have any indication of when Wilkes might make his decision? I imagine he will sign during the November period, so it would obviously need to be before then.
 
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