Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2016)

[jonnymo]

So if it's not us, would you prefer it be IU, in our conference, with Clappy? Or UCLA and Pukemaster General Steve Alford?

I feel different than most people on this subject. I've always wanted B1G teams to get all the top talent. Strong conferences get top talent.

 

[FeelYourPaign]

I feel different than most people on this subject. I've always wanted B1G teams to get all the top talent. Strong conferences get top talent.

That's where I am, too.

 

[Ga65]

Kiir

Somehow I believe it is more important to get a big man than Wilkes. Defensively Kiir will make more difference than Wilkes and we still have good choices at the 3.

 

[jonnymo]

People will disagree because they forget how much the heat gets turned up during the season. Easy to say otherwise in the offseason. But if he can't win with what is essentially the most experienced roster we will ever have, he's not likely winning much with Tilmon and Wilkes either.

I've said since year three of the Groce tenure. That Groce is

Speaker = exceptional
Organization skills = exceptional
Recruiter = exceptional (true salesman)
Talent evaluation = above average
Player development = average at best
X's and O's = below average
In game coach = train wreck

I absolutely bleed Orange&Blue. I love U of I beyond description. I want Illinois to succeed tremendously. But I just feel that if he can't take this team to the dance this year he must go. Even with the class he has put together and is still assembling. Even if that means 2017 recruits leaving.

Why delay the inevitable.

That being said I truly hope that coach Groce and company prove me wrong and not only get to the dance but make some noise and go on and have long and prosperous careers for the beloved.

Time will tell

 

[nicksmith4three]

Groce and Company expected at the original pancake house this morning?

 

[FiveStar]

Speaker = exceptional
Organization skills = exceptional
Recruiter = exceptional (true salesman)
Talent evaluation = above average
Player development = average at best
X's and O's = below average
In game coach = train wreck

Speaker agree.
Org agree.
Recruit, I'd say great. Not exceptional. Too many seconds.
Evaluation: exceptional. He's been in early, like first high major many times, before guys blew up. Some from nowhere to 5 star like Evans.
Development: did you watch Morgan last year? Malcolm Hill's growth to potential big ten poy?
Xs and Os: runs good stuff. Didn't have the players to execute properly as he was building. Initial game plans have always been good. Even last year when we sucked we played some really good first halves
In game: will agree there's a struggle. Need better adjustments and less erratic sub patterns.

I like breaking it down this way. Good big picture breakdown.

 

[jonnymo]

Speaker agree.
Org agree.
Recruit, I'd say great. Not exceptional. Too many seconds.
Evaluation: exceptional. He's been in early, like first high major many times, before guys blew up. Some from nowhere to 5 star like Evans.
Development: did you watch Morgan last year? Malcolm Hill's growth to potential big ten poy?
Xs and Os: runs good stuff. Didn't have the players to execute properly as he was building. Initial game plans have always been good. Even last year when we sucked we played some really good first halves
In game: will agree there's a struggle. Need better adjustments and less erratic sub patterns.

I like breaking it down this way. Good big picture breakdown.

I just feel he would be/is a great assistant coach but is way way out of his league as a head coach. At least at the B1G level

 

[FishingFool]

I have no idea what Kiir is going to be, but I'd like to find out with him in O&B.

I am with you on this one. Hope They can get him to commit . Just love the potential Kiir has. That turn around jumper he has would be about impossible to guard.

 

[FiveStar]

I just feel he would be/is a great assistant coach but is way way out of his league as a head coach. At least at the B1G level

I think that definitive judgement is made this year. Our roster has been in flux and everyone has been injured. Everybody but Abrams is his guy that he recruited to his system. And Abrams fits that anyway. If he can't do it now, then he probably won't be able to do it. We have experienced backups that he recruited as well.

If he is good this year, and we have that Tilmon led class coming in, we should hit a nice patch of high level consistency for a couple years. If we get Wilkes and Kiir in our dream world, and somehow keep that team together for two years, we'd be extremely dangerous for 3 consecutive years including this one. Hopefully the recruiting floodgates open by that point we snowball back to where we all feel Illinois should be.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Lol while Weber might of had higher number class the problem was he couldn't field a team. All he did was sign whoever and really didn't put a complete team together.

Damn Tillmon is doing a lot of recruiting for being a guy who is about to flip to a mid major just to play with his buddy even though he has buddies on the Illini as well lol. Loyalty was a huge part of Tillmon

As I've said you can not underestimate Tilmon and JCL's role in the Wilkes recruitment. Groce and Whitman aren't far behind.

 

[Joel Goodson]

I have no idea what Kiir is going to be, but I'd like to find out with him in O&B.

+infinity

Wide range of outcomes possible w/Kiir. FWLIW, I think he'll develop nicely and be good to excellent as an upperclassman. Fits the team like a glove and won't have a ton of pressure to immediately produce.

 

[combes]

I think that definitive judgement is made this year. Our roster has been in flux and everyone has been injured. Everybody but Abrams is his guy that he recruited to his system. And Abrams fits that anyway. If he can't do it now, then he probably won't be able to do it. We have experienced backups that he recruited as well.

If he is good this year, and we have that Tilmon led class coming in, we should hit a nice patch of high level consistency for a couple years. If we get Wilkes and Kiir in our dream world, and somehow keep that team together for two years, we'd be extremely dangerous for 3 consecutive years including this one. Hopefully the recruiting floodgates open by that point we snowball back to where we all feel Illinois should be.

True.

 

[King Lovie]

As I've said you can not underestimate Tilmon and JCL's role in the Wilkes recruitment. Groce and Whitman aren't far behind.

Jeremiah is huge in this recruitment. There's a very good chance this one goes our way.

 

[Adnarel]

Jeremiah is huge in this recruitment. There's a very good chance this one goes our way.

I am super-impressed that JT is helping recruit like this. He is obviously 100% sold on the program, and credit for that goes back to Groce. Look at how completely amped Frazier is, too. Groce has worked really hard during this cycle.

 

[FiveStar]

I almost feel bad for Frazier living so far away. We know he loves the o and b so much. You know he'd be there side by side with JT if he could.

 

[afpharmdawg]

Creaning recruits is a "Clappy" thing to do.

 

[CliffMas]

Let's take the supposition that Wilkes is down to IU and UI. For all appearances for an Indiana kid the choice should be obvious almost a no. Rainer looking at it from a fan's perspective. Commit already to IU everyone is saying.

But from the inside, from the recruit's perspective, one must weigh more options and treat it as a business decision. The fact that he hasnt committed to IU yet tells me that UI must be in it deep. Why hasn't he popped for IU yet? He should have already. If I'm an IU fan, that really worries me.

 

[Adnarel]

It's been pointed out that he's cancelled the remaining visits after his IU visit... which makes me hopeful if I'm a Hoosier. The delay in announcement, as it has previously been mentioned, could be due to logistics or choosing a venue for the decision.

There are compelling (and largely hypothetical) arguments for all three schools at this point.

 

[Deadpool]

I hate that it's us and IU. Feels like this is likely to sting.

 

[skyIdub]

Oh no. The comma police have arrived.

Let's eat grandma!

Let's eat, grandma!

Commas save lives.

 

[Joel Goodson]

I hate that it's us and IU. Feels like this is likely to sting.

Beg to differ. Either joyous or meh. Expecting other than IU, in the absence of further info, is foolish. That said, I think we have a better chance than the consensus gives us.

 

[BillMo]

Somehow I believe it is more important to get a big man than Wilkes. Defensively Kiir will make more difference than Wilkes and we still have good choices at the 3.

I think most on here would agree with you on this. Kiir is a big need for us he is a 4 year big and if we can get him our front court looks good for at least 2 more years. Wilkes is just the icing on the cake a top 20 kid who everything thought was going to IU. I do not believe many will be upset if we don't land Wilkes but everyone sure will be excited if we get him. Kiir if we don't get him a lot will be upset I believe

 

[icengineer]

If he wanted to go to Indiana he would have committed on the spot. I believe due to the fact that his mother did not go for the official visit speaks for itself.

His parents have known Groce, also being from the Indy area and know how he was involved in recruiting the Thad 5.

Wilkes picks the ILLINI, likes whom he is going to play with ......

ray: I sure hope you are right! It would be wonderful to get this team back into the yearly top 25, as a given, with regular S16 type expectation. Getting Tilmon, and Wilkes in the same class will go a long ways towards making that happen. :thumb:

 

[DMan42]

TCTornado...where did you hear that Wilkes' mom wasn't at Indiana for the visit? The article I read said his mom and dad were both there.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 175495]

What is the active IU board? Peegs doesn't look very active unless I'm missing something. Thanks