Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2017)

[BananaShampoo]

I suppose that I have observed too long without having posted anything. Without going into your first point just yet, I liken this year, well, many years, to the St. Louis Cardinals coming in second for FA signings and our / its fanbase blaming ownership and management for not going the extra mile. This year notwithstanding, the Cardinals have ostensibly been one of if not the best run franchise in baseball.

That said, this has not always been the case, particularly before the DeWitt group took over. Upon the changing of the guard, there was retooling, retooling that did not happen overnight, including the presence of a HOF coach and, for that time, a savvy GM. This, I think, is what we have in Underwood (and staff) / Whitman. It will take a few years; it did with Beilein at WV and at UM. So while I am a bit miffed about not locking down Castleton or Conditt, it is par for the course; UM is better positioned right now to win and have more to offer. So the "what have you done for me lately" (cue Eddie Murphy's Raw voice here) and the state in which our program finds itself makes it a tougher sell. And no, I am not going into the potential issues with the FBI issues; Underwood appears to be very clean, and I have no doubt that Whitman did his due diligence before hiring.

So it seems as if we are in agreement here. As to your first point, however, I am not so sure that I buy it, even with the talent that was either inherited or recruited. The only player who is going to make a marked contribution his freshman year is Mark Smith; we already know that. T'JL and the rest of the upperclassmen have their respective roles already carved out, so that is fine; whether we go after another proper point guard (still going with Ayo as a CG), which would be prudent, is not out of the question. As for your other players:

Matic Vessel: A PF who needs a ton of work, both in the weight room and learning the system, so for his sake, I hope he becomes a RS because he is not going to see much time, if any.

Greg Eboigbodin: Another PF who needs work. I have not seen him play, but the comments about his athleticism and working with OA coupled with some sort of need here will have him see limited minutes unless he somehow blows up.

Trent Fraizer: This one is intriguing, as I am not sure how many minutes he will log. I am guessing he will see 15-20min / game, and if he can contribute, especially given his work ethic, that is a bonus. Is he better than Ayo? No. Is he better than Nolley? I do not know. Possibly similar players with Nolley getting the edge. Time will tell, particularly if Nolley commits to the Illini, which is seemingly completely bipolar as the minutes tick away. Nolley will be a great fit should he come to don the orange and blue.

Da'Monte Williams: This is a wild card given that he was just cleared to resume full basketball activities. I have faith in the kid, but again I ask, who is better than whom when it comes to the '18 recruiting class? We will see how he is handled by Underwood and staff; if he is en route to returning to the Top 100 prospect that he once was, why rush him? He will get minutes, but he will certainly not eclipse the playing time of Trent.

So given the who is better than whom question, I think the bigger question to ask is that as a guard, whether PG / CG / SF (THT), is can I slot in right away to this new guard-driven system. I am sorry for not doing my due diligence with respect to Underwood's past usage of players (e.g., number of players per game), but given the uptempo style of play, the deeper we are the better. Ayo is going to start if he comes here, but there are so many opportunities to either displace or rotate in this system. So losing recruits to that is something into which I cannot buy. We will see what happens with Nolley and what the contingencies are. And without drinking the Kool-Aid just yet, I still have faith that we will get Ayo / THT and at least one player, possibly two, of whom we have not yet discussed (save for BJP if they make a run at him), that will have people stepping back from their respective balconies or ledges.

I think this is enough for now. Everyone chime if you wish; I hope we can bring some sensibility to this thread. Cheers!

Although, as a postscript, I was a senior during the '05 run and was at the WF game. So if Ayo does commit to Wake, I will feel that more than anything.

Please post more. :thumb:

 

[IlliniJim20]

I *think* losing a kid to Georgia is how we ended up with Kendall Gill. My memory is very hazy on that and combes may want to clarify but if I recall some kid ended up at Georgia and we took Kendall as the last guy in that class.
But with my memory I wouldn't bet anything on it.

Garret Jack to Georgia Tech, Deron Williams thus to the beloved

 

[PlayAZ]

I suppose that I have observed too long without having posted anything. Without going into your first point just yet, I liken this year, well, many years, to the St. Louis Cardinals coming in second for FA signings and our / its fanbase blaming ownership and management for not going the extra mile. This year notwithstanding, the Cardinals have ostensibly been one of if not the best run franchise in baseball.

That said, this has not always been the case, particularly before the DeWitt group took over. Upon the changing of the guard, there was retooling, retooling that did not happen overnight, including the presence of a HOF coach and, for that time, a savvy GM. This, I think, is what we have in Underwood (and staff) / Whitman. It will take a few years; it did with Beilein at WV and at UM. So while I am a bit miffed about not locking down Castleton or Conditt, it is par for the course; UM is better positioned right now to win and have more to offer. So the "what have you done for me lately" (cue Eddie Murphy's Raw voice here) and the state in which our program finds itself makes it a tougher sell. And no, I am not going into the potential issues with the FBI issues; Underwood appears to be very clean, and I have no doubt that Whitman did his due diligence before hiring.

So it seems as if we are in agreement here. As to your first point, however, I am not so sure that I buy it, even with the talent that was either inherited or recruited. The only player who is going to make a marked contribution his freshman year is Mark Smith; we already know that. T'JL and the rest of the upperclassmen have their respective roles already carved out, so that is fine; whether we go after another proper point guard (still going with Ayo as a CG), which would be prudent, is not out of the question. As for your other players:

Matic Vessel: A PF who needs a ton of work, both in the weight room and learning the system, so for his sake, I hope he becomes a RS because he is not going to see much time, if any.

Greg Eboigbodin: Another PF who needs work. I have not seen him play, but the comments about his athleticism and working with OA coupled with some sort of need here will have him see limited minutes unless he somehow blows up.

Trent Fraizer: This one is intriguing, as I am not sure how many minutes he will log. I am guessing he will see 15-20min / game, and if he can contribute, especially given his work ethic, that is a bonus. Is he better than Ayo? No. Is he better than Nolley? I do not know. Possibly similar players with Nolley getting the edge. Time will tell, particularly if Nolley commits to the Illini, which is seemingly completely bipolar as the minutes tick away. Nolley will be a great fit should he come to don the orange and blue.

Da'Monte Williams: This is a wild card given that he was just cleared to resume full basketball activities. I have faith in the kid, but again I ask, who is better than whom when it comes to the '18 recruiting class? We will see how he is handled by Underwood and staff; if he is en route to returning to the Top 100 prospect that he once was, why rush him? He will get minutes, but he will certainly not eclipse the playing time of Trent.

So given the who is better than whom question, I think the bigger question to ask is that as a guard, whether PG / CG / SF (THT), is can I slot in right away to this new guard-driven system. I am sorry for not doing my due diligence with respect to Underwood's past usage of players (e.g., number of players per game), but given the uptempo style of play, the deeper we are the better. Ayo is going to start if he comes here, but there are so many opportunities to either displace or rotate in this system. So losing recruits to that is something into which I cannot buy. We will see what happens with Nolley and what the contingencies are. And without drinking the Kool-Aid just yet, I still have faith that we will get Ayo / THT and at least one player, possibly two, of whom we have not yet discussed (save for BJP if they make a run at him), that will have people stepping back from their respective balconies or ledges.

I think this is enough for now. Everyone chime if you wish; I hope we can bring some sensibility to this thread. Cheers!

Although, as a postscript, I was a senior during the '05 run and was at the WF game. So if Ayo does commit to Wake, I will feel that more than anything.

Very good post:

Matic Based on what we know, I would think he might not be B1G ready, red-shirt for a Euro who knows?

Greg - His athleticism will get him more minutes than we may think right now...I really think he is the wild card this year.

Smith - Agree will be a stud day one!

Trent - Don't think he plays into the box you placed him in. I don't believe he compares to either Ayo or certainly not Nolley play wise. Ayo positive is he is a true PG skill wise with a jumper maybe be suspect...Frazier is a scoring bundle of energy...Nolley is an athletic 2-3-maybe stretch 4, Frazier would not be competing against him for minutes.

Frazier competes directly imo against in order of suspected playing time. Smith, Lucas, Williams, don't really suspect he gets into anyone else's proposed timeshares?

THT would get into Alstork/Nichols/Black minutes imo or Nolley if we get them both. Nolley the same, and anyone bigger in statute would simply timeshare with Kipper/Black/Finke.

I still think we get Nolley, Ayo, THT (possibly) and an unknown or decommitted player as of yet for the entire class before end of November.

 

[Calvin]

It's Friday and Saturday. Do you really see him eliminating the team he's in the process of visiting?

Weirder things have happened in recruiting, but it sure is odd to have your mind made up, say as much, and even taped your announcement before taking your last OV. If it's *not* that school, then it begs the question of why you went.

Despite that, here we are, wondering where he's going.

 

[TheGMan]

Weirder things have happened in recruiting, but it sure is odd to have your mind made up, say as much, and even taped your announcement before taking your last OV. If it's *not* that school, then it begs the question of why you went.

Despite that, here we are, wondering where he's going.

Because if I could have an all-expenses paid trip to a college town, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Not saying that's why he is doing it, and he may very well be choosing them. But that's definitely an option that he's just enjoying a trip.

 

[sacraig]

So how would you suggest the staff do this?

 

[3 point girl]

Very good post:

Matic Based on what we know, I would think he might not be B1G ready, red-shirt for a Euro who knows?

Greg - His athleticism will get him more minutes than we may think right now...I really think he is the wild card this year.

Smith - Agree will be a stud day one!

Trent - Don't think he plays into the box you placed him in. I don't believe he compares to either Ayo or certainly not Nolley play wise. Ayo positive is he is a true PG skill wise with a jumper maybe be suspect...Frazier is a scoring bundle of energy...Nolley is an athletic 2-3-maybe stretch 4, Frazier would not be competing against him for minutes.

Frazier competes directly imo against in order of suspected playing time. Smith, Lucas, Williams, don't really suspect he gets into anyone else's proposed timeshares?

THT would get into Alstork/Nichols/Black minutes imo or Nolley if we get them both. Nolley the same, and anyone bigger in statute would simply timeshare with Kipper/Black/Finke.

I still think we get Nolley, Ayo, THT (possibly) and an unknown or decommitted player as of yet for the entire class before end of November.

Alstork gone next year.

 

[Tevo]

This may also be a unique year for late recruit possibilities because of the whole FBI fiasco. Let's hope that plays in our favor.....

This is what I was thinking. Come mid-year, there might be a number of kids wanting out of their commitments, with coaches falling by the side of the road.

 

[TheGMan]

Finally we have some levity here. Many of these posts have been so negative. If Cubs / Cards are getting along and finding common ground, it just reinforces my point that we need to R-E-L-A-X. There are still plenty of solid recruits out there, two of whom are within the state and have OVs on the book, and with the FBI probe, likely many more to come.

Also, cheers to last year. I am honestly glad that you guys broke the Curse of the Goat. Now it is time to get on the path to knocking off Loyola as the only Illinois school to win a NCAA Men's Basketball Championship!

BLASPHEMY!!!

 

[dbeverly26]

I *think* losing a kid to Georgia is how we ended up with Kendall Gill. My memory is very hazy on that and combes may want to clarify but if I recall some kid ended up at Georgia and we took Kendall as the last guy in that class.
But with my memory I wouldn't bet anything on it.

Only kid from the south I can think of from that era was Litterial Green, who was an McD-AA. We were linked to him for a while until he went to UGA (and eventually, to the Magic alongside Nick Anderson). He was a couple of years behind Gill, though, so I don't think the two recruitments were related.

I do recall that Gill wasn't regarded as a superstar out of high school, though he did receive some state-level accolades. He's on a short list of guys I think of when I think of guys who really improved at the U of I. He busted his tail to improve his body and skills.

 

[PJD86]

Nah. It is what it is. Break it up, break it up. Now let us get back to the topic at hand (or two): recruiting or my longwinded original post.

Question: outside of Ayo / THT, both of whom I think we get locked down, and excluding Landers whose decision is made, who do you think we nab this year? Both De-commits and existing recruits who have yet to be signed. Again, let's work constructively with what we have and the the things over which we can talk without having to read tea leaves, speculate, or generate hyperbolic nonsense (e.g., well, Landers chose an orange VT pullover at the Clemson game, so he must like the Orange and Blue).

It is hard to say, there may be more de-commits, more coaches nabbed, could be a free for all. Hopefully we dont settle for lesser players and let the process play out. Also hopefully we dont miss on all these guys

 

[SescIllini]

Only kid from the south I can think of from that era was Litterial Green, who was an McD-AA. We were linked to him for a while until he went to UGA (and eventually, to the Magic alongside Nick Anderson). He was a couple of years behind Gill, though, so I don't think the two recruitments were related.

I do recall that Gill wasn't regarded as a superstar out of high school, though he did receive some state-level accolades. He's on a short list of guys I think of when I think of guys who really improved at the U of I. He busted his tail to improve his body and skills.

Gill was a very good high school player. Best player on the floor in state final vs. King HS and Liberty. Grew 2-3 inches in college plus lots of lifting and hardwork. Gill is such a good guy off the court. Very humble.

 

[bert1991]

I suppose that I have observed too long without having posted anything. Without going into your first point just yet, I liken this year, well, many years, to the St. Louis Cardinals coming in second for FA signings and our / its fanbase blaming ownership and management for not going the extra mile. This year notwithstanding, the Cardinals have ostensibly been one of if not the best run franchise in baseball.

That said, this has not always been the case, particularly before the DeWitt group took over. Upon the changing of the guard, there was retooling, retooling that did not happen overnight, including the presence of a HOF coach and, for that time, a savvy GM. This, I think, is what we have in Underwood (and staff) / Whitman. It will take a few years; it did with Beilein at WV and at UM. So while I am a bit miffed about not locking down Castleton or Conditt, it is par for the course; UM is better positioned right now to win and have more to offer. So the "what have you done for me lately" (cue Eddie Murphy's Raw voice here) and the state in which our program finds itself makes it a tougher sell. And no, I am not going into the potential issues with the FBI issues; Underwood appears to be very clean, and I have no doubt that Whitman did his due diligence before hiring.

So it seems as if we are in agreement here. As to your first point, however, I am not so sure that I buy it, even with the talent that was either inherited or recruited. The only player who is going to make a marked contribution his freshman year is Mark Smith; we already know that. T'JL and the rest of the upperclassmen have their respective roles already carved out, so that is fine; whether we go after another proper point guard (still going with Ayo as a CG), which would be prudent, is not out of the question. As for your other players:

Matic Vessel: A PF who needs a ton of work, both in the weight room and learning the system, so for his sake, I hope he becomes a RS because he is not going to see much time, if any.

Greg Eboigbodin: Another PF who needs work. I have not seen him play, but the comments about his athleticism and working with OA coupled with some sort of need here will have him see limited minutes unless he somehow blows up.

Trent Fraizer: This one is intriguing, as I am not sure how many minutes he will log. I am guessing he will see 15-20min / game, and if he can contribute, especially given his work ethic, that is a bonus. Is he better than Ayo? No. Is he better than Nolley? I do not know. Possibly similar players with Nolley getting the edge. Time will tell, particularly if Nolley commits to the Illini, which is seemingly completely bipolar as the minutes tick away. Nolley will be a great fit should he come to don the orange and blue.

Da'Monte Williams: This is a wild card given that he was just cleared to resume full basketball activities. I have faith in the kid, but again I ask, who is better than whom when it comes to the '18 recruiting class? We will see how he is handled by Underwood and staff; if he is en route to returning to the Top 100 prospect that he once was, why rush him? He will get minutes, but he will certainly not eclipse the playing time of Trent.

So given the who is better than whom question, I think the bigger question to ask is that as a guard, whether PG / CG / SF (THT), is can I slot in right away to this new guard-driven system. I am sorry for not doing my due diligence with respect to Underwood's past usage of players (e.g., number of players per game), but given the uptempo style of play, the deeper we are the better. Ayo is going to start if he comes here, but there are so many opportunities to either displace or rotate in this system. So losing recruits to that is something into which I cannot buy. We will see what happens with Nolley and what the contingencies are. And without drinking the Kool-Aid just yet, I still have faith that we will get Ayo / THT and at least one player, possibly two, of whom we have not yet discussed (save for BJP if they make a run at him), that will have people stepping back from their respective balconies or ledges.

I think this is enough for now. Everyone chime if you wish; I hope we can bring some sensibility to this thread. Cheers!

Although, as a postscript, I was a senior during the '05 run and was at the WF game. So if Ayo does commit to Wake, I will feel that more than anything.

TLDNR

 

[IlliniMed]

TLDNR

True

 

[Dvick217]

TLDNR

POTD

 

[illiniguy24]

TLDNR

How I feel about 50% of the posts on here


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FeelYourPaign]

TLDNR

I get the Do Not Resuscitate part.
What is TL?

 

[Adnarel]

Thailand Laos Do Not Resuscitate

 

[whatahack]

Sorry.....too short did not read

I kill me :wave:

 

[sacraig]

No worries, mate. When all you have is time, brevity is not your friend. I will say that while long, it was still much better than 50% of the posts on this board.

50% is a very conservative estimate.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Markese Jacobs, 2019 committed Kansas PG, will not be attending Midnight Madness. No reason given.

 

[SescIllini]

Markese Jacobs, 2019 committed Kansas PG, will not be attending Midnight Madness. No reason given.

Possibly lack of invite or just can't make it.

 

[bert1991]

First, let me say that I am sorry for the blitz of posts. I was involved in a bad auto accident, so in bed watching the ALCS and posting; and like I said earlier, I was tired of simply watching the posts run together.

I am curious as to where we are on BPJ; we are trending without an offer, and I do not recall that we have done anything to visit him. He is a West Coast guy with an apparent Washington lean, but I honestly think that we are better fit. Whether we need a proper post player / rim protector in this system is up to Underwood, but the fit and sell could be there. He would not have to wait long for his number to be called, either.

Tim Finke? I know that he has fallen off the face of the Earth with respect to recruiting, but is he still a viable option for a scholarship or would it be "waste"?

As for the two PGs who just de-committed, both Simons and Ramey make sense in some regard. Yes, we have T'JL, but I love having interchangeable parts, especially in this system. While they are both true PGs and therefore would have to compete with T'JL, do we really have a solid backup or competitor for that spot? Also, it would be nice to establish a presence in the St. Louis area.

While I have seen no interest in former Auburn recruit E.J. Montgomery, I very much like his game. He would be a fantastic addition. He is mobile, can attack the rim, handle the ball, and has a relatively smooth shot from the perimeter; it would be a shame if we did not inquire about him, as he would make the loss of Castleton seem like a blessing. Also, if we land Nolley, perhaps, and this is pure speculation, I am sure there is a GA connection there with Montgomery residing in Macon.

While there have been published ties to Johnson, Finke, and Ramey, am I missing anyone here? There is always a Plan B, so I suppose we shall see.

And wow, the Astros are putting on a clinic in Game 1 of the the ALCS. Springer, despite is O'fer at the plate, has manned CF brilliantly.

Feel better soon. Hope your road to recovery is speedy and complete.

 

[Dvick217]

Markese Jacobs, 2019 committed Kansas PG, will not be attending Midnight Madness. No reason given.

Am I the only one who thinks he will be recruited over?

 

[DReq]

Markese Jacobs, 2019 committed Kansas PG, will not be attending Midnight Madness. No reason given.

Check didn’t clear?

I kid, I kid! [emoji6]