skyIdub
Winged Warrior
And some people on here are convinced that BU has ruined the program and this is the biggest disaster in recruiting history.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2017)
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And some people on here are convinced that BU has ruined the program and this is the biggest disaster in recruiting history.
Jereme richmond......who was already committed before frosh year
Meyers leonard, who would have been here anyway
Mike Shaw
I think the point some are making is that the MIF will steer players our way now....but i feel like if a player wants to come here, theyl do it regardless of the irvins....liek JR and ML did.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Id be just fine with that. Where does it stop? If Ayo isnt given the keys next year bc Damonte, Smith, frazier, etc are better than him at that point, then what?
Irvins on the phone like give Ayo 30 mins or else? Give him 20 shots per game or else? Dont recruit this 2019 player or else?
Awful precedent.
First, you are correct, Deon Thomas did not call out Illinois.
Second, Deon Thomas, who is still one of my favorite people, has zero influence in today's recruiting landscape.
And finally, the claim that if THT had come to Illinois, the Illini would have been led back to prominence and recruits would just flock to our program, has as much credence as the claim that UI would become the prime destination for recruits because the 04-05 team had a magical season and reached the finals (which is something that actually Deon did say).
Twelve years later... we are still trying to figure it out.
LOL at "THT Should have committed earlier"..
You think we would have gotten AYO?
Also.....we had ZERO commits until last thurs, THT had no reason to really rush a commit.
We should never let a recruit or his family or his AAU coaches tell us whose commitments we could accept.
If we get miller/okoro ppl will call it good, but how do we konw we already weren't going to get them?
In before they go elsewhere and the irvins say "well we cant make them go to illinois".......no Sh** they cant make them not go to illinois either if the kid REALLY wants to go here, right?
You think we would have gotten AYO?
Also.....we had ZERO commits until last thurs, THT had no reason to really rush a commit.
We should never let a recruit or his family or his AAU coaches tell us whose commitments we could accept.
If we get miller/okoro ppl will call it good, but how do we konw we already weren't going to get them?
In before they go elsewhere and the irvins say "well we cant make them go to illinois".......no Sh** they cant make them not go to illinois either if the kid REALLY wants to go here, right?
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal
No offense, but that is not how recruiting works. There is a magic formula and that is developing strong relationships with key influencers and programs, something that Illinois has failed to do since Self left. Those relationships and much more, many times more important than any one recruit. That is reality.
Then, we wake up and go out and hire Orlando and Chin.
Nope, i absolutely would. I dont like hte idea of a recruit and his camp telling us who we can put on our roster.
you think this is the end? What happens if trent/damonte/Tejon emerge as better options to start next year? You think MIF/Ayo's camp is gonna just go along?
Do you not think this could rub some of the players on our current roster the wrong way?
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mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal
Ayo is the bird in the hand, bruh.
chrisRunner7
- Spokane, WA
I have never seen so much overreaction in on Illinois Loyalty... ever. Get a grip, people.
No, this is not the biggest Illinois "recruiting disaster" in the past decade. No, we will not still be fretting about tonight five years from now. And high schools around the country are not going to suddenly boycotting Illinois because a 100+ ranked recruit picked Iowa State, an objectively better program over the past decade, over his speculated first choice of Illinois. We weren't even the favorite a week ago.
Heck, I can't even find a national article on THT's commitment. Can't find anything on ESPN. The Chicago Tribune article reads mostly like a player who just liked Iowa State, unlike the Tupper article that went full unsourced gossip mode. The Tribune even says he wrestled with his decision until minutes before the press conference. As for Tupper's article, it may all be true, but it doesn't seem like very professional journalism to me.
And nobody is entitled to an offer. They get pulled all the time. I don't feel bad for THT that he's getting a full ride to a good basketball school in the Big 12. He didn't even have us as his leader a week ago. And if he never visited Illinois last weekend, there's a real good chance he still would've had a press conference this week and announced Iowa State, and some people would've whined about how we gave up on recruiting THT.
Finally, I can only imagine the reaction some of you would've had if we landed THT and Ayo decommited. This place would've been ridiculous. It would've been unbearable. And the people who are whining their lungs out tonight would still be screaming that the sky is falling for losing Ayo. :hand:
No, this is not the biggest Illinois "recruiting disaster" in the past decade. No, we will not still be fretting about tonight five years from now. And high schools around the country are not going to suddenly boycotting Illinois because a 100+ ranked recruit picked Iowa State, an objectively better program over the past decade, over his speculated first choice of Illinois. We weren't even the favorite a week ago.
Heck, I can't even find a national article on THT's commitment. Can't find anything on ESPN. The Chicago Tribune article reads mostly like a player who just liked Iowa State, unlike the Tupper article that went full unsourced gossip mode. The Tribune even says he wrestled with his decision until minutes before the press conference. As for Tupper's article, it may all be true, but it doesn't seem like very professional journalism to me.
And nobody is entitled to an offer. They get pulled all the time. I don't feel bad for THT that he's getting a full ride to a good basketball school in the Big 12. He didn't even have us as his leader a week ago. And if he never visited Illinois last weekend, there's a real good chance he still would've had a press conference this week and announced Iowa State, and some people would've whined about how we gave up on recruiting THT.
Finally, I can only imagine the reaction some of you would've had if we landed THT and Ayo decommited. This place would've been ridiculous. It would've been unbearable. And the people who are whining their lungs out tonight would still be screaming that the sky is falling for losing Ayo. :hand:
Pretty sure he is talking about how THT was in the hand (wanting to commit officially) for Okoro, miller, etc who are not in hand...
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal
No. Not "too."
There was no way we were getting both, why aren’t people getting this??
You do not have to look further than our own program in the periods of our greatest consistent success. It was the direct result of developing close relationships between the coaching staff (including assistants) and the influencers of the time, including the 80s and under Self.
Outside Illinois, it is exactly how the major programs consistently recruit their top players. Love it or hate it, it is the relationships with the premier showcase AAU programs that will get you talent.
You can have all the pride you want, as multiple posters have shouted over the years, "We do not need Chicago!", "We do not need this powerful AAU program, we do not need that powerful coach", "they should all be begging to come to Illinois, we will teach them a lesson", "they need us, we do not need them."
Then, 14 years go by and you realize that these programs and coaches are absolutely thriving, while our program has become totally irrelevant.
Because up until around 24 hours ago, we were taking things that the vast majority of folks related to the situation were saying publicly at face value, with a lack of context for what those folks were really saying.
And because, after a long stretch in the desert, some of us dared to believe that Illinois basketball had, with this new staff, indeed reached a recruiting oasis.
We thought (or perhaps dared to dream) that we were going to have our cake and eat it too, and instead got a very public version of "No soup for you!"
It was not a strategy, it was an unfortunate thing that we had to make a decision. You can choose option/recruit A, or choose the option that will have the better likely results (and less negative impact) long term. But you can't have both, sometimes you need to make a decision.
Nobody claims that what happened was pleasant.
To be honest, I'm not taking it that hard. I was using the "We" in a somewhat perjorative manner.
I don't believe that we will end up with any recruit, Ayo included, until the day they show up in Champaign.
And its not surprising to me that if we play in a pig pen, we would get covered in crap.
It's just a game. It's a great game, but its just entertainment - a circus sideshow. It has nothing to do with the real work of the University of Illinois system.
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Are you kidding me? Self was and IS one of the best in the business developing relationships with the "influencers", with the most influential AAU programs, coaches, and "others." Also the one who was able to mend fences with the Chicago programs and coaches, albeit his tenure was short at UI, unfortunately. What Self accomplished at UI in that respect in such a short time was unbelievable. Unfortunately for us, he has still maintained and cultivated those relationships, even to this day, for KU.
I warned people how connected Archie Miller was in that respect, and have seen it many times in the AAU tour. And it has already started to pay dividends.
Chin and Orlando were not brought here to just "develop" our bigs... :hand:
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Okay, let's say I buy into your narrative. THT left the Fire to raise his profile. It worked. His offers improved tremendously. Then he decides he wants to go to ISU. Although he visits Illinois on an OV, nothing changes and ISU has always been the pick.
Now what motive does THT have to make up a story about a rescinded offer from Illinois? According to the above story, he won. Everything worked out exactly as he wanted it to. Why even bother with an AAU program that was holding you back, a player you never intended to team up with, and a school you had no interest in attending?
Your version of events doesn't make sense because that's not what happened. It's also pretty unlikely that multiple people are reporting a story that originated from a single source.
it was all in there still if you listen when they were walking out I believe it was Coach smith asked where the other stuff was and THT mom said its still in the bag
So uh... BPJ? 5th year transfer? This years version of Mark Smith but in a 6-10 frame?
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