Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (October 2018)

[Newman]

UK is the same way. Rupp Arena is terrible but the players are there at most a few hours a week.

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article213989524.html

The rich get richer.

 

[RedRocksIllini]

Lots of know it alls here think their opinions are real. Reality can be observed in real time, or can be realized after the fact. Reality doesn't happen before the fact, except in movies. If they give no logical argument, provide no data from verified sources, it should be assumed to be bs, imo. Sometimes called flatulence, or gas. Something immature brains can not comprehend. I find it somewhat funny that the two most prolific posters on this board throw their stuff on the wall everyday, and people appear to suck it up. Apparently, you have to have this thing called wisdom to understand what Mr. Jordan had observed.

My sarcasm meter is on the blink. Are you trying to paraphrase Ignatius J. Reilly?

 

[UofIChE06]

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.kentucky.com/news/local/counties/fayette-county/article213989524.html

The rich get richer.

Sounds like putting a fancy wrapper on a turd. I went to Rupp one time on a business trip and it was a terrible facility. I honestly don't see how it could be renovated to improve it barring being gutted and rebuilt.

 

[foby]

Not related to our recruiting, but Kevin Keats just reaped in a 5 start and is building a beast at NC State. S&C, I’m sure has some feeling about this.

 

[Ga65]

According to Verbal Commits Oregon doesn't have a scholarship available in 2018. Syracuse has 2 left. Guess O could Crean someone after semester but other wise Oregon out.

 

[Captain Bubbles]

Keats is a good coach. Glad he's having success at NC State. I'd like to see Illinois schedule the Wolfpack one of these days.

 

[TheGMan]

I'm pretty sure we have had a renovation to the basketball facilities announced, haven't we? Did I imagine that?

You did not imagine that. $30 million renovation/expansion was announced this year. However, I don't believe there has been any further news on it.

https://fightingillini.com/news/201...o-receive-major-renovation-and-expansion.aspx

 

[Newman]

Groce didn't bring in Elite big men - but a lot of people under estimate how good Egwu was - he was a very serviceable B1G big man.

Regarding the turnover thing - i highly suggest reading Robert's post on Illiniboard titled Turnover U - it had some really good statistics in it.

Loved Egwu but he played a year under Weber.

 

[ChiefIllini]

Groce didn't bring in Elite big men - but a lot of people under estimate how good Egwu was - he was a very serviceable B1G big man.

He was beyond serviceable. Egwu was one of the best defensive centers we've ever had here, full stop.

I fully believe if he were on the team last year, we win 5 more games.

 

[1stsgttb]

A realist seems to see the glass as half full and/or half empty, depending on their own personal agenda...

An optimist believes everything is/will be great, a pessimist believes everything is/will be bad. A realist would like to be an optimist but doubts it will work out.

 

[Deleted member 11311]

According to Verbal Commits Oregon doesn't have a scholarship available in 2018. Syracuse has 2 left. Guess O could Crean someone after semester but other wise Oregon out.

Meh....Yeah....I could be wrong (but I doubt it)....just feels like we are wasting our time with Q. I've coached long enough to know and understand the process but I still question what is the draw to the I double L for Q? My gut tells me we are a distant third.

 

[ChiefIllini]

Meh....Yeah....I could be wrong (but I doubt it)....just feels like we are wasting our time with Q. I've coached long enough to know and understand the process but I still question what is the draw to the I double L for Q? My gut tells me we are a distant third.

Cmon... I get we aren't a highly desirable and have many flaws, but if we have little draw for Q, then we have little draw for any player. I wont comment on whether we are third right now, but this isn't a recruit that has us vs. Kentucky+Duke+UNC. We have plenty to offer the kid, as a school and as a basketball team.

If that really was the case, then enlighten me as to why Ayo or Jones or Kane or etc. chose us over other schools? Once you do, apply that to Q. Those are the reasons why we have draw.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

An optimist believes everything is/will be great, a pessimist believes everything is/will be bad. A realist would like to be an optimist but doubts it will work out.

 

[AEX]

As a lurker / reader of this message board for years, it is clear to me that certain message board personalities to a great extent dominate this board and serve to form the perception of readers of this board. With that in mind, I'd like to offer a concise alternative perspective that is more in line with how our society truly functions. This perspective requires one to tear apart the current framework under which our respective minds have been molded to accept or deny information. As one of the unwashed masses, we are indoctrinated in this system to believe that good always wins. They want us to believe in others and to expect our fellow man to act in such a way that is scrupulous. Along that line of thinking, perhaps some of you who speak of facilities and other aspects of recruiting should consider the things that likely do not readily enter into your mind as you carry out your life in a relatively honorable manner when compared to those in the world of college basketball where money flows freely and abundantly. Eviscerate the naivety that has been inculcated into our minds. Just as politics has a public face and a private face so too does college basketball. To cut this short, it seems to me that many on this board are looking at are deficiencies in basketball through an inadequate lens.

Is there, like, a protein shake I can take for that?

 

[Deleted member 11311]

Cmon... I get we aren't a highly desirable and have many flaws, but if we have little draw for Q, then we have little draw for any player. I wont comment on whether we are third right now, but this isn't a recruit that has us vs. Kentucky+Duke+UNC. We have plenty to offer the kid, as a school and as a basketball team.

If that really was the case, then enlighten me as to why Ayo or Jones or Kane or etc. chose us over other schools? Once you do, apply that to Q. Those are the reasons why we have draw.

I don't disagree with you on the school aspect, but these kids don't look at it that way. What is the draw...compared to Oregon and Cuse = recent tournament history, W's & L's, even uni's and shoes (Ducks), and coaching. Feedback from players I coach. (current and former - yes, including Chasson)

 

[Epsilon]

As a lurker / reader of this message board for years, it is clear to me that certain message board personalities to a great extent dominate this board and serve to form the perception of readers of this board. With that in mind, I'd like to offer a concise alternative perspective that is more in line with how our society truly functions. This perspective requires one to tear apart the current framework under which our respective minds have been molded to accept or deny information. As one of the unwashed masses, we are indoctrinated in this system to believe that good always wins. They want us to believe in others and to expect our fellow man to act in such a way that is scrupulous. Along that line of thinking, perhaps some of you who speak of facilities and other aspects of recruiting should consider the things that likely do not readily enter into your mind as you carry out your life in a relatively honorable manner when compared to those in the world of college basketball where money flows freely and abundantly. Eviscerate the naivety that has been inculcated into our minds. Just as politics has a public face and a private face so too does college basketball. To cut this short, it seems to me that many on this board are looking at are deficiencies in basketball through an inadequate lens.

 

[TCTORNADO]

That's some good old-fashioned word soup right there. I especially like the part where you said you'd offer a concise perspective and proceeded offer up this florid paragraph.

Look, I don't think any of us are pretending that there isn't some shady stuff going on around the world of college basketball. Shoot, there is an entire FBI investigation about it. That said, there seem to be plenty of programs who are doing things more or less in a fair way and still finding success. Given that I think most of us would prefer that our program stay clean, all of our prognosticating is largely geared toward how we lift ourselves out of this mire without using the bags of cash approach. This means maximizing our appeal to top recruits who aren't looking for a payment through good coaching, player development, top notch facilities, and (hopefully) winning.

Eviscerate is fluid.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Not related to our recruiting, but Kevin Keats just reaped in a 5 start and is building a beast at NC State. S&C, I’m sure has some feeling about this.

Dude's gonna be a superstar.

Eric Musselman too.

But we hired a coach with a resume in that tier too.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Look, I don't think any of us are pretending that there isn't some shady stuff going on around the world of college basketball. Shoot, there is an entire FBI investigation about it. That said, there seem to be plenty of programs who are doing things more or less in a fair way and still finding success.

The actual truth is that everybody is cheating, Illinois included. Some schools are better at it than others, and it's not always a question of how much you're willing to cheat.

But again, any despair at our inability to get the talent needs to reckon with the fact that we've ALWAYS had the talent, every single year, as our program has collapsed.

Look elsewhere.

 

[Thrash]

LOL, to those that commented on my paragraph, I appreciate your humor and understand the criticism. I look at things with a high degree of cynicism and with that paragraph I said little with many words. Essentially, in regards to Illinois basketball and football, I along with all of you have become extremely frustrated...perhaps it is just sour grapes doing the talking?

 

[TCTORNADO]

The actual truth is that everybody is cheating, Illinois included. Some schools are better at it than others, and it's not always a question of how much you're willing to cheat.

But again, any despair at our inability to get the talent needs to reckon with the fact that we've ALWAYS had the talent, every single year, as our program has collapsed.

Look elsewhere.

An awful lot of people on here are going to refuse to accept that statement, unfortunately.

 

[sacraig]

The actual truth is that everybody is cheating, Illinois included. Some schools are better at it than others, and it's not always a question of how much you're willing to cheat.

An awful lot of people on here are going to refuse to accept that statement, unfortunately.

I don't take issue with the idea that every school is playing games with the rules. I do take issue with the idea that every school is, however, outright breaking them. I think every major school finds as many loopholes and workarounds as they can, and pushes against that line as much as possible. Every major school has its own comfort level with how hard they are willing to push. However, I don't think every school is, for example, offering Nassir Little $150,000 of their own or a shoe company's money to play for them.

In big time college basketball, there are shades of grey and there is black. Most schools operate in that grey area and, I think, legitimately try to avoid stepping into that fully black area. Some are clever enough to find a way to play in the black area without getting caught.

 

[sacraig]

But again, any despair at our inability to get the talent needs to reckon with the fact that we've ALWAYS had the talent, every single year, as our program has collapsed.

I really can't agree with you here. I know you love that plot so much that you made it your avatar, but as someone who does data analysis as a large part of his job, I look at that plot and see a ton of uncertainty and not enough data to draw a conclusion. I don't think it means what you say it does, and I don't for a second think we have "always had the talent". I will agree that we have always had enough talent to be better than we have been in recent years, but not necessarily to be competing for championships, whether in the B1G or beyond.

 

[Epsilon]

I don't take issue with the idea that every school is playing games with the rules. I do take issue with the idea that every school is, however, outright breaking them. I think every major school find as many loopholes and workarounds as they can, and pushes against that line as much as possible. I don't think every school is, for example, offering Nassir Little $150,000 of their own or a shoe company's money to play for them.

In big time college basketball, there are shades of grey and there is black. Most schools operate in that grey area and, I think, legitimately try to avoid stepping into that fully black area. Some are clever enough to find a way to play in the black area without getting caught.

I agree with this, but I think it is the schools' boosters and kids' handlers that get schools in trouble wrt payments. Schools books get audited and it's hard to avoid making a paper trail with that kind of direct involvement, plus any direct involvement I think would result in a worse penalty. Sure, it's naive to think it's not happening, but it's the circle around the kids I think more so.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

I don't think every school is, for example, offering Nassir Little $150,000 of their own or a shoe company's money to play for them.

Not every school has the ability to broker that deal. 150k is a lot.

But if you think Kansas' last-minute bid on Cliff was an increase from $0, or that Leron Black really just loved exchanging bible verses with Groce via text, or that all of JCL's other suitors just magically disappeared overnight and it became us or freakin' UNLV, or that Chin Coleman's salary flows entirely to the Coleman household, or that Jerrance Howard was hired by Larry Brown and then Bill Self based solely on his ability to "relate" to players, man do I have a bridge to sell you.

We aren't a heavyweight in this game, not like the old days. We've brought a lot of knives to a lot of gunfights. But we're in this game. Everyone is.