All, I promise I come here in peace.
Just want to touch up a bit on Kris Wilkes.
I've seen a few posts suggesting Illinois may get him and they are in prime position. While I certainly applaud John for the work he has done behind the scenes and openly (especially in regards to staying in the ear of Kris' personal instructor) I think that the enthusiasm should be tempered a bit.
Wilkes' high school coach has said privately he's fairly certain that Wilkes will go to Indiana and even his own father suggested a quite a bit of surprise about UCLA being a finalist.
As most have correctly said, no lineup or returning starters will have any bearing on Wilkes' decision. When you are that good, you go to a school and you play. End of story.
Having had the chance to see Smith and Wilkes multiple times, I can say, categorically, that they will be playing together and not competing for time. Smith is a guy the IU staff can slowly bring along whereas Wilkes will walk in and start at the "3" right away.
I am here to talk Illinois basketball. I'm a big fan of John and really hoping he turns the corner this coming season and desperately hoping everyone stays healthy.
I come here to help shed some light on some of the recruiting stuff that I know about.