Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (Week of April 12th, 2021)

[I11ini82]

Ehh, this fails to acknowledge that some of these players were recruited last minute out of desperation.

Samba Kane, Anthony Higgs, and Kouma. All recruited at the very last second. Also I don't know how you can count Kouma when he didn't even end up on campus

Hamlin and Lieb are both projects, which are always going to be hit or miss. The verdict isn't out on Lieb yet. He's got plenty of time to show us something.

If that's your stance, you can't count Giorgi as proof of his ability to find diamonds in the rough.

Kouma committed (meaning Underwood wanted him) and he averaged 7 mpg as a freshman.

And sorry, but I'll bet a beach house that Lieb never contributes much on the court for the Illini.

 

[CurbeloYourEnthusiasm]

Kansas also offered him

Yeah, this isn't your normal outside the top 100 player. Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona State, Marquette. This is a big time get. Not that it matters, but I thought this was interesting: Podz is the first white HS guard to be recruited to Illinois since Brett Melton in 2000. It's been 21 years lol. Meacham, Maniscalco were both college transfers. So I eagerly away his comparison to Melton or Sean Harrington, since you gotta go back that far to even get at least a visual comp.

And actually, if you consider Goode a guard, then he'd be 2 in the same class. So 0 for 21 years, then 2 in 2021

 

[I11ini82]

I love how you use literally like it’s going out of style.

had Bruce actually played Meyers he would have literally been an all American by year two. But, coach least said that freshman sit.

Richmond was super talented. had he played three years he would have most likely had a great career as well.

Literally, we can all do that, the point is that team had talent that Weber refused to develop. And that’s why he’s gone now.

Weber refused to develop Richmond and Leonard? Richmond didn't go to class and had no intention of being in college for more than 1 year. And guaranteed NBA money was too good for Leonard and his family to pass up.

 

[Manual3for4peat]

Weber refused to develop Richmond and Leonard? Richmond didn't go to class and had no intention of being in college for more than 1 year. And guaranteed NBA money was too good for Leonard and his family to pass up.

No it was totally normal for a middling Big Ten team, cause that was five years after Deron and Luther, to get two top 30 kids and bench them both for most of their freshman years. You’re right man. Totally wasn’t Weber hurting their development.

 

[Joel Goodson]

I'd forego bringing in a PG this year and put a full court press on '22 Seth Trimble.

 

[I11ini82]

No it was totally normal for a middling Big Ten team, cause that was five years after Deron and Luther, to get two top 30 kids and bench them both for most of their freshman years. You’re right man. Totally wasn’t Weber hurting their development.

Do you know anything about Jereme Richmond?

And are you going to sit a senior Tisdale for an 18 year old Meyers Leonard?

These aren't rhetorical, by the way.

 

[illininutt]

https://www.pscp.tv/Illiniswami/1RDGlPWdPvoGL
Polish Pod interview! Minutes ago!

 

[Oldskoolkoach]

We aren't done....

Wesley Cardet? April 15th announcement, why not?

 

[illininutt]

Illinois BEST recruiting staff EVER!? To go into Wisconsin and get their Mr. Basketball (let alone ANYBODY) and get somebody out of Indiana (whose people HATE our guts) is almost unheard of!

 

[LvilleILL]

Wesley Cardet? April 15th announcement, why not?

nope. ship has sailed.

 

[CurbeloYourEnthusiasm]

No it was totally normal for a middling Big Ten team, cause that was five years after Deron and Luther, to get two top 30 kids and bench them both for most of their freshman years. You’re right man. Totally wasn’t Weber hurting their development.

Leonard was a lottery pick. Weber didn't hurt his development at all. How much higher do you think he would have went?
Richmond only played 1 season and he played 22 minutes a game. He was also an awful all around person. So what more should the coaching staff have done? They shouldn't have even recruited him in hindsight

 

[Fanview]

If that's your stance, you can't count Giorgi as proof of his ability to find diamonds in the rough.

Kouma committed (meaning Underwood wanted him) and he averaged 7 mpg as a freshman.

And sorry, but I'll bet a beach house that Lieb never contributes much on the court for the Illini.

And we're going to just forget about Andres Feliz, Alan Griffin, and Jacob Grandison? I didn't even have to count Giorgi

I'm not saying Brad's staff are the best evaluators of talent, but there's not enough of a sample size here to say they're bad evaluators either. I actually think this incoming class will be a great measuring stick for us.

 

[DICKnaggie]

BEST recruiting staff EVER!?

Vs Lou/Jimmy mid to late 80's?

 

[Manual3for4peat]

Do you know anything about Jereme Richmond?

And are you going to sit a senior Tisdale for an 18 year old Meyers Leonard?

These aren't rhetorical, by the way.

I don’t wanna derail this too far.

Yes, I would totally have split minutes between Meyers and Mike in year one. Meyers played a decade in the NBA and it was clear from day one he was too athletic to sit at Illinois on the bench. Mike Tisdale should have been used as a stretch 4 since that’s where the game was going. Those two and Mike Davis should have split the minutes at 4-5. If you don’t get that sitting a kid like Meyers killed us in recruiting, I don’t know what else to tell you. We aren’t Kentucky. We can’t tell a top 30 kid to sit and wait.

richmond, yes I know his story. But, I also know it’s not a lot different than Luther Head was at that age. Bruce was great with Luther, not as much with Jereme. But, I think we knew what he was when we brought him in. So to act shocked after, well that’s odd.

 

[zentrails]

Do grad transfers count? Mike Thorne? We we shoulda let them have him

Not fair, he had injury problems, glad he gave us a shot.

 

[217sports]

Illinois BEST recruiting staff EVER!? To go into Wisconsin and get their Mr. Basketball (let alone ANYBODY) and get somebody out of Indiana (whose people HATE our guts) is almost unheard of!

To be fair, Wisconsin and IU/Purdue didn't even recruit either of them

 

[FromTheLogo]

Hey everyone, why look in the rearview mirror (Weber, Richmond, Leonard, blah blah) when this train is moving forward!?!?!

 

[CurbeloYourEnthusiasm]

But, I also know it’s not a lot different than Luther Head was at that age.

Actually there's a huge difference. Luther Head had no reasonable expectations at being a 1 and done pro. Richmond, was a McDAA, and had his eyes set on getting to the NBA ASAP. How you blame a coaching staff for not getting more out of a guy that is A) A bad person and B) A guy that wanted to go the NBA. That's like blaming Bill Self for not getting much out of Cliff Alexander. What more can you get out of guys who are only interested in being there for a year?

And again, any coaching staff that ends up getting a guy into the lottery (like Meyers) absolutely did an outstanding job developing him. You can say "I wish he would have played more for the college team to be better", but for Meyers own personal development, he was a lottery pick.

You could argue they did a better job at personally developing Meyers for the pro game (since he was a lottery pick), than Kofi. They were both top 40-50 big men. One guy was ultra productive on the college team. One guy, not as productive, but a lotto pick.

 

[illininutt]

To be fair, Wisconsin and IU/Purdue didn't even recruit either of them

MAYBE they knew that they were a HEAVY Illinois lean? Otherwise....even a Mr. Basketball from Montana (where people don't know if a basketball is filled with air or rags) should get a call or two.

 

[I11ini82]

And we're going to just forget about Andres Feliz, Alan Griffin, and Jacob Grandison? I didn't even have to count Giorgi

I'm not saying Brad's staff are the best evaluators of talent, but there's not enough of a sample size here to say they're bad evaluators either. I actually think this incoming class will be a great measuring stick for us.

Not to be too argumentative, but Feliz played for Antigua at South Florida, so I wouldn't give Underwood too much credit for that.

The bold I can 100% agree with. I'm just not in the give the staff the benefit of the doubt mode yet. Ayo and Kofi can cover up a lot of warts for ANY coach.

 

[Loyalillini10]

Hey everyone, why look in the rearview mirror (Weber, Richmond, Leonard, blah blah) when this train is moving forward!?!?!

Oh, it’s because we, as a fan base, do not know how to be happy.

 

[Illini954]

Do you know anything about Jereme Richmond?

And are you going to sit a senior Tisdale for an 18 year old Meyers Leonard?

These aren't rhetorical, by the way.

10000000 times yes on the Tisdale/Leonard question. Great coaches play the best players period. Underwood would have started Leonard over Tisdale all day, every day.

 

[Manual3for4peat]

Actually there's a huge difference. Luther Head had no reasonable expectations at being a 1 and done pro. Richmond, was a McDAA, and had his eyes set on getting to the NBA ASAP. How you blame a coaching staff for not getting more out of a guy that is A) A bad person and B) A guy that wanted to go the NBA. That's like blaming Bill Self for not getting much out of Cliff Alexander. What more can you get out of guys who are only interested in being there for a year?

And again, any coaching staff that ends up getting a guy into the lottery (like Meyers) absolutely did an outstanding job developing him. You can say "I wish he would have played more for the college team to be better", but for Meyers own personal development, he was a lottery pick.

You could argue they did a better job at personally developing Meyers for the pro game (since he was a lottery pick), than Kofi. They were both top 40-50 big men. One guy was ultra productive on the college team. One guy, not as productive, but a lotto pick.

I probably have too much of a blind spot for Jereme. He’s a kid that wanted to be here and still talks about loving his time here. I really wish we would have gotten more out of him while he was here. He did take all the blame in a recent interview and said he wished he would have listened to the staff telling him it wasn’t the time yet to go pro.

the Meyers thing I can’t let go of. He had to play more at the beginning of year one. No one in college had that kind of athlete at the 5. The next year Kentucky won it all with Davis. Granted he was much better than Leonard, but Meyers would have been a problem by tournament time year one had we been playing him the whole time.

 

[logjam]

To be fair, Wisconsin and IU/Purdue didn't even recruit either of them

I think they will regret it. Just imagine not recruiting your Mr.Basketball.

 

[I11ini82]

10000000 times yes on the Tisdale/Leonard question. Great coaches play the best players period. Underwood would have started Leonard over Tisdale all day, every day.

Tisdale was the 17th best player in the Big Ten as a junior. He was worth as much offensively as Hunter Dickinson was for Michigan this year.

And you're going to sit him as a senior. And you think Underwood would too. Got it.