Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread (Week of April 5th, 2021)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#902      

Deleted member 747671

D
Guest
Deleted member 747671
I kinda think our roster situation is hurting us here. Curbelo is really the only main contributor back. Sure there’s playing time everywhere but these top players want to play on top teams and even with our great season, we very much are an unknown.
 
#909      

illini80

illini80
Forgottonia
illini80
WINTer said:
I kinda think our roster situation is hurting us here. Curbelo is really the only main contributor back. Sure there’s playing time everywhere but these top players want to play on top teams and even with our great season, we very much are an unknown.
Click to expand...
Seems just a few short days ago we were lamenting that some top guys like Burnett and Tyty would be hard to get because we had too many guys they would have to compete for playing time with.
 
#910      

Travis1173

Travis1173
Travis1173
I remain fairly confident Kofi is coming back. No reputable site has him even getting drafted and we all know his deficiencies, all of which can be remedied with hard work and a good coaching staff.
 
#912      

LvilleILL

LvilleILL
LvilleILL
Oh hey guy.........
i tried GIF
 
#913      

illini80

illini80
Forgottonia
illini80
JFGsCoffeeMug said:
We're in the early stages of an ongoing battle to establish the dominant narrative.

On one side, you have those who are arguing that we have an excellent coaching staff who will continue assembling competitive rosters, develop players, and sustain success. When Ayo publicly credits his time at Illinois with his development as a player and gets drafted, this particular narrative is strengthened. Likewise if Kofi and Curbelo get drafted. Winning the BTT and having the best two-year stretch in the B1G also helps.

On the other side, you have those who are arguing that our coaching staff is not good enough and cannot be trusted to keep this thing rolling. Losing to Loyola contributed to this narrative. Miller looking one-dimensional and entering the transfer portal after this season also contributed. The fear that we will fall back into the basement without Ayo and Kofi also fuels this narrative.

Are we in a much better place as a program than we were three years ago? Absolutely. But our current position is far from stable. If we fall back to earth post-Ayo, the narrative will be that Ayo temporarily elevated the program due to his own greatness. And any perceived failures will not be attributed to Ayo but to the staff. He could only be expected to do so much. Ayo giving credit to the staff will be chalked up to his humility and character as a person. If Miller leaves and has greater success elsewhere, the narrative will be that our staff held him back because we didn't know how to maximize his talents.

Assigning credit for success or failure can be tricky. While the truth is usually likely somewhere in the middle, public opinion can be significantly less nuanced and generous when it starts to crystallize. So as we have been saying for multiple years at this point, we are yet again entering another critical year for this program and coaching staff. Buckle up.
Click to expand...
I stand corrected in believing those on side B (bad) are a small minority.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.