The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
I prefer to imagine that he's actually Qudus Wahab, randomly picking fights on an opposing team's message board.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
- Status
Ayo came and stayed 3 years. The year before he came we finished 14-18 and were 13th seed in B10 tourney. His last year JR we finished 24-7 were BTT champs and #1 seed. He was the keystone of the program rebuild. Illini are currently #1 in B10 and ranked 25th in country. We raised his jersey at Assembly Hall last week.
THT went to Iowa State and stayed 1 year. The year before he came they were 13-18 last place in B12. The next year w THT they finished 23-12, won the B12 and were #6 seed with automatic bid. THT left after 1 year and Iowa State went 10-21 finished 9th (2nd to last in B12). The following year they finished 2-21 and Steve Prohm was fired. While Iowa State may be a good team this season it has nothing to do with THT one season in Ames. He does not rank among Cyclone greats.
NBA record
THT spent his rookie year in G-league. He averaged 20 mpg and 9 ppg for a 42-30 Laker team last year. This year he is 11 ppg on 40% shooting and -1.8 plus/minus rating on 21-21 6th place Lakers team.
Ayo is averaging 7 ppg on 53% shooting -1.1 plus minus on first place 27-12 Bulls team.
Ayo did more for Illinois than THT did for Iowa State.
Being out here in SCal and watching THT play bad defense and inability to hit the three. Most fans think the Lakers blew $31M for a 240 lb 2 guard .
Call me old school but I don't judge a person by how much money they make or have. It was huge the Demar Derozan took his day off to come watch Ayo get his jersey raised at the Assembly Hall. Ayo is a class act and I am proud he was an Illini.
THT went to Iowa State and stayed 1 year. The year before he came they were 13-18 last place in B12. The next year w THT they finished 23-12, won the B12 and were #6 seed with automatic bid. THT left after 1 year and Iowa State went 10-21 finished 9th (2nd to last in B12). The following year they finished 2-21 and Steve Prohm was fired. While Iowa State may be a good team this season it has nothing to do with THT one season in Ames. He does not rank among Cyclone greats.
NBA record
THT spent his rookie year in G-league. He averaged 20 mpg and 9 ppg for a 42-30 Laker team last year. This year he is 11 ppg on 40% shooting and -1.8 plus/minus rating on 21-21 6th place Lakers team.
Ayo is averaging 7 ppg on 53% shooting -1.1 plus minus on first place 27-12 Bulls team.
Ayo did more for Illinois than THT did for Iowa State.
Being out here in SCal and watching THT play bad defense and inability to hit the three. Most fans think the Lakers blew $31M for a 240 lb 2 guard .
Call me old school but I don't judge a person by how much money they make or have. It was huge the Demar Derozan took his day off to come watch Ayo get his jersey raised at the Assembly Hall. Ayo is a class act and I am proud he was an Illini.
Wow totally forgot about this dude. Just tried looking him up and it seems he has straight disappeared and was never included on the New Mexico roster.
Never played at UNM
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
I believe Nick was a star at a Northside public league hs. He transferred to Simeon because he wanted to play with Benji. That’s the way I remember it.If you haven't seen the ESPN 30 for 30 called "Benji" it's highly recommended. Very good documentary on the life and death of Ben Wilson.
Anytime I think of him I'm always immediately reminded of what could have been with the Illini basketball program had he not been murdered and had committed here. It has always long been urban legend per Chicago insiders and Nick Anderson, his high school teammate that he was coming here. The talent and skill this young man possessed in high school were the stuff of legends. He was definitely a prodigy, a sure-fire can't miss prospect.
Very sad life story.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Prosser, IIRC.
sacraig
- The desert
I mean, we kind of do. He left after one year there so it's logical to assume he would do the same here. If he didn't leave after one year here then he made the right choice going there anyway.
I don't know why, but this made me laugh pretty hard
Yep that's correct. Anderson transferred to Simeon his Junior year, when Wilson woulda been a Senior. So they never actually played together at Simeon.
Ok guys, I think that's enough on Ayo v. THT. Let's move onto another matter that hasn't been settled yet. Did the Colts make the right move drafting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf? Qdennis up first to argue the "no" side.
Bigtex
- DFW
It was either or. Glad with the ayo choice
I agree, but to be fair Cook was a McDonald's All-American. While Hawkins was rated around #150 coming out of H.S. (with the usual note that rankings aren't a perfect predictor by any means).
Late to the THT v. Ayo debate.
First, it was widely stated that THT was something of a cancer at ISU. Appears now he's well liked on the Lakers, but if there were attitude problems that Ayo knew about I'm glad he told BU that he wasn't right for the team.
THT is a mixed bag in the NBA. It's going to be interesting to see how his career progresses. He just finished a streak of 17 missed threes in a row. He doesn't shoot well but seems like he's acknowledged as a guy you want on the court.
It's not debatable about whether we got the better end of the deal.
First, it was widely stated that THT was something of a cancer at ISU. Appears now he's well liked on the Lakers, but if there were attitude problems that Ayo knew about I'm glad he told BU that he wasn't right for the team.
THT is a mixed bag in the NBA. It's going to be interesting to see how his career progresses. He just finished a streak of 17 missed threes in a row. He doesn't shoot well but seems like he's acknowledged as a guy you want on the court.
It's not debatable about whether we got the better end of the deal.
As BU says, he has had to fill many roles this year. His responsibilities change from game to game. He does exactly what his roles call for and doesn't let his ego get in the way. I am puzzled that so many miss that.
He was also the 3rd option on an incredibly talented h.s. team (including the overall #2 NBA draft pick). He is use to fitting in rather than standing out which may be why he doesn't seek shots like many others. I remember a number of players at Illinois that had to be actively encouraged by the coaches to seek their shots. He is not from Chicago or NYC where there exists an entirely different mindset.
This fight was back when you had to watch UFC on VHS tapes. I remember this well the little guy won but broke his hand and couldn’t go on in the tournament I loved that they had no weight classesAnd down goes Qduhnnis!!!
You seem to be confusing scoring with shooting. Belo is a very good scorer. He has yet to show that he can shoot. I have no doubt that he can become a very good shooter but, no, he has not shown it yet.
Some on here would complain about Steph Curry missing 3s. I truly think that BU prefers that his three best outside shooters take the majority of outside shots. He has days that he hits 2 or 3 threes in a row.
Sadly, BU's system discourages midrange shots. Remember that at halftime of the Loyola game, BU specifically mentioned not settling for mid-range shots.
Some of you act like a coach doesn't impact a player's choices during a game.
NOT!!!
Miller sacrificed his offense and was outstanding on D. For whatever reasons that he transferred, it doesn't mean that he didn't fit.
My friends on the west coast all say that it is obvious that THT never learned to play team ball.
- Status