This is a solid team, with a bunch of underclassmen. Of course it will be a step back from the current roster full of super seniors. What will be truly exciting is the year after next.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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This is where BU has earned his money: adjusting the style of play, sometimes subtle and sometimes drastic, to the strengths and weaknesses of his roster. Also what I love about every college basketball season, watching how the team evolves and grows (knock on wood!). I strongly believe that championships are won in the off-season. So it will be interesting to see the progress of the freshmen. God knows, we have seen both sides, with Griffin and Mark Smith baling out.
illini80
- Forgottonia
I still find it interesting/amusing/alarming, that Hutch went from “NBA talent” to “no place for him on this team” with one sports hernia surgery. He’s not in the portal and a sports hernia is not a career threatening injury, so why have we completely given up on him? Has there been anything leaked about moving on by the staff that I missed? It just seems like he could be a valuable piece next year.
NEIlliniFan
- No longer in New England
Austin Hutcherson
DOB = 04/7/98. (turns 24 in April)
2020-21 season = out for season with back injury
2021-22 = out for season with sports hernia
Total UI minutes played = 61
At some point projected contributions stop and a player moves into the "If he contributes, great, but..." category
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Prognostications are tricky. Almost everyone thought that Bucky would fall off the table this season. A lot of "experts" thought that DeRozan was the worst FA acquisition.
You may very well be right, but you never know, especially when it comes to team sports.
Could he play? Possibly, but history and evidence makes it unlikely. You certainly can’t count on him.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Potential....................what a mesmerizing word.....brings up all kinds of hopes and desires that falter when said " potential " is not realized.....
This is NOTHING against Hutch as I want him to succeed and play as much as anyone , but it seems he has an uphill struggle to even approach his potential....I have no clue on Hutch's or the staff's thoughts on his situation......BU has went a long way with support for Hutch , and by all accounts Hutch has worked hard to get back to playing speed....But that word potential sometimes needs to be realistic and it seems we may never see the potential realized with him ....
I wish him the best and will cheer for him if he ever regains the form he has shown .....if not , i will cheer for him to have a happy and productive life.......
JMHO
He was only an NBA talent in the eyes of a few delusional posters. He played at a Division III school before transferring to Illinois and he's been injured virtually his entire time here. There's nothing other than typical fan hyperbole (as well as typical BU coach speak) that would point to him being an NBA talent.
That said, I'd love for him to shock everyone and come back and be a productive player for us. But it seems extremely unlucky.
True and next years team will play quite differently assuming Kofi is gone. If Dain can play defense, he could score more than Kofi as he is considerably better at handling the ball and shooting. Would not worry about offense at all but replacing the defense of Trent, Kofi, and DMW will be the issue. Belo and Luke can come close to Trent and DMW but just don’t see anyone close to Kofi defensively. Omar will block shots but won’t protect the paint like Kofi. Do think the future has as least as high a ceiling but don’t expect to see another Kofi in my lifetime.
blackdog
- Champaign
Dain might better at handling and shooting than Kofi but there are a lot of big out there that are and they aren't scoring more than him. Dude is #11 in the country in scoring so probably not reasonable to expect anyone to come in and start scoring more than that.
On the other end Omar has the potential to be an even better defender because of his mobility and leaping. He has enough size to play with the bigger centers and the quickness to stay with the smaller ones. His biggest problem is fouling and a lot of his fouls are mental mistakes that can be cleaned up.
So basically I think you have Kofis value backwards in that he is more valuable and harder to replace on the offensive end.
DB11Headband
- Chicago Burbs
If this is what the 2 deep looks like next year I’ll eat my hat. Expect at least one high impact transfer in (day 1 starter impact)
WOW! Talk about HIGH expectations!
I think it's premature to assume next year's team will be "weaker at every position." Right now we start 3 short guards, one of whom doesn't contribute offensively. Next year with Melendez and Hawkins (assuming we still have them), Goode, and Rodgers we'll have considerably more size on the wings. If they're dedicated defenders, we should match up better against teams with size on the wings. Look at what Scott (Maryland) did to us; we had no answer for him, because our guards were overmatched.
There will be a transfer 2 guard next year....Also Grandison and Kofi are still up in the air
illini80
- Forgottonia
Curious if you can share anything on Hutch’s future or is that another one still up in the air?
IlliniRunIn07
- Tampa, FL
I might just be ignorant, but I don't understand why people are writing Kofi off next year. What has he done this year to get him in the NBA that he didn't last year? He's an all time great college player with significant limitations that don't make him a sure thing in the NBA. I have no idea how much $$$ it is, but NIL has to help the cause for him staying in college instead of playing pro somewhere else or being a fringe NBA draft pick. Maybe I'm completely off base, but I would put money on him playing in college again next year. I suppose a transfer could always happen, but I don't know why he would do that either. That being said, who knows?
Yup. Odds are some of those guys will transfer out and also players will transfer in. It’s very hard these days to predict next season’s two-deep with how many transfers there are.
That is what coaches are paid for. To find ways to recruit and coach - to sustain wins. Doubt BU is going to lower his 20+ wins and B10 chaps + B10 Tourny champs + NT goal because the roster has changed
Kofi averages 21+ a game, if Dain even comes close to that I will be shocked. Happy as heck, but still shocked.
Agreed- Kofi is no where in mock drafts right now which could lead to another year if he’s making good NIL money
The guy can't play 2 games in a row with his back, unless he gets some sort of different procedure to address it, his basketball career is over.
He was fortunate enough to get a free education from basketball, but I wouldn't even consider holding a scholarship for him.
Anyone looking ahead to next year and speculating needs to take a step back and remember how unexpectedly things can play out. This time last year, our next season looked bleak. Ayo leaving, Kofi most likely leaving, and Trent/DaMonte probably moving on. What happened since then? Belo came on very strong in February. Grandison continued to develop nicely. We lost Giorgi and Miller shockingly, but Kofi/DMW/Trent all returned. Landed Plummer in the portal. Kept all 3 recruits even though we lost 3 AC's.
Point being, things change rapidly so don't count our chickens, good or bad. Goode could come on strong here. Our current roster may develop and take next step like a Hawk. Kofi could decide the NIL $ is great and return another year although unlikely. We very well may land a major transfer given our program's new desirability. One of the incoming recruits could be a stud contributing early on. Truly remarkable that even our "down" years show promise.
Point being, things change rapidly so don't count our chickens, good or bad. Goode could come on strong here. Our current roster may develop and take next step like a Hawk. Kofi could decide the NIL $ is great and return another year although unlikely. We very well may land a major transfer given our program's new desirability. One of the incoming recruits could be a stud contributing early on. Truly remarkable that even our "down" years show promise.
This a recruiting thread. Looking ahead to future years is quite literally the point. But I agree that a lot of things might be unexpected and crazy things can happen.
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