Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
Just dropping in to get the ol' recruiting fluid topped off.
I thought Podz archetype (longer guards) was what we are trying to bring in, so its strange to me that he wouldn't see an opportunity in the starting lineup here. Or does he just see us recruiting similar players and doesn't care for the extra competition? By all accounts he's a hard worker, so I can't really see that. So the reasoning doesn't jive with me, is all. I mean I'm sure there's more to it than I'm currently able to wrap my brain around though.
It's interesting to me that he was commonly featured in workout clips as of late and that this news is coming on the later end. Makes me wonder what changed
There was no chance Podz was going to start next year... we are bringing in 2 guards that will be well above his level day 1, and another one that very well could be equal or compete with him for scraps. We are obviously going very hard after a veteran guard or two so he just didn't see a clear path to playing time this year. Nothing wrong with that, this type of thing is going to happen every year moving forward.
While I criticized Brad for freshmen playing time, it was obvious RJ and Goode were ahead of him. Even if Brad have decided to give more time to frosh, they should have gone to RJ/Goode first. More importantly, the covid super seniors took their lunch away. Compounding the Skyy/transfer portal effect, this is just kind of unfortunate.
Podz isn't quite as versatile as the other guys on the roster IMO. RJ and Goode have more length and can play the 2-4 if needed. Podz can really only play the 2. He doesn't have the size to play bigger or the handles and extincts to be a PG. The only way he was going to see the court is if he was an elite scorer/shooter. Kind of like Plummer.
And even then...I'm not sure Plummer would get much playing time on next year's team....
@Peoria Pipeline Because Hopkins couldn't guard me right now.....
On paper, Podz looked like a very good player from his HS stats (35, 10, 6, and 4). It was apparent from the get go he wasn't impressing in practice which NONE or VERY FEW here get to see. If our coaching staff didn't feel he was ready for B10, that's good enough for me. He looked loose with the ball and unsure during his very few minutes of offensive set basketball. In the open space he looked much better.
Somewhere I read that in AAU, parents that post videos of their kid taking extra shots and posting to Twitter was the same as saying man to man they weren't happy. Mt. Podz posted several of these, so I have felt for quite some time this would happen. Just as I called before B10 tourney last year with Adam Miller based on body language, but took it on the chin from "body language police" and my post was deleted.
I like Podz on paper, seemed like a good teammate, but if we have better players...that's a good thing.
Trust the staff that see them everyday
Somewhere I read that in AAU, parents that post videos of their kid taking extra shots and posting to Twitter was the same as saying man to man they weren't happy. Mt. Podz posted several of these, so I have felt for quite some time this would happen. Just as I called before B10 tourney last year with Adam Miller based on body language, but took it on the chin from "body language police" and my post was deleted.
I like Podz on paper, seemed like a good teammate, but if we have better players...that's a good thing.
Trust the staff that see them everyday
He was pretty underwhelming in his time at UNC (before the personal issues sidelined him).
illini80
- Forgottonia
We don’t win the B10 this year without him.
illini80
- Forgottonia
There is quite a long list of guys that created a lot of angst when they didn’t choose us, and then they didn’t pan out like any of us expected them to. Garcia is certainly one.
This is not directed at you, but I have seen some people make similar speculations but make it sound like "this player is 100% transferring". And there's plenty of examples that show just because someone is frustrated doesn't mean they are transferring (e.g. Coleman Hawkins, RJ, Tevian Jones, and Alan Griffin (though TJ and AG did transfer a year after, but much later than speculated).
My point is, when there are transfers every year, you're bound to get a few right. It doesn't mean every single sign of someone being frustrated means they're "100% gone". Heck, Andre Curbelo never seemed super frustrated on the bench and he transferred.
But could he guard a pickle, like a gherkin?
Agreed, this is going to become the new norm. My biggest concern for these young men and women that are transferring is the outlook on life. I've always worked on the ideology that if I'm not good enough for something, I work harder, and if that isn't enough, wait my time. What exactly are we teaching/allowing? "If things aren't the way I want them to be, I'll just pick up my ball and go somewhere else." I wish they would have just changed NIL and left transfer the way it was, sit a year.
Best of luck to Podz and Curbelo, hope they prosper and do great things in all aspects of life
Key line bolded. This is college ball right now, get used to it. Kids will move around programs, sometimes on a whim. You bring in a class of 3-4 kids, and you might be lucky if two of them are still around in a year or two. Dawson Garcia will be on program #3 in how many years?
I'm wondering how many schools, on average, a basketball or football player will attend during their 4-5 year college career? More than two?
Hmmm, there should probably be a learning point for us in there...............nah
What about the 4 other points he scored in Big 10 games?
Krombopulos_Michael
- Aurora, Illinois (that’s a suburb of Chicago)
Kid had a phenomenal game against us in 2020 but haven’t really followed him since. Is there legit interest here from the staff?
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