Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[blackdog]

I have a very jaundiced view of DRA after seeing him play on tape... He can leap,,, but what else? Small, slightly built non-dynamic player who does not seem to assert himself. What am I missing? I do trust Underwood but DRA seems to be a throw-back to previous coaches' targets

The big difference is they aren't going to be relying on him as much compared to the previous regime since there will already be Epps, Harris, and Morreti in the fold. If he doesn't pan out it's not going to be worse than missing on Skyy.

 

[sacraig]

When I look at our freshmen, Sencire is a dog who I hope has a Chester Frazier type arc to his game (though wouldn't mind that offensive effeciency coming before his Sr. year), Epps is a scorer, Rodgers is a swiss army knife, and Dain is a presence in the paint. What we don't have is a defense stretcher that will destroy a zone, or hit a 3 in your face.

I sure hope he's better than Frazier. Chester was an elite defender and a game managing PG but was so bad on offense (prior to his senior year) that teams would barely guard him and it looked like 4 on 5 out there. I hope Harris at least warrants guarding.

 

[blackdog]

I sure hope he's better than Frazier. Chester was an elite defender and a game managing PG but was so bad on offense (prior to his senior year) that teams would barely guard him and it looked like 4 on 5 out there. I hope Harris at least warrants guarding.

At least we know if someone isn't guarding Harris he is going 100 mph straight to the rim and has shown that he can be a decent passer on drives too.

 

[Eternal Optimist]

The big difference is they aren't going to be relying on him as much compared to the previous regime since there will already be Epps, Harris, and Morreti in the fold. If he doesn't pan out it's not going to be worse than missing on Skyy.

But does DRA know this guy? That is the real question that will point to success or not with our program.

 

[KingWolf11]

The big difference is they aren't going to be relying on him as much compared to the previous regime since there will already be Epps, Harris, and Morreti in the fold. If he doesn't pan out it's not going to be worse than missing on Skyy.

Good luck with his camp thinking they are taking a back seat to anybody

 

[EyeoftheIllini]

I sure hope he's better than Frazier. Chester was an elite defender and a game managing PG but was so bad on offense (prior to his senior year) that teams would barely guard him and it looked like 4 on 5 out there. I hope Harris at least warrants guarding.

Well the floor for Harris offensively is quite a bit higher than Chester’s was based on their freshmen years. However, I’m not sure Sencire will ever be as good a PG (distributor/game management) as Chester. Right now Sencire is not great at running the point. With Hawkins and Shannon initiating the offense often, it hasn’t been a big issue. But in the Indiana game especially, I really noticed offense getting bogged down when he had ball up top trying to initiate offense. He’s still young and plenty of time to grow into that role, but when those two leave and he can’t be in backcourt with another ball handler/PG, he’s gonna need to show some real improvement.

 

[Illiniguy13]

But does DRA know this guy? That is the real question that will point to success or not with our program.

 

[sacraig]

Well the floor for Harris offensively is quite a bit higher than Chester’s was based on their freshmen years. However, I’m not sure Sencire will ever be as good a PG (distributor/game management) as Chester. Right now Sencire is not great at running the point. With Hawkins and Shannon initiating the offense often, it hasn’t been a big issue. But in the Indiana game especially, I really noticed offense getting bogged down when he had ball up top trying to initiate offense. He’s still young and plenty of time to grow into that role, but when those two leave and he can’t be in backcourt with another ball handler/PG, he’s gonna need to show some real improvement.

I don't think we are looking to Harris to be a PG, though. My post was more intended to point out that Frazier was basically inept on offense for 3 years. I love the guy but he was absolutely a liability on that end.

 

[Calvin]

Good luck with his camp thinking they are taking a back seat to anybody

And I think that takes it full circle. I say this as an uninformed message board observer who's only trick is to state the obvious: if he has baggage, he's got an uphill climb. If he has baggage and doesn't have the game to back it up, he won't last long. Dropping out of the top-100 when the prior class is living up to or exceeding expectations isn't a good sign for PT.

Very excited for Amani. I see a lot of NBA level potential in his game.

 

[EyeoftheIllini]

I don't think we are looking to Harris to be a PG, though. My post was more intended to point out that Frazier was basically inept on offense for 3 years. I love the guy but he was absolutely a liability on that end.

I am interested in seeing how his role and his game develop. Obviously his energy and D are very valuable, but currently his offense makes some lineups very offensively limited. Hopefully, that will change.

 

[alexander58]

Well the floor for Harris offensively is quite a bit higher than Chester’s was based on their freshmen years. However, I’m not sure Sencire will ever be as good a PG (distributor/game management) as Chester. Right now Sencire is not great at running the point. With Hawkins and Shannon initiating the offense often, it hasn’t been a big issue. But in the Indiana game especially, I really noticed offense getting bogged down when he had ball up top trying to initiate offense. He’s still young and plenty of time to grow into that role, but when those two leave and he can’t be in backcourt with another ball handler/PG, he’s gonna need to show some real improvement.

I agree some growth on offense from Sencire is needed. Development is a casualty of the portal. Hopefully, Illinois will have him around long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

 

[oldmanindian]

So somebody tell the rest of us informed about his "camp"

 

[illini0440]

So somebody tell the rest of us informed about his "camp"

 

[Oranges]

Do we think he’s going to actually make it to Champaign? With Moretti already here could be best for both parties….

 

[Mr. Tibbs]

 

[pruman91]

 

[sacraig]

Whose camp?

 

[RockfordIllini]

I think it’s fair to question BU’s judgment on the DGL commitment. It seems to me guys with “camps” haven’t been worth the headaches. We’ve been burned with AM and now Skyy. Personally I would rather have a top 75ish “everyday guy” than a top 30ish prima dona. Throw in the fact that he lacks positional size and his rating continues to drop like a stone, just seems like the opposite of what we need/who we usually take.

 

[BashCtIllini]

I think it’s fair to question BU’s judgment on the DGL commitment. It seems to me guys with “camps” haven’t been worth the headaches. We’ve been burned with AM and now Skyy. Personally I would rather have a top 75ish “everyday guy” than a top 30ish prima dona. Throw in the fact that he lacks positional size and his rating continues to drop like a stone, just seems like the opposite of what we need/who we usually take.

it's the portal era. If he doesn't like his role or we don't like his attitude, bye bye, and there will be no less than 100 PGs in the portal.

 

[krushdad]

DGL has started out playing really well in the Overtime league. He is playing against really good competition, some highly ranked 4 and 5 stars. https://overtimeelite.com/players/3.../seasons/e130bb01-9005-4690-83e6-320eec091f1f

 

[alexander58]

Whose camp?

 

[IlliniShelt]

I think it’s fair to question BU’s judgment on the DGL commitment. It seems to me guys with “camps” haven’t been worth the headaches. We’ve been burned with AM and now Skyy. Personally I would rather have a top 75ish “everyday guy” than a top 30ish prima dona. Throw in the fact that he lacks positional size and his rating continues to drop like a stone, just seems like the opposite of what we need/who we usually take.

I think it's fair to say BU and his staff know what they are doing. I don't expect them to bat 1.000 but I'm not going to 2nd guess him.

 

[combes]

I think it’s fair to question BU’s judgment on the DGL commitment. It seems to me guys with “camps” haven’t been worth the headaches. We’ve been burned with AM and now Skyy. Personally I would rather have a top 75ish “everyday guy” than a top 30ish prima dona. Throw in the fact that he lacks positional size and his rating continues to drop like a stone, just seems like the opposite of what we need/who we usually take.

Maybe not until the kid is on campus? Writing someone off who hasn’t even practiced with the team is a bold move.

You could be right, but I’ll give the kid a chance. He’s very talented.

 

[BretMyBeachHouse]

it's the portal era. If he doesn't like his role or we don't like his attitude, bye bye, and there will be no less than 100 PGs in the portal.

While this might be true the best programs are likely to be the ones that make good decisions to begin with. I'm pretty confident that BU never takes a commitment with the attitude of "OH well, if it doesn't work out we'll just dump him and find someone in the portal." Being able to extricate yourself from a bad decision doesn't make it a good one.

 

[Indy Illini Fan]

Might be an understatement …