Leave it to an Iowa recruit. Owen Freeman misses a bunny in the state tournament and then just reaches down and rips his jersey. That is something I've never seen.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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1.) Looks like he had a nice season at season at Central Michigan. There will be those that say he was a BIG fish in a little pond however…
2.) Sounds like Bass may be a keeper this
time?
That’s all I got right now…
I'd take him but it looks like we're over the limit.
1.) Looks like he had a nice season at season at Central Michigan. There will be those that say he was a BIG fish in a little pond however…
2.) Sounds like Bass may be a keeper this
time?
That’s all I got right now…
Well I will say, I had the great misfortune of watching a couple of his games at Elevation Preop on Youtube. It was a mockery to basketball. I had never seen it played worse. Bass would literally walk around the perimeter, often just standing on a spot. He would only move if the ball was passed to him. If that happen he would either drive or just take a 3 where he was standing.
Now I will say, when he actually did do something, you could tell the kid had D1 ability, but 0 chance I would have offered him based strictly on the utter lack of effort. Sounds like he transferred to his 4th or 5th high school for his Sr year and had a good season though. When we offered Storr, I thought maybe a little bit of a stretch but this kid can play. When we offered Bass I really questioned Underwood's basketball acumen. Though sounds like it was maybe Chin I should have been questioning.
Now I will say, when he actually did do something, you could tell the kid had D1 ability, but 0 chance I would have offered him based strictly on the utter lack of effort. Sounds like he transferred to his 4th or 5th high school for his Sr year and had a good season though. When we offered Storr, I thought maybe a little bit of a stretch but this kid can play. When we offered Bass I really questioned Underwood's basketball acumen. Though sounds like it was maybe Chin I should have been questioning.
Illinois is not listed on the "Interests" list on 247. Does that mean Harding wasn't interested in Illinois or Illinois wasn't interested in him or mutual?
At any rate, I was pulling for Downers Grove North. Will never root for a team that has Iowa recruits.
Do you mean "we" will have serious interest....or there will be some bigger school interested?
Don't believe it was Storr who was cut loose...... that would be Bass.
Storr I think committed before our assistants left for Kentucky and then decommitted. I think.
His brother plays baseball for us so Brock has spent many weekends on campus.
Do we really want a player with a big mouth? I get he's scaled his athleticism this past year, but feels like we are swimming upstream trying to lure him back again. In his highlight tapes I saw some good bobber and weaves, and the ability to worm his way through the defense. But let's be realistic, this wouldn't be the big catch the insiders have been hinting at.
Which one got into a dust up with a team mate on the AAU circuit? Honestly these two are so closely linked in my head that I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to tell them apart.
Brock's family are Illini fans... like literally, all of them. His brother plays baseball for us, if you weren't aware.
His dad, himself, told me the Illini are his (the dad's) favorite basketball team. I said, "So why is your son going to Iowa?! Did the Illini just not recruit him." Verbatim response from Harding's dad: "Pretty much." I heard from someone else that by the time the Illini decided maybe he was worthwhile, they reached out, but the Hawkeyes had been in the mix long enough at that time that we just weren't going to make up that ground. So much of it is personal relationships and a young person feeling like he's wanted. These kids are humans, so that's important. As much as I love the Illini myself, I'd want my kid to go somewhere I felt confident those running the program care about him. That said, if the choice was Iowa and Iowa, we'd go the NAIA route.
To rub saltwater in the wounds, WQAD news up in the QC did a special on Freeman and Harding some weeks ago. There was a clip of them playing video games in what appeared to be Brock's basement. On the wall in the background was Illini apparel! I could be wrong. I have been before, but Harding looks like Steve Nash 2.0 to me. He was underrecruited, and I think many coaches are going to regret that in the not too distant future. He is so crafty. Literally the best high school players I've seen in person have been Derrick Rose, Jon Scheyer, Brock Harding, Shaun Livingston, in that order, ranked by the actual performances I saw. I guess we can hope Harding just looked like superman when I saw him but not all the time?
After this year, do we agree that transfers are a bandaid. I love Mayer and Shannon but my favorite aspect of this season has been watching Epps, Harris, and Ty improve and develop
Certa is definitely not getting the same love as others, but I know the Illini are HOT on him. Underwood has been to two of his games and has visited his high school an additional time during the school day on a random day back in November. Is that normal for a head coach to do? In addition, Alexander has been to more Central Catholic games this year than I can count. He was there in Springfield for the Supers and I'll bet he'll (and maybe BU) will be present tomorrow since the Illini don't seem to have anything else going on tomorrow. In addition, the fact that Northwestern, Penn State, and Wisconsin are offering him as well suggests this kid isn't a fluke. People who know things know they want him. And I hate to say it but Mildkitties and PSU are better than us right now.
So my assessment from seeing him a few times as well as on Thursday is that he has some work to do, especially on his body, but his first step and ability to penetrate from a still position to full steam is lightning quick, cat-like. The team he played on Thursday did a fantastic job of getting him off his game and preventing him from doing what he likes to do, but even then there was at least one (maybe two) drives into the paint where when he got going I was sold he's elite. He was not able to convert on the one penetration in particular I have in my mind, but the entry into the paint was like a lion on the prowl. Again, the opponent on Thursday disrupted him. He was obviously the focal point of their defensive scheme, and that team was talented for a 2A squad. They did get to the state semis after all. It's not like they were a chump group. Certa was clearly nervous or unsettled in the early going, and his team seemed to be excelling at the Illinois offensive set - one guy dribble the ball beyond the arc and four guys watch, so he wasn't getting a lot of help from others in the first half.
I would guess he had his worst game of the season, yet when it was all said and done he finished with a game high 19. Yes there were free throws, but those count right? We've certainly learned from the Illini this year that those are significant. In addition to Certa's ft's, there were other shots as well, a couple were daggers at pivotal moments, so he rose to the occasion when it mattered most. All in all, a 6'5" guard with elite shooting abilities who's only going to get stronger, who I think will also develop more dribble drive abilities could potentially be a serious weapon in the Illini arsenal. He's also grown 4 inches in the last year. Is he still growing?
Based on how we're going after him, I don't see him going anywhere else, and I think he has a better than average shot at being really good for us. His play this coming summer will be interesting to note. It will give us a better idea if what I'm saying is accurate.
So better than the team average
Bass.
No, it is a huge part of college hoops now. Basically free agency in college sports. How are two all big ten players a bad thing? Without them would would not be dancing at all
Fardaws Aimaq of Texas Tech (6’11”, 245 lbs) is entering the portal. There was talk mid season that he would transfer.
This will be his second time in the portal and his next stop will be his fourth school. He’s a regular Jalen Coleman-Lands.
This will be his second time in the portal and his next stop will be his fourth school. He’s a regular Jalen Coleman-Lands.
Illinois was one of Ames first offers. They absolutely had interest.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I doubt we stringer him along with a bait & hook recruiting test line......
This is great info here. I saw the Semi game yesterday and he exerted his will in the 1st quarter and even though the game got within 3 a couple times, it seemed like it was never in doubt. Harding seems like the Alpha we are missing on the Illini this year. Had 14 in the first quarter, then got everyone else involved. Then when it was crunch time, he went and got the ball and made sure it was in his hands to get fouled.
Don’t know where else to put this, but the BTN Journey on Senior Day profiled Boo Bouie, TJD, and McCaffery. If you watch it you almost begin to like those guys. Well, maybe not McCaffery, you just might not dislike him so much. I think with the portal, those 4 year guys will become even more beloved by their fanbases.
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