Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#129      
So random internet posters knew more about his personality than the coaching staff did?

I was entertaining your argument(s) but no longer.
Not sure of the specifics of your guys' argument but if I may, I'm going to respectfully challenge your general line of thinking, NarrowJ.

I know a guy (well I know his wife) who was a huge Cubs fan and stat geek. He got some of his analysis in front of the Cubs organization and a few years later he had a World Series ring and was riding with Theo in the parade. He started out as a fan with a hobby.

There are also several examples of fans who start with personal blogs and become respected analysts over time.

If someone has enough time and passion, they can become pretty knowledgeable about a subject.

Brad Underwood has forgotten more about basketball than any of us will ever know. This is true. But fans, especially ones as passionate as ours, are certainly capable of analyzing a situation and providing a somewhat educated perspective. Especially, I would say, on the macro things. Sometimes I think a bit of a "can't see the forest for the trees" thing happens with players, coaches, and yes even insiders.
 
#130      
I'm not picking sides here, but it is conceivable (maybe even likely) that the coaching staff also saw red flags but that his talent and our need won out over red flags they did see.

Yep, even then, I trust the decision the (qualified, highly paid & respected) coaching staff makes over poster X or poster Y on random internet message board.
 
#132      
They saw a tweet and ran with it
To be fair to those running with it, there were a lot of proclamations flying around back in April, which started with Tygerr, that people just ran with and none of it came to fruition. The PG gifs and booms and everything else were bought into 100%. If someone sees anything with any legs(even if there are no legs)...it's going to get a mention. We need an experienced PG, badly. Where does the hope come from?
 
#135      
Uhhh they actually had TWO PG in their starting lineup. You could make an argument that Newton was more of a combo guard, but Andre Jackson is absolutely a true PG.
Andre Jackson is an experienced Ty. Maybe a point forward but definitely not a guard. Also a comparable shooter to Ty.
 
#137      
Quote from Greg Waddell of Sleepers Media:

“There are rumblings that with Jeremiah Williams in the fold, Justin Harmon will never walk through the door in Champaign.”

Any truth to this, insiders?
Not an insider but I have a tough time finding that credible as if it winds up that Williams needs a longer recovery time or gets injured, Harmon is probably best suited to be our de facto PG in our PG by committee if we aren't bringing in anyone else. Harmon came here when we were expecting to sign and play RayJ 30-35min a game. By going with Williams, he should expect more minutes and an expanded role, not less, and if we do have questions/injury concerns/form issues with Williams, Harmon being on the roster will become a more valuable commodity to us that previously anticipated. Just my two cents
 
#138      
247 Michigan guy says we’re in the mix for Reeves with Michigan, Memphis, Indiana and Oklahoma.

That CBBRoundup Twitter account says us and Memphis are the top two, followed by IU. But I believe that’s the same account that reported our interest in Woodbury, so not sure how much to trust it.
 
#139      
Everyone must have missed the part on freshman point guards and last year. I remember offense struggled Coach went crazy, players like TSJ and Hawkins said they wouldn't come back if we had a freshman point guard. Lets see I wonder if Dra Gibbs will be our point guard this year? Good Lord
 
#140      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Some may not be, most are. I'm just saying, who's opinions should I trust?

Person A:
1. Is the head men's bball coach at UofI
2. Has had numerous in-person interactions with the recruit
3. Has watched hours of film of the recruit
4. Has had the recruit in for an in-person workout
5. Has the feedback & opinions of several other very qualified evaluators

or, alternatively

Person B:
1. May or may not live in mom's basement (being funny, but regardless, they're nowhere near as qualified as Person A)
2. Has had zero in-person interactions with the recruit
3. Has watched a few YouTube vids of the recruit (maybe)
4. No in-person workout
5. Has the feedback & opinions of hundreds of other internet blowhards
bullseye04.gif


BULLSEYE'S TODAY...............................

Narrow J = 2

internet blowhards = 0

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I like it ...................I really really do............................................good job bro..............................
 
#141      
So random internet posters knew more about his personality than the coaching staff did?

I was entertaining your argument(s) but no longer.
Actually, I didn't say that. I'm guessing the coaches know more. I sure hope they do. But to say that fans have no clue and coaches have it all together, is just wrong. Of course they know more about every aspect of the game and their team than a fan.

But guess what. Multi million dollar coaches are getting fired all the time, despite having all this knowledge.

I sure hope BU didn't pull your line with skeptical donors. "I know you were worried about the kid, but I vetted him and determined he'd be a good fit. Your idea that he'd be a problem and that his family was toxic was just a lucky guess. Give me more money please."
 
#142      
Some may not be, most are. I'm just saying, who's opinions should I trust?

Person A:
1. Is the head men's bball coach at UofI
2. Has had numerous in-person interactions with the recruit
3. Has watched hours of film of the recruit
4. Has had the recruit in for an in-person workout
5. Has the feedback & opinions of several other very qualified evaluators

or, alternatively

Person B:
1. May or may not live in mom's basement (being funny, but regardless, they're nowhere near as qualified as Person A)
2. Has had zero in-person interactions with the recruit
3. Has watched a few YouTube vids of the recruit (maybe)
4. No in-person workout
5. Has the feedback & opinions of hundreds of other internet blowhards
Good points. I agree with you and I would also trust Person A over Person B.

Maybe we are driving at different things, but I guess my point is more so why we didnt have a backup plan for a solid PG given what happened this past year. It seems like the coaching staff had almost every egg in the RayJ basket, presumably given what he was telling the staff (which jives with what the insiders were relaying on here the past month about it being a done deal essentially) even though he was still visiting other schools. As we all know recruiting is fluid, I guess I just expected a better backup plan from a staff with decades of experience in recruiting here. I can't source anything, but insiders have stated we have significant amounts of NIL cash compared to most schools and a bunch of playing time at the PG position that should be incredibly attractive. Absolutely not saying myself (or anyone else on here for that matter) could run a program better, because that most certainly is not the case, but the coaching staff certainly isn't infallible and I just don't quite get why we didn't have a better backup plan. What do I know though, I am Person B (other than bullet #1.)
 
#143      
Not sure of the specifics of your guys' argument but if I may, I'm going to respectfully challenge your general line of thinking, NarrowJ.

I know a guy (well I know his wife) who was a huge Cubs fan and stat geek. He got some of his analysis in front of the Cubs organization and a few years later he had a World Series ring and was riding with Theo in the parade. He started out as a fan with a hobby.

There are also several examples of fans who start with personal blogs and become respected analysts over time.

If someone has enough time and passion, they can become pretty knowledgeable about a subject.

Brad Underwood has forgotten more about basketball than any of us will ever know. This is true. But fans, especially ones as passionate as ours, are certainly capable of analyzing a situation and providing a somewhat educated perspective. Especially, I would say, on the macro things. Sometimes I think a bit of a "can't see the forest for the trees" thing happens with players, coaches, and yes even insiders.
Do think we have some knowledgeable BB fans but are operating without the facts. Health and odds of getting a pass to play are unknowns for all but a few. Think we would have been ecstatic to get him last year.
Very few posters thought Buck would get significant minutes last year. BU said he was trying to develop Ty last year and then thought he was putting too much on him. Agree we need a PG but am well off the ledge.
 
#144      
Does anyone believe DGL will get serious minutes and contribute?
His time on the court will almost certainly be predicated on his defense, and right now, it seems he has a very very long way to go on that end of the court. If he shows up coachable, works his butt off, and comes out with a defensive fire to him, he will see some minutes this year. That said, based on his tape and what the insiders have been saying, that seems like a longshot and so I wouldn't expect much of any minutes for him, even considering the state of the current roster. And one other thing- while he does certainly show explosiveness, athleticism, and offense on his tape, the overall defense played in OTE is extremely low quality, so it'll be a very big transition to B10 ball on that side of the floor also. All in all, there is a place where he could earn decent minutes on this roster, but he'd have to make a huge jump to get there, which seems unlikely in year 1.
 
#145      
Well, this is just wrong. People projecting problems with Skyy Clark were not lucky. They saw a lot of indicators and red flags.

People who said relying on freshmen point guards was a problem were not lucky. They were looking at a long history of college basketball that gave some indication of that.

Were any of these things a certainty? No, of course not.

BU and team got it wrong with Skyy Clark. So for all their expertise, we got a super raw deal that may even be creating problems now with our NIL base.

I think this is cherry picking. IIRC, they went after Boswell, another freshman, and were in it to the end. Skyy was a freshman and coming off injury, so they knew they were taking a chance. They set him up for success, and it didn't work out. I don't think that's unreasonable, especially when you have another chance with Epps. Epps in other circumstances might have worked out a lot better, but that's another story.

It's so easy to armchair coach when you know the results, I just don't buy these after-the-fact "indicators" as though they foretold the future to anyone who'd bother to listen. Real life is never that simple. Anyone who plays games without perfect information knows you can make a good bet, and get a bad result.

All that said, I agree the PG situation is not inspiring confidence. Closing it down with recruiting is probably the easiest criticism to make. Every team has question marks, but college is a guard's game, and we'd feel a lot better with a known difference maker.
 
#146      

Bigtex

DFW
No, the team and the players are the key, but the team and players get much better looks when all 5 guys run the offense. You can like or not like Underwood's offense, but the team is better if everyone buys in to it.
agree but what is the consequence for not running the offense? I believe this staff assembled the 22/23 roster that didn't gel. Last year it didn't seem like there were any consequences. So does that mean the team ran Underwood's offense?
 
#147      
Actually, I didn't say that. I'm guessing the coaches know more. I sure hope they do. But to say that fans have no clue and coaches have it all together, is just wrong. Of course they know more about every aspect of the game and their team than a fan.

But guess what. Multi million dollar coaches are getting fired all the time, despite having all this knowledge.

I sure hope BU didn't pull your line with skeptical donors. "I know you were worried about the kid, but I vetted him and determined he'd be a good fit. Your idea that he'd be a problem and that his family was toxic was just a lucky guess. Give me more money please."
Haahaha….touché…nicely played.
(First they would crap egg rolls; right before they told him to get lost. Lol)
Reggie Watts Applause GIF by The Late Late Show with James Corden
 
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#148      
All these things can be true at the same time:

1. Brad is a really good coach
2. The program is miles better than it was the previous 10 years.
3. Progress has stagnated for he program the last 3 years.
4. Results should be among the top 10 programs for a coach paid among the top 10 highest paid coaches.
 
#149      
Actually, I didn't say that. I'm guessing the coaches know more. I sure hope they do. But to say that fans have no clue and coaches have it all together, is just wrong. Of course they know more about every aspect of the game and their team than a fan.

But guess what. Multi million dollar coaches are getting fired all the time, despite having all this knowledge.

I sure hope BU didn't pull your line with skeptical donors. "I know you were worried about the kid, but I vetted him and determined he'd be a good fit. Your idea that he'd be a problem and that his family was toxic was just a lucky guess. Give me more money please."

I can get behind bits of this. Your previous statements I could not.

However, I did not say fans have no clue. Not diving into that as I explained in previous posts.

I also never made that last statement so don't attribute "that line" (your made-up quote) to me.
 
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