redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
If we are just going to sit around and wait for Reeves, I doubt anything would happen any time soon.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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I'd prefer if Mobius kept his clothes on.
Can we get some recruiting news? I'm dying of boredom here and the dad jokes are emerging...
Those bulls teams are a good though very extreme example that other positions can initiate the offense outside of point guard. Their pgs were basically just spot up shooters.
Though yes they did happen to have two of the best players in NBA history to make it happen.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
Lol what a joke.
Agree 100%. He shouldn't include Kentucky over us if hardware is what he wants. Atleast not recently...I think it came down to not wanting to face Rutgers in the conference. That would be a slap in the face.
Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Username checks out.
Boy was that entertaining! Thanx for putting that up. The “Illinois State-Guy” stuff got me.
I thought (not from you) that "not having a scholarship left" would never matter if the right player was available? Perhaps the staff's ability to actually land the "right players" has been overstated just a bit? Sure, this cycle they've closed on guys from Utah Valley and Illinois State, but....
*Southern Illinois. (Domask)
I see you conveniently left out Temple/Iowa State (Williams) and Oregon (Guerrier) in trying to make your point...
You're right, especially about Guerrier (brain cramp), but Williams is a guy that ISU didn't care about losing - we'll see if he's able to contribute anything prior to 2024-25.
(Edited). Doesn't change my main point though, that insiders have said it doesn't matter if we can land the right guy, they'll find a scholarship. They just haven't been able to land the right guy. Even Williams they were theoretically immediately recruiting over (at least for 2023-24 insurance)
In contrast with, not in contact with. Dang spell check.
I remember watching the U-18 tournament last year played in Mexico, where Whitmore was the MVP and super-stud scorer.
Rogers was the point guard the whole tournament and the coach said he might have been their most valuable player. He did great even though he didn't shoot well from the outside. He was certainly the "glue guy" that held that team of super scorers together and pointing in the right direction. I watched every game just to see how he played and thought how lucky we were to be getting him. I still feel that way about his potential contributions.
Could that U-18 tournament be a harbinger of next year?
Yep, point forward is his best route. Not point guard.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
I'd be ok if he turns into a Ben Simmons.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
He was amazing in that tourney. You know, a lot of people on Loyalty kind of get stuck in the idea that WYSIWYG in players. Historically though, the biggest improvement comes between freshman and sophomore years. Looking forward to this season VERY VERY much.
Edit: PAYWALL WARNING. But a reminder that players improve in the college game - https://theathletic.com/837683/2019...er-and-when-you-have-to-wait-until-next-year/
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Bigtex
- DFW
agree - part of the optimism last year looking for Goode, RJ to make a PODZ like leap
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
The big leaper leapt. RJ was a huge disappointment. And it sucks we never saw the full Goode.
I'm soooooooooo hoping for Ty to make a big-time jump.
Honest question, what's the difference? It seems like a lot of folks here want a 'point guard' who is all of the following:
-- The primary ballhandler getting the ball up the court
-- The initiator of offensive set plays
-- Responsible for guarding the other team's primary ballhandler and for being the first man back on defense
-- An offensive playmaker who sets up his teammates
-- The trigger of the transition offense
-- A leader/coach on the floor
Does that need to be one guy, and would we be satisfied with having only one guy play those roles? I kind of feel like the answer to that is no, and when we have had a guy like that in the past (Curbelo and McCamey immediately come to mind) a lot of the same people who really, really want us to have a point guard have been the most critical of their performance. And a lot of the time, whether or not a team has a guy in that role is based on scheme. RayJ Dennis was not that guy until last year. Prior to that, he shared playmaking duties with a combo guard at Toledo and before that, a point forward at Boise State.
I'd love for us to have a bit more depth in terms of guys who can take on the above roles, especially if Williams is hurt or ineligible. But I do like the fact that we seem to have added playmaking ability as compared to last year. Domask may have been the primary playmaker at Southern even though he was not the point guard, and Harmon appears to have been decent in that role even though he was playing alongside a ball-dominant guard in Woodbury. I also think that there's a good chance that Hawkins and Shannon continue to develop as playmakers as both have already been improving and solidifying those roles somewhat in their careers.
I think that last year's team didn't have those types of guys. We wanted Mayer to be something he wasn't, frustratingly -- he showed flashes of being a good passer but was just uninterested in playing that role, maybe because as they say in baseball you don't walk off the island? Clark was disappointing and then he was gone. Epps was never there. So we were just left with lesser versions of the Shannon and Hawkins who will play this season and otherwise it was every man for himself.
We'd probably be better with Dennis, or Mulcahy, or whoever else we supposedly were in on because the more of those guys you have on your team the better (and especially if you don't have anyone specific dominating the ball on every possession). But I'd argue we're still in much better shape in terms of having guys who can fulfill point-guardly duties this year than we were last year, even if we didn't realize how dire the situation would be at this time a year ago.
Please not Ben Simmons - could not get LSU to NCAA despite being #1 pick in NBA draft. Scared to shoot free throws in NBA playoffs. Sat out last 2 seasons for "mental health" reasons - still collected his paycheck. #2 reason why you don't give max contracts to people with character issues. Kyrie Irving is clear #1.
Has to be better example of low scoring PF with great passing rebounding and defensive ability.
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