Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[Illini in Indiana]

I think @Indy Illini Fan finally knocking some of you to your senses what some of us have been saying for some time but being shouted down with nonsense gifs.

Look at all the players that left. Assistant coaches that left. Some of y’all been willing to chalk each one up to some excuse that victimizes the Illini and Brad. The exodus we’ve experienced under Brad is not normal even now in the portal era. I give him credit for getting quality replacements, but how much is that Brad and how much is that the treasurer who signs the check?

These excuses have all been parroted here:
Ortega - Calapari needed him
Chin - he sucked, we just used him to get Ayo, he did the Loyola scout
Gentry - he’s going home
Mark Smith (87) - didn’t like the treadmill
Tevian Jones (116) - weed problems
Alan Griffin (182) - dad wanted him to stay but he listened to mom (what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad? Please)
Adam Miller (33) - wanted to stay but mom didn’t want him to
Andre Curbello (47) - concusion and addiction led to attitude issues
Austin Hutcherson - better than Ayo, but injury bug
RJ Melendez (94) - no more Puerto Ricans on the team, and good riddance
Brandin Podziemski (107) - defense kept him off the court (lol no need to rehash)
Sky Clark (33) - in it for himself
Jayden Epps (72) - not a team player
Zacharie Perrin (222) - thought he was going to start

Underwood has recruited 26 freshman - 17 have transferred. He’s had 3 coaches leave for lateral moves in 7 years.

Some thing is broken within the program, and its clear fat stacks and bags are only thing keeping it together at this point in my opinion.

All good point when departures are listed together. I'd have to add last years antics trying to motivate the team for a leader & the failed "switch everything" defense.

This year is key IMO. A top B10 finish, NCAA tourney bid, & sweet 16 appearance - all is well. If not IDK

 

[Joel Goodson]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1671351378634063874

 

[Joel Goodson]

Wait so we aren't making fun of Little Tim anymore? And we are even taking him seriously?

different guys, very similar handle

 

[Second place is 1st loser]

I think @Indy Illini Fan finally knocking some of you to your senses what some of us have been saying for some time but being shouted down with nonsense gifs.

Look at all the players that left. Assistant coaches that left. Some of y’all been willing to chalk each one up to some excuse that victimizes the Illini and Brad. The exodus we’ve experienced under Brad is not normal even now in the portal era. I give him credit for getting quality replacements, but how much is that Brad and how much is that the treasurer who signs the check?

These excuses have all been parroted here:
Ortega - Calapari needed him
Chin - he sucked, we just used him to get Ayo, he did the Loyola scout
Gentry - he’s going home
Mark Smith (87) - didn’t like the treadmill
Tevian Jones (116) - weed problems
Alan Griffin (182) - dad wanted him to stay but he listened to mom (what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad? Please)
Adam Miller (33) - wanted to stay but mom didn’t want him to
Andre Curbello (47) - concusion and addiction led to attitude issues
Austin Hutcherson - better than Ayo, but injury bug
RJ Melendez (94) - no more Puerto Ricans on the team, and good riddance
Brandin Podziemski (107) - defense kept him off the court (lol no need to rehash)
Sky Clark (33) - in it for himself
Jayden Epps (72) - not a team player
Zacharie Perrin (222) - thought he was going to start

Underwood has recruited 26 freshman - 17 have transferred. He’s had 3 coaches leave for lateral moves in 7 years.

Some thing is broken within the program, and its clear fat stacks and bags are only thing keeping it together at this point in my opinion.

To be fair, outside of Podz...which one of those names above did we truly miss based on great successes after they left?

 

[Keisersose]

Inwas thrilled when we hired Underwood. All I knew was that he won a ton. But why did he win so much at SF Austin?

Did he recruit better players than the rest of the conference?

Did he have a “Kofi” type of player that dominated the league?

Did he (or an assistant) out scheme everyone? Run a system that was unstoppable at that level?

Were his players better conditioned and wore down everyone?

What did he hang his hat on as a coach?

I’m not sure how to look up the answer to this question. But looking at our previous coaches,

Lon was a great tactician that had been to a final four.

Bill was an up and comer known for his hard nosed defense iirc. He also benefitted from a Kenyon Martin injury in the NCAA tourney.

Bruce was known for his motion offense and IMO much of his success was having Roland Roberts in Carbondale. I also think Bruce was a much better coach when he had Chris Lowery as his assistant.

I don’t remember anything about Brad other than “he just won”.

 

[PIT_ILL]

Most everything you said about the players and coaches are true and @Indy Illini Fan will tell you the same thing. Also ORLANDO Antigua and Brad still talk all the time. Orlando had to leave for his marriage but wouldn’t be opposed to coming back.

Could you imagine adding OA in place of GA? That would be quite possibly the best staff in the country

 

[BretMyBeachHouse]

To be fair, outside of Podz...which one of those names above did we truly miss based on great successes after they left?

Well, the jury is still out on 4 transfers.

More importantly how about we identify guys that fit our program and will stick with us.

Take Epps. He's either a guy who can't take coaching or can't play defense or is a headache or who failed to develop or whose parents are a problem. Take your pick. Whatever you pick doesn't reflect well on the coaching staff .

 

[fulton steamer]

What i can't figure out is how we had one and they saw him play often but he rarely ever played and just a year later
He is going in the first round in a couple days. I hope we can evaluate more effectively in games, offer, and keep the best players going forward. I for one wish we would go after Kriisa.

Are you saying that Podz was/is a point guard? Because I wasn't aware of that.

 

[BashCtIllini]

Austin Hutcherson?

I assume by Ortega you meant Antigua?

Curbelo has always been a head case. Antigua sort of kept him in check.

"what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad?" see Alan Griffin. He didn't listen to Jim Boeheim either.

You might have a valid case with Podz, but the insiders talked about him like they do about Moretti. I think it took him a year to adjust to the huge step up in competition. The talent and skills were there.

It wasn't Griffin's dad that wanted him to change schools, it was his mom. His dad liked Underwood and wanted him to stay.

 

[HailtotheChief]

Are you saying that Podz was/is a point guard? Because I wasn't aware of that.

No, they were talking about evaluating talent. So that situation certainly makes me question how someone can only play 68 minutes all season here and a year later is a first round pick. I think they can evaluate talent but that does make you ponder it somewhat.. With that being said and what I saw in the combine and last season from him he was certainlymore skilled than Epps and others ball handlers we had at that position. I think he is very capable now that you mention it. I don't want to say what if again if we don't go after Kriisa or PM. Its will be like a rock in my shoe all next season if Williams can't play. Our PG needs to be able to shoot FTs in close games, and shoot or they won't be playing down the stretch.

 

[RabidDawgClassic]

This board:

“Brad didn’t play Podz enough as a freshman and recognize his greatness! He should be fired!”

Also this board:

“Brad would be stupid to rely on a freshman DGL this year. If he does that he should be fired!”

 

[IlliniwekKDR]

I think @Indy Illini Fan finally knocking some of you to your senses what some of us have been saying for some time but being shouted down with nonsense gifs.

Look at all the players that left. Assistant coaches that left. Some of y’all been willing to chalk each one up to some excuse that victimizes the Illini and Brad. The exodus we’ve experienced under Brad is not normal even now in the portal era. I give him credit for getting quality replacements, but how much is that Brad and how much is that the treasurer who signs the check?

These excuses have all been parroted here:
Ortega - Calapari needed him
Chin - he sucked, we just used him to get Ayo, he did the Loyola scout
Gentry - he’s going home
Mark Smith (87) - didn’t like the treadmill
Tevian Jones (116) - weed problems
Alan Griffin (182) - dad wanted him to stay but he listened to mom (what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad? Please)
Adam Miller (33) - wanted to stay but mom didn’t want him to
Andre Curbello (47) - concusion and addiction led to attitude issues
Austin Hutcherson - better than Ayo, but injury bug
RJ Melendez (94) - no more Puerto Ricans on the team, and good riddance
Brandin Podziemski (107) - defense kept him off the court (lol no need to rehash)
Sky Clark (33) - in it for himself
Jayden Epps (72) - not a team player
Zacharie Perrin (222) - thought he was going to start

Underwood has recruited 26 freshman - 17 have transferred. He’s had 3 coaches leave for lateral moves in 7 years.

Some thing is broken within the program, and its clear fat stacks and bags are only thing keeping it together at this point in my opinion.

I could go for some Ortega right about now

 

[sacraig]

different guys, very similar handle

No, it's the same guy. It doesn't take a ton to find the crazy in his timeline.

 

[21ChampaignSt]

Brad has been successful because he builds a certain culture and surrounds himself with a good staff. But you can't build a culture through the portal.

 

[Wrightandjohnstreet]

Would I take him ? In a heartbeat … He solves our problems …

Would Brad take him ? I don’t think he would based off what I’ve gathered … But he’s pondering it …

I just find it funny that the question on this board is always "is he a take?" or "do we have interest?". More times than not the answer has been yes to each of those. The more interesting question to me would be "does he have interest in Illinois?" That has been less frequently a Yes this offseason.

 

[Wrightandjohnstreet]

I want Brad to want to be here and I want Brad to succeed … I think Brad has made it clear where he stands on the first issue and the second issue he hasn’t set himself up well for … Those are just the facts …

And do I know Sean really well ? Yup … I also know Josh loves Sean … And Josh hates having to tell boosters Brad the bed on this RayJ thing despite all of their efforts while Sean has like 3 PGs who are all better than any PG we’ve got …

Oh wait … We STILL don’t have one … And that’s on Brad … Absolute failure … Unacceptable …

I agree with this. Its just funny how you've flipped the switch completely from start to end of this offseason. I was skeptical since last season played out and was hopeful we'd have a strong offseason that filled the PG need, but you were like Brad's #1 fan and now the opposite. Maybe hold off on the huge dramatic swings and try to be a little bit more even-keeled

 

[fulton steamer]

No, they were talking about evaluating talent. So that situation certainly makes me question how someone can only play 68 minutes all season here and a year later is a first round pick. I think they can evaluate talent but that does make you ponder it somewhat.. With that being said and what I saw in the combine and last season from him he was certainlymore skilled than Epps and others ball handlers we had at that position. I think he is very capable now that you mention it. I don't want to say what if again if we don't go after Kriisa or PM. Its will be like a rock in my shoe all next season if Williams can't play. Our PG needs to be able to shoot FTs in close games, and shoot or they won't be playing down the stretch.

Gotcha. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[destindog]

Nailed it. The way he handled the Podz situation may lead to Brads undoing here. I hope I’m wrong.

If Frazier and Williams hadn't gotten the fifth year I think the "Pods situation" would have been handled differently. You can't fault him for that. Look at Gill his freshmen year Who knew he would turn out like he did

 

[HensonHall71]

I heard we had a secret workout with our new PG grad transfer - his name is Anthony Adams and you can see from his workout clip below he would fit in perfectly with our team

 

[WyattEarp]

Inwas thrilled when we hired Underwood. All I knew was that he won a ton. But why did he win so much at SF Austin?

Did he recruit better players than the rest of the conference?

Did he have a “Kofi” type of player that dominated the league?

Did he (or an assistant) out scheme everyone? Run a system that was unstoppable at that level?

Were his players better conditioned and wore down everyone?

What did he hang his hat on as a coach?

I’m not sure how to look up the answer to this question. But looking at our previous coaches,

Lon was a great tactician that had been to a final four.

Bill was an up and comer known for his hard nosed defense iirc. He also benefitted from a Kenyon Martin injury in the NCAA tourney.

Bruce was known for his motion offense and IMO much of his success was having Roland Roberts in Carbondale. I also think Bruce was a much better coach when he had Chris Lowery as his assistant.

I don’t remember anything about Brad other than “he just won”.

He actually acquired a pretty good situation at SFA. (The last team that Ford recruited @ OkSt wasn’t too shabby either.) He had one stud and a bunch of pretty High IQ players and some deadly shooter(s) on his best team @ SFA.
He generally ran the Spread at both stops …and it fit those teams REALLY well. (Especially SFA)

Really, if anything is his calling-card it’s the Spread offense. (It was one of the most efficient offenses in the country. If you don’t believe me look it up.)

He had Gentry as an assistant for much of that time. He ran it @ OkSt too…worked pretty well there as well.

It worked pretty well here too…but rather than rolling into ball screens later in the possession…like they usually did. The more immediate Horns and high ball-screen stuff ultimately proved to be a better fit with our personnel. Those were Gentry tweaks.

Brad Underwood's Spread Offense<br/> — Hooper University

The spread offense goes back decades, and is credited to legendary coach Johnny Orr. Despite being created decades ago, the offense is still used at the power five level today, most famously by University of Illinois head coach, Brad Underwood. In this breakdown, we will take a look at the basic act

www.hooperuniversity.com

 

[3 point girl]

It wasn't Griffin's dad that wanted him to change schools, it was his mom. His dad liked Underwood and wanted him to stay.

I would see his dad a couple of times a year in Dallas & he always spoke so highly of BU every time we talked about him.

 

[WillyG42]

What an INTERESTING assessment (put the emphasis on the first three letters...) We have recruited WELL on the open market and also got two dominant players to return. I guess because he hasn't called you, Willy (won't he?) to consult on his next move that he's been doing nothing?

What moves has he made so far that imply his head is anywhere but on his shoulders, swiveling to look for opportunities to improve this team further?

Has KK even entered the portal yet? NO? Then they are not even allowed to talk to him or about him yet. And if they were, they certainly wouldn't talk openly to us about those conversations!

Maybe, just maybe some on this board should get THEIR heads out of the nether hole and look around... I see a strong potential contender in the Big Ten being built... and we're not done yet!

Personally, I'd love to see us add a rim protector. That may be an even greater need than a point guard.

You think he handled the Ray J situation well? Good back up plan if that fell through? Everyone saying his seat is hot if he doesn’t produce? He said in the off season we were going to get studs from the portal I see no ‘studs” yeah we got Coleman and TJ back which is great but hey let’s roll with a one legged point guard with no waiver and a freshman guard who every one said should redshirt and TY

 

[HailtotheChief]

Unfortunately, the problem goes beyond this offseason. The PG we should've had last year will be sitting in the green room on draft night while the guy we traded him for suits up for Lville after bailing on us mid season. If we try Ty at PG I pray it works out but I am not confident at all in that and think it will end in tradegy and be an embarrassing look for our program. Would get eaten alive during Braggin Rights.

I think Ty would be fine for a back up and play well. The issue with me is how can he or Harris for that matter handle the ball down the stretch in close B10 games with how they shoot free throws. I do expect that to improve but not to the level id bet on them knocking in clutch FTs.

 

[Calvin]

My 2 cents. I should start by saying I like Underwood --think he's well spoken and genuinely cares about the players and program.

The portal era is tricky with the leverage and money changing things so much. Glad to see so many boosters step up. I appreciate how Underwood has changed the trajectory of the program, and how relentless and adaptable he's been. That said, I see a handful of coaches whose teams seem to play HARD and focused in March. I put a huge premium on those guys. For the most part, I haven't seen that extra gear in March out of Underwood's teams. I'm not necessarily talking about winning, I'm talking about how much better a team looks by the end of the season. It's my one real knock on him, and until I see it, I'll remain skeptical that he's figured out how to inspire that level of trust and effort, or build the roster of guys who will do that. Somehow, a coach has to recruit players who fit, buy in, and have that hunger to develop as a team. Underwood's been good, not great at that. Maybe the covid year was the year for him to show he can do that, but we'll never know.

 

[skyIdub]

Ortega was just too fragile to keep the meat of this program together.

Also, Taco Tuesday was yesterday.

But it is also next Tuesday.