I foresee this GIF in your very near future. The numbers 1 and 22 stick out to me
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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I foresee this GIF in your very near future. The numbers 1 and 22 stick out to me
So is Gill out completely then?
Brad told him there is a spot for him if he wants it ... No guaranteed PT ... Come in and earn it ...
We aren't just gonna deny KG's son if he wants to commit ... His spot is there ...
Champaign Toast
Fan since Kiwane Garris
Will an early commitment from Fears help us land a top big man in the 2025 class? I'm thinking back to the Groce days when seemingly every F/C we recruited said they wanted to play with a great point guard and we weren't signing our top targets. Of course I liked Tracy Abrams, but he wasn't the flashiest name. In the 2025 class: Alston, I believe, plays like a wing forward at 6'9"; Bundalo has been said to be unlikely; is the Brooklyn, NY kid, Asher Elson, the most likely true rim presence that we are targeting? I love the size/athleticism combo in Milwaukee prep Kai Rogers and would love to find out that the staff is targeting him.
Given the above statement, is Underwood's philosophy these days to sign no more than one top 40 player per year with a pitch to join the rotation immediately, with the rest of the rotation being non-frosh and transfers? ... "Get old, stay old" ... I'm looking at how we sign Morez and then pick up promising lower-profile players Jaskstys and Brunson. Now we sign Fears and the other targets being mentioned most on here are ranked 49 and below, with most 80+. (Chuck Love 49... Bryce Heard 81... Aleks Alston 87... Kaden Magwood 109... with more in the ">150 but not yet getting noticed enough category)
Or will the philosophy be to sign as many top players as possible and sort things out during the season?
What is our ability to sign multiple top 40 prospects based on NIL resources? (Supposing rankings don't always determine a prospect's NIL expectation, but it might correlate pretty well in general.)
Given the above statement, is Underwood's philosophy these days to sign no more than one top 40 player per year with a pitch to join the rotation immediately, with the rest of the rotation being non-frosh and transfers? ... "Get old, stay old" ... I'm looking at how we sign Morez and then pick up promising lower-profile players Jaskstys and Brunson. Now we sign Fears and the other targets being mentioned most on here are ranked 49 and below, with most 80+. (Chuck Love 49... Bryce Heard 81... Aleks Alston 87... Kaden Magwood 109... with more in the ">150 but not yet getting noticed enough category)
Or will the philosophy be to sign as many top players as possible and sort things out during the season?
What is our ability to sign multiple top 40 prospects based on NIL resources? (Supposing rankings don't always determine a prospect's NIL expectation, but it might correlate pretty well in general.)
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I agree, after watching Fears live several times, and watching Magwood tape, I think Magwood is better. I know the rankings and stars don't show that. But I think the kid looks like a future pro.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
That would be a hell of a class.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Our top big man in 2025 will be Morez Johnson ... We will supplement that with a portal addition, Hansberry, and likely a freshman/Jakstys ...
Alston is a guy we are strongly looking at ... Magwood, Love, and Alston I would say are the Tier A guys left on the board as of right now ...
Yes - we are out on Bundalo as of now ... Even though Brad really likes the kid ...
As far as the "get old, stay old" message ... That is Brad's goal ... Brad also likes talented young guys ... If you can get guys like Fears, and Morez who are not 1 and done guys but as Soph, and maybe Juniors ... All American-type players (see Kofi and Ayo) ... Those guys are worth taking ... Butler is criminally under rated ... I see almost all of these kids play and Butler is a top 75 kid ... Easy ... Jakstys is a redshirt candidate ... But he will be valuable as an upper classmen ...
Every class is going to be different and Brad will never go as young as he did last year again but I think we can start to expect 3-4 man at most HS classes and the rest will be portal additions ... I think 2025 is likely a 4 man class if everything goes to plan ...
We have top 10 NIL basketball-wise in the nation ... NIL is not an issue ... But we are also going to be very strategic about how we spend it ... You have to find pieces that fit well and are willing to take a little less NIL than they may get another place to be on a winning team ... It's about developing good pieces internally as cheaply as possible and then going to the FA market and adding talent to supplement your team and take you over the top ...
I wouldn't count anything out at this point, but I would say it's unlikely... I think they both need the ball in their hand to be successful so I am not so sure it would be the best thing for them on an individual level ...
There are some rumors in the coaching world that Izzo might be done after this year ... I know he will probably deny it to the media but the word is out there privately and agents are gauging interest ...
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
What if I told you that we lead for all of them ...
That’s funny you say that when this article came out today re: Izzo https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...-he-does-hell-probably-do-it-like-nick-saban/
He's 2026 ... But a major priority ...
the national
- the Front Range
What if I told you that we lead for all of them ...
Brad has really taken over the portal recruiting ... Domask, and Quincy ... Both Brad guys ...
As far as another Domask ... There is a mid-major kid that Brad has his eye on ... I will not name-drop him yet ... But Brad is always on the lookout for talent ... Domask reminded Brad of Walkup and if you know Brad then you know he talks about Walkup a ton ... He likes having that kind of guy on his teams and will continue to seek that kind of guy ...
Boswell is a name to watch ... Brad really, really wanted him the first go around ...
I think it's funny that Izzo basically said he isn't going to retire because he enjoys coaching his son ... And his kid is out of eligibility after this year ...
He’s been pretty surly about the current state of affairs around NIL, the transfer portal, analytics, etc. Adapt or die. The messaging from him seems pretty clear the path he’s chosen.I think it's funny that Izzo basically said he isn't going to retire because he enjoys coaching his son ... And his kid is out of eligibility after this year ...
BillyBob1
- Champaign
I need a cheat sheet!!!What if I told you that we lead for all of them ...
I know we aren’t recruiting him, but what’s the word on where JJ Taylor is going to end up? The Memphis experiment didn’t work (I knew he and Mikey weren’t going to work out on Penny’s team. Penny learned his lesson about young players with attitude problems).
I see Mikey is going UCF. Expect Taylor to follow?
I see Mikey is going UCF. Expect Taylor to follow?
Fears gives me a Trent Frazier with better handles vibe. Helluva way to start a class...
Lots of time left in the year, but a situation to monitor once the season comes to an end
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