Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[AirNeazy]

Man people will always find a reason to complain and moan huh?

Try telling someone who went to the U of I from 2013-2017 and saw 0 tourney berths, a combined 29 B1G wins in 4 seasons that it was somehow "fun" watching those guys develop just because they stayed here 3+ years. That's no shade to Malcolm or those guys but that assuredly was not fun losing to Rutgers on the road to kill any chance of being the "last four in", or Tracy missing a point blank layup in the BTT as time expired against Michigan to seal not making the tourney.

Every guy on this squad chose to come to U of I (Quincy turned us down twice before but still!) and put that jersey on. Whether they were here 4 years like CoHawk, 2 years like TSJ, or just one like Domask....they are putting together one of our winningest seasons ever and will be Illini FOR LIFE. If you feel like that's "less fun"......sorry but you need to get your head checked.

If there's any ambiguity on how some of these transfers feel about their connection to the university....take a look at Alfonso Plummer's twitter page and handle: No mention of his JUCO or Utah (where he spent the majority of his college career) but he chose to put "UIUC Alumni" as the first thing.

 

[IlliDan]

We're replacing a TON of scoring, I don't think Boswell and Maddox get in each other's way at all, those guys should be eager to play together.

And Boswell's NBA prospects are dependent on his ability as a facilitator, he needs scorers around him.

Boswell is a situation a little like Kalkbrenner or Tyger Campbell where staying at the great program he's already at, going pro, or transferring to an even bigger NIL fish than us all seem like more realistic outcomes. But as a Champaign native at least there's some answer to the "why us?" question. If he enters the portal we should go all out.

AJ Storr would also be a big deal. I have my skepticism of him as a player, but that's a guy who might well be the Big Ten preseason POY.

Two smaller guards along with DGL,possibly Moretti,position becoming very small,not optimal on defense.Might create some matchup problems.P.S. think Rodgers bulks up and plays forward in 2024.

 

[Second place is 1st loser]

4 of our top 7 are 5th year guys.....

We are clearly one of the haves vs have nots(NIL). We'll be able to benefit more than most, but this still isn't healthy for the sport, most notably prep recruits and mid majors. Pretty sure the college game wasn't meant to put 24 year olds vs 18 year olds. The toothpaste is out of the tube now, so just have to roll with it.

I DESPISE agreeing with Izzo, Calipari and Pitino, but.... they're right. Jay Wright got out of Dodge, just in time. For the coaches that value their job because they're developing boys and making them men and they're taking a raw talent of an 18 year old and maximizing their abilities as a 22 year old...that's over.

 

[sharpshot16]

Is Indy okay - usually he is all over providing updates but radio silence lately.

Travelling to Boston most likely

 

[ChiefGritty]

Two smaller guards along with DGL,possibly Moretti,position becoming very small,not optimal on defense.Might creat matchup problems.

True, but those guys can do a lot of things at both ends of the floor that our current guys can't.

Everything totally changes next year. Shannon, Hawkins and Domask are all really unique players whose particular qualities define everything we do.

But Boswell or Moretti have skills Domask doesn't. Dainja has abilities Hawkins doesn't. You build around the strengths of the guys who are there.

Pretty sure the college game wasn't meant to put 24 year olds vs 18 year olds. The toothpaste is out of the tube now, so just have to roll with it. I DESPISE agreeing with Izzo, Calipari and Pitino, but.... they're right. Jay Wright got out of Dodge, just in time. For the coaches that value their job because they're developing boys and making them men and they're taking a raw talent of an 18 year old and maximizing their abilities as a 22 year old...that's over.

It's not over, it's just Covid working its way through the system.

Top level college basketball will be younger in two years. I think mid-major portal NIL seekers will still make it older than it was, but it will be younger than now.

 

[sacraig]

 

[ptgrd23]

Hopefully the Feds will write legislation giving NCAA authority to govern eligibility. NCAA is incompetent and brought it upon themselves by refusing to pay athletes and having inconsistent and unfair transfer rules that only existed to help the universities/athletic program. it was hypocritical that non revenue sports athletes could transfer and be immediately eligible but football and basketball had to sit out.

I think some simple rules

- NIL contracts must be filed with NCAA and made public. The IRS may get very interested if people are taking business deductions for these which cannot be justified.

- Some limitation on transfers without sitting out. For example baseball if you go to college you are not eligible for draft till after your sophomore year. Maybe you get 2 transfers without sitting out plus one if you graduate. People transferring every year is getting a little silly.

- Free transfer if your coach leaves/fired

- Give up on joke that NIL cannot be tied to recruiting

 

[Ga65]

poll auburn fans and probably 85% will tell you how he killed that team. Drove Pearl crazy

Well, he’s got that going for him.

 

[oskeewowwowboomtime]

I'm as old-school as old-school gets and this is how I feel as well. Couple of years ago I'm sure I was railing about the death of development, these portal mercenaries were not true Illini, etc. And if we were losing I'd probably still be doing the same.

But winning cures all I guess, because I love the guys this season just the same whether they arrived this year or came out of high school. Turns out a 30+ game season is long enough to build an emotional bond. And my brain can rationalize that the Southern Illinois-es and Utah Valleys are indeed farm systems, so these guys are not mercenaries, just September call-ups.

QG's story may be my favorite. Declined the Illini not once but twice, yet we still brought him in to arguably his most successful personal season. Just look what we can do in the portal.

I will say I'm not ready to say we have permanently turned the corner, the scars of Clark and Epps are still fresh. There is no guarantee of success in a free agent world. But Brad and the coaches have certainly demonstrated an ability to navigate here and are due both respect and gratitude.

Fixed it.

 

[Joel Goodson]

Fran's getting in next:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1773058235131375666

 

[illini0440]

We are clearly one of the haves vs have nots(NIL). We'll be able to benefit more than most, but this still isn't healthy for the sport, most notably prep recruits and mid majors. Pretty sure the college game wasn't meant to put 24 year olds vs 18 year olds. The toothpaste is out of the tube now, so just have to roll with it.

I DESPISE agreeing with Izzo, Calipari and Pitino, but.... they're right. Jay Wright got out of Dodge, just in time. For the coaches that value their job because they're developing boys and making them men and they're taking a raw talent of an 18 year old and maximizing their abilities as a 22 year old...that's over.

These power 5 coaches do value their job because of development and stuff like that but the main reason is the millions of dollars they make….those coaches will do whatever they can to keep those high paying jobs.

 

[ChiefGritty]

These power 5 coaches do value their job because of development and stuff like that but the main reason is the millions of dollars they make….those coaches will do whatever they can to keep those high paying jobs.

And of course they only got into this crazy profession at the much lower paying end in the first place because they're competitive as heck.

Underwood is going to do what it takes to win. I would just advise a slightly more nuanced view of it than simply "as many 5th year guys as possible".

 

[oskeewowwowboomtime]

Mayer was not the problem last year. He just hit a terrible shooting slump the last few games. That team would not have won many games without him.

Agreed. People forget that Mayer was Third Team All-Big Ten in 2023. He was a goof ball free spirit, but not the problem per se. Coleman almost always refers to the "young guys" when he talks about the bad culture and problems of the 2023 team.

 

[IlliniBrave75]

Fran's getting in next:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1773058235131375666

I just posted about this in the Coaching Carousel Thread. Wondering if they all know something we don't about Fran's Future?

 

[IlliniBrave75]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772684646452539830

 

[ChiefGritty]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772684646452539830

There's your big that can shoot.

 

[IlliniBrave75]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772684646452539830

Is averaging 2 stocks a game good?

 

[TwoElevenEastDaniel]

Is averaging 2 stocks a game good?

It's good for fantasy basketball (Stocks=Steals + Blocks.) I suppose at least he's a two-way threat.

(I apologize if the sarcasm wooshed over my head.)

 

[My2Cents]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772684646452539830

Going to Virginia, lead the team in scoring at 7 ppg

 

[IlliniwekKDR]

Is averaging 2 stocks a game good?

Must be an economics major. Although it might be a typo. Playing in Illinois, we might be talking about corn stalks

 

[PasadenaIllini]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1772684646452539830

How many bonds did he average?

 

[Brosky]

There is no more rebuilding. We are built. We reload.

Yes, that's a nice meme, but this looks different to me. We lose four starters. The one we have returning is tough defensively and a good rebounder, but he's no threat to score if he's more than 3 feet from the basket. If BU's job isn't in fact to rebuild, I'll be surprised.

 

[mhuml32]

If we bring everybody eligible back except Hawkins and are adding Jake Davis that would leave two open spots.

One of them needs to be a high scoring experienced lead guard type. The second should be a big, a big that can shoot perhaps preferable.

In this hypothetical, you would have some interesting dilemmas. You would already have Dainja, Hansberry, and Morez for traditional bigs. If you add a fourth it could be complicated to get a quality big knowing that playing time will be tight. Adding a big also would lose some positional flexibility because of lineup combinations. If you get another big, I would really want a longer, leaner outside scoring option over size and shot-blocking.

It also means your only wings are Goode (best off the bench) and Davis (unproven in top college level). You can play Rodgers at a wing but spacing will become more complicated, so that's probably something best left for a handful of minutes. If you get another wing, then you're putting a lot of faith on Hansberry being ready for 18-20 minutes and Morez playing 12-15 minutes (or vice versa).

This is partially why I'm a huge fan of Saint Thomas. He can give you the wing length, enough size to take on more athletic bigs, and some ball-handling duties. Plus, we remain the Booty Ball Kingdom.

 

[OrangeBlue98]

Any day I get a Swedish Chef and a Statler and Waldorf reference is a good day…..

 

[bleedorange and blue]

I'm aware. That doesn't mean it's good for the game.

I am no fan of this revolving door of players. I'd much rather see Dee and Deron develop, or Chris Gandy and Warren Carter really become something their Sr year.

These past few years it has been, you need to be instantly good or we'll get a 23 year old to take your spot.

How many guys have been asked to leave? Seems like, Clark, Epps and Melendez all were gone on their own. I think Coach feels a loyalty to guys once he gets them here. If they stink it up they may not play but I don't think he's ever asked anyone to leave or taken away a scholarship