Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[tatupu70]

I don't understand the posters who keep saying anyone giving a dispassionate view of the offseason is a "sky is falling" nut who needs their medication checked.

Sometimes the game doesn't play out how you thought it would. It's OK for people to question the process in those cases. Hopefully some new players will enter the portal and sign with IL, but at this point, it looks like BU should have upped the offer on the guys he wanted.

I expect that he will adjust his plan for next year, like he has in the past. Very successfully.

 

[LFOD]

Some of you need to step away from the keyboard and see your doctor about changing medication.

 

[jacekpardol]

Very odd

Not to be mean but are we really sweating Moretti? If coach thinks they can upgrade from Nico I'm all for this. Everyone we have following the run was very dispensable, maybe coach has a bigger vision then the quality of the players we have been loosing. What if a player like Nico asked for a bag and Brad was like "nah, we're good" which could very well be the case.

 

[BashCtIllini]

Boy, Illinois fans were sold a bag of goods on Moretti. "Looks great in practice running the scout team".

anyone who thought Moretti was ever going to see significant minutes was wearing the darkest shade of orange and blue glasses.

What I find crazy is the guy I expected to leave first, DGL, is one of the only guys staying.

 

[sitka]

Is there a plan anymore?

 

[Navy_illini]

I understand people’s fear and we need to add players
Here’s how I can relax
1. How many quality players are still available
2. The top ranked transfers don’t equal best. Look back at last year

2023 College Basketball Transfer Portal

2023 College basketball Transfer Portal

247sports.com

My biggest concern is we don’t have a solid core returning like last year. The players who have transferred were solid players not great players

 

[GatorMcKlusky]

I’m playing center this year.

I’m playing center this year.

It's either you or Shaun Livingston (wearing a Brian Cook jersey)

 

[ChiefGritty]

Some of you need to step away from the keyboard and see your doctor about changing medication.

There are 50 posts chastising people for freaking out in this thread and zero posts freaking out.

 

[nichi]

It's classic whining Illini behavior. There will always always always be something to complain about or wring hands over.

Q: How many Illini fans does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: 20. One to screw in the bulb. Nineteen to say (s)he did it wrong.

 

[sacraig]

There are 50 posts chastising people for freaking out in this thread and zero posts freaking out.

There are, like, 3 freaking out. Out of 10 pages. To be fair.

 

[jezzadownunder]

UAB becomes first D-I football team to join PA

The UAB football team became the first in Division I to sign on with Athletes.org, a budding players' association.

www.espn.com

As we all know, NCAA days are numbered. Another nail here. Sorry wasn’t sure which thread. Maybe NCAA general?

 

[jacekpardol]

There are 50 posts chastising people for freaking out in this thread and zero posts freaking out.

Seriously, I was thinking the same thing. I had a post that in summary said "I'm a bit concerned currently but fully trust the staff" and we had 3 pages of "take your meds"

 

[skyIdub]

 

[PepeSilvia]

Boy, Illinois fans were sold a bag of goods on Moretti. "Looks great in practice running the scout team".

I honestly think he can be a good college player. Just not at the Big10 level right now maybe in a year or two if he gets stronger.

 

[LouHenson]

Can one of the insiders give a reason why no interest in Cliff? Is it just money (does not seem like it given the programs linked to him), or the clogging the land problem. Put him in the “dunker” spot. No question he would be one of the best defensive centers ever to play at Illinois. Maybe, just maybe if Coleman sees we had cliff he would come back. I just don’t see Coleman getting drafted? Hope I am wrong? Can he still come back not sure if this is (like Kofi) third time trying?

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

I don't like the new reality of the transfer portal madness more than anybody else ... the days of watching a player like Dee Brown in an Illini jersey for four seasons in a row and play three of those with 90% the same team seem like such a distant memory that it's unreal.

With that said, I'm highly skeptical that some of you won't be just as invested in next year's team if we are winning, lol ... when Trent and 'Monte and Kofi left us, nobody here thought TSJ would be in an Illini jersey someday, let alone one of the greats. Last offseason, I didn't even know who Marcus Domask WAS, and I'm positive very few people thought he had the chance to be an all-conference player.

If we are winning games next year and look primed for another deep NCAA Tournament run, we'll ~all of a sudden~ "love this team," haha. Again, I miss the old days of pre-transfer mania ... but at the end of the day, we cheer for the program and the "laundry," as some have said. And we will learn to love whoever is repping the Fighting Illini.

 

[CHEEF]

Is Brad still cooking? Or did we order cold wet noodles?

 

[Battle89]

Seriously, I was thinking the same thing. I had a post that in summary said "I'm a bit concerned currently but fully trust the staff" and we had 3 pages of "take your meds"

 

[Johnny Lawrence]

I'm hoping he returns to Willard and deplanes followed by about five guys that that look a lot like Meyers or Kofi.

 

[IMPE Legend]

Some of you need to step away from the keyboard and see your doctor about changing medication.

Not being critical of you so much when I say this, but I find it funny that so many people are acting like our roster turnover is somehow a normal thing. Its not. Totally different from a few years ago. And not even normal for the majority of teams in today's portal world. Especially for a team that was just in the Elite 8 and the coach went on and on about how much he loved the players. This is simply not normal and to act like there is no reason to be concerned when the team is going to have 2 players back next year (well, maybe...the portal isn't closed yet) is crazy. I don't think Brad has been nearly as successful bringing in transfers as some of you think to just sit back and assume he's got this all under control. Or at least bringing in players at this scale. Probably forgetting people(Dain should go somewhere), but last few years the impact transfers have been:

- Domask, Gurrier, Harmon
- Shannon, Mayer
- Grandison, Plummer, Payne

Obviously a good list, but it spans 3 years and nothing from that list makes me think we can suddenly create a top team in one off season around 2 holdovers. So worrying actually makes sense. Maybe it will work out, but there's a pretty good chance it won't. That's just being realistic.

 

[madillini4]

There are 50 posts chastising people for freaking out in this thread and zero posts freaking out.

What in the world are you talking about? Every other post I read is someone freaking out or not being able to follow along with the thread and asking about players that have been talked about over and over. I didn’t even mention people freaking out and you put worlds in my mouth. Why do you feel the need to interject all the time with baseless arguments? It’s gotten beyond annoying to be honest.

 

[WeWillWhen]

I don't like the new reality of the transfer portal madness more than anybody else ... the days of watching a player like Dee Brown in an Illini jersey for four seasons in a row and play three of those with 90% the same team seem like such a distant memory that it's unreal.

With that said, I'm highly skeptical that some of you won't be just as invested in next year's team if we are winning, lol ... when Trent and 'Monte and Kofi left us, nobody here thought TSJ would be in an Illini jersey someday, let alone one of the greats. Last offseason, I didn't even know who Marcus Domask WAS, and I'm positive very few people thought he had the chance to be an all-conference player.

If we are winning games next year and look primed for another deep NCAA Tournament run, we'll ~all of a sudden~ "love this team," haha. Again, I miss the old days of pre-transfer mania ... but at the end of the day, we cheer for the program and the "laundry," as some have said. And we will learn to love whoever is repping the Fighting Illini.

Annual roster churn for a decade-plus hasn't seemed to dim the passion of UK basketball fans. Just saying.

 

[ChiefGritty]

Not being critical of you so much when I say this, but I find it funny that so many people are acting like our roster turnover is somehow a normal thing. Its not. Totally different from a few years ago. And not even normal for the majority of teams in today's portal world. Especially for a team that was just in the Elite 8 and the coach went on and on about how much he loved the players. This is simply not normal and to act like there is no reason to be concerned when the team is going to have 2 players back next year (well, maybe...the portal isn't closed yet) is crazy. I don't think Brad has been nearly as successful bringing in transfers as some of you think to just sit back and assume he's got this all under control. Or at least bringing in players at this scale. Probably forgetting people(Dain should go somewhere), but last few years the impact transfers have been:

- Domask, Gurrier, Harmon
- Shannon, Mayer
- Grandison, Plummer, Payne

Obviously a good list, but it spans 3 years and nothing from that list makes me think we can suddenly create a top team in one off season around 2 holdovers. So worrying actually makes sense. Maybe it will work out, but there's a pretty good chance it won't. That's just being realistic.

As much as I hate it as a college basketball fan, as an experiment I'm fascinated to see how betting it all on the portal plays out.

We are aggressively testing a hypothesis in real time.

 

[Kinkyfish]

It's either you or Shaun Livingston (wearing a Brian Cook jersey)

That you Herman Munster?

 

[Second place is 1st loser]

What in the world are you talking about? Every other post I read is someone freaking out or not being able to follow along with the thread and asking about players that have been talked about over and over. I didn’t even mention people freaking out and you put worlds in my mouth. Why do you feel the need to interject all the time with baseless arguments? It’s gotten beyond annoying to be honest.

To be fair, these threads by EOD exceed 300 posts. The repeat posts come from people that don't have the time to scroll back 10 - 15 pages to try and keep up with the full time Loyalty employees.