“Watch the portal today”
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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USAFILLINI
- Florida
Put me firmly in the Ty Rodgers fan club, but I think we can agree. That being said, if he develops a jump shot he could make himself a TON of money when he leaves college. He has the work ethic, and the motivation, going to be exciting to see what he does.
Pj Hall would be a needle mover for us, any word if this actually has any legs?
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
Today we stand with Bryce Hopkins
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I guess I just kinda don't understand the skepticism that our only returning starter (from a team where he was the only young player with a major role, and now he's not a young player anymore), would continue to be a starter.
If we end up with another 5 that can shoot, I guarantee you he starts.
The idea that he's getting pushed down the bench was predicated on a view of our portal prowess which alas has not survived contact with the real world.
The sweet spot is being able to credibly threaten the defense with midrange shots so they have to guard against that and can't overload against 3's and layups, while in fact taking as few of those shots as possible.
Domask started emphasizing his turnaround more later in the year, and TSJ started mixing in a few free throw line jumpers as teams threw bodies to the rim against him, but that stuff was a sparingly used counter, at least when our offense was playing well.
Tre White could have been a huge star in 2002 playing the way he does, but we don't want him doing that as a key cog in our offense, we want him to make teams guard him out to 3 and finish drives at the rim. He has those abilities, he just needs to refine and emphasize them. Rodgers is a more complex building project.
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Statistically, this is absolutely true, but I think we underestimate the value of players with a reliable midrange jumper. As the game tightens up and defenses key in on stopping shots at the rim and 3s, sometimes a good midrange shot is the best "clean" shot one can get. You see this happen in the NBA playoffs, where midrange aficionados become relatively more valuable when the games matter most (example). Domask was the guy generating our best offense against UConn (our only offense really), and his game is mostly pull up/step back/turnaround jumpers. Ayo made a killing for 3 years with a deadly midrange game; how many of his game winners/crunch time buckets were midrange shots? (don't have a number but it was a lot -- just watch his highlight videos)A mid range jumper is an inefficient shot even if it's pretty reliable, does very little for floor spacing, and isn't really easier to learn and develop than a 3 point shot.
All the talk about our elite KenPom offensive efficiency last year tends to focus on our very good players, which is justified, but it would be a mistake not to understand that our overall shot diet being extremely analytics friendly was the reason that was able to happen.
To draw out the implication, even if Tre White and Ty Rodgers are outstanding playing a game which flows from elbow jumpers, that is an inherently inefficient way to play basketball and the statistics (and our success level) will reflect that.
We were a Moneyball team last year, in a way I don't think the fanbase has really digested.
All in all, you're right about the stats and there's a reason the game has trended towards the shot chart on the right, but I think people sometimes draw too straight a line from the stats to 'midrange = bad', while the most competitive basketball games still show us that it has a lot of value. To the larger point about Ty Rodgers shot, I agree that him developing a midrange likely doesn't change much, since he's never going to be automatic like Domask/Ayo were. Better to have 1-2 guys capable of being midrange assasins surrounded by true long-range shooters, much like our team build this year. If Ty could shoot even 28-30% from 3, he'd be a different player, but we don't even know what he'd shoot from distance since he doesn't even look at the basket. That, to me, is the biggest problem and I'm a bit skeptical that an offseason of heavy practice will alleviate that in-game mental barrier.
There’s still a lot of good players in the portal.
illiniswish09
- Northwest Suburbs
The way Brad is piecing this roster together… That 2025-2026 team should be absolutely loaded… Should be preseason top 5… But then again it’s impossible to predict who will be on that roster…
Have we ever had more Indiana kids than Illinois? This year may be a first.
For perspective, I think Goode was the first Indiana recruit in over a decade when he committed. I could be wrong on this, but i vaguely remember that being a storyline.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Our list seems stuffed to the gills with guys like this, true bigs who would be undersized as centers. Any insight on the staff's thinking there? Is Kaluma and Humrichous a functional frontcourt?
Who is guarding all these ogres the Big Ten keeps recruiting? Kaluma is super similar to Guerrier who was never asked to take those assignments.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Good rebounder. 3 pt % has improved every year, though overall FG% is a little low (probably because he took a fair number of 3pt shots). How is his defense? Feels like we need a good defensive stopper or two.
Are we sure it was a in-game mental barrier and not just knowing his weaknesses? Maybe if he gets more proficient with his 3 point shot, he would be willing to take some in games. At least, this is my optimistic hope.
Also, and I think you alluded to this, but I think the thought of him developing a solid midrange isn't so much useful because it's the most efficient shot. However, if he shows that he can make that shot to an extent that a defender has to account for it, that that would potentially open up better looks at the rim for him, which should be a very efficient shot.
Also, and I think you alluded to this, but I think the thought of him developing a solid midrange isn't so much useful because it's the most efficient shot. However, if he shows that he can make that shot to an extent that a defender has to account for it, that that would potentially open up better looks at the rim for him, which should be a very efficient shot.
I've been under the impression that Humrichous is a big/long 3 similar to Knecht or Matt Mayer. Maybe I'm wrong on that? He'd been touted as a top 97% PnR ball handler.
Kaluma would be a real nice pickup. He’s a guy I’d expect the staff to do a really good job getting the most out of him.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The PNR ballhandler thing is bunk, though he will put the ball on the floor which makes his sniping that much deadlier.
I really don't fancy his chances guarding wings though. And he's really big and long, it's a different sort of body than Mayer or especially Knecht.
he might be a bit more versatile offensively but he's not athletic or quick enough to guard many 3s. I'd expect him to start at and mostly play as a 4.
in those blank spaces I see opportunity. Effective mid range jumper can be deadly, especially with ability to drive. Defender would have to pick which one he wants to get beat on. Let him take the shot and hope he misses, or let him go by and hope help comes across.A mid range jumper is an inefficient shot even if it's pretty reliable, does very little for floor spacing, and isn't really easier to learn and develop than a 3 point shot.
All the talk about our elite KenPom offensive efficiency last year tends to focus on our very good players, which is justified, but it would be a mistake not to understand that our overall shot diet being extremely analytics friendly was the reason that was able to happen.
To draw out the implication, even if Tre White and Ty Rodgers are outstanding playing a game which flows from elbow jumpers, that is an inherently inefficient way to play basketball and the statistics (and our success level) will reflect that.
We were a Moneyball team last year, in a way I don't think the fanbase has really digested.
Roger Powell, an otherwise average player (for that team) did that pretty effectively. Worked out well
Do we have any chance for Kadary Richmond? A backcourt of him and Boswell could be great, even if he's not the greatest shooter. He's got a lot of size and per Evan Miya, graded out great defensively. He's from NY so maybe Antigua has some type of connection?
Right. Offensively he could pass as a 3, but I think he'd get roasted on defense if asked to guard opposing 3s. I could see something where we play Ty as our "4" on offense but he guards opposing 3s on the other end, while Humrichous has roles flipped in the other direction.
Good points here, and you hit on this in your post, but I'll try to sum up as it relates to Ty, and then drop out on this topic.
Guys with midrange jumpers are indeed very valuable, but that value comes from being able to generate a shot on what you might call a "bad" possession, where you aren't able to generate your "plan A" shots - which would be a shot at the rim or an open 3. In fact, these guys are generally your "bucket getters" - often the stars on the team, that you can turn to if the shot clock is winding down or some similar crunch situation and you just need a halfway decent shot.
And so I think the point regarding Ty is, even if he develops some sort of mid range shot, that's a far cry from all of the sudden being in this elite bucket-getter category - just being able to hit open mid-range spot-ups doesn't really do much for your offense. It would be far more useful to the team if Ty can just get to 30-33% on open 3s, and then hopefully we can grab another wing that can be our star bucket-getter. (Tre White could possibly help fill this role if we strike out on another wing)
edit: Upon looking at it more, my post was maybe too redundant with the one by @Frank that I was responding too. I could've simply said: I disagree with those saying "all Ty needs is a decent mid-range jumper." A useful midrange shot is actually now the advanced level of proficiency in modern basketball offense. Hitting open 3s at a decent-enough clip would actually be easier and more useful as a next step, imo.
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