Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#177      

rmjohnson22

R
rmjohnson22
SkyysNotFalling said:
Boswell
Denim
Richmond
Hunrichous
Ivisic

Top 10 team?
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Thanksgiving Jeans GIF by BuzzFeed
 
#178      

Illini in OC

Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Illini in OC
ptgrd23 said:
The old Bill Self high low game please. Ivisec at free throw line lobbing it to Morez under the basket. I think people are really underestimating how good Morez will be a a freshman. I see freshman starter minutes like James Augustine, Efrem Winters, Nick Anderson etc. He was higher rated than any of the transfers we are bringing in coming out of HS. Remember that 4 of our transfers are sophomores (Booth, Davis) or juniors (Boswell White. They are not 5th year covid players like Marcus, Quincy and Justin. Only Hamrichous is 5th year. 20 year old Ivisic I would classify as a Soph/Jr in experience.

I see Morez as 25 mpg - 12 ppg 9 rbg monster shooting 55%. I also hope to see Ivisic, Morez, and Booth blocking a lot of shots from weak side so we can pressure more on perimeter. Dain was big but not quick twitch jumper he only blocked the man he was guarding. Coleman got his share of blocks but did not actively look to do it as a 5.
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Make mine a double.
 
#179      

SkyysNotFalling

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SkyysNotFalling
Boswell at the 1

Richmond or Egor at the 2 would be elite.

Assume we stick White or Ty at the 3?

Humrichous is our 4

Goat Croat at the 5

Where does this starting 5 rank in the B1G? Is this a sure fire NCAA team? What’s realistic goals for next year?
 
#180      

Illini in OC

Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
Illini in OC
Fighter of the Nightman said:
I have not followed transfer portal recruiting quite as much this year, but it is worth noting that there was a graphic during the season that showed Indiana had the overall second or third "most talented" roster in the Big Ten. They finished 11th in the league, and their season ended with a 27-point blowout loss to a decent Nebraska team, but one that nonetheless was a #9 seed that lost in the First Round.

I'll fully admit I might be biased and it DOES appear that Indiana added quite a lot of nice pieces ... but at the end of the day, Woodson will need to prove a LOT more before he will get this Illini fan worried. His masterclass so far while having TJD at his height and an otherwise stacked roster was 21-10 regular season and a blowout loss in the Second Round as a #4 seed ... something Illini fans would NOT exactly be happy about from Brad, haha.

EDIT: Also, as for the general point here that needs to be said ... we have FINALLY switched positions and it is OTHER programs that need to prove it on the court that they belong in the same sentence with Illinois. Underwood has proved in multiple years here that he will reload and have his team near the top of the league. Even the relative disaster that was 2023 had us with an outside fighter's chance at a regular season title in late February. Remember in 2011 or 2013 when we'd have a bunch of talent and we had hope that we could break into the top tier of the league, but no one feared us (rightfully) until we proved it? Well, we have earned the right to be the fan base that doubts the upstarts. :cool:
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Preach baby
 
#181      

Birdus

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Birdus
This may be off subject and forgive me but In my opinion this year, Lakers will probably try and draft Bronny.
 
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#182      

ColSLU69

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ColSLU69
The next highest rated guard still in the portal looks like 6'4" Chaz Lanier of North Florida. A bonafide SHOOTER! Averaged 19.7/4.8/1.8 this past season, while shooting 51.0/44.0/88.0. I'm not sure if there's any mutual interest between Lanier and Illinois, but I think he'd be the perfect starter at the 2, especially with a point guard like Boswell driving and dishing to him and the other shooters on the roster. Tennessee is rumored to be in the lead for Lanier, but he'd be a great get for the Illini.
 
#183      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Fly Illini Fly! said:
I'd honestly take the dude from North Florida slightly, slightly over him despite the rankings but would LOVE to either one of those two (not gonna get both but getting 1/2 would be GREAT)
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The shooting efficiency makes Lanier pretty tempting, but he's still a one-year wonder in a low-major league, there's some serious risk there.

Richmond was first team All-Big East and led an NCAA tournament team (the selection committee was just incorrect) in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He'll be a huge deal next year wherever he goes.
 
#186      

Fly Illini Fly!

F
Fly Illini Fly!
The TSJ breakouts - not tryina sound recency bias but we may not see anything like those fastbreaks again from the beloved again tbh. People argue Dee was like that, and he was in his own right just as good and efficient on the fastbreak, but it was different. This was unmatched speed, strength, and athleticism coming straight down through you. Dee was that small, shifty, fast, great vision and was swiftly going around you. Both very different but were absolute showtime.
 
#188      

aaeismacgychel

A
aaeismacgychel
illinifan31 said:
Are there any concerns with college eligibility like his brother famously faced last season?
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Considering we're dealing with the NCAA, it would be par for the course for them to deny him eligibility a couple days before the season starts for something like once signing an autograph for a fan and getting a free bottle of wine for it in return only for the NCAA to lose a court battle a few months later ruling that there is no such thing as amateur status in college athletics and everyone should be eligible to play, allowing for LeBron and a few NBA colleagues to play with Bronny and get his son an NCAA championship. Yep, something like that.
 
#189      

Fly Illini Fly!

F
Fly Illini Fly!
Tomislav might be a one and done and you don't "know" anything for sure about guys staying - guys leaving left and right before you can even blink. But we've def. constructed a roster that can be good now and the future.
 
#194      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
FoundersClub said:
if the bolded happens, the answer to the underlined and bolded is a hell yes.
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This has to be the most difficult season to project ever in college basketball, especially for a situation like ours, and the range of potential outcomes would get even wider with someone like Demin.

So for me it's easier to think in terms of preseason rankings, which will have to happen before any more data comes in.

Get Egor and I say we're close to a lock for a preseason ranking. Make it Richmond and I wouldn't put top 10 out of the realm of possibility.

But those are major dominoes that would still need to fall. Right now we're lying in the weeds a bit. But assuming we can get all these pieces on the floor, we've got some real upside brewing here.
 
#195      

ColSLU69

C
ColSLU69
If Illinois cannot add either Richmond or Lanier, the next highest rated guard/wing is probably 6'5" Wooga Poplar of Miami. He averaged 13.1/4.8/2.1 this past season, shooting 42.6/38.5/86.4. He played against good competition in the ACC, he's experienced, and he has solid numbers. Illinois could do a lot worse than getting a transfer in from Poplar.

Actually, 6'6' Minnesota guard Cam Christie is probably rated higher than Wooga Poplar. I think that Christie would actually blossom as a 2-guard for the Illini, greatly improving his ranking for the 2025 NBA Draft. Boswell as PG, the fast-paced Illinois offense, and body by Fletch would seem perfect for Cam Christie. But it seems like Christie and family are not fans of Illinois men's basketball? Maybe that can change....
 
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