Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[Emerson Bigguns]

I think in this era, talent needs to be thought of as 1 year potential, not college career. In that sense, I'm not sure this team is as talented as last year. If you look at the ceiling of the top players, and more than 1 year, then I think the answer is yes. Really depends, and who knows how good this team will be. I think the Sleepers guys were tracking to the same idea.

Talent, by definition, is a static thing. You are born with a certain amount of talent. The degree to which you are meeting the potential of that talent changes from year to year. No one becomes more talented. They develop physically, and their level of skill is refined to better reflect it.
This team may not be a collection of better basketball players at this point in time, due to the experience and maturity of the guys we had on a couple of BU's previous teams. I do not, however, believe we've had this much talent since perhaps the 2005 squad.

 

[IlliniFan42]

Unthinkable? Major asset? Perhaps in the time they played for the Illini they were considered that. Clark, Epps, and Curbelo all were known to be having problems with the team and/or staff. Adams was a surprise but didn't fare better. Brandin Podz wasn't a Major asset at the time he left and I don't think anyone else leaving had better numbers. Everyone but Podz that has left saw a downturn in effectiveness for their new team(s).

Yeah every time I've seen a player enter the transfer portal in the Underwood era I've been glad to see it.

 

[Joel Goodson]

pretty high praise for Dietrich Richardson (DJ's nephew) from Joe Hoops: https://chicago.suntimes.com/high-s...peoria-manual-basketball-riverside-brookfield

 

[IlliniFan42]

lets pump the brakes on Ivisic heading to the NBA. I do think he will be a good fit on 24-25 Illinois basketball. Reportedly his twin brother is the better basketball player and got a latter start last year after migrating through admissions. But his game and stats are not screaming NBA

Career Stats​

See All

STATS
2023-24

GP	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
15	11.7	57.7	37.5	77.3	3.3	0.6	1.3	0.3	1.5	1.0	5.5

You say that but have you seen potential #1 pick Alexandre Sarr's stats?

Season	Team	League		G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	2P	2PA	2P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2023-24	Perth	NBL	au	24	17.2	3.7	7.1	.520	0.6	2.0	.298	3.1	5.2	.605	1.7	2.3	.714	1.4	3.0	4.4	0.9	0.5	1.3	1.1	1.4	9.7

 

[Battle89]

Rogers is not a future pro. That doesn't make him a bad player or a bad Illini. Kenny Battle was an all-time Illini great. Never got a sniff at the pros. One of many examples.

 

[Bert2022]

Could be my age, but I have not a clue what this means lol.....

That clue transcends age...or at least it should

 

[AZILL]

Yeah every time I've seen a player enter the transfer portal in the Underwood era I've been glad to see it.

And the good/great thing is, BU and staff seem to be getting better at this whole chemistry thing! I never say never, cuz one will surely pop up, but the days of players leaving due to not fitting in well may be something we don't have to deal with much. I believe going forward that players leaving for NIL and/or playing time will be our biggest concern.

 

[Illiniguy13]

Rogers is not a future pro. That doesn't make him a bad player or a bad Illini. Kenny Battle was an all-time Illini great. Never got a sniff at the pros. One of many examples.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson back at UNC for a visit

You can add another visit to the UNC basketball recruiting calendar. After two players already set official visits for the month of September, North Carolina will host another recruit on campus. But this time, it's right away. Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnso

tarheelswire.usatoday.com

Hope this doesn't mean much in terms of our chances...

 

[nichi]

View attachment 35641

Yep. Definitely got more than a sniff.

Battle was really a 2 defensively and an undersized PF on offence. He had no handle and most of his offensive game was midrange in. Yes, he shot well from three in limited attempts one season, but that was flukey.

 

[illinifan1987]

Totally get your point about key offseason departures. But in fairness, with the exception of Podz, no one has really left Illinois and set the world on fire.

TBD of course with the latest batch, and no disrespect to any of the departures as I liked them all and will root for them at their new schools, but on paper at least I think we upgraded the talent at each roster spot.

Coleman is a tough loss but I think he wanted to stay in the draft if he could and I think staff made the right call in not waiting and tying up likely 7 figures in NIL and instead deployed those resources to get 2-3 multi year players.

Love Luke to death but he’s one dimensional offensively (catch and shoot 3s). Humrichous likely has more offensive game and is a better and more versatile (can shoot off movement) 3 pt shooter to boot.

Love Sencire but had a long way to go offensively. DGL is showing signs of being a defensive stopper and has much more offensive game.

Amani may be the one we regret losing the most, but Booth probably has a higher ceiling and probably complements Morez better. Amani may wind up a better player though.

Dain is a super fun post player but not really a fit with how we want to play.

Again, love all those guys but if we are chasing championships and with the $$ at stake, you upgrade talent whenever you can. I love how our roster came together.

You forgot that he's also a defensive bullseye for other teams

 

[Combo]

Rogers is not a future pro. That doesn't make him a bad player or a bad Illini. Kenny Battle was an all-time Illini great. Never got a sniff at the pros. One of many examples.

I'm not sure he is either. That said, Battle actually stuck in the NBA for a while (though he didn't put up impressive stats).

 

[ChiefGritty]

Yeah every time I've seen a player enter the transfer portal in the Underwood era I've been glad to see it.

And you will be fed insider information to make you glad Will Riley is leaving too. Which might be 100% true, it has been 100% true in several cases in the past, but let's operate with open eyes about the process by which those departures are stage managed.

Regardless of the great job we've done retooling, I just don't think the apex of churn we hit this offseason is healthy or sustainable (and I do think the sheer newness and unfamiliarity of the roster tempers the potential of the team somewhat, even in the portal era), I would like to see that abate in the coming years.

 

[hoopsfan47]

This is the way I see it as TJ, Domask, and Hawk don’t seem to have equivalents on this years team.

Those players are certainly missing. But with strong rebounding inside and good defense, there are ton of talented scorers awaiting the same amount of possessions and shot attempts...and it is likely they will find ways to approach...even exceed...the number of made attempts from different places...and I expect one of those will be at the FT line.

I think what we are all hoping to see is a team with fewer turnovers and more made free throws that can also shoot a high percentage from everywhere on the court. If that ever comes to fruition, and that is a huge question mark, they will conjure their own legacy. No, there will be no Andy Phillips, SkipThoren, Andy Kaufman, Kenny Battle, Brian Cook, Lucas Johnson, Dee Brown, Deron Williams, or even a Frank Williams...not to mention a plethora of other unique and memorable Illini heroes. And yet, let's hope they can gel as a team and become their own version of Fighting Illini heroes.

For certain, this team will see as much interest from Illini Nation as any. After such a surprising season last year, BU and staff deserve a nod of the cap...and get mine...for creating a roster that can do that. But a huge challenge awaits with expectations that may or may not be met.

 

[CoalCity]

Those are the Kentucky/Arkansas Ivisic stats from last year.

OPE! Face palm

 

[hoopsfan47]

The three starting freshman I was alluding to are Riley, KJ and our center - whether that is Ivisic or Morez, we'll have a starting freshman C. Ty or White may start the year at the SG spot, but I could see KJ moving into that role as the year progresses. I think Riley starts day 1, just because of offensive talent and what we'll need on offense

It is due to starting as many as three frosh that I am tempered in my hopes of a season that will approach last year's results. Having watched my beloved Illini hoopsters over the past 70 years, I do not recall any that have depended so much on freshmen stalwarts that have contended for a B1G title. That said, I don't recall a plethora of frosh talent at this level....and yet it all comes back to one thing...they will be freshmen. But I am also grateful for the seasoned vets in Boswell, Hummer, Ty, and White who I hope can lead these guys to a un-suspected level of play.

 

[marvin1991]

Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson back at UNC for a visit

You can add another visit to the UNC basketball recruiting calendar. After two players already set official visits for the month of September, North Carolina will host another recruit on campus. But this time, it's right away. Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnso

tarheelswire.usatoday.com

Hope this doesn't mean much in terms of our chances...

Meh. Kids are going to visit other schools.

Love Johnson, but if he goes somewhere else in to the next. This staff has proved they can recruit and bring high level talent into program.

 

[nyc_illini]

Not ours though

/s ?

 

[BalloonsTheElephant]

And you will be fed insider information to make you glad Will Riley is leaving too. Which might be 100% true, it has been 100% true in several cases in the past, but let's operate with open eyes about the process by which those departures are stage managed.

Regardless of the great job we've done retooling, I just don't think the apex of churn we hit this offseason is healthy or sustainable (and I do think the sheer newness and unfamiliarity of the roster tempers the potential of the team somewhat, even in the portal era), I would like to see that abate in the coming years.

It will be interesting to see how much of a dropoff there is next off-season when the super senior thing isn't a thing any longer. I hope we can get back to regularly scheduled programming as far as keeping and developing talent being the norm.

 

[RichardKeenesCousin]

View attachment 35642

Did you have this in your pocket ready for this exact moment?!?! #respect if you did!

 

[21ChampaignSt]

/s ?

I'll never tell

 

[Illiniguy13]

Did you have this in your pocket ready for this exact moment?!?! #respect if you did!

Yup, in my t shirt pocket

 

[IlliniwekKDR]

Meh. Kids are going to visit other schools.

Love Johnson, but if he goes somewhere else in to the next. This staff has proved they can recruit and bring high level talent into program.

Yea, but have they done it in the past 48 hours? I think they might be losing a step.

Just to be safe with this crowd.../s

 

[jamarvelous31]

And you will be fed insider information to make you glad Will Riley is leaving too. Which might be 100% true, it has been 100% true in several cases in the past, but let's operate with open eyes about the process by which those departures are stage managed.

Regardless of the great job we've done retooling, I just don't think the apex of churn we hit this offseason is healthy or sustainable (and I do think the sheer newness and unfamiliarity of the roster tempers the potential of the team somewhat, even in the portal era), I would like to see that abate in the coming years.

What is the actual complaint here? They were an old team that was going to lose their 4 best players and 5 of their top 7 this offseason. Coleman/Goode were ready to go and aren't a number 1 or 2 guy (each said the former themselves).

They had to rebuild a core and did so. If it was all 1 year rentals I'd understand the complaint but the guys leftover were not as good as the 7 current/frmr top 60 recruits all with multiple years of eligibility they brought in.

The guys they've shed the last few years either had obvious problems (Curbelo/Epps/Clark) or weren't getting minutes b/c of their D (Dainja) or it just didn't work out & they were happier elsewhere (WVU guys/Goode/Coleman/Miller/Podz). Were any of those really stage-managed?

 

[ChiefGritty]

What is the actual complaint here?

To the extent there's a complaint it's the way the insider rumor mill trashes our players on the way out the door, which I have always found deplorable.

But it's not really a complaint, it's just a challenge. We've got a WILDLY talented team coming in, that is also a WILDLY young team.

The prospect of keeping major pieces together for multiple seasons is extremely exciting. But that has been a repeated problem for us.

BU gets players. If this blows up again he'll land on his feet again. But the REAL score here, the "lets talk about a National Title" level ambition, comes from retaining this core in a way that remains a question mark.

The NBA will take what the NBA takes, but we want to be a place freshmen want to become sophomores at.