Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#576      
They’ve got 4 guys in the portal but mostly bench guys plus Jackson who did contribute quite a bit. The fans have been griping about Keshon Gilbert not playing in the tournament due to injury when Tamin Lipsey was injured but still playing. Some are speculating it was NIL related but I haven’t heard anything definitive.

Is that what you are referring to @illiniswish09?
 
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#577      
Yeah this is the stuff I don't understand. We have a guy that was a starter, averaged double digit points, who was 3rd on the team in WS/40 and BPM, is heading into his Senior year, and people want to show him the door in the hope that a mystery box we get will be better. Doesn't make sense. Bring back quality players, recruit your own house before you go chasing around.
Great post. We need to bring back a solid core, which Tre is definitely part of, then work around that. Tre is a good player and check a lot of boxes for us. I think he can be phenomenal his senior year. He clearly cares and cares a lot about this team. He's invested in the program. It's a no brainer to bring him back. The hard work comes with supplementing our returnees with guys that take the team from good to great. Not an easy job, which is why you don't want to live out of the portal.

Continuity, as we painfully found out, is huge. That needs the first order of business. Assuming Will and KJ are gone.....Tomi, Morez, Boswell and White are must haves. Take it from there.
 
#578      
Is there any number that brings Riley back? Honestly floating him a 2M bag or whatever the top rate is this offseason would probably be worth it. Kid would have a very good chance at POTY with a summer of work. I don't know what number he no longer makes sense at but it is a large one.

I get that he is exactly what GMs want despite being so raw but make it as hard as possible to say no to coming back.
I dunno.... having one player pulling in 2mil in NIL, while the other top players on the team are getting maybe 15-20% of that may not be the best route to a happy locker room.
 
#580      
Explain It Season 5 GIF by The Office
 
#583      
Great post. We need to bring back a solid core, which Tre is definitely part of, then work around that. Tre is a good player and check a lot of boxes for us. I think he can be phenomenal his senior year. He clearly cares and cares a lot about this team. He's invested in the program. It's a no brainer to bring him back. The hard work comes with supplementing our returnees with guys that take the team from good to great. Not an easy job, which is why you don't want to live out of the portal.

Continuity, as we painfully found out, is huge. That needs the first order of business. Assuming Will and KJ are gone.....Tomi, Morez, Boswell and White are must haves. Take it from there.
Agree 100%. Hope these 4 to run it back
 
#585      
Just a feeling at this point, but having said last summer that in a couple of years, guys would be pulling in over 3 million in NIL, I expect a handful of guys over 2 and maybe 2.5 before the season starts....and someone may top 3. If you think people with big money to burn are smart, think again. Almost all have expertise or luck in some area but are lacking skills/expertise in others. And the really respected ones know where both areas lie.

The figures will go up every year unless/until there is some legislated deterrent....or some worldwide political/health, or other incident that has a huge affect. My opinion is just a hunch based on what I have seen/learned over the past 78 years, but it would be foolish to conclude otherwise. But maybe I am just a fool.
 
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#587      
Morez will be working on a jump hook, right-handed and left-handed, I hope. He has the frame to make that work over all but the most gigantic (Edey) post defenders.

A full season with OA? As I understand it listening to Underwood, in-season resistance training is not different from out of season.
OA = Orlando Antingua.

Maybe you’re thinking of Fletch re resistance training?
 
#589      
Dix was in one of the most friendly offensive schemes in the league... If he were going to be a top 10 player in the conference because of his offensive potential- it would've likely already happened. He's extremely talented shooting 3's and has a little wiggle offensively to get his shot off the dribble and in the midrange. But he is extremely limited at attacking the hoop and we routinely attacked him on defense. Again- he's not very strong and has never shown to be a dog.
Season 3 Yes GIF by The Office
 
#591      
That would leave you with Boswell, Dix, White, Morez, and Tomi then say Sarr, transfer rim protecting big, and another transfer guard off the bench. I just don't think you're going to get a difference maker with only a bench role to offer.

I think that's a good roster that could finish in the top 5 of the Big10 but I don't think that's a team that's seriously competing for a national championship which is really what the goal should be? Right?

That roster would also make Dix the go to guy offensively when I think he would be far better suited as a secondary scorer. Now it's a different story if you're talking about adding Dix and still getting an all American caliber guy like Jamir Watkins.
I mean, if we have
PG - Boswell, Sr. our best player in March, best on ball defender
SG - Dix, Sr. over 57% shooter on 2's and 43% shooter from 3 and averaged over 14ppg in the big ten as a Jr. with 2.8 Asst and 0.8 TO per game
SF - White, Sr. double digit scorer, excellent rebounder and defender
PF - Morez, So, best rebounder in the big ten next year, offense will only get better
C - Tomi, Jr. best Center in the Big Ten next year, 35% 3 pt shooting, double - double threat every game
Bench - Dame Sarr, SF- NBA talent very athletic wing, C - Big Z, Jr. - nearly 2 blocks per game, good 3 pt shooter and rim protector, Davis - 3 pt specialist

Respectfully, I disagree, that team is winning the big ten and is a national title contender from the jump. It's very similar to the talent level of this years team with a year more experience for everyone and replacing KJ with a senior who is a lights out shooter. Sarr isn't the scorer Will is, but much more athletic and better defensively. Big Z is a huge upgrade to the frontcourt. This would be the dream scenario, Dix and Big Z would be "big splash" portal additions - Dix has every big time program after him right now. If it's McKneely instead of Dix, my feeling is the same
 
#593      
Dix was in one of the most friendly offensive schemes in the league... If he were going to be a top 10 player in the conference because of his offensive potential- it would've likely already happened. He's extremely talented shooting 3's and has a little wiggle offensively to get his shot off the dribble and in the midrange. But he is extremely limited at attacking the hoop and we routinely attacked him on defense. Again- he's not very strong and has never shown to be a dog.
Dix would bring everything KJ wasn't - anyone who was fed up with the KJ freshman ups and downs that led to our early exit from the tournament, should want Dix, he was a high usage player averaging almost 15 ppg in the big ten, over 3 rebounds, almost 3 assists and had more steals per game (.9) than TO's (.8) as a Jr.! He would be the Senior dependable shooter who also has a midrange game and is a very effective cutter/finisher at the rim at 6'6", and he doesn't need to be the #1 option, he's a team player comfortable playing second or third fiddle. He would be a tremendous addition, which is why everyone is after him.
 
#594      
Not sure where he’d play if Tre White is coming back too
Sarr can move between the 3 and 4, even the 2 if necessary. He’s extremely versatile like that. I think you can interchange lineups with Tre the 3 and Sarr the 4, then to get “bigger” you have Sarr the 3 and Morez the 4.
 
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