Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#526      
Makes me sad to see posts bashing Morez. On a team that some called soft, he seemed to me to be the opposite. The commitment was huge, he played here and arguably got fewer minutes than he deserved.

The better your players, the more you should expect them to test the portal. No one likes it, but retaining the best guys got a lot harder with NIL. I think until there's some friction for moving teams (and I've not seen a workable idea to do that), this will get worse. Not blaming the players for that.
I don't really get it either. Id have built the whole program around him myself and given him the money.

You need the Morez Johnson's of the world to complete with the elite in college basketball. I think he'll be a 20-10 college basketball player and soon even if he develops little outside the paint. I do absolutely think the tools are there for him to be a great post and face up threat. He's already an elite rebounder at 18-19.

The thought of Dix is great but an overpowering Johnson will have a bigger impact
 
#527      
I hope we get to ride dix all season long
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#528      
On the other hand, we bash Michigan players and coaches all the time. If Morez chooses to leave Illinois for UM then he better be ready for the bashing heading his way.
Right. Sorry not sorry but if players get 100% portability then fans get the right to do the same.

Maybe next time Morez plays Illinois he will take it easy because Illinois fans are such nice people.
 
#529      
It’s funny to see other fan bases (MSU) react to losing players to the portal as if CBB is all of a sudden ruined. We do our fair share of imploding but we’re not unfamiliar with turnover. They think it could never happ
I think it’s fair that they behave the way the rules allow them to behave to financially benefit themselves.

But they also deserve to get booed when they play poorly. They’re no longer student athletes anymore. Just professionals who get cheered when they win and booed when they lose. They set that standard.
Take the high road?
 
#531      
Recruiting to come off the bench ??? Nope …

5 starting spots open … Spots are earned in practice …
That's what I was thinking, tbd. Just look at Duke. They let Roach go with the plan of Foster playing point. Didn't take long to find out that was a mistake and replaced him with James.
 
#532      
I am happy to hear Jake’s name being mentioned as part of the puzzle for next year. He outperformed my expectations and had a solid freshman season.

Has to get better defensively, but I thought he did some good things with his limited minutes.


I thought his defense was perfectly fine...when he wasn't asked to guard guys like Derrick Queen or Cooper Flagg, which seemed to keep happening to him.
 
#534      
I was thinking more like a smaller version of TSJ- very similar skill set, great in transition and on dribble handoffs and step back threes but not the guy to start the offense and you don’t want him shooting a lot off the dribble mid range- just get to the rim and force the defense to stop you
Personally (like many others have mentioned) I see Sellers more as a bigger bodied Andres Feliz.

Not many in this portal cycle can compare to the combo of explosiveness and shotmaking TSJ had in his last season at Illinois.

Sellers has active hands, tons of length and is bouncier than Feliz but see their games in a similar way. Can bully, get down hill off the dribble and in a 5 out offense you need someone who can get downhill with quickness. Kylan showed that at times but at 6'2" hes not very long nor explosive.

Getting to the tin is important to keep defenses off balance as the ball rotates in a 5 out offense. Draws in defenders on drives and will only make the Dix/Tomi/Analogus outside shooter we add more effective and provide easier shots.

Jay Wright/Raftery mentioned it a bunch in games that getting a paint touch of any variety opens up better 3pt and offensive rebounding opportunities especially in the mold we hope this team to be.

TLDR - Sellers seems like longer, bouncier Andrez Feliz who will only strengthen a 5 out offense.
 
#537      
Makes me sad to see posts bashing Morez. On a team that some called soft, he seemed to me to be the opposite. The commitment was huge, he played here and arguably got fewer minutes than he deserved.

The better your players, the more you should expect them to test the portal. No one likes it, but retaining the best guys got a lot harder with NIL. I think until there's some friction for moving teams (and I've not seen a workable idea to do that), this will get worse. Not blaming the players for that.
I'm also not a fan of bashing former players for transferring. I've never really participated in it and have often criticized those who've done it. Rez should not be bashed for transferring, even if it's to Michigan of all places.

But it's 100% ok to bash Morez for how he's acted in the process. He and his dad have essentially been bashing the program ever since he announced his decision. He's a (soon-to-be) opposing player making negative public statements aimed at harming the program's reputation (and even potentially hurting our chances with other recruits). As far as I'm concerned, that makes him fair game.
 
#543      
When are we going to hear officially about the meeting yesterday and the rumored decisions about a couple of coaches.
 
#549      
I'm also not a fan of bashing former players for transferring. I've never really participated in it and have often criticized those who've done it. Rez should not be bashed for transferring, even if it's to Michigan of all places.

But it's 100% ok to bash Morez for how he's acted in the process. He and his dad have essentially been bashing the program ever since he announced his decision. He's a (soon-to-be) opposing player making negative public statements aimed at harming the program's reputation (and even potentially hurting our chances with other recruits). As far as I'm concerned, that makes him fair game.
I don’t bash former players. But I don’t root for them, either. I root for Illini players and that’s it. My fandom time is limited.
 
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