You are confusing recruiting freshman and the topic of this conversation which is the transfer portal.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I'd pretty much eliminate the possibility of getting all of Sarr, Dix and Sellers. That allocation of resources wouldn't make any sense anyway.
The way the line has gone dead on Sarr tells the tale, I assume.
That PF is definitely the spot where there's still a need.
When I think about the attributes that would compliment the other guys on this hypothetical roster, what you want is basically exactly Quincy Guerrier.
Weirdest team ever. BU is obsessed with weird teams, no one loves tinkering with positional oddities more.
I love the toughness that Kylan and Ty playing together will bring.
I don't think we'll know what this team really is until some time in June like last year.
I was just assuming, no inside knowledge - if we add a PF and the other 4 guys we've been talking about, that means Ben is the 9th guy and Jake is the 10th guy, We'll have both Ivisic brothers, Dix, Sellers, Kylan as primary shooters. Ben could get backup PF minutes and some at the SF but I think Ty takes some of those as well. I really don't mind having Ben back in that role if he's willing, I do think his shooting will be a lot better in year 2 and he's a team guy, so he certainly can't hurt if we're not planning on playing him as much this year and he's good with that role
Nah, it'll just turn into endless starters, points per game and minutes projections. 
blackdog
- Champaign
Has the line gone dead on Sarr? We keep getting updates saying Illinois still leads
This is sooo not accurate lol
This is also how you run a program. This is more important than winning or losing games. These are young men who play for The Beloved for just a very short season in their long lives. And with The Portal now a fixture -- the time we get to share with these players is now even less than it was before.
For Player, Program, and Fan -- playing and living and creating a culture of Class is the real victory. As long as the Illini run a Class Program and foster an environment of respect and on-court success... everything is as it should be. The victories become on the cake.
Fans should not regret when a player or coach leaves. If the player or coach's heart is not to be here for whatever reasons -- they need to be elsewhere. Make their spot available for someone who wants to be an Illini.
For Player, Program, and Fan -- playing and living and creating a culture of Class is the real victory. As long as the Illini run a Class Program and foster an environment of respect and on-court success... everything is as it should be. The victories become on the cake.
Fans should not regret when a player or coach leaves. If the player or coach's heart is not to be here for whatever reasons -- they need to be elsewhere. Make their spot available for someone who wants to be an Illini.
Agree 10000% here. As long as the role is clearly defined and accepted, it's another older guy in the room who knows the program expectations. Again, having a guy who is 6'9", can shoot the three, can grab rebounds and be able to eat up minutes just anywhere. That would be a luxury. Not many teams are deep enough to deal with that. I'm not sure it'd be worth his while to do that, but if he gets another year of eligibility and wants to make a few bucks....sign him up.
Sarr is a great defender who can nail a 3. We have other playmakers -- he would thrive here.
Tre but with better defense, shooting and attitude....
We also can't count on Sellers to stay healthy -- Sarr is a really important piece.
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No, you just have to speak Gritty, what he means is we can't have everything we want and the insiders will likely be wrong on at least one recruit so "don't get your hopes up"Has the line gone dead on Sarr? We keep getting updates saying Illinois still leads
"Line going dead" means it's been 24 hours since someone has posted that we're in the lead for Sarr
We need a couple NBA draft announcements if we want him here. He can't commit before those happen.Has the line gone dead on Sarr? We keep getting updates saying Illinois still leads
Let’s run it back deeper!
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Yeah, at the beginning of the season, I was screaming at my tv every time he avoided contact driving to the bucket. My guy is too big and fast to not look for contact, especially with the offensive foul call all but extinct. Thankfully, by the end of the season, he figured it out.
As for his three-point shooting, I'm pretty convinced the issue was conditioning more than forgetting how to shoot. He was asked to be the defensive stopper this season. He took the job and ran with it, but it gassed him out on the offensive end. If Fletch can up his conditioning—which I'm sure he can with another off-season—Bam should have his legs back under him and get that percentage back to where it was at Zona.
Ty and Bam is a great start. Now let's get Tomi confirmed.
ptgrd23
- orange county CA
Indiana - massive $NIL added 3 of top 20 in portal - missed NCAA and fired coach
Illinois - Lost 11 players to graduation and portal - finished with #6 seed NCAA, 2 freshman going to be 1st round NBA picks
I think somebody misses the late Weber and entire Groce regime pre portal where we were hoping for a #10 seed or NIT
Illinois - Lost 11 players to graduation and portal - finished with #6 seed NCAA, 2 freshman going to be 1st round NBA picks
I think somebody misses the late Weber and entire Groce regime pre portal where we were hoping for a #10 seed or NIT
I respectfully disagree on your take on Sarr - you have to keep in mind he's playing with NBA veterans as an 18 year old this year and has a limited role and he's still had a couple of breakout games. He's improved his 3 point shooting to 44% on the year for Barca this year (albeit on low volume), which tells me he's worked on his game. If you watched him in the U18 tournaments last summer he was one of the outstanding players in the same tournaments that KJ starred in and he's the same age as KJ. His ability to get to the rim and finish and his ability in transition will translate immediately, his three point shooting might not be at 40% right away, but we don't need it to be - he'll be our slasher to the rim among a lot of good shooters.
Plus as you mentioned on defense, he'll be a menace right away
If he goes to Kansas it really shows how much that program has slipped.
Riley has to finalize his decision first. Until Riley does that, no news is probably good newsHas the line gone dead on Sarr? We keep getting updates saying Illinois still leads
I don’t mind Ty being a tertiary handler, and maybe Sellers can play more on ball, but I fully agree getting a pure point would be massive.
I also understand I’m still experiencing PTSD from the Groce era watching Khalid Lewis running the team.
I understand that and I understand what you're saying. Outside of Boswell, there wasn't a difference maker that came out of the portal. Booth was just a flat out bust.
I think that the idea was to build around Tomi and KJ. They were "freshmen", but they were pros and had much higher expectations than the preps. I'd put Sarr in the same boat. He wouldn't be coming here with a freshman tag on him.
I'm not as down on Ben as many were. His 34% three point shooting, was low, but defensively, he was put in an impossible situation. He wasn't brought in to guard the post. When Tomi got sick, when Morez broke his wrist.....we were screwed in the frontcourt. Ben was literally it. He was the backup. The disappointment, for everyone, was that the shooting wasn't consistently there. That doesn't mean that he was a complete miss. Late in the year, when everyone got healthy, he fit beautifully into that roll of #2 or #3 coming off the bench.
I think that the expectations for Jake, in year one, were zero. He's another one who got minutes because of illness disaster.
I think there were lessons learned by Brad and you're seeing the change. I don't think that you'll see him ever go into a season with that little experience again.
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