Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
#376      
if this is another underwhelming season then it’s time to look for a change in the head coaching spot. But, if we land Sarr/ other big fish soon then I’m sure I’ll be back on here singing the staff’s praises. I personally think things will be fine but I’m far from plugged in, of course.

Brad Underwhelm? Will that stick? Stay tuned.
 
#377      
He also shot 37% from 3 on close wins. Unless you're Marcus Domask, who has the wildest 3-point reverse split for wins/losses that you'll ever see, we are just going down a statistical correlation lesson here.
Hence the prolbem ive called out multiple time this season...posters seem to only remember/call out his bad, but not the good.

The other thing is other ppl laid bricks in most of the games ben "shot us out" of the game, Will going 0-7 from 3 vs NW as an example
 
#378      
Who? I want a list of names of coaches who have had significantly better results than Underwood and who would no questions asked take a job here over the competing offers.
 
#380      
Yeah I'm not going to lie, I grow somewhat weary of our most prominent poster's foghorn campaign against the co-winningest coach in the Big Ten the last 6 years.
I’ll repost the below…I feel Indy knows basketball and is very connected. His connections seem to be more donor/basketball community. Love what they all share!

Any time our insiders disagree, I feel we get a glimpse of where their connections lie. Some seem to be more in tune to the staff and their side of what took place. Some seem to have ties and connections to most things that come out of Chicago (including players, coaches, and AAU programs). Others seem connected more closely to the DIA. Then there are those that seem to be connected to very big boosters.

I thank them all for what they share, and I try to take what each shares with a grain of salt because of the perspective they may be hearing!

One thing is certain, they all have a love of the University of Illinois!

Thank you all!
 
#381      
If the expectations for the program are competing for Big Ten & National Championships year in and year out … Which Josh Whitman will tell you is the expectation …

Are we meeting expectations or not ?

Last years team … Not good enough …

So far this off season … Not good enough …
Well here's my advice to your sources slash you personally.

If the collective might of Illinois' elite donor community is prepared to double its commitment, then BU or any coach can be bought and sold and this program can camp out in the national elite through gauche force of cash. For now anyway.

But if the Illinois elite donor community thinks it isn't getting the bang for its buck that peer schools are, and feels like those same dollar checks buy more certainty and more appreciation and more competitive juice at Indiana or Wisconsin or Michigan or wherever, they are not correct, that's just a fantasy.

Everybody is stuck in this crazy arms race right now. Imagine writing those checks and not having beaten Illinois since no one knew what the word "Covid" meant.
 
#382      
If the expectations for the program are competing for Big Ten & National Championships year in and year out … Which Josh Whitman will tell you is the expectation …

Are we meeting expectations or not ?

Last years team … Not good enough …

So far this off season … Not good enough …
That's the expectation for like 75% of Big Ten teams. In the last 5 years, 3 programs have won at least one Big Ten regular season title and at least one Big Ten Tournament. BU's Illini, Painter's Purdue, and Michigan with 2 different HCs (Juwan won a reg season title but no BTT, May vice versa).

So basically, other than possibly Matt Painter, no coach in the entire conference has been good enough.
 
#383      
I feel like Brad's tenure is on its downward spiral unless he can somehow get to the 2nd weekend next year. Odds seem against it right now. Anxiously waiting to see who we finish the roster with.
That's what I'm saying the vibe has changed so much. I don't know if it's NIL or something else. Just a few years ago we were monsters in recruiting with guys like Orlando, Chin and Tim landing multiple top 30 kids - year after year, then we were killing it in the portal landing both TSJ and Mayer in the same class. I was watching national guys in the scene and when Illinois hoped on a player they all took it seriously - "look out for Illinois" now when Illinois is "on" a player it's not even taken seriously. Long gone are the days when it was echoed that "If Brad usually wants someone - he gets them." Maybe I'm snake bitten from Weber and Groce because myself and a few other were the quiet voice that expressed concerns when things started trending badly and were constantly shot down. Something changed - maybe it's the whispers some of the ex-players who are coming at the program about how playing time has been distrubuted the past years and the changes to the staff.

Now we have fan putting lipstick on a pig. See numerous posts from last season how Carey Booth and Humrichous will be on NBA radars. Or how our 150th rated player is a "diamond in the rough" - very Weberesque type of cope.

I agree - it feels like we may have peaked. I hope I'm wrong.
 
Last edited:
#384      
the true litmus test for me that our basketball program isn't headed in the right direction (this coming from someone who has always been far more of an Illini basketball fan than Illini football fan).

I currently feel more excited & optimistic about our football program than our basketball program. And somehow I'm possibly looking forward to the football season more than next years basketball season. What the heck is happening?
 
Last edited:
#385      
Lmao. So, everyone who points out Ben's shortcomings is a bully, Biff Tannen, Mean Girl, ingrate?

Yet you are the only one actually name calling?

Ben's not a B1G caliber player. Maybe in this current climate, neither is/was Jack. But then is not now, and now is not then so I'll rely on my eyes, and opinions of basketball dudes with light years more insight than me, and he still won't match Jack's 2005 year..nor will he play like Jack and endear himself to Illini hearts and minds with his play.
Its more the fact that people say it over and over and over and over. If you get my point.
 
#386      
So far this year??? IT’S APRIL 16th!!

And you keep saying a “down year” last year and finishing 7th in the Big Ten bc it fits your narrative. They were 1 win away from 4th and 2 from 2nd. If that’s a “down” year then sign me up for that being the floor. Mercy!
 
#390      
So far this year??? IT’S APRIL 16th!!

And you keep saying a “down year” last year and finishing 7th in the Big Ten bc it fits your narrative. They were 1 win away from 4th and 2 from 2nd. If that’s a “down” year then sign me up for that being the floor. Mercy!

1 second weekend in 8 years … That’s what the big money people see …

And whether people like it or not … Their opinion matters more than anyone’s nowadays …
 
#392      
He's small, 5'10" 175 pounds, but the kid is a player! He averaged 17.1 points/3.2 rebounds/ 4.2 assists, while shooting 43.3/35.9/75.6 this past season for SLU. He was so tough late in games, and in the clutch. He's a heady player, trying to get others involved, but knowing when to turn it on. He also worked hard on defense, often picking up his man full court, or at the half court line. I don't know how much it would "cost" the Illini for him to transfer here, or if he'd sign on for a backup role, but if Swope is good on both, he'd be a very nice addition.
 
#395      
#396      
Aunt ... balls ... uncle. They finished in 7th place in the Big Ten. That's not super successful. They lost pretty badly in the 2nd round of the Tourney. That's fine. It's not great. And it's not close to expectations of a top-15 paid coach with top-15 NIL. Sorry.
 
#397      
That's the expectation for like 75% of Big Ten teams. In the last 5 years, 3 programs have won at least one Big Ten regular season title and at least one Big Ten Tournament. BU's Illini, Painter's Purdue, and Michigan with 2 different HCs (Juwan won a reg season title but no BTT, May vice versa).

So basically, other than possibly Matt Painter, no coach in the entire conference has been good enough.
Many of those programs dont have a top 8 paid head coach, the 8 highest valued program, a top 5 most profitable program, a top ten fan base and the potential NIL that we have.
 
#398      
Comparing our team's accomplishments to those of other teams in the B1G always provides good insight. A frustrating fact, however, is that no B1G men's basketball team has won a National Championship in the last quarter century. In other words, there is additional room for comparison beyond that of the B1G alone.
 
#399      
Whisper campaign about what? Lack of development? Bad coaching? Jerk personality?
 
#400      
200.gif



Countdown to Loyalty Meltdown 2025
At this point, with every target mentioned(to date) bailing....when is the meltdown warranted.

It seems like we're heading towards plan E or F.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back