Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#326      
PasadenaIllini
jmwillini said:
I would say that the chances of Will Riley opting out of the draft are at best 1%.

If he does, the odds of coming back here are less than 1% of that 1%.

Where do the minutes come from?

Also, in the draft posted above, please not the T'wolves. Don't want TJ and Will competing for minutes.
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We have some newcomers who are really good on paper. A.J. Storr was really good on paper coming into Kansas's 24-25 season. Ask them how that turned out. Concluding anything about how many minutes anybody is going to be earning now before a single preseason workout or practice is vastly premature. Furthermore, if our coaches learned anything from last season, it should be that deciding minutes allocation based upon how much NIL we spend on players or on preseason hype is an absolute team killer. Playing time should be earned based upon performance on the court.

Will Riley is one of the few players on last year's team who proved himself a consistent factor against the best teams we played against at the end of our season. If he comes back, his skills progress as typically expected for a player as talented as Will, and he's healthy, our coaches will find a spot for him, and he will play, regardless of who else is on our team.
 
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#327      
Emerson Bigguns
AnnaMay said:
Are you insane? He gets 30 minutes a game if he comes back. Petrovic, Ty, Mirkovic and Ben probably lose minutes if Riley comes back. Petrovic and especially Mirkovic haven't even touched a NCAA basketball court and some of you are thinking they are going to be playing 30 minutes a game lol.
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They haven’t exactly been playing high school ball, either. Anyone who thinks they are going to be be overwhelmed by NCAA competition are going to be very pleasantly surprised.
They may not play 30 minutes, but it’s going to be hard to keep them off the court.
 
#329      
PepeSilvia
I don't think it's a question of if you take minutes away from anyone else. It's does Stojakovic stay committed here?

It feels like there is a lot of similarities to their games. I'd love to have both and I'd wonder if a single team in the country could score enough to keep up but would Andrej's camp think that he might not be enough of the focus on offense if Riley returned?

In that case you wouldn't really be gaining anything imo if Riley returned for Andrej to leave. If you keep both there are probably some defensive concerns but who cares if you score 100 every night.
 
#330      
Sedino
I agree but if we're specifically talking about Riley's minutes he would 100% be taking minutes from them. I would assume he and Andrej would be tied for most minutes per game if he came back.
 
#332      
ILL21
Combo said:
Please! Duke, Kentucky, et al have no problem with finding minutes for all their top-rated players (and they have way more than we do). We have all the minutes Will is able to play.

Starters - Kylan, Andrej, Will, Tomi, and either Rogers or Mirkovic. First off the bench - Petrovic and Z. Add Ben to make it a 9-man rotation (inevitably paired down to 6-7 man rotation towards end of season). And that's assuming no injuries.

That said, 99% chance he stays in the draft.
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That is a final four and potential national championship winning starting line up, and with the rest being shooters I would prefer Ty start.
 
#333      
EyeoftheIllini
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
1. Illinois has the NIL support. Very obvious at this point. We need to stop arguing the contrary - It's not true, and was never true.

2. Who would I kick off the team? No one.

Starters:
Bos
Petrovic
Will
Stoj
Tomi
(none of these guys are leaving)

Ty, Mirk, Z can be first off the bench and then Ben and Jake. None of these guys were established "no doubt starters" to begin with and if that's what they thought coming here, then they were wrong. And hell, if one of them wants to go, so be it. Will Riley if he comes back is a potential B10 POY candidate. Don't know what the reason would be to turn him down. And overall, that team would have a shot at being the top team in the country imo talent wise.

It's due to ignorant arguments like these Illinois hasn't reached the top of the top of college basketball, and may never will. It's always "I won't take this player, because it will take the minutes of this player" rather than looking at the quality aspect and aiming to build the best team you can. It's just simply not how you become a national contender.
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Pssssst. Fans on a message board arguing about things like this have had nor will have an impact on whether Illinois reaches the top of college basketball.
 
#334      
EyeoftheIllini
NarrowJ said:
Link?

Stop making things up jfc
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That’s my recollection as well. Not that it was the only reason, but it played a part. Staff was pushing for him to remain as a 2025, then signed Riley in late June and Fears decommited July 1. Maybe timeline is a complete coincidence, but I don’t think so.

Edit: Oops, OP already responded.
 
#335      
HailtotheChief
AnnaMay said:
Are you insane? He gets 30 minutes a game if he comes back. Petrovic, Ty, Mirkovic and Ben probably lose minutes if Riley comes back. Petrovic and especially Mirkovic haven't even touched a NCAA basketball court and some of you are thinking they are going to be playing 30 minutes a game lol.
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How many minutes do you think Petrovic will play a game? I don't think Mirk, a 255lb freshman will play 30 minutes a game in a loaded front court. However, I do think Petrovic will play near or eclipse that amount as our starting PG. He is an elite MVP type player in a league that's on par or better than the B10. He is out performing and putting up numbers although at a different position that Tomi put up in that league. Petrovic may play as much as anyone on our roster and certainly will play as our only true PG an awful lot. BOOK IT
 
#337      
EyeoftheIllini
Emerson Bigguns said:
They haven’t exactly been playing high school ball, either. Anyone who thinks they are going to be be overwhelmed by NCAA competition are going to be very pleasantly surprised.
They may not play 30 minutes, but it’s going to be hard to keep them off the court.
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I agree in general. I do think people might be overestimating Mirk’s impact/playing time a bit (at least for first third or so of season) because we’ll be lacking some in frontcourt if he doesn’t start well (bit of wishful thinking?). Petrovic will play a lot (and well) early.

And if they can find the money, you take Riley back. It might be a little less than he’d get on the open market, but I think they’d find money. I think he’ll stay in draft though. If he does comeback. Brad might want to invest in some insulated pants cuz his seat would be very hot if season doesn’t work out.
 
#338      
Illini-Rule
Somebody explain to me this thought of Will dropping out of the draft but not coming back to the Illini? He didn't enter the portal so what are his options if he drops out and doesn't come back to the Illini? I'm assuming Brad told him that he always has a spot on our team, or he would have entered the portal to cover his a$$.
 
#339      
AnnaMay
HailtotheChief said:
How many minutes do you think Petrovic will play a game? I don't think Mirk, a 255lb freshman will play 30 minutes a game in a loaded front court. However, I do think Petrovic will play near or eclipse that amount as our starting PG. He is an elite MVP type player in a league that's on par or better than the B10. He is out performing and putting up numbers although at a different position that Tomi put up in that league. Petrovic may play as much as anyone on our roster and certainly will play as our only true PG an awful lot. BOOK IT
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I have high hopes for Petrovic, but still temper expectations. Trent tore that league up because it's not as physical as college ball. I hope Petrovic's game translates and he plays 30 minutes a game because we will be extremely good if he does. However, expectations should be more in the wait and see category because he is not 6'6 KJ. He is 6'2"ish and hasnt been "fletched".
 
#340      
AnnaMay
Illini-Rule said:
Somebody explain to me this thought of Will dropping out of the draft but not coming back to the Illini? He didn't enter the portal so what are his options if he drops out and doesn't come back to the Illini? I'm assuming Brad told him that he always has a spot on our team, or he would have entered the portal to cover his a$$.
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If he drops out, he comes back to Illinois with a big payday. If people don't think there isnt a bag waiting for Riley, (a just incase fund) you are crazy.
 
#341      
Emerson Bigguns
EyeoftheIllini said:
I agree in general. I do think people might be overestimating Mirk’s impact/playing time a bit (at least for first third or so of season) because we’ll be lacking some in frontcourt if he doesn’t start well (bit of wishful thinking?). Petrovic will play a lot (and well) early.

And if they can find the money, you take Riley back. It might be a little less than he’d get on the open market, but I think they’d find money. I think he’ll stay in draft though. If he does comeback. Brad might want to invest in some insulated pants cuz his seat would be very hot if season doesn’t work out.
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Perhaps, but not unfounded. He is two years younger than Tomi and is more productive in the ABA than he was.
Tomi averaged 13 & 7 per 36 minutes. (20 years old)
David averages 14 & 10. (19 years old)
 
#342      
Emerson Bigguns
AnnaMay said:
I have high hopes for Petrovic, but still temper expectations. Trent tore that league up because it's not as physical as college ball. I hope Petrovic's game translates and he plays 30 minutes a game because we will be extremely good if he does. However, expectations should be more in the wait and see category because he is not 6'6 KJ. He is 6'2"ish and hasnt been "fletched".
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He’s going to join the team in June, so he will have a 4 + months to work with Fletch. KJ was playing for his national team all last summer, so he arrived quite late.
 
#344      
illinifan1987
EyeoftheIllini said:
Pssssst. Fans on a message board arguing about things like this have had nor will have an impact on whether Illinois reaches the top of college basketball.
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We have had an impact? Thanks for the confirmation, buddy!
Schitts Creek Thank You GIF by CBC
 
#346      
EyeoftheIllini
Emerson Bigguns said:
Perhaps, but not unfounded. He is two years younger than Tomi and is more productive in the ABA than he was.
Tomi averaged 13 & 7 per 36 minutes. (20 years old)
David averages 14 & 10. (19 years old)
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I think we’re pretty much in agreement as you said he might not play 30 mpg. I’m not saying he’s only going to be 15-18 mpg guy. Tomi averaged 27 mpg this year. Mirko will definitely play right away, but I think more in the 20-25 minute range initially. As the season goes on, that should increase. I’d expect by last third of season he’ll be consistently in that 25-28 range. And certainly could go higher.

As to production using Tomi and his numbers overseas, not sure it’s quite apples to apples. What made Tomi so effective are his 3-pt shooting and his passing, which are fairly unique for the college game. Mirko’s game is more banger/interior focused I believe (maybe I’m mistaken). That is something college teams see fairly often and are much more likely to have the player(s) to combat.

I am very glad to have Mirko on the team and look forward to seeing him play. He’s a piece that we could have used last year even with Morez. I just think penciling him in for 30 mpg on the season is still a bit of wishful thinking. Though I hope by last half of conference slate he can give us some 30 minute games.
 
#347      
Brosky
Not me. The problem with Ty is that you don't have to guard him.
 
#348      
Altuve27
IllinoisIntegrity said:
You’re crazy if you think there’s a chance he’s coming back to college basketball.
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Like I said yesterday, the chance is small. He WANTS to go to the NBA. That is VERY clear, but the chance is not 0. You don’t do anything until he makes his final decision. That is why I don’t think you’ll see any activity from Illinois until after the combine. You let that situation play out. With our roster just about done, you can wait on Will.

Also, you can let the combine stuff play out and see if any of the players who return to college BESIDES Will are good fits for that last spot. Just my take on the situation.

Now I’m off to watch Florence Pugh beat up people for 2 hours and 6 glorious minutes.
 
#349      
Brosky
EyeoftheIllini said:
I think we’re pretty much in agreement as you said he might not play 30 mpg. I’m not saying he’s only going to be 15-18 mpg guy. Tomi averaged 27 mpg this year. Mirko will definitely play right away, but I think more in the 20-25 minute range initially. As the season goes on, that should increase. I’d expect by last third of season he’ll be consistently in that 25-28 range. And certainly could go higher.

As to production using Tomi and his numbers overseas, not sure it’s quite apples to apples. What made Tomi so effective are his 3-pt shooting and his passing, which are fairly unique for the college game. Mirko’s game is more banger/interior focused I believe (maybe I’m mistaken). That is something college teams see fairly often and are much more likely to have the player(s) to combat.

I am very glad to have Mirko on the team and look forward to seeing him play. He’s a piece that we could have used last year even with Morez. I just think penciling him in for 30 mpg on the season is still a bit of wishful thinking. Though I hope by last half of conference slate he can give us some 30 minute games.
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Agree. Plus, we know Mirkovic can shoot from distance. He seems like a classic stretch four to me, based on the film I've seen.
 
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