For the love of God and all things orange and blue give us a fix insiders.... something small like anything... Whose the next AJ Redd or some Misko shenanigans.... Are OA and Alexander on a plane to Belarus or Latvia yet?? Please!!! Just something
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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I bet NBA teams tell andrej going back to Illinois is literally the best thing he can do for himself. I bet they'll ask Brad too and he'd say the same.
I bet they tell him you've got to show you can shoot the ball. Shooting 24.4% from 3 is not going to cut it. He's a wizard driving to the rim, but can he do that consistently in the pros?
Cole Kelly for sure.
Kid is gonna blow up IMO after this upcoming Summer. Time for BU and Co. to lock him up, to play alongside his current HS teammate in the O&B.
I'm not seeing it -
Andrej is about a 30% shooter from 3pt range and he only takes 2+ 3 pointers / game. But he's close to 60% going to the rim. That is an astronomical statistic given that he's 6' 7" - I seem to remember a player that the Bulls drafted over 40 years ago (yes I it was that long ago) who was of similar size, much stronger but had similar results both going to the rim and as a 3pt shooter. He was able to get improve his 3pt shooting as a pro.
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
Not following. Who are you describing and why are you making the comparison?
I don't post often, but I've followed this board for several years. One of our "insiders" is clearly not an insider, but LvilleILL is one I pay close attention to. They are very in tune with what's going on. Thank you!!!
and 69 others
“Timeout South Carolina”
2 more examples of guys whose 3 point percentages are lower at Illinois than at the schools they transferred to or from.
If Z can get 15-20lbs of muscle on him this offseason, and gets his 3pt shot back to his pre-Illinois 38%, both big ifs, he will shoot up the boards despite his now older age. I think he has a higher ceiling than all of those 4, but he needs to live in the gym with Fletch to get there.
That’s interesting. Wonder if it has to do with our style of hunting matchups vs running offense with off ball screening and pin downs. Think UConn or even 04-05 Illini.
There’s a lot more standing around waiting on a pass while someone dribbles through a series of screens with our offense.
I have been on the "no way Wagler comes back" side, but just saw someone drop #NIKE on twitter as a possible reason for coming back. Just to stir the never-ending posts on this, if Wagler can get a huge Nike endorsement, and be the spokesperson of college basketball while wearing Nike's, where he will be seen way more than he would in the G league, it kind of makes sense.
FightinIllini30
Future insider
Yeah he wouldn’t be playing in the G league…
I hate to be that guy (sometimes) but he isn’t coming back. It makes no sense.
Add in the fact that next year’s NBA draft class is much weaker than this year’s. I mean, umm, man it’s not possible is it?
LOL neither player took 4 three pointers a game. The difference in % is literally less than 10 makes for the entire season. Are you just trying to make something out of nothing?
That money won’t be seen immediately. Almost a non-factor for next season, unless athletic departments spend it without having it. For example doing faculty upgrades and paying it off later.
And a great athlete!
Going now puts Wagler one year closer to the lucrative second contract. Please take off the tinfoil hats and get off X. My goodness. Have y'all seen what Will Riley is doing this month? Did y'all see how Miami's developmental system is benefitting KJ? Wagler was farther along than both as an Illini. He got the team to the Final Four. He was an All American as a freshman.
HE GAWN.
My freaking goodnesss. Some delusional Illini homers. Can we please act like a program that's finally ascended to the elite, perennially contending tier?
NIL money is going up. We can market several successful Illini that made the league this decade in Ayo (killing it on Minny), TSJ (just dropped his first 30-bomb), Will Riley (tearing it up on the Wizards), KJ (inconsistent but promising flashes in a very intense/disciplined Heat organization), and, most notably, KEATON effin WAGLER. Dude is going to be our highest drafted player since Deron Williams. We just made a FINAL FOUR. He's a freshman All American. He was the Regional MVP. He dropped 46 at Mackey. He scored 20pts vs. Michigan AND UConn (two of the toughest defenses in the country this year).
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How do y'all not see that Keaton getting picked in the Top 10 potentially Top 7 picks is IMMENSELY valuable to the Illini program?! Gambling the sheen coming off of him, a sophomore slump, an injury, and/or a disappointing non-Final Four season in 2026-27 (which is EXTREMELY likely... how many teams make back to back Final Fours?) is NOT worth the risk to Keaton or, frankly, the Illini in the long run! Let's take this win. Let's capitalize on all this to build a pipeline of great guards and wings coming to the beloved.
To win a Natty you have to consistently put together teams that can compete for 1 seeds. Year in. Year out. The Illini are playing the long game by becoming an NBA factory of guards and wings. Would be nice to get a big man into the lottery too at some point.
HE GAWN.
My freaking goodnesss. Some delusional Illini homers. Can we please act like a program that's finally ascended to the elite, perennially contending tier?
NIL money is going up. We can market several successful Illini that made the league this decade in Ayo (killing it on Minny), TSJ (just dropped his first 30-bomb), Will Riley (tearing it up on the Wizards), KJ (inconsistent but promising flashes in a very intense/disciplined Heat organization), and, most notably, KEATON effin WAGLER. Dude is going to be our highest drafted player since Deron Williams. We just made a FINAL FOUR. He's a freshman All American. He was the Regional MVP. He dropped 46 at Mackey. He scored 20pts vs. Michigan AND UConn (two of the toughest defenses in the country this year).
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How do y'all not see that Keaton getting picked in the Top 10 potentially Top 7 picks is IMMENSELY valuable to the Illini program?! Gambling the sheen coming off of him, a sophomore slump, an injury, and/or a disappointing non-Final Four season in 2026-27 (which is EXTREMELY likely... how many teams make back to back Final Fours?) is NOT worth the risk to Keaton or, frankly, the Illini in the long run! Let's take this win. Let's capitalize on all this to build a pipeline of great guards and wings coming to the beloved.
To win a Natty you have to consistently put together teams that can compete for 1 seeds. Year in. Year out. The Illini are playing the long game by becoming an NBA factory of guards and wings. Would be nice to get a big man into the lottery too at some point.
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All of this is true, financially.
But if you put 5mil in the bank before you go pro, do you really need to go pro? Will you ever see in the pro's what you saw in the FF? Will you ever have the chance to be the #1 reason one of the best college hoops schools of all time, finally won a NC? I dunno, a chance to compete at the highest level against the best is compelling, but if you weigh that against the above, plus getting the $hit beat out of you, maybe you give it one more year at the college level, and let Fletch beef you up a bit more.
One of my prized possessions to this day is the pic I have of coach Frazier and Sencire doing a 1-1 drill at SFC from the bench - just two dawgs who loved playing defense. Great dude. Z is the same way, and that's a rare trait.
Sarr seems tailormade to be an NBA role player. 6'7, long wingspan, and a great athlete. I would expect that he might rise in the rankings and go higher that anyone else thinks right now.
Going to be honest, I think Z's game translates the best to the NBA.
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