I am going that far yet but Tomi is the hardest to replace and we have to retain him.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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I really thought we could have won it it in either/both 1984-1985 and 1985-1986. But Efrem Winters was never the same after his leg injury. Roy Tarpley, who became a top player for Michigan in 1984-1985 and 1085-1986, was not as good as Efrem before Efrem's injury and both of them came out of high school in 1982 and both played power forward.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Sorry, just listed likely playable players. Ty and Lee supposedly gone. LD not expected to see the floor
I do not see Vaaks as an upgrade over Ben. The only thing he can do or is willing to do is chuck more threes.
Now read closely. This does not mean he cannot learn to become a strong and valuable defender. Ben did, but Vaaks currently is not. That does not mean that he cannot become a valuable rebounder. Ben did, Vaaks currently is not. That does not mean he cannot learn to become elite at not turning the ball over. Ben did, Vaaks currently is not
But Vaaks likes to score and is a "pretty good" shooter. Can he provide 40% from the arc against B1G competition? We do not know, but we hope he can.
The point is if Vaaks can provide the contribution "to the team" that Ben provided this season, he will be a very good replacement. I am certainly not saying he can't be....but he currently is not. The fact is it would be easy to create a highlight film of Ben that would make you think Ben could not be replaced.
So my view of Vaaks is much the same as AS...show me on both ends....and Adrej certainly did. I hope Vaaks does also. And John Blackwell too while I am at it.
Being Wisc mr. basketball, and his order of visits…
Utah St. (Apr 10)
Illinois (Apr 12)
Wisconsin (Apr 13)
decision Apr 14
…would cause me to speculate that he may be planning to wrap things up on Tuesday by announcing for Wisconsin. Sometimes the last visit is scheduled for the favorite. Would be glad to be wrong though.
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He’s a legit bad coach. His coaching in the first round of the tournament last year against Creighton was a fireable offense. Didn’t scout at all just spent the whole week complaining about how they should have been a higher seed
I moved to Oklahoma in 2012. When we took Underwood there were a few words exchanged but Brad is never mentioned anymore and I have a lot of friends that are state fans.
I know Momcilovic is testing the NBA waters, but is him also entering the portal one of the names you guys were waiting for?
Guard Stefan Vaaks will transfer to Illinois, agents say
Transfer guard Stefan Vaaks, one of the surprise freshmen in college basketball this season who starred at Providence, has committed to Illinois, his agents at Excel Sports Management told ESPN on Sunday afternoon.
@Indy Illini Fan indicated Florida may be his destination if he returns to college.
If you are a fan of retaining players, it's going to be a good week. I would expect things to go public at some point in the next few days.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Vaaks and Ben are not part of the same equation anymore and Quentin Coleman and Tomi are.
Am I a fan of retaining serious talent? Yes. Yes I am.
His shot is BEAUTIFUL.
Yes and Yes, you don’t pass on a talent like ZZ
We need a love button for posts like this
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
This is huge. As sick as Blackwell is, you can probably still easily compete for a Natty with Plan B, C, or D for him.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I was wondering about that myself a week or so ago. I did a deep dive into one of the OK State message boards and the general consensus seems to be that the athletic director at the time did Brad dirty and wasn’t making good on his promises. I was actually shocked that there was no real animosity toward Brad.
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