Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#826      
rmlsr
Indy Illini Fan said:
Brad’s not … Get these kids signed and get them to Ubben for a WHOLE summer …

And let Fletch COOK !!!!!!!

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#832      
AnnaMay
Chase3 said:
Gut reaction from my Illini friends is that it hurts with Blackwell but I feel like this helps honestly. If he really wants to play for a national championship and the Illini retain our key guys...please tell me who is better suited to win one and Blackwell's role is now carved out in stone for him if he wants it. Money may be an issue though.
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Money is not an issue this year.
 
#833      
JJB
Providence fans mad saying good luck with his defense 😂
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It will vex us at times next year. From the Athletic's Transfer Portal rankings (Vaaks is #10):

"Ht: 6-7 Wt: 210
The Estonian native came to college basketball this season and was exceptionally productive as a jumbo guard for the Friars. There is very little that Vaaks isn’t capable of as a playmaker at that size. His dribble, pass and shoot abilities are quite real, even if he’s still working through how to utilize all of his tools. He’s dynamic in ball-screens, can drill shots off movement where he’s a volume gunner taking nearly nine attempts per game, and can also throw passes. It’s not hard to squint and see NBA upside.

The issue? Vaaks might have been the worst defensive player in the Big East. He consistently got beaten off the bounce, and his engagement levels weren’t at the level they consistently needed to be at. He was a major reason Providence had one of the worst defenses in high-major basketball, and the Friars were six points worse per 100 possessions on defense with him on the court. The team that recruits him will need a strong defensive infrastructure. With that said, expect a significant high-major program to bet on his ceiling, where he could easily turn into an all-conference player as soon as next year."

www.nytimes.com

Ranking the 50 best players in the men’s college basketball transfer portal

The transfer portal has never been more important for team building in today's game. Here are the best available players in 2026.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
#843      
Mr. Tibbs
RabidDawgClassic said:
It would be really cool if someone in the media — Robert Rosenthal, perhaps? — would track down this girl, interview her, ask her if she even knows about her message board celebrity, and have her be a guest on his podcast. Robert… if you read this board, it would be perfect for Light the I.
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although Robert doesn’t really consider himself media , perhaps this story would interest him
 
#844      
EmeraldCityIllini
FreshlySqueezed said:
Did they?

Most national media that I follow and consume agree we were a sleeping giant and a top program.

Maybe it was newer media who started covering college basketball during the Weber years?
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I saw quite a few saying "Illini fans have a higher sense of their program than reality".

Now, most writers did all believe we were most certainly a better program than what we had been during end of Weber and Groce years.
 
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