Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#826      
ugottabjoshinme
Indy Illini Fan said:
Louisville has entered the chat …

Per sources …
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Moving Friends Tv GIF
 
#838      
hoopsfan47
Yes …
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No....but pretty equal. The major difference is on the defensive end...and that is 50% of a player's value. But Vaaks and Blackwell could close that gap on defense under Brad. It is a long way to go until Nov.
 
#840      
joekam
Idea Gardener said:
He could just be using Louisville to get a bit more out of Illinois, while knowing he's coming to Illinois regardless.
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In a vacuum I wouldn’t mind paying more, but curious of the domino effect on #TheRetention if a new guy comes in getting the biggest bag. Starts to get really expensive, even if resources are deeper this offseason. Hopefully everyone gets their money and we get our hoped starting lineup/roster.
 
#842      
ColSLU69
Second place is 1st loser said:
I'd say the additions of Stefan and a couple of elite freshmen might raise the floor/ceiling. He's only going into his sophomore year. Last year, we was a focal point defensively because he was Providence's best perimeter player. He's going to get a LOT more open looks.

I love Kylan, but when his shooting went off the radar bad, that really hurt.

Davis was playing WAY too big of a role because of us trying to manage that whole injury disaster. As we saw in the tournament, we saw what a healthy Drej looks like. He's a phenomenal defender and his comfortability finishing at the rim was REMARKABLY better.

We've all seen Blackwell go nuclear. Not much more needs to be said there.

Mirk is going to be an assumed first time All Conference. He was phenomenal.

The biggest hurdle for our group is getting comfortable sharing the ball. There are going to be quite a few alphas in the room now.

If I had two concerns:

1)On the defensive side, will we be better versus Uber physical and athletic bigs

2) That backup 4 or 5 spot. That was the same concern as last year. We'll see what happens there with our last few dollars left.

That's a ton of experience, size, talent, scoring ability, etc coming back with a LOT of experience in big games.
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The backup 4 or 5 spot? I see that as a hole that needs to be/should be filled by the Illini. But if Illinois signs Blackwell or another top transfer guard, and no other Illinois players transfer out, all 15 roster spots will be filled, and Illinois will not have room to add another 4/5 position player.

Some folks online have commented that many of the BIGS in the transfer portal will be asking for a lot of money, and many of them wouldn't want to go from playing 30+ minutes/game (and starting in many cases) this past season, to coming off the bench and playing 10-15 minutes/game for Illinois next season. One possible transfer that I'd hope the Illini would consider is 6'10", 235-pound, freshman F Aleksas Bieliauskas (Wisconsin). He's a 20-year-old Lithuanian who averaged 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists this past season, while shooting 43.1% on FGs, including 34.6% on 3-pointers, and 63.3% on FTs for the Badgers. [He played 20.2 MIN/game last season.] I have no idea how much it would cost to add AB. Nor do I know if he'd want to play 15-20 MIN/game (next season) for the Illini. But IF a roster spot opens up for Illinois, I'd at least check in on whether AB would be interested in transferring to Illinois.
 
#843      
Illini4Chief
He could just be using Louisville to get a bit more out of Illinois, while knowing he's coming to Illinois regardless.
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yep.....Louisville......seriously ....small potato......crappy league.
 
#845      
Dawgss4life
I really hope that Blackwell makes his decision later THIS week. If we get him, great! If we don't get him, we quickly need to pivot to 1B or 1c options. Probably another experienced guard.
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I already told this room Blackwell IS an Illini. Stop doubting me!
 
#846      
BrownTown
Louisville has entered the chat …

Per sources …
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I had read rumors online that Louisville wasn’t even sure where the money was coming from to pay who they already had….

How in the world?!..

(This could all be BS speculation, of course but these things HAVE happened in the past)
 
#848      
EwGroce
don’t look now but IU and Mizzou quietly assembling very strong prep+transfer classes….. 🙈. IU looks to have pivoted from Aiden Sherell and landed a Turkish 7-2 Center (SMU transfer). Or dare I say they might land them both?! 🫣🫣🫣
 
#850      
ColSLU69
IMO, I would not mind us paying a little extra for Blackwell. Brad and Co. really believe he is the last piece to a championship caliber team and they have not indicated whatsoever that they are pivoting away from trying to get him.

However, what I would like to see is them not balk at whatever price his agent has set as of now.
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A little extra for Blackwell? I'm definitely for that! But a LOT extra for Blackwell? Hmmm. I'd have to think about HOW MUCH extra.
 
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