Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
#1,104      
gville90
JJE said:
With Blackwell- National title favorite

Without Blackwell- National title contender
Click to expand...
this literally sums it up best 🫡.

No one is complaining that we’re gonna be “bad” without Blackwell. We’re gonna be awesome.This level of retention WITH talent accrual and minimal portal attrition is unprecedented in the portal era.

But I think it’s fair that people are disappointed that we’re unlikely to land Blackwell, given what the potential could have been. Repeating a final four is ridiculously hard. The closer you can be to “inevitable” (2024 UConn, 2026 Michigan), the more comfortable this forum will be.
 
Last edited:
#1,105      
sulli
EwGroce said:
i mean this as a genuine clarification, not disagreeing (especially with an insider 😳) , but perhaps @wncillini was getting at… instead of “one of the best” wouldn’t we have been THE best with Blackwell? And would go from “can win a title” to “even more likely to win a title?”
Click to expand...
Also, the point about Illinois being 2nd tier is a valid one. Illinois made the Final Four this year, which was great! But, they weren't really a final four team all season. With a week to go in the regular season most were worried they'd lose in the 2nd round. I don't think Michigan fans were worried about that this year. We weren't worried about that in 2005. That's the difference. Having said that, it's more fun to root for guys that stuck around than hired guns. And the team will certainly be good next year. We could be the 15th best team next year without Blackwell. We could be the 1st. We could also be 15th WITH blackwell. I think he is very good but he isn't Yaxel. I don't even think he is as good as TSJ was.
 
#1,106      
PepeSilvia
LvilleILL1 said:
They are literally getting preseason number one shouts on social media by national writers.

A lot of people in here are overestimating what the talent landscape in college basketball looks like next year. Look at other rosters and the lack of tons of high level players left.
Click to expand...
I mean they have a ton of retention and I think they are already preseason top 5 and realistically probably 3 with the current roster.

And I agree with your assessment with the current talent levels for the rest of college basketball with what they are returning and their portal classes.

Which is why I think it's so important to just go all in and spend now because I don't know if there will ever be a better chance to win that first national championship.

If Blackwell is wavering at potentially getting fewer shots with the amount of talent then pivot and go get a Paul Mcneil or Alex Wilkins(looks like UK), or even a Brycen Blaine type guard. Or if we have that money reach back out to Mirko/euro and try to get an Adam Atanma or a different euro guard.
 
#1,108      
Aillini32
Combo said:
Vaaks is way closer to being a PG than Blackwell.

You also wonder if Andrej and/or Coleman would be here next year if we were getting Blackwell (I'm not saying that's the case, but it seems like a possibility)

I still think Cox would be a great pickup.
Click to expand...
I agree with that, but you feel a lot more comfortable with another veteran guard who can handle it and create some. And I’m in total agreement on Cox, at the very least he’d be a good off the bench guard. An injury to either Vaaks or Coleman and we’re in trouble
 
#1,110      
foby
I mean...

Some are the takes here border on insanity.

We are GREAT. And have a legit shot at never been done before back to back Final Fours.

Relax....This is NOT us...

fire story GIF
 
#1,113      
Combo
Illiniforlife said:
I think what people are really trying to say is this: last year, Tomi looked like a shell of himself. He did improve as the season went on, but he was still stuck in a shooting slump. Big Z was flat‑out bad over the second half of the year. Andrej also struggled for most of the season—he didn’t really show up until the tournament, and even then, he still doesn’t shoot it well.
If you look at Mirk’s numbers against top‑level competition, he hasn’t been very good at all. That means he’s going to have to make a significant jump for this team to reach its potential. On top of that, we lost our best player—Keaton—who essentially won us two or three games by himself. We also lost another secondary ball handler.
To think that Coleman is going to step in and immediately replace Keaton is unrealistic. Expecting him to be Keaton—or even Boswell—is a stretch, especially considering Boswell wasn’t consistently that good himself. Vaaks is a very good offensive player, but he’s a major liability defensively.
Because of all of that, I don’t think it’s crazy to say there are a lot of question marks with this team. It’s far from a foregone conclusion that we’re going to be great next year.
Click to expand...
There are question marks w/o a doubt. The optimistic predictions are assuming that guys will make a big jump. What that's possible, it's far from a guarantee. Heck, I'd be happy if Tomi just "reverted" to how he was his first season.

That said, I think we have a legit shot to get back to the FF.
 
#1,114      
Chase321
Emerson Bigguns said:
Wait…aren’t we bringing back 5 of our top 8 players from last year?

We will not be relying on any freshman to “carry the team.” We have 4 seniors and one of the best returning sophomores in the country to do that. The freshmen just need to do their jobs.
Click to expand...
These are the same players that needed Keaton on the court for 40 minutes a game for things to run well. I’m not saying the new players can’t fill that role I’m just saying it’s a giant unknown.
 
#1,115      
DieHard0320
I get being disappointed on not getting Blackwell. We had the money and laid out a plan but if he didn’t want it so be it.

The biggest thing that is being underestimated is a full summer as a team. We aren’t dealing with visas and NCAA clearance this year. We aren’t starting from the bottom. That alone gives us such a head start against majority of the teams.

The closest we’ve seen to this type of retention in the portal era was the Elite 8 year and that was nothing compared to this type of retention.
 
#1,118      
goillini30
Emerson Bigguns said:
Where did you get the impression they backed off Blackwell? He is choosing a different path. He was definitely Plan A, but as far as Plan B’s go, it’s pretty dang spectacular.

What team has a decidedly better roster right now? We’ve relied on freshmen just about every year, as do most teams.

Coleman and Morillo are the kind of prospects we used to pray for. They don’t have to be Keaton. If they can play like freshman Ayo, Adam Miller, Curbelo, Jacucionis, Riley, that kid who went to Michigan…I forget his name… they can fit in just fine.
Click to expand...
Never said they backed off, just sounds like he's not coming. Literally said I was being greedy
 
#1,119      
Illiniforlife
There are question marks w/o a doubt. The optimistic predictions are assuming that guys will make a big jump. What that's possible, it's far from a guarantee. Heck, I'd be happy if Tomi just "reverted" to how he was his first season.

That said, I think we have a legit shot to get back to the FF.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I agree and hope we make it. But everyone thought Tomi would make a huge jump in year two and didn't, so what happens if Mirk and Andrej don't make the jumps or regress like Tomi did? Are we still going to make the Final Four?
 
#1,120      
ColSLU69
PepeSilvia said:
If we miss on Blackwell I would want to pivot to Alex Wilkins.

Good size and quickness. Think a backcourt of him, Vaaks, and Coleman would be incredibly good.

I obviously would love to have Blackwell but Wilkins has a pretty absurd combo of size and quickness.
Click to expand...
So much to like about Alex Wilkins! But he might be out of our price range. Kentucky is after him big time. And they've missed on several other transfers already. I'd expect UK to spend whatever it takes to sign Wilkins. And Wilkins would start for Illinois with Vaaks. Some people seem to think that Coleman might be upset if he's NOT starting. And how's Wilkins' defense? Can he stay with shorter, quicker point guards? In any case, I also like Alex Wilkins a LOT!
 
#1,122      
Big Jack
Been a great season and i for one think we have a great team now for next season anyone thinking this team isn't loaded is nuts. Enjoy the summer in will show myself out for the time being see you all in October. To all of the insiders thanks again for all of the info. If you are going to be in Decatur holler I have golf connections.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back