Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[OB positive]

Good Lord

People still going on about this?

Folks I wasn't serious about this post on an Illinois basketball forum. It's clear we're out on him. Why not have some fun with it....

I take year 2 Andrej over year 1 Blackwell here. I really like the Coleman/Morillo/Brown trio as well.

ILL

Why just why?

 

[jamie13197]

If we throw a small lineup in, Morillo can play the 4 in small minutes. Brad could throw multiple personnel at teams.

None of our players are small. Maybe some walk ons.

 

[gville90]

Ahh thank you Quentin .

Was getting tired of seeing Morez in that “#2 all-time Illinois recruit” spot on 247.

One more elite commit and we can finally bump Morez off the screen… and pretend he never existed

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

I just don’t buy the waiting until the summer thing. I will die on the hill screaming they need another guard. Badly.

Bring an experienced guy to solidify that spot. We are trying to win a national championship. In my opinion, you need experienced guards to do that.

IMO -- just someone to fill the role Harmon / DGL had would be wonderful.

(not necessarily asking for a John Blackwell)

 

[EmeraldCityIllini]

Lee had Bam and Keaton in front of him.

Brown will have Vaaks and Coleman in front of him.

The point is both will have a path to be the FIRST GUARD OFF THE BENCH.

If Lee wasn't able to snag that role and get on the court - then I doubt Brown will be able to.

Once again, Keaton is the exception.

I see this as a point in favor of the depth though?

With Morillo and Davis in the mix off the bench, that seems pretty solid to me.

@Altuve27 pointed out we’re one freak injury away from trouble at guard. Which I guess I’d argue, isn’t everyone?

I’m all for another guard btw. I’m just skeptical a veteran guard is coming here to be the 5-minute a game guy who can also be a good starter.

 

[wc_illini]

Not according to the team's own roster.

4 Gs and at least 2 Fs that brought up the ball last year.

Fair enough. Vaaks is the only pure ball handler/facilitator with NCAA experience. Mirk can be a point-forward, preferably complimenting a guard. Stoj is great downhill rather than facilitating. Jake is great as a catch and shoot guy. Coleman and Morillo are highly touted for good reason but not yet proven.

To me, that's one proven primary ball handler and two promising ones. Not saying it won't work, just that it's a risk if there are injuries or someone doesn't pan out. I'd overpay for insurance this year

 

[CleverHandle1]

I'm trying to not to put too much pressure on the kid, but Brown has the potential to shock a lot of people in here next year. All I will say for now.

What is Brown's strengths? Can he dribble?

 

[fuggles]

Lee had Bam and Keaton in front of him.

Brown will have Vaaks and Coleman in front of him.

The point is both will have a path to be the FIRST GUARD OFF THE BENCH.

If Lee wasn't able to snag that role and get on the court - then I doubt Brown will be able to.

Once again, Keaton is the exception.

How many posts are you going to make trashing the team, players and the roster construction?

 

[IllinitripleJ]

Was Brandon Lee pushed out by the staff to free up his scholarship (Like a former coach at Indiana was known for)? Or did he leave on his own as he thought he wasn't as good as the incoming freshmen and he didn't want to warm the bench? Seems strange that the portal is getting ready to close and then all of sudden he announces he is going to transfer. Why did he wait so long?

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

I’m all for another guard btw. I’m just skeptical a veteran guard is coming here to be the 5-minute a game guy who can also be a good starter.

I doubt it would be 5 minutes. There's gonna be about 25 minutes available where one of Vaaks / Coleman are on the bench.

Harmon and DGL both played over 15 minutes in similar roles.

 

[FrankNitty30]

I would classify both as guards (as I do Jake Davis)…. I understand it’s been said Morillo will see some minutes at forward but he is a guard by natural archetype

This. He is closer to a PG than a 4.

 

[Travis1173]

Wonder if Austin Hutcherson still has eligibility

 

[Altuve27]

IMO -- just someone to fill the role Harmon / DGL had here would be wonderful.

That would be just fine. To be clear, we have guys that can bring the ball up and get us into actions. Hell, David did it a TON in East Lansing.

I just want as many experienced ballhandlers as humanly possible.

As @Fly Illini Fly! points out, there is a nice 20-25 minute role available.

 

[illiniguy24]

If only we had a coach and a staff who knew how to put together a roster /s

They are still learning how to count

 

[Orangeandblue72]

Is Ty 100% gone? Or did he put his name in the portal to at least see what else is out there, and there's a non-zero chance he could return?

I actually think he would be exactly the type of veteran guard we could use. He's steady -- can defend, rebound, bring ball up the court as needed. Would give us a lot of insurance across 1-4 positions. And we know from a culture standpoint he's as good as anyone.

He should leave. He was a great cheerleader the last two years though.

 

[ThePortalMadeMeDoIt]

View attachment 49952
Ahh thank you Quentin .

Was getting tired of seeing Morez in that “#2 all-time Illinois recruit” spot on 247.

One more elite commit and we can finally bump Morez off the screen… and pretend he never existed

It's tough when he can say he went to a place and delivered them a National Championship.

 

[EmeraldCityIllini]

I doubt it would be 5 minutes. There's gonna be about 25 minutes available where one of Vaaks / Coleman are on the bench.

Harmon and DGL both played over 15 minutes in similar roles.

Sure. But Harmon and DGL were 2 of the top 3 reserve guards. And honestly once Domask blew up, Luke who was “the top guard” off the bench was as really mostly playing the 3. And Harmon minutes by end of year were significantly cut

Davis and Morillo are already the top two guards.

 

[TheFlyingIllini1317]

Wonder if Austin Hutcherson still has eligibility

How about Tevian Jones off the bench

 

[wncillini]

Mirk is solid bringing the ball up. However we really struggled hanging into the ball the one game he HAD to be the one bringing it up.

And yes most teams would struggle if one off their 2 main guards went down. However the teams competing for a championship because they have a loaded roster struggle much less.

 

[PepeSilvia]

I just don’t buy the waiting until the summer thing. I will die on the hill screaming they need another guard. Badly.

Bring an experienced guy to solidify that spot. We are trying to win a national championship. In my opinion, you need experienced guards to do that.

Look, there is ZERO doubt that @LvilleILL1 and many, many others know more about this team and its players than I do. Ethan Brown may be all that and a bag of chips, but I personally would prefer to not be in a position where we are depending on him. We are 1 freak injury in the backcourt from possibly being in that spot. I don’t like that.

Get a guy with some experience in here to bolster things. Keaton Wagler was 1 of 1. That likely will never happen again.

For a team with serious title aspirations, I want to count on as few freshmen as possible. No problem with Coleman and Morillo playing a lot. After that I want as many veterans as possible.

JMHO.

I couldn't agree more.

The goal is to win a national championship and be better than the previous year. They lost an All-American and veteran starter in Boswell.

Love the retention and have no issue with Coleman or Morillo playing a ton but if you had the money for Blackwell and he backed away then go use that money on a different guy. Don't put yourself in a situation where you're relying on freshman because the other teams are going to be loaded(UConn already looks very good).

Go get a veteran guard that is capable of being a starter on a good team and then if Coleman, Morillo, or even Brown start beating him for minutes that becomes a great problem to have.

Michigan just won a national championship where they lost LJ Cason in February. It didn't matter because they still had Cadeau, Mckenney, Burnett, and Gayle. Trey Mckenney was ranked 21st as a prospect(higher than Coleman) and was a huge piece for them coming off the bench and playing 20+ minutes a game.

If Vaaks went down with an injury you would have a team with national championship aspirations relying on Quentin Coleman, Lucas Morillo, and Ethan Brown to be their primary guards. All of them may work out but I don't think a team with serious championship aspirations should be that reliant on freshman to pan out when they supposedly had the money to add Blackwell to the current group.

 

[Oldskoolkoach]

Would still love to see us get another 4 like Robbie Avila. Great basketball IQ, passer, three point shooter, teammate, and experience, and think he would be a trip seeing how his personality would gel on this team.

Heard 7-10mil was asking price the other day

 

[and 69 others]

What is Brown's strengths? Can he dribble?

Hell, yeah, he can dribble. Check out this clip of him from a Providence practice last season …

 

[mysterio2525]

I see this as a point in favor of the depth though?

With Morillo and Davis in the mix off the bench, that seems pretty solid to me.

@Altuve27 pointed out we’re one freak injury away from trouble at guard. Which I guess I’d argue, isn’t everyone?

I’m all for another guard btw. I’m just skeptical a veteran guard is coming here to be the 5-minute a game guy who can also be a good starter.

not everyone is running hot like Illinois is. not everyone is coming off final four run. not everyone is about to turn a 3 star into a top 6 pick. not everyone has donors finally getting that taste of the absolute top of college basketball after starving for 20 years and adding money to the pot. the time to over extend is now!

 

[MadtownIllin]

It would be a European add, so they probably wouldn't get here until August. Again I am not expecting it to be a massive piece, but just for some more depth.

Well. I am going to Croatia and Montenegro next week and would be happy to do some scouting if need be..

 

[NarrowJ]

I couldn't agree more.

The goal is to win a national championship and be better than the previous year. They lost an All-American and veteran starter in Boswell.

Love the retention and have no issue with Coleman or Morillo playing a ton but if you had the money for Blackwell and he backed away then go use that money on a different guy. Don't put yourself in a situation where you're relying on freshman because the other teams are going to be loaded(UConn already looks very good).

Go get a veteran guard that is capable of being a starter on a good team and then if Coleman, Morillo, or even Brown start beating him for minutes that becomes a great problem to have.

Michigan just won a national championship where they lost LJ Cason in February. It didn't matter because they still had Cadeau, Mckenney, Burnett, and Gayle. Trey Mckenney was ranked 21st as a prospect(higher than Coleman) and was a huge piece for them coming off the bench and playing 20+ minutes a game.

If Vaaks went down with an injury you would have a team with national championship aspirations relying on Quentin Coleman, Lucas Morillo, and Ethan Brown to be their primary guards. All of them may work out but I don't think a team with serious championship aspirations should be that reliant on freshman to pan out when they supposedly had the money to add Blackwell to the current group.

UConn has the guards but literally nothing up front... be interesting to see what they end up with

With Reibe, Furphy, Stewart, Elezaj all portaling they have to fill out an entire frontcourt via portal or late HS addition