Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[Emerson Bigguns]

I don’t think so. Andrej averaged criminally low assists. And is not a plus passer. When he drove into the paint he was committed to a getting a shot up. Compare that to some of the assists Keaton and Mirk achieved as a SG and PF, respectively, when penetrating the paint.

I tend to agree, though it’s probably going to be close. Andrej had nearly as high of a usage rate as Wagler last year. (25.2-25.0) Mirk was not far behind.(22.6)
To your point, they will run the offense through Mirk a lot more often, because he does a better job of making his teammates better.

 

[jamarvelous31]

Nothing too specific in this article, but an earlier one said Ty's best destinations would be St Johns, Tennessee, or Miami.

Illinois Basketball Transfers Still Searching for New Teams in 2026

The Illini's outgoing transfers remain without new destinations as of early May. What level will each departure choose?

www.si.com

Count me as skeptical that Ty is going to end up at a top 30 program when it will be 30+ months since his last game by tip off 2026.

Miami &Tenn already have 4 guards coming in that all were relatively successful last year. St. Johns seems like Ty going to NY to fight for the 8th/9th spot he passed on here.

Seems like going down a level and getting a bunch of shots in games is the best path to him getting back to that level. Hopefully he's the next Podz and we get to hear about it for the next 5 years.

 

[Chillinini]

QC and Morillo are going to be productive next season. They will be an essential part of the rotation

 

[skyIdub]

indeed:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2050762150910529978

"If he keeps developing..."????

"If"??? "If"????

You better ask somebody.

 

[WyattEarp]

You can shoot that low when you have a great shot fake or step back and your defender is struggling to stay within 6 feet of you. He made room so easily.

I know what you mean…
Some players get away with it. But that’s not always gonna be the case in every instance. It’s still better/more desirable to have a higher release point in general.

NBA scouts wouldn’t take note of such things if that wasn’t the case.

 

[Kendall Gill’s Uncle]

A Few too many turnovers for my liking and he did lead his team with a -8 in the plus minus but the shot does play. I would be careful comparing him to Keaton, Keaton had 4 turnovers twice all year.

 

[Red77sng]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2049877367883964843

My god this kid is smooth. If he can continue to bulk up, you’re looking at a premier SF in the mould of Yaxel in the making.

He’s a more important get than Brady Pettigrew given we’ve never struggled getting pro-ceiling guards. But we haven’t had a kid this ready and polished as a rising JUNIOR. He has two more years in high school and frankly looks ready for college ball now. I hope he doesn’t re-classify so he can enjoy dominating HS and AAU for an extra year.

Getting him and Pettigrew, locking down the state and, specifically and more importantly, Chicago, for the 2028 recruiting year would be a massive shot in the arm of this program. Would elevate us into a perennial Top 10 type program that consistently reloads like we’re used to seeing with the Dukes and UConns of the world.

Yaxel is 6’9” Cole is 6’6”

 

[Rap47]

I know what you mean…
Some players get away with it. But that’s not always gonna be the case in every instance. It’s still better/more desirable to have a higher release point in general.

NBA scouts wouldn’t take note of such things if that wasn’t the case.

Not necessarily for guards, the best shooter in the country has a very low release point. Steph Curry.

 

[Yes33]

Yaxel is 6’9” Cole is 6’6”

You haven’t been on here very long, growth plates are still open!

 

[Nohops 73]

Yaxel is 6’9” Cole is 6’6”

If he’s just finishing his sophomore year in HS, there’s a decent chance he’s still growing. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see him arrive at 6’-8” or so.

 

[March2TheArch]

Yaxel is 6’9” Cole is 6’6”

Slasher SF who has face-up low post game AND an outside shot is why I brought up the Yaxel comp.

 

[March2TheArch]

If he’s just finishing his sophomore year in HS, there’s a decent chance he’s still growing. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see him arrive at 6’-8” or so.

I hate indexing on this. Most of us hit our main growth spurt by 16 and at most grow an inch after that.

 

[CrazyIlliniLady]

Coleman already looks ready as catch and shoot guy. Major upgrade at the 2 in that regard. Don't think you're gonna have to worry about playing him and AS together at same time like you did AS/Boswell

He's got major upside but hoping Vaaks reigns it in a bit with his 30 footers and becomes a better distributor as he's got a enormous upgrade in supporting cast. His usage % wasn't far off Keaton's last season but wasn't the level of distributor

 

[Combo]

If he’s just finishing his sophomore year in HS, there’s a decent chance he’s still growing. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see him arrive at 6’-8” or so.

Why stop at 6'8?

 

[derrick6]

It wouldn’t be Loyalty without someone pointing out the glass is 3% empty….

So, 97% full sounds pretty optimistic

 

[derrick6]

"If he keeps developing..."????

"If"??? "If"????

You better ask somebody.

Great post!

 

[ThePortalMadeMeDoIt]

QC and Morillo are going to be productive next season. They will be an essential part of the rotation

They are going to have to be.

 

[PepeSilvia]

"If he keeps developing..."????

"If"??? "If"????

You better ask somebody.

Pretty crazy how quickly went from 1 guy in the NBA(Meyers Leonard) to 5 with Ayo about to get a huge contract.

And that number looks like it might keep growing.

 

[Brosky]

Count me as skeptical that Ty is going to end up at a top 30 program when it will be 30+ months since his last game by tip off 2026.

Miami &Tenn already have 4 guards coming in that all were relatively successful last year. St. Johns seems like Ty going to NY to fight for the 8th/9th spot he passed on here.

Seems like going down a level and getting a bunch of shots in games is the best path to him getting back to that level. Hopefully he's the next Podz and we get to hear about it for the next 5 years.

I agree with you and I'll go you one better. I'd like to see him as a D3 post up guy. He'd be very good, but not necessarily dominant. Of course it'd have to be in a program that gives athletic scholarships. They exist, but could never match the $$ he'll get at a D1 school. And of course this is a scenario that won't happen. I'm just saying I'd like to see it.

 

[illinitiger]

"If he keeps developing..."????

"If"??? "If"????

You better ask somebody.

Podz developed here too...just not in game situations much

 

[Joel Goodson]

$ article, tweet has value:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2050279234086580419

Kelly: nothing we don't already know, but accurate..."Already ranked No. 38 in the class of 2028 with offers from Creighton, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Saint Louis and more, Kelly looked comfortable playing up an age group in the 17U division. A strong wing, Kelly can really shoot it from deep but he's much more than just a spot up shooter. He rebounds like a power forward, passes the ball like a point guard and simply doesn't have many holes in his game."

$ article:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2050313582051573940