Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

#830      
thefalcon5
Combo said:
I certainly think QC will have better shooting %s acroos the board (FG, 3P, FT).

If QC can be as good defensively as Miller is the question. We will need D from him, because from what I've seen, Vaaks is not great at that.
Click to expand...
I think Millers defense was really good for a freshmen but he also played alongside some of the best defenders we’ve had recently. That helped him look a lot better on that side of the ball.

I think it’s entirely possible QC is a better individual defender than Miller was. Vaaks we need to just not be downright awful. Even in some of his highlight clips his defense is suspect.

In reality, it’s going to be even rougher this year on that end. I have faith the returners can be even better and Andrej can become a lockdown guy, but we’re going to need across the board improvement to replace Ben and Kylan.
 
#831      
Ga65
RockfordIllini said:
110% yes.
Click to expand...
PizzaHutParkingLot said:
Does this group think QC will have a better season than Freshman Adam Miller?

For reference -- 8.3 PPG | 2.8 RPG | 0.8 APG | .391 FG% | .340 3P% | .684 FT%
Click to expand...
Think more like Ayo frosh 13.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.2 assists

Also wonder with Dre and QC if fast break points will rise. Need Vaaks rebounding to improve as well as defense.
 
Last edited:
#833      
Emerson Bigguns
Combo said:
I certainly think QC will have better shooting %s acroos the board (FG, 3P, FT).

If QC can be as good defensively as Miller is the question. We will need D from him, because from what I've seen, Vaaks is not great at that.
Click to expand...
Yeah, Vaaks needs to be much better on that end, but I think he can at least be serviceable. He's not a terrible athlete, and has great length. He has the things you can't teach... He needs more of the things you can. Providence was one of the worst defensive teams in the country last year. It's really difficult to stay committed to defense when no one else is playing it. Effort is contagious, but not nearly as contagious as a lack of it.

Brad isn't going to let Jake Davis sit for very long if Vaaks or Coleman aren't busting their tails on defense. He may not be the most talented guy on the roster, but we know Jake comes to play. They will learn the standard in practice this summer, or they will learn it from the bench this Fall.
 
#834      
RollChief
Fly Illini Fly! said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2059666647749640348
Click to expand...
Finally! Some near-term "Illinois" basketball to look forward to watching again now that Minnesota is out of the NBA Playoffs...

Details for those curious:

USA Basketball will open Group A play with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico at the 2026 FIBA U18 Men’s AmeriCup. The U.S. men will take on Argentina in their opening game at 7:30 p.m. ET on June 1. The Americans hold a 14-1 record against the Argentineans. On June 2 10 p.m. ET, the USA will face Mexico, who they have defeated in all five previous meetings. Group A play closes with Brazil at 5 p.m. ET on June 4 with the U.S. looking to improve to 12-0 all-time. The winners of both groups will advance directly to the semifinals on June 6 and the medal games are scheduled for June 7. Semifinal play-in games are set for June 5. The tournament will stream live on YouTube.com/FIBA. (Edit: Posting the game times here for anyone that wants to put it on their calendar)
 
Last edited:
#835      
Rooftop
Emerson Bigguns said:
Yeah, Vaaks needs to be much better on that end, but I think he can at least be serviceable. He's not a terrible athlete, and has great length. He has the things you can't teach... He needs more of the things you can. Providence was one of the worst defensive teams in the country last year. It's really difficult to stay committed to defense when no one else is playing it. Effort is contagious, but not nearly as contagious as a lack of it.

Brad isn't going to let Jake Davis sit for very long if Vaaks or Coleman aren't busting their tails on defense. He may not be the most talented guy on the roster, but we know Jake comes to play. They will learn the standard in practice this summer, or they will learn it from the bench this Fall.
Click to expand...
I like having him on the team, but if we're expecting Jake to come in and be the defensive stopper, that's a problem simply based off his defense from this past season.
 
#837      
Iamgroot
Emerson Bigguns said:
Yeah, Vaaks needs to be much better on that end, but I think he can at least be serviceable. He's not a terrible athlete, and has great length. He has the things you can't teach... He needs more of the things you can. Providence was one of the worst defensive teams in the country last year. It's really difficult to stay committed to defense when no one else is playing it. Effort is contagious, but not nearly as contagious as a lack of it.

Brad isn't going to let Jake Davis sit for very long if Vaaks or Coleman aren't busting their tails on defense. He may not be the most talented guy on the roster, but we know Jake comes to play. They will learn the standard in practice this summer, or they will learn it from the bench this Fall.
Click to expand...
If were relying on jake to be a defensive stopper or lead our defense this season were in big trouble. Jake does some nice things on the court but defense is definitely not one of them I'm not to saying he won't improve in that area but he truly lacks foot speed and athleticism and bites on pump fakes quite a bit.i think defensively this season were going to have to hope dre really takes a step up this season otherwise we might be relying on qc or morillo to step in a big roll this season.which is kinda scary relying on freshman or improved defense from dre. The offense is definitely going to have carry the defense hopefully we can add a couple more forced turnovers or absolutely dominate the glass this season
 
#841      
PizzaHutParkingLot
Oldskoolkoach said:
Sneak attack with a silent and deadly offer to Momchilovic, with Andrej also returning. The servers would melt down
Click to expand...
Joking Just Kidding GIF by Floor Trader of Tacoma
star wars GIF by Hyper RPG

#9thman ?
 
#842      
Orangetool
thefalcon5 said:
I think Millers defense was really good for a freshmen but he also played alongside some of the best defenders we’ve had recently. That helped him look a lot better on that side of the ball.

I think it’s entirely possible QC is a better individual defender than Miller was. Vaaks we need to just not be downright awful. Even in some of his highlight clips his defense is suspect.

In reality, it’s going to be even rougher this year on that end. I have faith the returners can be even better and Andrej can become a lockdown guy, but we’re going to need across the board improvement to replace Ben and Kylan.
Click to expand...

He won't be.
 
Back