Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[Joel Goodson]

Hadn't seen this posted here yet...

When you look at our 2026-27 class, it's insane to think about what we could be losing off of this roster following this season, to what we could be gaining with 3 potential top 15 reclass options in...

1)Pettigrew
2)Betts
3)Williams

All three are top 15 in their class respectively, and all 3 are said to be looking to jump into 2027.

With Kitt and Marin already in the fold, could you imagine what a reload could look like if we landed Bowman, plus somehow got Betts and Pettigrew to jump up a class and join them in 27?

Betts would likely reclass to play 2 years in college and then jump to the NBA, & I think Brady may be looking to do the same thing (but I can't remember if he's turns 17 this year or next, which would determine when he's eligible to jump to the league if I recall the rule correctly)...

Guards like Pettigrew and Bowman could compliment each other nicely, replacing Vaaks and Coleman.

Then if Luigi Suigo doesn't go pro you could possibly nab him in the portal and have two 7'4 guys who can shoot replacing the exact spots the Ivic twins hold right now.

This is all a dream scenario of course, and I haven't even mentioned AJ Williams and if we somehow become players there...

But the main thing is that it looks like we are going from #TheRetention to the five-star #Reload with all the 5 star attention we are getting from 2027 & '28 classes.

This is certainly different times we are living in for our Beloved basketball program

some of this is a bridge to far, but I'll have what you're having

also, major kudos on your handle...bravo!

 

[EmeraldCityIllini]

Exciting time man.

I love that NIL and our proof of concept as an NBA factory paying dividends!

We’ve come a long way from 50% of the board going into the tournament (as a 3 seed) saying Brad should be fired or on the hot seat.

 

[Joel Goodson]

That was also my orihinal understanding but after reading it I'm not entirely sure.

The rule for age based people who enroll after 19 is "The start of the regular academic year immediately following the student-athlete’s 19th birthday, if the student-athlete turns 19 years old before Sept. 1."

The NCAA academic year begins on August 1st and ends July 31st.

The twins were born on August 9th so the start of the academic year after they turn 19 would be fall of 2023 which would give them an additional year of eligibility after this year. However then it it states the part about September 1st.

So my guess would be no and that the age cutoff is September 1st but then the academic year also starts before August birthdays(unless they are changing the NCAA calendar) so wouldn't the the twins have the argument that the academic year following their 19th birthday was fall 2023 since fall 2022 was already occuring when they turned 19?

too much math, bro

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

I think it's really stupid that all these guys that played in the summer league are getting eligibility through lawsuits and I wish some superior court ruling would just strike them all down.

However, if Keyshawn Hall is going to play in college next year, does anyone have a spare 5-6 million to ensure he is playing for Illinois?

If you somehow added Hall to the current roster I don't think the question is if Illinois can win a national title but whether they can go undefeated. Vaaks, Stojakovic, Hall, Mirk, Tomislav with Coleman and Zvonimir as your top two off the bench would steamroll the big10.

The team has enough high usage players. Whether you like it or not, it was clear Blackwell would be the last of that type of player we’d target (and really we stopped that pursuit entirely by the end).

The problem with our roster construction is on the bench (depth). Not the guys at the top of the roster who will be getting all the shots.

 

[March2TheArch]

We’ve come a long way from 50% of the board going into the tournament (as a 3 seed) saying Brad should be fired or on the hot seat.

Perspective is a difficult thing.

The Big 10 has two title winners this millennium. MSU is 1 for god knows how many Final Fours at this point since 2001. Michigan lost in the title game in the 2010s. As did Wisconsin. As did Purdue more recently this decade. As did we a few months ago.

The title or bust mentality is toxic. We’re fortunate that we can keep getting “bites at the apple.” Making two Final Fours in 20 years is no guarantee we’ll even make another Final Four till 2047.

We need to employ a mentality of incremental goals. Can we at least be competitive down to the last possession vs. UConn the fourth time around? Can we make Duke sweat at home as they are still figuring out how to get all their new and existing pieces to fit? Trust the process. And hope a bit of luck bounce-wise like Andrej FTs and Kylan’s layup that would have put us up 6pts in the first half vs. UConn this past April.

Is Tomi healthy? Does Z have even more bounce and lateral quickness? Can Mirk and Vaaks get their lateral speed to avoid getting blown past by a Fears or Cadeau?