The departure of multiple point guards from Illinois over the last few years.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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The departure of multiple point guards from Illinois over the last few years.
I'll ride with our guys over Love every day of the week. If y'all were frustrated by Mayer, Love would have drove this fanbase ten times more insane
Unless you're close to the situation, I think you're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Josh is not a relentless self promoter. He's an Illini alumnus who bleeds orange and blue. He's extremely loyal and expects Brad to be too. Throwing your hat in the ring for the pinnacle of your profession is not self-promoting or grandstanding. Brad, on the other hand, fits your description and is always looking for a little extra leverage. One of these days he's going to overplay his hand and Josh is going to call his bluff. Who can blame him?
And by a lot of people's standards, at year 7, BU has not gotten it done in March which is when getting it done matters the most.
Why would Brad not want to be here? It’s not like he isn’t getting paid enough lol.
If Illinois isn't good this year, I have nothing to offset the misery of a midwest winter 
I think @Indy Illini Fan finally knocking some of you to your senses what some of us have been saying for some time but being shouted down with nonsense gifs.
Look at all the players that left. Assistant coaches that left. Some of y’all been willing to chalk each one up to some excuse that victimizes the Illini and Brad. The exodus we’ve experienced under Brad is not normal even now in the portal era. I give him credit for getting quality replacements, but how much is that Brad and how much is that the treasurer who signs the check?
These excuses have all been parroted here:
Ortega - Calapari needed him
Chin - he sucked, we just used him to get Ayo, he did the Loyola scout
Gentry - he’s going home
Mark Smith (87) - didn’t like the treadmill
Tevian Jones (116) - weed problems
Alan Griffin (182) - dad wanted him to stay but he listened to mom (what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad? Please)
Adam Miller (33) - wanted to stay but mom didn’t want him to
Andre Curbello (47) - concusion and addiction led to attitude issues
Austin Hutcherson - better than Ayo, but injury bug
RJ Melendez (94) - no more Puerto Ricans on the team, and good riddance
Brandin Podziemski (107) - defense kept him off the court (lol no need to rehash)
Sky Clark (33) - in it for himself
Jayden Epps (72) - not a team player
Zacharie Perrin (222) - thought he was going to start
Underwood has recruited 26 freshman - 17 have transferred. He’s had 3 coaches leave for lateral moves in 7 years.
Some thing is broken within the program, and its clear fat stacks and bags are only thing keeping it together at this point in my opinion.
Look at all the players that left. Assistant coaches that left. Some of y’all been willing to chalk each one up to some excuse that victimizes the Illini and Brad. The exodus we’ve experienced under Brad is not normal even now in the portal era. I give him credit for getting quality replacements, but how much is that Brad and how much is that the treasurer who signs the check?
These excuses have all been parroted here:
Ortega - Calapari needed him
Chin - he sucked, we just used him to get Ayo, he did the Loyola scout
Gentry - he’s going home
Mark Smith (87) - didn’t like the treadmill
Tevian Jones (116) - weed problems
Alan Griffin (182) - dad wanted him to stay but he listened to mom (what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad? Please)
Adam Miller (33) - wanted to stay but mom didn’t want him to
Andre Curbello (47) - concusion and addiction led to attitude issues
Austin Hutcherson - better than Ayo, but injury bug
RJ Melendez (94) - no more Puerto Ricans on the team, and good riddance
Brandin Podziemski (107) - defense kept him off the court (lol no need to rehash)
Sky Clark (33) - in it for himself
Jayden Epps (72) - not a team player
Zacharie Perrin (222) - thought he was going to start
Underwood has recruited 26 freshman - 17 have transferred. He’s had 3 coaches leave for lateral moves in 7 years.
Some thing is broken within the program, and its clear fat stacks and bags are only thing keeping it together at this point in my opinion.
There's a lot of bad takes in here. Guys leave because they get more money or higher profile jobs, it happens, not much you can do about it.
The only guy I say Underwood ran off because of who he is would be Jayden Epps. Well Mark Smith too, but no one cares about that. We got lucky there. From what it sounds like Podz was not so much a bad read by the staff as he was a guy that blossomed with opportunity. Don't know why Melendez left for sure, but objectively he was awful this past year. He was a strange kinda awful because you could clearly see a really good player but the shots would not fall.
The rest are a bunch of whats? You think Curbelo should have stayed? Perrin, really? Tevian Jones? A couple of guys who's moms forced them to do what they say? An injured guy? I'm shocked you didn't include Matic Vessell or BBV.
I don't like the screaming style, but I think the only guys that has run off are Epps and Smith. Maybe Skyy, haven't heard much about why he left.
I’m not saying the should’ve stayed per se. What I’m saying is successful programs don’t have this trend regardless of cause. Maybe its the wrong players are brought in, maybe they aren’t being cultivated properly - it doesn’t matter. That doesn’t happen in healthy programs that have longevity.
edit: I selected the guys I did because they either contributed here before leaving or elsewhere after they left
edit: I selected the guys I did because they either contributed here before leaving or elsewhere after they left
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Austin Hutcherson?
I assume by Ortega you meant Antigua?
Curbelo has always been a head case. Antigua sort of kept him in check.
"what kinda kid is not going to listen to his NBA coach dad?" see Alan Griffin. He didn't listen to Jim Boeheim either.
You might have a valid case with Podz, but the insiders talked about him like they do about Moretti. I think it took him a year to adjust to the huge step up in competition. The talent and skills were there.
ChatGPT… that you?
I can understand the not going after Love as his style of play just didn't seem like it'd fit well at all with us. I can understand not going after Mulcahy as while he'd be a solid fit, if you think there's little to no chance of getting him, maybe you don't want the blowback of another miss or upsetting the applecart by going after an in-conference opponent's player.
But not going after Kriisa I legitimately cannot understand for the life of me. It makes so very little sense not to. He's a clear upgrade at PG by a large margin to anything we have on the roster. Sure his personality doesn't make people swoon over him, but from all credible reports he was a good teammate and team player and there's no reason to think he wouldn't be here. You full out press to get him and miss, fine, it sucks but you tried. Even if you get him and it doesn't work out, fans at least know you did all you could to bring an established PG in. When you look at our current PG situation, there is no downside whatsoever to going after Kriisa hard. The only downside you have here is to not go after him and stay with your PG situation, because if it fails, every single fan and booster knows this was entirely a product of your failed decisions. Not going after Kriisa is just so beyond illogical there really is no justifying it in my opinion.
And if Brad's biggest reason for not going after Kriisa is stubbornness and having a hissy-fit for losing out on RayJ as is being alluded to by some insiders, then someone (hell, maybe one of these insiders, I'm looking at you, Tyler, lol) needs to storm into his office, tell him to get over himself, swallow his pride, put his big-boy pants on, and effing send out the Brad signal to whatever 3rd party to hand Kerr a ridiculous check and tell him to get his butt to Champaign. I mean come the frak on.
Did I miss rumors about Brad not wanting to be here? I'm relatively new to the board but it seems like Brad has enjoyed Illinois basketball going back to his time at Western.I want Brad to want to be here and I want Brad to succeed … I think Brad has made it clear where he stands on the first issue and the second issue he hasn’t set himself up well for … Those are just the facts …
And do I know Sean really well ? Yup … I also know Josh loves Sean … And Josh hates having to tell boosters Bradthe bed on this RayJ thing despite all of their efforts while Sean has like 3 PGs who are all better than any PG we’ve got …
Oh wait … We STILL don’t have one … And that’s on Brad … Absolute failure … Unacceptable …
Plus, realistically I think this is the peak for him. What job is he going to get offered that is better than Illinois. He's nearly 60 and he's not going to get a Blue blood offer so what would be the point of jumping ship in a lateral move?
Sean Miller would be a good get. Had a good run at Zona but kinda of fell towards the end and had the investigations(though all that is legal now). Also, laid the ground work for that absurdly talented Arizona team two years ago. All that being said give me Muss.
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Wh
Whitman is an Illinois guy(outside of growing up in West Lafayette). He played football here, went to law school here, most of his adult life has been spent in Champaign.
Most everything you said about the players and coaches are true and @Indy Illini Fan will tell you the same thing. Also ORLANDO Antigua and Brad still talk all the time. Orlando had to leave for his marriage but wouldn’t be opposed to coming back.
I'm not trying to defend Brad or say you're completely wrong but to be fair to Brad.
Ortega and Coleman left to go to Kentucky which is a step up(major blue blood and likely pay raise).
Gentry played at Gonzaga had previously worked there, Spokane is gorgeous, and being Few's assistant offers a ton of job security.
Curbelo was pushed out because he sucked. He also flamed out at St Johns and is now at Southern Miss.
RJ was given every chance and just didn't develop. Epps and Miller got a ton of play as freshman and Miller hasn't done much since. Podz got recruited over he bailed because of Shannon and the incoming freshman guards which is understandable. Perrin likely didn't adjust well to America and wanted to play professionally at home.
If you want to make a valid argument against Brad it should be about the lack of player development. Outside of Kofi and Ayo, he's really failed to develop anyone and was he even responsible for Ayo and Kofi since Ayo was simply extremely talented and Kofi was a physical freak.
Curbelo got worse and transferred, RJ didn't improve and transferred, Damonte Williams never developed offensively, Kipper Nichols actually was decent as a sophomore and then got worse as an upperclassman, Hawkins is probably the closest he's come but he's still more of a projection then been a good player on the floor.
Then all of Griffin, Jones, Smith, and Podz developed after leaving.
Nailed it. The way he handled the Podz situation may lead to Brads undoing here. I hope I’m wrong.
On the surface this seems inordinately high, how does this compare with the other programs/coaches in the Big 10?
I will believe Ty has a improved to have a jump shot when i see it in games and he starts making 70 percent of his FTs. As you mention cruch time is major issue. If your pg can't be in tight games because you will lose if he is fouled then he can't be your pg your counting on. Do you want at PG like 2 we have and it appears may be counting on that can't shoot FTs or jumpers down the stretch? I don't. Other roles playing D getting boards i do but not handling the ball at all where they can be fouled. We need a pg that can handle and shoot FTs like our best ones have on good teams. Folks keep omitting this glaring hole in 2 of our Guards games like its suddenly not an issue. It is a huge issue.I was just speaking of the improvements that Ty has supposedly made. PG is the gaping hole with this team. You obviously wouldn't want someone with his Freshman stats running point in crunch time. His improvements, along with the additions, still make this team better than last years! I really hope nobody has a Monster addiction
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I think over 1/3 kids transfer now but that may be higher in last couple years.
It seems like we are living a bizarro world where the script, has been flipped. The recruits we are getting in football we never got nor any interest from which is the BB recruiting has usually gone. The BB recruits whom we usually would get consideration from are now looking elsewhere and we are not even considered which is the way football recruiting has usually gone, strange times indeed.
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