Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

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#852      
illinitiger
warhog6g said:
We have the benefit of hindsight and plenty are making assertions based on that hindsight.

I agree with you that things can change and players can get better, but even still (without the benefit of hindsight) he likely wasn't starting on last year's team. Could he have been a solid bench/rotation guy, sure, but he wouldn't nearly have been as effective against Big 10 opponents as he was the UC-Irvines that he faced at Santa Clara.

The situation a player goes into is arguably one of the most important factors that determines a player's success and is often overlooked. An example that I like using is that if Tom Brady was drafted by the Cleveland Browns then he is likely out of the league by the end of his rookie contract or he is a career backup. Going to NE was paramount to his success. The situation here, with the caliber of opponents the Illini face, and the overall talent level of teammates, I think it's unlikely Podz would have ever been drafted in the first round. I don't think he "got away" as he would likely not be the same player if he had stayed here. As I said before, Podz made a good decision for himself to go to Santa Clara.
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Podz draft night offers a huge feast for mid major recruiting angles going forward, IMO.

1. transfer out of B10 to mid major
2. Mid major,St Clara "gave him the ball" to flourish
3. PODZ drafted ahead of his B10 4 and 5 star recruiting class peer group from 2021
 
#854      
Illini 993
#856      
AutoPoster 3000
Got to respect the airtight logic of those defending Underwood tonight by pointing out (1) Podz showed little development or promise with Underwood coaching him, and (2) Podz would barely have seen the court last season and certainly would not now be considered a first-round NBA prospect if Underwood had continued coaching him.
 
#859      
Saturdaze
Illini 993 said:
According to Podz, “Coach Underwood made it known that I was not good enough to play,” Podziemski said. That is quite a bit different than demanding a starting spot. Who knows wo is telling the truth, but I'm happy for him.
247sports.com

NBA Combine notebook: Kentucky stars speak out; latest on top uncommitted transfers, stay-or-go decisions

Some eye-popping quotes from key players at the NBA Combine.
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Anyone trying to spin this as anything but a total embarrassment for Underwood has their head in the sand.
 
#860      
Second place is 1st loser
Illini 993 said:
According to Podz, “Coach Underwood made it known that I was not good enough to play,” Podziemski said. That is quite a bit different than demanding a starting spot. Who knows wo is telling the truth, but I'm happy for him.
247sports.com

NBA Combine notebook: Kentucky stars speak out; latest on top uncommitted transfers, stay-or-go decisions

Some eye-popping quotes from key players at the NBA Combine.
247sports.com 247sports.com
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If BU said that, that's an absolute black eye to Coach. That will be used against him in recruiting. You simply have to have a history of getting guys to the NBA if you want to get elite recruits/transfers. The fact that another program developed him is an awfully, awfully bad look. I truly hope that BU didn't say those words.
 
#861      
Saturdaze
Second place is 1st loser said:
If BU said that, that's an absolute black eye to Coach. That will be used against him in recruiting. You simply have to have a history of getting guys to the NBA if you want to get elite recruits/transfers. The fact that another program developed him is an awfully, awfully bad look. I truly hope that BU didn't say those words.
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See exhibit 1: RayJ Dennis
 
#864      
doltmanns
Illini 993 said:
According to Podz, “Coach Underwood made it known that I was not good enough to play,” Podziemski said. That is quite a bit different than demanding a starting spot. Who knows wo is telling the truth, but I'm happy for him.
247sports.com

NBA Combine notebook: Kentucky stars speak out; latest on top uncommitted transfers, stay-or-go decisions

Some eye-popping quotes from key players at the NBA Combine.
247sports.com 247sports.com
Click to expand...
Not to be cold-hearted, but I couldn't care less. He's no longer an Illini. Can we please move on?
 
#865      
Saturdaze
BashCtIllini said:
They basically said Podz wanted a starting spot and Underwood said no.

People need to realize how the world works, let's just say Podz stays, Shannon comes in and Mayer does not. So basically Podz gets Mayer's spot. Podz still wouldn't have started. It would have been Skyy, Shannon, Melendez, Hawkins, and Dainja. Now potentially he could have got a starting spot in that scenario with Goode's injury, Melendez's struggles, and Skyy's transfer.

But the other thing is, Podz took 460 shots last year, 185 3s. Theres no chance he gets even close to that many shots at Illinois, even if he did end up starting. Shannon had our most shots at 360. Even if you give him all of Mayer's shots, that's only 327. So it wasn't just Podz ability, it was the opportunity Santa Clara gave him. If he would have transferred to Wisconsin or Marquette, he wouldn't have gotten even close to the opportunity he got by going to a weaker Santa Clara.

So when people talked about Jakstys and compared him to Kaminsky. It is so much more than just ability that leads to someones success. They have to be a good fit for the system and they have to be given opportunity. No P6 school was going to give Podz 36 mpg or 460 shots, they have too many other good players on their rosters. So what looked like, see knew it, he's not P6 calibre, turned into a windfall for Podz.
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I really appreciate your line of thinking here, and your well reasoned argument. I don’t have a counter argument but I do have a devil’s advocate - Derek Lively.
 
#866      
BashCtIllini
illinitiger said:
Podz draft night offers a huge feast for mid major recruiting angles going forward, IMO.

1. transfer out of B10 to mid major
2. Mid major,St Clara "gave him the ball" to flourish
3. PODZ drafted ahead of his B10 4 and 5 star recruiting class peer group from 2021
Click to expand...
This was my first thought as well, but now I'm not so sure.

I was really impressed with Podz combine results, he tested as a much better athlete than I expected. So I look at someone like Antonio Reeves. He averaged 20 ppg and shot 39% from 3 at a mid-major, but he didn't get a sniff. Yes Podz was a little better shooter and stuffed the other stats better, but not getting a sniff vs 1st round, that's a big gap. So for Reeves, the opposite may be true and his best chance at the NBA was moving up to a bigger conference and proving he can score against better competition.

So that leads me to believe, it wasn't strictly Podz stats that gained him interest. Seeing guys with mediocre stats get drafted reinforces that. So I don't know what the heck they're looking for.

I'll go on record to predict Podz will be an NBA bust. But even if that happens, he will be many millions of dollars richer before he's bumped, and he will still get to play for pay in other leagues. And he gets to keep that money. So he's set up pretty good for the rest of his life. Also, I wouldn't have ever imagined he'd play as well as he did at Santa Clara, so maybe I'll be wrong again and he'll have a long NBA career. Guess we'll find out.
 
#867      
Saturdaze
BashCtIllini said:
This was my first thought as well, but now I'm not so sure.

I was really impressed with Podz combine results, he tested as a much better athlete than I expected. So I look at someone like Antonio Reeves. He averaged 20 ppg and shot 39% from 3 at a mid-major, but he didn't get a sniff. Yes Podz was a little better shooter and stuffed the other stats better, but not getting a sniff vs 1st round, that's a big gap. So for Reeves, the opposite may be true and his best chance at the NBA was moving up to a bigger conference and proving he can score against better competition.

So that leads me to believe, it wasn't strictly Podz stats that gained him interest. Seeing guys with mediocre stats get drafted reinforces that. So I don't know what the heck they're looking for.

I'll go on record to predict Podz will be an NBA bust. But even if that happens, he will be many millions of dollars richer before he's bumped, and he will still get to play for pay in other leagues. And he gets to keep that money. So he's set up pretty good for the rest of his life. Also, I wouldn't have ever imagined he'd play as well as he did at Santa Clara, so maybe I'll be wrong again and he'll have a long NBA career. Guess we'll find out.
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Guys who shoot 45% from 3 will never be busts in the modern NBA. He will always have a role - what is the only question.
 
#868      
The Galloping Ghost
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We get it.
 
#869      
Keisersose
#873      
dbeverly26
You guys spent the last two months screeching about how not bringing in a card carrying member of the International Brotherhood of Jazz Dancers, Pastry Chefs, and Point Guards was an inexcusable mistake and now we’re on to saying that bumping a shooting guard to bring in a point guard was an inexcusable mistake? Make up your minds.
 
#875      
RabidDawgClassic
Deep said:
Anytime a kid moves on from Illinois and does well at other places "issues" is used a lot when referring to his time at Illinois.

When you have a kid with talent, who winds up being a 1st round pick, you find a way for him to play.

BU and his staff messed up.
Very simple
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I can think of only three players in the last 40 years that standout by that standard:

1. Podz
2. Scott Pierce
3. Scott Haffner

The other players that had such “issues” at Illinois also carried them over to their other programs. Podz and Haffner dropped down a level and excelled. Pierce made a lateral move and found Final Four success as a toothless warrior. Other than that, the players that have left Illinois haven’t stood out.
 
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