Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread

[FinallyMadeAnAccount]

Will Riley's Crystal Ball Predictions

247sports.com

Piper finally puts in his crystal ball for Riley as well.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Some people have Riley penciled in as a starting wing. I don't. In the first place, we don't have him yet. In the second place, he's sooooo skinny he needs Fletch badly; he needs to get bigger and stronger. KJ has a stronger build and has played lots of games against grown men in Euroleague competition. As one of the gurus said, "He may be the most experienced freshman in the country." And I have Tre penciled in as the other wing, I want three starters with major college experience. That said, I expect Riley will get mucho minutes, and probably more as the season progresses. Okay, fire at will.

First of all, he will get bigger and stronger - he's got the best strength coach in the nation by his side. Secondly, being a little slight framed doesn't mean the end of the world. Although strength matters, this is way more of a skill game than it is a strength game. He'll be the most skilled and talented player on the team (might not even be that close tbh).

Will Riley is not coming off the bench - pretty certain on that one. #1: You don't bring in a guy like that to have him come off the bench and he is pretty clearly IMO one of the five players players on the team and deserving of a starting spot. #2 It's very, very likely IMO that the staff gave him the word that he will start...and if they wouldn't...I doubt we have him...

He should start and will start.

 

[BashCtIllini]

You have battle tested uppper classmen who have done well in the college game. As you go from high school EBYL to High Div College the players are bigger, longer, stronger, smarter and experienced. You can't skip those steps, I believe all the top transfers, Euros, and freshmen will get time they prove going agaisnt each other in games, then eventually how they perform in games.

Domask is a good example, I believe he was hurt during part of the European trip. No one knew his impact, some felt Goode would start and he would back-up Goode. No one could predict that he would eventually play a hybrid-PG role and be 1st team All-Conference on an elite 8 team. White or Humrichous might be in that position to really break out, possibly another player.

I think people grossly underrate the player Domask was. He would have been a 4 year all conference player had he not gotten injured his Soph year. He was player of the year in high school. He didn't break out at Illinois, he was just put in a position where he was a focal point of the offense.

I think next year the focal points of the offense will be Boswell, Riley, and KJ. Being a 4th option will likely be great for Humrichous because he is not going to get the focus of the defense, but it also limits your ability to really make a splash individually. White is going to struggle even more because he will be coming off the bench.

Will Riley committing cause someone to leave? Underwood only plays 8 guys in a regular rotation, with the 5 starters and then Morez, Rodgers, White, and Booth someone is unlikely to be in the rotation. Are they going to stick around for that?

 

[hoopsfan47]

You don't bring in a top 10 recruit and have him come off the bench. It's really as simple as that.

Skinny basketball players are successful at every level. This isn't football.

Marcus Liberty says hello. He was an elite contributor on a talented team who made significant contributions...from the bench. As the top ranked recruit in his class, he knew as a frosh to respect the older guys and was willing to use his elite, yet inexperienced, talent to make the team better. Wiley will likely be called upon to do the same and may get 20+ min. per game in a similar role. He has zero experience against B1G level competition and does not need to be put in a role to lead this team from the get go. His time will come, maybe this season as he learns....but he will be needed and get plenty of opportunity to adapt, learn, and succeed. BU will decide when he is one of the five best...not any of us. I sure do not know what he can do to lift the team and how often, but having the opportunity to play with these guys is special...as is his talent and potential. Not making any predictions, just using some common sense. Above all, I certainly hope he is a First Team AA this year...but I would bet my beach house that does not turn out to be the case. As for future years? The sky is the limit depending what is between his ears and in his heart.

 

[Illini4Christ]

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough:

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

I guess you build relationships and put the work in, too many relationships to Kentucky. But who knows, lots will depend on how Kentucky performs this year and the situation going into next year.

He literally lives 20 minutes away from Rupp Arena. His dad was an All SEC DE there. He's been around the program pretty much his whole life it seems. With so many KY connections, from the outside looking in, it just seems unlikely IMO that he wouldn't want to go there.

But who knows? Maybe they might lose him? Maybe Pope is really that bad? Or maybe OA is really that good?

He did say OA "reaches out" to him "probably every day."

 

[skyIdub]

Lol, I’m not terribly concerned either way, but it is absolutely not “common sense” that Riley needs to come off the bench. It’s just someone’s opinion. It’s an arguable topic.

Common sense is “don’t stick a fork in an electrical socket”, “don’t eat yellow snow”, “Bruce Pearl is a dbag”, “Indiana sucks”, Iowa blows”….you get the picture.

I will be very surprised if Will Riley comes to Illinois and isn’t starting. Not shocked, just very surprised. He’ll easily add 10-20 lbs by Nov.

 

[FreshlySqueezed]

Marcus Liberty says hello. He was an elite contributor on a talented team who made significant contributions...from the bench. As the top ranked recruit in his class, he knew as a frosh to respect the older guys and was willing to use his elite, yet inexperienced, talent to make the team better. Wiley will likely be called upon to do the same and may get 20+ min. per game in a similar role. He has zero experience against B1G level competition and does not need to be put in a role to lead this team from the get go. His time will come, maybe this season as he learns....but he will be needed and get plenty of opportunity to adapt, learn, and succeed. BU will decide when he is one of the five best...not any of us. I sure do not know what he can do to lift the team and how often, but having the opportunity to play with these guys is special...as is his talent and potential. Not making any predictions, just using some common sense. Above all, I certainly hope he is a First Team AA this year...but I would bet my beach house that does not turn out to be the case. As for future years? The sky is the limit depending what is between his ears and in his heart.

I stopped reading your post after the first 4 words, honestly.

Once you compared the late 80s to the 2020's, nothing after that matters.

If I had to guess, the "Riley needs to come off the bench and gain weight and learn" crowd is predominantly 50+ years old.

 

[logjam]

I think people grossly underrate the player Domask was. He would have been a 4 year all conference player had he not gotten injured his Soph year. He was player of the year in high school. He didn't break out at Illinois, he was just put in a position where he was a focal point of the offense.

I think next year the focal points of the offense will be Boswell, Riley, and KJ. Being a 4th option will likely be great for Humrichous because he is not going to get the focus of the defense, but it also limits your ability to really make a splash individually. White is going to struggle even more because he will be coming off the bench.

Will Riley committing cause someone to leave? Underwood only plays 8 guys in a regular rotation, with the 5 starters and then Morez, Rodgers, White, and Booth someone is unlikely to be in the rotation. Are they going to stick around for that?

If someone does transfer it will most likely be at semester end...they will have a better understanding of how things will shake out then...

 

[IlliniwekKDR]

Lol, I’m not terribly concerned either way, but it is absolutely not “common sense” that Riley needs to come off the bench. It’s just someone’s opinion. It’s an arguable topic.

Common sense is “don’t stick a fork in an electrical socket”, “don’t eat yellow snow”, “Bruce Pearl is a dbag”, “Indiana sucks”, Iowa blows”….you get the picture.

I will be very surprised if Will Riley comes to Illinois and isn’t starting. Not shocked, just very surprised. He’ll easily add 10-20 lbs by Nov.

A lot of freshmen do that solely on Keystone light and Geo's chicken strips (RIP)

 

[PepeSilvia]

You don't bring in a top 10 recruit and have him come off the bench. It's really as simple as that.

Skinny basketball players are successful at every level. This isn't football.

Boswell was a top 15 recruit and came off the bench as a reclass(15 mpg)

I think bigger wings tend to handle reclassing better but he's going to have to earn his minutes and it's not like Ty, Tre, Hum, and Booth aren't talented in their own right(plus far more experienced).

Jarin Stevenson was a 5 star ranked in the top 15 before reclassing and playing 16 mins a game for Alabama. Emoni Bates and Khristian Lander both flopped as reclass guys.

The goods news is with the talent on the roster I don't think you necessarily have to count on Riley to be great and if he does end up beating out the older guys then he's probably very very good.

 

[The Galloping Ghost]

Marcus Liberty says hello. He was an elite contributor on a talented team who made significant contributions...from the bench. As the top ranked recruit in his class, he knew as a frosh to respect the older guys and was willing to use his elite, yet inexperienced, talent to make the team better. Wiley will likely be called upon to do the same and may get 20+ min. per game in a similar role. He has zero experience against B1G level competition and does not need to be put in a role to lead this team from the get go. His time will come, maybe this season as he learns....but he will be needed and get plenty of opportunity to adapt, learn, and succeed. BU will decide when he is one of the five best...not any of us. I sure do not know what he can do to lift the team and how often, but having the opportunity to play with these guys is special...as is his talent and potential. Not making any predictions, just using some common sense. Above all, I certainly hope he is a First Team AA this year...but I would bet my beach house that does not turn out to be the case. As for future years? The sky is the limit depending what is between his ears and in his heart.

I don't know. I don't think Marcus Liberty, a guy who played 36 years ago, is really analogous to anything in the year 2024. Every single thing about college basketball is a totally different animal. To a point where I kind of think it's silly to bring him up within this context. Simply look at Brad's history. Here's a list of freshmen who started: Trent, Ayo, Giorgi, Kofi, Adam, Skyy, and Jayden. I mean, and then there's the fact he might not even be the only freshman starting this season. I don't know how it's going to shake out, but I don't think the common sense you are referring to is actually that common.

Plus, Marcus was a sophomore (redshirt freshman--again just making this situation even farther from similar) and started 24 out of a possible 36 games his first season playing.

 

[lstewart53x3]

Boswell was a top 15 recruit and came off the bench as a reclass(15 mpg)

I think bigger wings tend to handle reclassing better but he's going to have to earn his minutes and it's not like Ty, Tre, Hum, and Booth aren't talented in their own right(plus far more experienced).

Jarin Stevenson was a 5 star ranked in the top 15 before reclassing and playing 16 mins a game for Alabama. Emoni Bates and Khristian Lander both flopped as reclass guys.

The goods news is with the talent on the roster I don't think you necessarily have to count on Riley to be great and if he does end up beating out the older guys then he's probably very very good.

Boswell was 17 his freshman year at Arizona.
Riley will turn 19 during his freshman season here (or wherever he ends up).

Boswell as junior will be just 10 months older than freshman Riley.

If Riley attended school in US, this would have been his original class.

Very big difference between the two.

 

[RabidDawgClassic]

 

[skyIdub]

A lot of freshmen do that solely on Keystone light and Geo's chicken strips (RIP)

Fletch is getting upset!!

 

[Noblesville Illini]

I think the kid will get plenty of time on the court. We will have a lot of options. I really believe that White will have a breakout year also.

By Brad’s own words, it doesn’t matter who starts, it’s who plays. 7 players average 28 minutes. 8 players average 25 minutes. That’s enough to keep anyone happy on a squad this talented. As long as BU spreads the love, we COULD see a UConn type squad run teams out of the gym. Injuries just give others more opportunity. It will work out.

 

[So ILL]

People that speak so definitively on here about their personal thoughts on what BU will do crack me up. If Brad has shown anything in his time at Illinois is that no season will be like the one before as he has always adapted to his roster by midseason. Especially recently, when there has been so much turnover every offseason.

 

[BretMyBeachHouse]

Lots of examples of top freshmen not starting. Obviously you start with who they are competing with.

And of course we know Riley has been promised nothing. We've been reliably informed that BU doesn't make any guarantees, at least not since Skyy.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Lots of examples of top freshmen not starting. Obviously you start with who they are competing with.

And of course we know Riley has been promised nothing. We've been reliably informed that BU doesn't make any guarantees, at least not since Skyy.

 

[Peteronthespot]

The Antigua factor. We’re getting real play from 5* a lot more now. What a great move to bring him back.

 

[Joel Goodson]

People that speak so definitively on here about their personal thoughts on what BU will do crack me up. If Brad has shown anything in his time at Illinois is that no season will be like the one before as he has always adapted to his roster by midseason. Especially recently, when there has been so much turnover every offseason.

yeah, it's mind boggling

 

[Noblesville Illini]

Lol, I’m not terribly concerned either way, but it is absolutely not “common sense” that Riley needs to come off the bench. It’s just someone’s opinion. It’s an arguable topic.

Common sense is “don’t stick a fork in an electrical socket”, “don’t eat yellow snow”, “Bruce Pearl is a dbag”, “Indiana sucks”, Iowa blows”….you get the picture.

I will be very surprised if Will Riley comes to Illinois and isn’t starting. Not shocked, just very surprised. He’ll easily add 10-20 lbs by Nov.

Will be interesting to see how quickly he gets Fletched. For comparison, he’s listed at 180 lbs and 6’8”. KD was listed as 204 lbs at 6’9”. Age would easily add 10 lbs if WR stayed in HS, so that would hypothetically put him at a comparably aged comparison of 190+. Approximately each inch should add 6-7 lbs, so my best guess versus KD apples to apples is WR would equal 196-198 lbs versus KD’s ‘listed’ 204. He just seems a ‘little’ more developed by the eye test though versus KD. Gonna guess he plays at 200 - 205 this fall if Fletched. Thoughts?

 

[FI_8905]

The Illinois staff believes Riley will be a starter and that's what they've told him.

Obviously, things could change if he shows that he's not quite ready. They have NOT told him that anything is guaranteed, and neither did any of the other schools that were recruiting him.

 

[Combo]

You don't bring in a top 10 recruit and have him come off the bench. It's really as simple as that.

Skinny basketball players are successful at every level. This isn't football.

To be fair, if he reclassifies to 2024, his ranking will likely be lower. That said, I'm not that worried about that. Just watching his highlights, you get an idea of how talented he is.

 

[OB positive]

Lots of examples of top freshmen not starting. Obviously you start with who they are competing with.

And of course we know Riley has been promised nothing. We've been reliably informed that BU doesn't make any guarantees, at least not since Skyy.

Some 5 stars don't start when they are freshman coming in for Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and other blue bloods who are loaded with five stars. That is not us. If we get Riley I look for him to be starting.