You say that but have you seen potential #1 pick Alexandre Sarr's stats?
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
That clue transcends age...or at least it should
And the good/great thing is, BU and staff seem to be getting better at this whole chemistry thing! I never say never, cuz one will surely pop up, but the days of players leaving due to not fitting in well may be something we don't have to deal with much. I believe going forward that players leaving for NIL and/or playing time will be our biggest concern.
Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson back at UNC for a visit
Jasper Johnson is on the UNC basketball programs’ campus for an official visit on Wednesday.
tarheelswire.usatoday.com
Hope this doesn't mean much in terms of our chances...
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Yep. Definitely got more than a sniff.
Battle was really a 2 defensively and an undersized PF on offence. He had no handle and most of his offensive game was midrange in. Yes, he shot well from three in limited attempts one season, but that was flukey.
You forgot that he's also a defensive bullseye for other teams
I'm not sure he is either. That said, Battle actually stuck in the NBA for a while (though he didn't put up impressive stats).
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
And you will be fed insider information to make you glad Will Riley is leaving too. Which might be 100% true, it has been 100% true in several cases in the past, but let's operate with open eyes about the process by which those departures are stage managed.
Regardless of the great job we've done retooling, I just don't think the apex of churn we hit this offseason is healthy or sustainable (and I do think the sheer newness and unfamiliarity of the roster tempers the potential of the team somewhat, even in the portal era), I would like to see that abate in the coming years.
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Those players are certainly missing. But with strong rebounding inside and good defense, there are ton of talented scorers awaiting the same amount of possessions and shot attempts...and it is likely they will find ways to approach...even exceed...the number of made attempts from different places...and I expect one of those will be at the FT line.
I think what we are all hoping to see is a team with fewer turnovers and more made free throws that can also shoot a high percentage from everywhere on the court. If that ever comes to fruition, and that is a huge question mark, they will conjure their own legacy. No, there will be no Andy Phillips, SkipThoren, Andy Kaufman, Kenny Battle, Brian Cook, Lucas Johnson, Dee Brown, Deron Williams, or even a Frank Williams...not to mention a plethora of other unique and memorable Illini heroes. And yet, let's hope they can gel as a team and become their own version of Fighting Illini heroes.
For certain, this team will see as much interest from Illini Nation as any. After such a surprising season last year, BU and staff deserve a nod of the cap...and get mine...for creating a roster that can do that. But a huge challenge awaits with expectations that may or may not be met.
OPE! Face palm
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It is due to starting as many as three frosh that I am tempered in my hopes of a season that will approach last year's results. Having watched my beloved Illini hoopsters over the past 70 years, I do not recall any that have depended so much on freshmen stalwarts that have contended for a B1G title. That said, I don't recall a plethora of frosh talent at this level....and yet it all comes back to one thing...they will be freshmen. But I am also grateful for the seasoned vets in Boswell, Hummer, Ty, and White who I hope can lead these guys to a un-suspected level of play.
Meh. Kids are going to visit other schools.Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson back at UNC for a visit
Jasper Johnson is on the UNC basketball programs’ campus for an official visit on Wednesday.
Hope this doesn't mean much in terms of our chances...
Love Johnson, but if he goes somewhere else in to the next. This staff has proved they can recruit and bring high level talent into program.
It will be interesting to see how much of a dropoff there is next off-season when the super senior thing isn't a thing any longer. I hope we can get back to regularly scheduled programming as far as keeping and developing talent being the norm.
RichardKeenesCousin
Richard Keene's Cousin
Did you have this in your pocket ready for this exact moment?!?! #respect if you did!
I'll never tell
Yup, in my t shirt pocket
IlliniwekKDR
- Colorado Springs, CO
Yea, but have they done it in the past 48 hours? I think they might be losing a step.
Just to be safe with this crowd.../s
What is the actual complaint here? They were an old team that was going to lose their 4 best players and 5 of their top 7 this offseason. Coleman/Goode were ready to go and aren't a number 1 or 2 guy (each said the former themselves).
They had to rebuild a core and did so. If it was all 1 year rentals I'd understand the complaint but the guys leftover were not as good as the 7 current/frmr top 60 recruits all with multiple years of eligibility they brought in.
The guys they've shed the last few years either had obvious problems (Curbelo/Epps/Clark) or weren't getting minutes b/c of their D (Dainja) or it just didn't work out & they were happier elsewhere (WVU guys/Goode/Coleman/Miller/Podz). Were any of those really stage-managed?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
To the extent there's a complaint it's the way the insider rumor mill trashes our players on the way out the door, which I have always found deplorable.
But it's not really a complaint, it's just a challenge. We've got a WILDLY talented team coming in, that is also a WILDLY young team.
The prospect of keeping major pieces together for multiple seasons is extremely exciting. But that has been a repeated problem for us.
BU gets players. If this blows up again he'll land on his feet again. But the REAL score here, the "lets talk about a National Title" level ambition, comes from retaining this core in a way that remains a question mark.
The NBA will take what the NBA takes, but we want to be a place freshmen want to become sophomores at.
How many of the “insider rumors” have turned out to not be accurate?
at 22 minutes a game not 11. it looks more like this \
PTS: 12
REB: 6.6
AST: 1.2
FG% 57.5
BLK: 2.6
Those numbers are much better when not being featured.
DONOVAN CLINGAN
The possible #1 overall pick this years stats below
PTS: 13.0
REB: 7.4
AST: 1.5
FG%: 63.9
BLK: 2.5
Career Stats
See All| STATS |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
| 2022-23 |
| GP | MIN | FG% | 3P% | FT% | REB | AST | BLK | STL | PF | TO | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 22.6 | 63.9 | 25.0 | 58.3 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 13.0 |
| 39 | 13.1 | 65.5 | 0.0 | 51.7 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 6.9 |
What say you?
Gritty, I've not seen this 'trashing of players on their way out ' by our insiders. Yes, they've hinted or outright said some players were leaving. The reasons for which in some cases we find out, others not so much..... But I don't consider saying things that have turned out to be truth, as 'trashing' a player. Saying the staff will bring in better players, is not 'trashing' players who leave, it's turned out to be truth. I could be viewing all this from 20k and 10 degrees right of center, and you are viewing it from 10k feet 10 left of center, so our viewpoints are skewed, but in the end, we are seeing the exact same thing.... right?