I dunno. I know you're an optimist and I appreciate that. RayJ was also 9th in all of college basketball in assists so I feel this stat is a wash in some ways.
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
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There is no theory they would have been better with him. Domask would have used differently had he been here.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
Jeez, when you're worse than Roscoe Eastmund...
It’s not arguable. The man, literally, hadn’t unpacked and Will Riley was on campus for an official visit. Now Jasper was just here. That is not happenstance.
He is also a very well regarded “big man” coach. If only we had a few of those…. Orlando will be a valuable resource for Tomislav, Morez, etc…
Joel Goodson
- dawgville
sounds pretty good:
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
We're just gonna pretend there isn't also a 6.7 under the Assists column there? Almost a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio is pretty good (and almost nobody else on that graphic was even close to that). Just because we ended up good and not needing him to have a great offense last year doesn't necessarily mean he isn't still an excellent player.
Assists are an over-valued statistic imo.
Regardless of whether the guys he passed the ball to were able to score or not, he still had way, way more turnovers than any of the other guys who headed up the assists leaderboard.
I just can't imagine anyone watching our point guard turn it over 4x a game while also shooting only 32% from three point range and being happy with that.
EDIT: I also never said he wasn't a good player. All I am trying to say is that many thought we would outright suck last year without him. Was proven to be incorrect, and I don't know how or why there is so much fervent defending of a player on here that nobody should even care about.
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Loyalillini10
- Urbana, IL
I believe it came out he was number 10 in the '24 class.
ptgrd23
- orange county CA
We got 2 PGs in Boswell and KJ
We also have DGL and Fears is coming in 2025
A wealth of ball handlers
Marcus did a great job in breaking the press and handled Iowa States half court trap incredibly well. TSJ was our one man fast break. I don't see RayJ making a big difference vs UCONN. They destroyed everyone in the tournament.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
FYI Ray J was 9th in the country in assists. Marcus was best on the Illini with 3.9 A/G. He had an A/TO ratio of around 1.7. Ray J had a ratio over just over 1.9 .
What point are you trying to make here? I made no comparisons to Marcus Domask (or any other player).
If we do want to go there, Marcus was 1st Team All Conf (RayJ was not) and had a significantly higher overall PER and ORtg. And about 40 less turnovers.
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The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
I can't imagine worrying about players who left the program or players we didn't land last year. We made the Elite Eight. Recruiting is great. These are the good times. Enjoy them.
Somehow... the (other) Blue Bloods have lived with this for many years and made a go of it. I think the Illini will find a way.
Having success is a great habit to develop. Enjoy success but never take it for granted.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Is this the official declaration of our Blue-Bloodedness? I'm in, where do I sign?
Of the players, it was Trent that changed the trajectory of Illini fortunes (beyond the AD and The Coach's massive saving influence of course). When Ayo came in that sealed the deal and opened the doors wide for everyone else.
As most anyone here would agree, Ray J was an elite player. However, most likely he would not have raised the ceiling for the 2023-24 Illini season. You never know for certain though.
Zorak
- Naperville
I find it absolutely preposterous people think getting a guy as talented as Dennis would not have improved the team. I'm not enough of an expert to say how or how much - I suspect the vast majority of this board isn't either - but to suggest Brad couldn't have fit him in and make the squad even better is sour grapes, as far as I'm concerned.
Anyway, I'm tired of litigating this and look forward to what should be a very exciting season this fall.
Anyway, I'm tired of litigating this and look forward to what should be a very exciting season this fall.
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But nobody is saying that. The general sentiment is this:
Our season was not completely ruined without RayJ Dennis.
That's it. Nobody is saying RayJ is not good at basketball or would not have been a giant upgrade over, let's say, Justin Harmon.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Yesterday: WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!! WE GOT RILEY!!!
Today: We would have been so much better than winning 29 games and getting to the E8 if only we landed RayJ.
It's way too long until November.
Give me some cottage cheese with Buffalo Trace sauce. And don't forget the fries.
Today: We would have been so much better than winning 29 games and getting to the E8 if only we landed RayJ.
It's way too long until November.
Give me some cottage cheese with Buffalo Trace sauce. And don't forget the fries.
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Let the cottage cheese experiments begin.
Doesn't that comment feel good...? Not pragmatic...
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