And there is no way we are the 22nd best team in the nation. Ha we will be lucky to be .500. That's fine tho we will play hard. We lost Seidel. Damn. I made a few bad choices (one was going after Smith from HI that early) hard lesson to learn but I won't let it happen again.
Kentucky beat us bad today but it was away. If we can hold down Assembly Hall we should be fine this year. ILL-INI!
Still nothing on Seidel… Getting a little nervous. Hopefully everything works out in the end.
We got our two guards from WI, nice get both really cheap (under 7k) – can't wait to coach these guys! Roux and Howard, welcome to the University of Illinois!
| Athleticism | 75 | |
| Speed | 70 | |
| Rebounding | 49 | |
| Defense | 71 | |
| Shot Blocking | 34 | |
| Low-post | 68 | |
| Perimeter | 59 | |
| Ball Handling | 60 | |
| Passing | 57 | |
| Work Ethic | 46 | |
| Stamina | 70 | |
| Durability | 72 | |
| GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | FG% | FG3% | FT% | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 23 | 23.4 | 4.2 | 65.1 | 29.3 | 74.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.0 |
| Proximity | Childhood Favorite |
|---|---|
| No preference | Chicago St. |
| Current Rating | Potential | Current Rating | Potential | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athleticism | 75 | High | Perimeter | 59 | High | |
| Speed | 70 | High | Ball Handling | 60 | High | |
| Rebounding | 49 | Average | Passing | 57 | High | |
| Defense | 71 | High | Stamina | 70 | High | |
| Shot Blocking | 34 | Low | Durability | 72 | High | |
| Low-post | 68 | Average | FT Shooting | Average |
| Athleticism | 67 | |
| Speed | 80 | |
| Rebounding | 32 | |
| Defense | 82 | |
| Shot Blocking | 1 | |
| Low-post | 18 | |
| Perimeter | 65 | |
| Ball Handling | 90 | |
| Passing | 78 | |
| Work Ethic | 54 | |
| Stamina | 60 | |
| Durability | 55 | |
| GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | FG% | FG3% | FT% | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 22 | 19.7 | 2.8 | 32.8 | 44.6 | 69.0 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Proximity | Childhood Favorite |
|---|---|
| No preference | Texas A&M |
| Current Rating | Potential | Current Rating | Potential | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athleticism | 67 | High | Perimeter | 65 | Average | |
| Speed | 80 | Average | Ball Handling | 90 | Average | |
| Rebounding | 32 | Average | Passing | 78 | Average | |
| Defense | 82 | Average | Stamina | 60 | High | |
| Shot Blocking | 1 | Average | Durability | 55 | High | |
| Low-post | 18 | Average | FT Shooting | Average |
| Athleticism | 46 | |
| Speed | 80 | |
| Rebounding | 29 | |
| Defense | 87 | |
| Shot Blocking | 23 | |
| Low-post | 29 | |
| Perimeter | 74 | |
| Ball Handling | 56 | |
| Passing | 86 | |
| Work Ethic | 65 | |
| Stamina | 79 | |
| Durability | 49 | |
| GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | FG% | FG3% | FT% | APG | SPG | BPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 25 | 15.4 | 3.4 | 50.3 | 45.9 | 61.5 | 3.2 | 0.1 | 0.9 |
Potential
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3/31/09
271. That's how many wins it took to finally get my dream job. (Including 1 National Title, 1 Runner-up, 1 Final Four and numerous other disappointing seasons) From a dream first year where we won the first National Title at GAC to a frustrating (and mostly this is because of my poor choice to go to Hawaii) 4 years at BYU, Hawaii where we had some of the top talent and no matter what we couldn't win. I blame the man to man we ran and I am sure if we had ran my system we would have done much better. BYU was filled with slow centers and people out of position. Humphrey was a great player but he was too slow for a team that I usually build. As was the centers Rumley and idr the others name but they were too slow. My teams don't tolerate that. My bad.
So back to Weber where I immediately was happy to get my press back. Motion/Triangle either works for me so I was fine with the motion. So we got to work filled 7 ships on 2's money year 1. Those guys never won as much as they should have tho. Young was a pleasant surprise I always thought Reed would be the top player outta that class and yet Cox has outscored him in 3 years to Reeds 4 years as a starter! Cox has only started two. I think when I played him at sf that was a big mistake. It worked at George Fox but that was a different situation and different team it worked there it was a mistake here.
So that 2nd big class the one that took us to the final four. What a beauty I loved it from the get go. I had to flip a few players around late and I had to make sure no one was going to get Mark Johnson he was a key part of that class. And there was Cox and Behan I spent 20k on Cox cycle 1. I knew no one would touch him after that. Pakeli thought about it he wasn't too happy I was taking the best of the best from the region. But that's what you have to do. Behan cost me around 45k. He was key I thought but honestly we wouldn't have been as good of a team the year after the Final Four run had he stayed. The key to success to that team was that everyone was so fluid. We had suburb athleticism everywhere and speed too. 1-4 could step out and hit numerous threes a game. Just a wonderful offense It is such a shame to have to have left Harris and Schroder who are such fantastic players. And Kennedy too, top 10 sg who just couldn't get minutes on such a talented team.
The last year ended very frustrating at Weber, you can NOT tell me we were 29 points worse then St. Peters. BULLSHIT. Win/lose w/e but NOT by 29. Fuck you WIS, we were by far the top team in the tourney.
So on to Illinois. It will be a challenge. I have a few different recruiting Ideas. There are a handful of kids we have targeted:
Monroe Howard (#8 SG, 4 star) and Gregory Roux (#6 SG, 5 star) are teammates out of Waupan, WI. We like both of them and really think they could continue to play together at Illinois. I don't know what Wisconsin plans to do with their two ships but if these guys are not priorities for them they will be for us.
รจ Our top target and future Illini star is Glen Seidel (#5 SF, 5 star)from Muscatine, IA. He is absolutely our #1 target and judging by the ships available in the area we might just get lucky and get him cheaper then we should. Which would be great considering I am trying to fill four or five ships on 3's money.
We are taking a very close look at an under the radar player from Makawao, HI. James Smith (#6 PF, 5 star) most likely won't be willing to talk to Hawaii right away so I assume if I jump on him right away with 5-6k I should be able to secure him w/o him ever being willing to talk to HI. Bitch move I know. But I have to save money somehow.
Another big man, this time from Chicago, IL, is top Instate player Fredrick Cummings (#21 C, 4 star) we are still unsure if he fits our system and as much as I hate letting top instate players leave the state I really don't know if he fits our team and since I doubt it I really think passing him up might be right. But the more I look at him I think for 3 years and possibly the cheap price tag due to that he could be a starter this year and depending on how this team plays either a good backup or possibly solid starter. I will prolly attach my name to him for 5k and watch as no one messes with him and end up landing him. But I don't expect to want to spend that much on him.
Todd Mike (#32 SF, 3 star) of Columbia, TN is on our radar as a budget saver who could contribute for four years, even once we got this thing kickin'. His athleticism is low but I can live with one flaw in a player. I have had sfs excel with limited ath so again I might attach my name to him for 2k and see what happens.
After the top list targets we have a few backup options I will consider depending on what Wisconsin, Iowa (not really worried about them at all)
Ronald Mott (#9 SF, 4 star) of Mayfield, KY is tops on my backup list. If I can't land one of those guards and think Mott is a possibility I will most likely jump.
Two pgs I am considering are Rodney Bowen (#3 PG, 5 star) of Nashville, TN. He is ineligible so I am thinking for cheap, ya maybe. Also at pg is James Cloutier (#4 PG, 5 star) of Hillsboro, OH. He could be a solid 4 year starter at pg. I just need to figure out what Indiana/Ohio State and Notre Dame/Purdue do with their ships before I can decide if he is or isn't a high priority for someone.
Is it wrong when Illinois Mr. Basketball is a backup option for us? Terry Claiborne (#3 C, 5 star) of Indian Creek HS in Shabbona IL is a solid center but our system really revolves around being center-less. Could he contribute to our program? Absolutely but I need to figure out if letting someone else get him helps me get the guys I really want.
Another C who is kind of a wait and see what plays out guy is Kenneth Schwadron (#7 C, 5 star) of Harrodsburg, KY. I assume he will be a top priority for Mets and I assume I won't think about him again after day 1 but if somehow he is not being highly recruited and I get in a bind. Maybe.
My final backup, and the last on my list is Daniel Sanders (#20 SF, 4 star) of Milwaukee, WI. He played for state runner up Milwaukee Vincent who lost to Waupan in the finals. He is a solid player and could contribute for four years. He fits the same bill as Todd Mike. If he comes cheap he is in.
In all honesty I have very high hopes that this team can make the NT. I know it will be a rough season but if I can land the guys I want I think we field one of the top young lineups in the Big Ten. With only 1 guaranteed starter returning from last year 4 guarantee starts + 20 minutes will be very nice to have at my disposal.
