Illinois

[chisoxfan79]

I just flipped on the Mcdonalds All-American game and was wondering if Illinois had any McDonald's All Americans or if anybody knows who they are bringing in?

[He_Gawn]

Actually they are getting one player. And from the looks of it, he sucks... Hes rated a 2 star out of 5.

[aboz56]

Chester Frazier 6'1 2005 PG Fitchburg MA Notre Dame

Jamar Smith 6'3 2005 2G Peoria IL Richwoods

Charles Jackson 6'8 2005 PF Buenta Vista GA Tri-County

 

This is according to Hoop Scoop Online, which ranks Frazier and Smith between 101 and 300 nationally and Jackson between 301-1000.

[IlliniKrush]

Those 3 are correct.

[aboz56]

For anyone interested, here are the top 10 recruiting classes so far according to Hoop Scoop Online:

 

On our rating 1-10 rating scale a top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point.  Junior college and prep school are factored in as if they were the equivalent of a high school senior.

 

1.    LOUISVILLE (45 Points)..........7 Recruits..........6.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Conference USA..........(9) Amir Johnson, 6'9, C, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA; (8) Andre McGee, 5'10, PG, Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA; (8) Bryan Harvey, 6'5, 2G, Compton (Dominguez) CA; (8) Terrance Williams, 6'5, 2G, Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA; (6) Clarence Holloway, 7'0, C, Chicago (Harlan) IL; (3) Chad Millard, 6'9, WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (3) Jonathan Huffman, 7'0, PF, Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.

 

2. DUKE (40 Points)..........5 Recruits..........8.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) Josh McRoberts, 6'9, PF, Carmel (H.S.) IN; (8) Greg Paulus, 6'2, PG, Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY; (8) Jamal Boykin, 6'7, PF, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA; (8) Eric Boateng, 6'11, C, Middletown (St. Andrews) DE; (6) Martiynas Pocius, 6'4, 2G, Plymouth (Holderness) NH.

 

3.    WASHINGTON (38 Points)..........7 Recruits..........5.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(10) Martell Webster, 6'6, WF, Seattle (Prep) WA; (9) Jon Brockman, 6'7, PF, Snohomish (H.S.) WA; (4) Roburt Sallie, 6'6, 2G, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (4) Joe Wolfinger, 7'0, C, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA; (4) Harvey Perry, 6'4, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (4) Justin Dentmon, 6'0, PG, Winchendon (School) MA; (3) Artem Wallace, 6'8, PF, Toledo (H.S.) WA.

 

4.    MISSISSIPPI (38 Points)..........8 Recruits..........4.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Carl Swanigan, 6'10, C, Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL; (8) Clarence Sanders, 6'3, 2G, Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL; (6) Marquis Young, 6'9, C, Chicago (Austin) IL; (4) Bobby Clark, 6'5, 2G, Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL; (3) Trey Hampton, 6'7, PF, Birmingham (Hoover) AL; (3) Xavier Webb, 6'9, PF, Atwood (West Carroll) TN; (3) Jarvis Walker, 6'5, WF, Olympia Fields (Rich Central) IL; (3) Michael Smith, 6'7, PF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC.

 

5.    UNLV (35 Points)..........6 Recruits..........5.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Mountain West Conference..........(8) Devon Jefferson, 6'8, WF, Lynwood (H.S.) CA; (8) Wendall White, 6'6, WF, Antelope Valley (JC) CA; (8) Jason Petrimoulx, 6'3, 2G, Dixie (JC) UT; (4) Gaston Essengue, 6'8, PF, Compton (JC) CA; (4) Jovan Adams, 6'1, PG, Houston (Gulf Shores) TX; (3) Joe Darger, 6'7, WF, Riverton (H.S.) UT.

 

5.    MEMPHIS (35 Points)..........6 Recruits..........5.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Conference USA..........(9) Shawne Williams, 6'9, WF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (8) Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6'5, 2G, Detroit (Northwestern) MI; (8) Antonio Anderson, 6'5, PG, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (4) Ricky Sanchez, 6'11, WF, Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL; (3) Robert Dozier, 6'9, PF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (3) Kareem Cooper, 7'0, C, Laurinburg (Institute) NC.

 

7.    MISSISSIPPI STATE (33 Points)..........5 Recruits..........7.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(10) Monta Ellis, 6'4, 2G, Jackson (Lanier) MS; (8) Vernon Goodridge, 6'9, C, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA; (6) Richard Delk, 6'5, 2G, Jackson (Northside) TN; (6) Reginald Delk, 6'5, Jackson (Northside) TN; (3) Bernard Rimmer, 6'7, WF, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME.

 

8.    NORTH CAROLINA (31 Points)..........4 Recruits..........7.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(9) Tyler Hansbrough, 6'9, PF, Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO; (8) Marcus Ginyard, 6'5, 2G, Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA; (8) Bobby Frasor, 6'3, PG, Chicago (Brother Rice) IL; (6) Danny Green, 6'6, WF, Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY.

 

9.    OKLAHOMA STATE (29 Points).........5 Recruits..........5.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(8) Gerald Green, 6'7, WF, Houston (Gulf Shores) TX; (6) Terrel Harris, 6'5, 2G, Garland (South Garland) TX; (6) Byron Eaton, 6'0, PG, Dallas (Lincoln) TX; (6) Roderick Fleming, 6'6, WF, De Soto (H.S.) TX; (3) Kenneth Cooper, 6'11, C, Monroe (Richwood) LA.

 

10.    LSU (29 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(9) Tasmin Mitchell, 6'8, PF, Denham Springs (H.S.) LA; (8) Kentrell Gransberry, 6'9, C, San Jacinto (JC) TX; (6) Magnum Rolle, 6'11, C, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (3) Chris Johnson, 6'11, PF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (3) Ben Voogd, 6'1, PG, Florence (Siuslaw) OR.

[AddisonStSox]

From the looks of it, at least the Big 10 doesn't have any dynamite recruiting classes to compete with.

 

Then again, I'm really green on collegiate baskeball recruitment.

[aboz56]

Big 10 Schools:

 

38. MINNESOTA (16 Points)..........4 Recruits..........4.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) James Davis, 7'0, C, Garden City (JC) KS; (3) Brandon Smith, 6'5, WF, Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN; (3) Kevin Payton, 6'5, WF, Camden (H.S.) NJ; (2) Damian Johnson, 6'7, WF, Thibodaux (H.S.) LA.

 

40.    WISCONSIN (15 Points)..........3 Recruits..........5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Joe Krabbenhoft, 6'7, WF, Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD; (4) Marcus Landry, 6'7, WF, Milwaukee (Vincent) WI; (3) Phillip Perry, 6'2, 2G, Maywood (Proviso East) WI.

 

44.    PURDUE (15 Points)..........4 Recruits..........3.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(6) Nate Minnoy, 6'3, PF, Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL; (3) Korey Spates, 6'0, PG, Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH; (3) Marcus Green, 6'4, WF, Franklin Park (Leyden) IL; (3) Chris Lutz, 6'4, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.

 

54.    INDIANA (14 Points)..........3 Recruits..........4.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Ben Allen, 6'10, PF, Australia; (3) Joey Shaw, 6'6, WF, Chandler (H.S.) AZ; (3) Deonta Vaughn, 5'11, PG, Indianapolis (Arlington) IN.

 

80.    OHIO STATE (11 Points)..........2 Recruits..........5.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Sylvester Mayes, 6'0, PG, Redlands (JC) OK; (3) Brayden Bell, 6'10, C, Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT.

 

82.    IOWA (11 Points)..........3 Recruits..........3.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(4) Kurt Looby, 6'10, C, Tyler (JC) IA; (4) Tony Freeman, 6'2, 2G, Westchester (St. Joseph's) IL; (3) Nathan Skinner, 6'4, WF, Scarborough (West Hill) ON.

 

82.    MICHIGAN (11 Points)..........3 Recruits..........3.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(4) Kendric Price, 6'8, WF, Cambridge (Buckingham, Browne, & Nichols) MA; (4) Jevohn Shepherd, 6'6, WF, Scarborough (West Hill) ON; (3) Jarrett Smith, 6'2, PG, Westland (John Glenn) MI. 

 

106.    PENN STATE (9 Points)..........3 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(3) Joonas Suotamo, 6'11, C, Finland; (3) Jamelle Cornelly, 6'5, PF, Columbus (Brookhaven) OH; (3) Milos Dogetic, 6'9, PF, Serbia-Montenegro.

 

117.    ILLINOIS (8 Points)..........3 Recruits..........2.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference.......... (3) Jamar Smith, 6'3, 2G, Peoria (Richwoods) IL; (3) Chester Frazier, 6'1, PG, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; (2) Charles Jackson, 6'8, PF, Buena Vista (Tri-County) GA.

 

141.    MICHIGAN STATE (6 Points)..........2 Recruits..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(3) Maurice Joseph, 6'4, 2G, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU; (3) Travis Walton, 6'2, PG, Lima (Senior) OH.

 

210.    NORTHWESTERN (3 Points)..........1 Recruit..........3.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(3) Craig Moore, 6'2, 2G, Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ.

[AddisonStSox]

ABoz,

 

Do you know anything about any of those individual recruits? Are there any guys that are going to make an immediate impact or make the opposing team tremble?

[aboz56]

ABoz,

 

Do you know anything about any of those individual recruits?  Are there any guys that are going to make an immediate impact or make the opposing team tremble?

I only really follow Michigan State and IU.

 

MSU doesn't really have anything special coming in, as you can see, but with Brown, Ager, Davis and Neitzel back, should be fine.

 

The Allen kid for IU was recruited from Australia by the same guy who brought Bogut to Utah so he could be a factor inside for IU. I know greasy and I were talking and he is pretty excited about him as many IU fans are.

 

Looking at some of those players with 8's next to them, those are the guys to keep your eye on because these ratings are done by Clark Francis who usually has a pretty good idea and sees a lot of these guys in order to rank them fairly well.

[Palehosefan]

I have to disagree completely about Clark Francis. The man is a moron. He is the analyst that started hyping the made up recruit from Bob Knight. Bob made up a recruits name saying he would be a superstar and Clark started writing articles about the kid, talking about his game etc. He was REALLY embarrassed by his colleagues and has since been known a little as a clown. The best in the business according to alot of people is Dave Telep.

[chisoxfan79]

Seems to me that Weber is not as good of a recruiter as Self is, which worries me. (By the way I am not saying Self is a better coach which he is not) Self was able to come in and snatch Julian Wright away,and Roy Williams was able to to get some Frasor kid, where is Bruce Weber at? He is getting out recruited in his own state.

[AddisonStSox]

I only really follow Michigan State and IU.

 

MSU doesn't really have anything special coming in, as you can see, but with Brown, Ager, Davis and Neitzel back, should be fine.

 

The Allen kid for IU was recruited from Australia by the same guy who brought Bogut to Utah so he could be a factor inside for IU.  I know greasy and I were talking and he is pretty excited about him as many IU fans are. 

 

Looking at some of those players with 8's next to them, those are the guys to keep your eye on because these ratings are done by Clark Francis who usually has a pretty good idea and sees a lot of these guys in order to rank them fairly well.

 

Most excellent, thanks!

 

The only kid I'm familiar with is the junior at Glenbrook North (the school where Bruce Weber's brother coaches). I know there is a serious buzz about him and a lot of folks are hoping he chooses Illinois. Last time I heard, he narrowed his choices down to Illinois, Duke and Arizona.

[Palehosefan]

Also, Joe Krabbenhoft will be a very solid player for Wisconsin, as will Marcus Landry. Those are about the only two I have heard of, which doens't mean a thing because top 100-150 type players always come in and suprise people. Emeka Okafor was barely top 100 and was a backup recruit for UCOnn, before he improved tremendously over the summer and suprised everyone, Calhoun the most.

[aboz56]

I have to disagree completely about Clark Francis. The man is a moron. He is the analyst that started hyping the made up recruit from Bob Knight. Bob made up a recruits name saying he would be a superstar and Clark started writing articles about the kid, talking about his game etc. He was REALLY embarrassed by his colleagues and has since been known a little as a clown. The best in the business according to alot of people is Dave Telep.

This is true, then again I like his rankings pretty well because I have followed his publication for quite a while since he is based out of Louisville and I know he is at just about every big AAU tournament there is.

 

I think the main reason Knight did that was to show how ridiculous in principal these rankings can be, which I agree with, especially when guys like Francis (and others) start ranking guys in the 6th or 7th grade, which to me is pointless.

 

While he may have been embarassed by Knight, his site does have a lot of helpful information on who has committed where and since I have a password to it, I read quite frequently.

[Palehosefan]

I think the main reason Knight did that was to show how ridiculous in principal these rankings can be, which I agree with, especially when guys like Francis (and others) start ranking guys in the 6th or 7th grade, which to me is pointless.

 

While he may have been embarassed by Knight, his site does have a lot of helpful information and since I have a password to it, I read quite frequently.

 

Thats true about the reason Knight did it, it was funny stuff. Also I agree about Clark having alot of useful information, he just tries to hard to get scoops on kids. Especially like you said when he's ranking 5th graders etc, its absurd.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Can someone, I guess specifically aboz , tell me where DePaul is ranked on that site? It looks like a pay site...

 

I'm excited about their class. Chandler was Mr. Michigan, I believe, and is looking good...Either Woods or Currie is a top 40 guy, with the other playing well too...

[aboz56]

Can someone, I guess specifically aboz  , tell me where DePaul is ranked on that site?  It looks like a pay site...

 

I'm excited about their class.  Chandler was Mr. Michigan, I believe, and is looking good...Either Woods or Currie is a top 40 guy, with the other playing well too...

 

35.    DEPAUL (16 Points)..........3 Recruits..........5.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Conference USA..........(6) Wilson Chandler, 6'7, WF, Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI; (6) Rashad Woods, 6'6, WF, Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX; (4) Jabari Currie, 6'5, PG, Detroit (Pershing) MI.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

 

Thanks.

[whitesoxfan99]

ABoz,

 

Do you know anything about any of those individual recruits?  Are there any guys that are going to make an immediate impact or make the opposing team tremble?

 

Never use Clark Francis rankings or opinions on players, the guy is an absolute joke.

 

Here is what I would expect from UI's incoming players based on reading quite a bit about each player:

 

Jamar Smith is a 6'3" SG from Peoria. He is a very good shooter, with above average quickness and athleticism. Struggled a bit with injury problems this year, bleeds Orange and Blue, his best game he scored 37 pts on 13-15 shooting including 10-11 from the 3 point line. From what I've read about him he should fit perfectly into the motion offense that Bruce Weber uses. Despite the rankings he had as good if not better of a HS season then any other player from Illinois except for Jon Scheyer and Jerel McNeal (Marquette).

 

Charles Jackson is a 6'8" 270 lb. PF/C from Georgia. He is very strong, has good footwork in the post and has solid quickness. Needs to work quite a bit on his leaping ability. He has played against Korvotney Barber who is a McDonald's AA three times and outplayed him by quite a bit each time. He was offered scholarships to just about any great football school you could think of but decided on basketball instead. He has loads of potential but I wouldn't expect anything next year. By his junior year he could be an absolute monster though. I think he may end up being a very special player and not just because he is coming to Illinois.

 

Chester Frazier is a 6-1" PG who plays for Notre Dame Prep in Maryland. He was his teams best player this year and he is supposed to be a terrific defensive player. He made scout.com's prep second team, where he is among some very good company. I would expect him to be a very solid backup PG who by his junior or senior year could be a good starter. If Dee goes pro and he is our PG next year we are in big trouble though.

 

I think Jackson and Smith have the potential to be All Big 10 time players, Frazier should be a solid role player.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

Never use Clark Francis rankings or opinions on players, the guy is an absolute joke.

 

 

They're poorly rated on just about every reputable site too.

[aboz56]

They're poorly rated on just about every reputable site too.

Bottom line is, Clark Francis is just about at every damn tournament there is.

 

And you are right, they are poorly rated on a lot of sites.

 

The fact that the guy has been doing Hoop Scoop since the 80's and has a fairly large subscription base speaks to the fact that he does a decent job. He may not be right on a lot of things, but like I said, his site has a lot of good information to sift through. It's not like I pay for it anyhow.

[whitesoxfan99]

They're poorly rated on just about every reputable site too.

 

That had nothing to do with me bringing that up. I don't care if those guys were 1,2,3 in his rankings I would still say he sucks.

[southsider2k5]

Jesus, how can you be the #1 team in the country all year long and have the #117th class, even with all of the graduations and NBA jumps that are going to happen after this season?

[aboz56]

Jesus, how can you be the #1 team in the country all year long and have the #117th class, even with all of the graduations and NBA jumps that are going to happen after this season?

Weber must not be very hot on the recruiting trail.

 

Who knows though, these 3 guys could turn into great players, its so tough to tell with some of these kids coming out. With the right coaching and situation, they could become all-americans.

 

Look at Louisville, Dean and Garcia weren't McDonald's All-Americans, neither were Ellis Myles or Larry O'Bannon. Hell O'Bannon begged Pitino for a scholarship and look where all of these guys are now.

 

These rankings are nice to look at, but they can also be misleading, especially when you are going to play for a great coach like Weber.

[Chisoxrd5]

Jesus, how can you be the #1 team in the country all year long and have the #117th class, even with all of the graduations and NBA jumps that are going to happen after this season?

 

Simple...don't get your three main targets Julian Wright, Luke Zeller and Austin Jackson (PG who went to GaTech, name may be wrong). Then David Palmer, a top 100 recruit in 2003 whose stock and supposedly grades dropped dramatically was told we no longer were offering him a scholarship. Bruce Weber instead of trying to find me first players recruited to the system, bringing in a wing shooter in Jamar Smith. A solid but unspectacular point guard in Frazier, who with his year in prep school is more prepared for the college game then most other recruits and Charles Jackson. Jackson is the best of this group and could end up being a star. Hes not high on recruiting websites b/c most expected him to be a football recruit.

 

The Illini have a good shot at Brandon Rush, brother of Kareem and Jaron. He was originally expected to go to the NBA but hes leaning toward college. Since we still have an open scholarship hes looking at us and Oklahoma. This kid stood out at the Roundball Classic and would step in immediately and start next year. My only concern is if he will buy into Weber's motion offense.

 

I also fully believe that Illinois did not target alot of point guard this offseason simply because of the wealth of pg's in the 2006 class. I'm very optimistic that Weber can recruit and has everything in good order... Now i could be wrong, and often I am...