Basketball

IlliniGuys Staff

April 17, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

Whether you are celebrating Easter, Passover, or Ramadan, we wish you many blessings on this fantastic weekend!

Now...let's get down to it.

Six weeks ago, it appeared as though Kofi Cockburn's immediate future was set.  He'd talk to NBA scouts and get some feedback...and then very likely announce a return to the Illini for a fourth and final season.  Kofi was enjoying his time at Illinois and was getting rich off NIL deals with even greater financial rewards awaiting in his senior season.  He's close enough to sniff Deon Thomas and James Augustine and replace them atop the respective all-time program scoring and rebounding charts.

Kofi has until April 24th - that's a week from today - to enter the NBA Draft if he chooses to do so.  Keep in mind, this would be his third entry into the draft and the third time is the charm - he cannot return to school if he makes this move.

Is he working out at Ubben? Working with a trainer?  Working with NBA peeps with an eye on improving his draft status (at the moment, he isn't on any mock draft boards).  Nope...he's back in Jamaica with family.

It's a situation that is strange, to say the least.  But as always, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy and IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince have their ears to the ground and have posted a few surprising notes over the weekend.

There could be more changes to this Illini basketball roster than we thought...

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Memphis Commercial Appeal)

Jaye Nash, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound point guard from Memphis, Tennessee, has been outstanding with his recent play. So much so that Illinois assistant coach Chester Frazier offered him a scholarship to play for the Fighting Illini.

Nash admitted that he was extremely honored to receive an offer from Illinois.

"Yes, sir, I mean it’s a huge offer just knowing their history and knowing they just signed a five-star recruit in Skyy Clark. I know that my work is gonna pay off, and this just shows how hard I work," Nash said.

When asked how he approaches players who inform him they’re entering the transfer portal, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said the conversation isn’t lengthy. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 16, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN -- If you’re a player informing Illinois head coach Brad Underwood that you’re entering the transfer portal, the conversation is concise and to the point.

Underwood made this idea very clear Wednesday during the media conference announcing the signing of five-star guard Skyy Clark inside Memorial Stadium. When asked about the conversations he’s had with the three players (Andre Curbelo, Omar Payne and Brandin Podziemski) who have entered the portal from the 2021-22 roster, Underwood stressed the level of re-recruitment on his end is almost non-existent.

“Best of luck. Best of luck. Good luck,” Underwood said when asked what his response is to players informing him of a transfer decision. “I am 100 percent acceptance of everybody who wants to leave. I wish them nothing but the best. I’m going to say it again and I’m sure you guys are sick of me saying it. Winning is really hard and if you’re not both feet in, go.” 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 15, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Louisville Courier-Journal)

Most Illini fans are familiar with the name Bryce Hopkins, after their pitch came up short a little more than a year ago.

The 5-star forward from Oak Park, Illinois committed to Louisville instead, but an ongoing NCAA investigation into the Cardinals program drove him to Lexington and the Kentucky Wildcats instead.

That didn't turn out the way the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder had hoped.  Hopkins saw very little playing time for coach John Calipari, averaging 2.1. points and 1.4 rebounds a game while shooting 43 percent from the field.

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff

April 14, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

In a word: wow!

So...I'm about to walk out the door this morning for a road trip when IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy did an insider information dump...and I just had to get it posted!

The latest on Kofi, it looks like a final decision has been made on Curbelo, and what about potential transfer Terrence Shannon or an Adam Miller return? Other players in the transfer portal of interest? A possible top target for 2023?

There's a lot here to dissect and the IlliniGuys.com members are doing that right now.  It's a pretty interesting conversation.  Click the orange bar at the top of our front page and find out why IlliniGuys.com is the fastest growing Illini insider website around!

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood expresses little to no concern about the partial tear of the ACL that newly signed five-star prospect Skyy Clark suffered last summer.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 13, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Larry McCormack/Nashville Tennessean)

CHAMPAIGN -- On the day he signed the program’s highest-rated guard in nearly two decades, Brad Underwood publicly denied any concerns over the left knee of highly-touted guard Skyy Clark.

Clark made his verbal commitment official Wednesday on the first day of the spring period by signing his National Letter-of-Intent with Illinois at Montverde Academy in Florida. The talk around the five-star prospect, who decommitted from Kentucky in early March, has been the injury suffered to his left knee last summer at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in July. The injury produced a lengthy rehabilitation process and forced him to be inactive for most of his senior season of high school and most of the grassroots circuit this spring.

April 13, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Purdue Athletics)

The thing about recruiting and the transfer portal...things can change in a snap.

Some interesting stuff posted a few hours ago by IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy.  Inside details on what led to Brandin Podziemski's decision, Terrence Shannon, and - maybe the biggest surprise of all - the latest on Andre Curbelo.

Let's get to it!

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff 

April 12, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

There are no games being played on the court at the moment - of course! - but work continues at Ubben both physically and on paper.  The renovation of the Illinois basketball facility is clearly obvious, while the roster construction for the 2022-23 season is also constantly in motion.

You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy and IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince were constantly working the phones, but it's true!  It's not unusual for them to put their cellphones down for a few hours while on the day job and pick it up with 100+ text messages waiting.  I've sat next to them on press row and at dinner and it is non-stop!

The cool thing for US is...they only share their knowledge on IlliniGuys.com!

I'll share a true story with you:  we recently had a new subscriber sign up and a couple of days later send us an email asking to cancel his subscription.  Naturally, we'd rather that not be the case, but we obliged and gave him instructions on how to do.  A day later, he wrote back: "hey, is it too late to change my mind?  You guys have better info!"

Now, please know this:  we have tremendous respect for our competitors.  But we take great pride in what we do and receiving emails like that lets us know we're on the right track.

Just like the workers who are shaping the future look of Ubben AND of Illini basketball, we are also always building.  100+ new members in the past month - 15 on Monday alone! - and an ever expanding staff and platform, we're excited to see what each day brings.

Our members got the very latest scoop on Illini basketball today from Mr. Sturdy and his notes are below.  If you can't see them, we invite you to click the orange bar above and sign up for a free 7-day trial.   Access to all of our feature stories and analysis awaits and be sure to check out our Multimedia section for our latest podcasts and episodes from the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular syndicated radio show that's heard on 25 stations in six states every weekend.

Three generations of Illini coaching eras were represented at the Gordyville Coaches vs. Cancer event in Rantoul with the return of Lon Kruger & Bill Self to Central Illinois. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 12, 2022

GIFFORD, Ill. -- The past, present and future of the men’s basketball program at the University of Illinois were honored Tuesday night at the Gordyville USA event hall. 

Three eras of head coaching for the Illini program were the honored as current Illini coach Brad Underwood wanted to bridge the gap for fans, produce some history and make some money for the American Cancer Society in a National Association of Basketball Coaches event by bringing back Lon Kruger and Bill Self to Central Illinois for one night. 

“We don’t get to do that nearly enough anymore,” Underwood said Tuesday night. “For the three of us to be able to connect with other people in something that isn’t basketball related is really special.”

The evening, which was the first University of Illinois Coaches vs. Cancer dinner and auction since 2019, allowed the public to see three men who have combined for 253 all-time total wins, eight all-time NCAA Tournament appearances and four regular season Big Ten Conference championships. 

The event was held just eight days removed from Self’s Kansas program winning the 2022 national championship in New Orleans after the Jayhawks took down North Carolina 72-69 in the title game. 
For Kruger, who hasn’t been the leader of the Illini program since 2000, the temporary return to Champaign brought back some nostalgic memories as he noted he was around when the Ubben Practice Facility was being built and during a campus tour, he was able to see the construction of the new renovations of the building this spring. 

After one season at Illinois, Brandin Podziemski has reportedly […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

When the staff at IlliniGuys.com told you Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was looking to change his team's look, he wasn't kidding!

Last season, Illinois broke through more than a decade of futility and won the Big Ten tournament. This year they won the Big Ten conference title for the first time since 2005. All of that is nice, but to Underwood it's also water under the proverbial bridge. It's time to push the needle and win more in the NCAA Tournament.

How do you do that? Upgrade your roster. The biggest omission from the Illini this season was more of the uber-athletic 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8 range wings who are very common in the top program and blue bloods.

April 11, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Chicago Sun-Times)

The dead recruiting period ended with a bang for the Fighting Illini staff and players with the commitment of 5-star guard Skyy Clark and a weekend visit from potential LSU transfer Brandon Murray.

But it didn't stop there.  Sunday evening brought a fresh Kofi Cockburn rumor and questions about other possible future Illini.

So - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy put heads together with IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince to compare notes...and Brad then posted this Sunday night.

For this premium info and access to more than 1,400 stories and features, subscribe to IlliniGuys.com.  Click the orange bar above this and sign up for a free 7-day trial!

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 8, 2022

The Illini coaching staff is walking tall with a bit of a strut after 5-star guard Skyy Clark announced his commitment to the Orange and Blue Thursday afternoon on ESPNU.

With the recruiting class of 2022 now done, the Illini set sights on targets in the transfer portal.  First up is LSU guard Brandon Murray.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Baltimore native by way of IMG Academy has ties to Illini assistant Chester Frazier, who also hails from Baltimore and recruited Murray years earlier when he was an assistant at Virginia Tech.

CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein reported that Murray will visit Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgetown. Murray, who averaged 10 points and three rebounds a game as a freshman for LSU, is expected to make a decision as early as Monday.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

April 7, 2022

The Illini added 5 star Combo Guard Skyy Clark to the fold on Thursday when he chose the Illini live on ESPN. Clark, who was once committed to Kentucky, gives the Illini a top 10 recruiting class and helps soften the blow with the losses of Senior Guard Trent Frazier, DaMonte Williams and Alfonso Plummer. 

Clark is a dynamic scorer that can shoot it well from deep and knows how to facilitate as well. His ball handling is considered to be among the best in the class of 2022. Clark has the size at 6’3 to play either guard spot and will immediately provide scoring punch to the backcourt. With dynamic scoring guard Jayden Epps and an athletic guard in Sencire Harris already in the fold, Clark is a perfect fit to bring together the talents of the 3 guards. 

Illinois went to the 'Skky' for dominant guard

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

April 7, 2022

As the world turns in college basketball recruiting, you lose a top-notch guard and gain another one. Ten days after Illinois sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo entered the transfer portal, Illinois received a verbal commitment from 5-star do-it-all guard Skyy Clark.

The 6-foot-3, 195 pound Nashville, Tennessee native originally committed to Kentucky, but backed out of his commitment a month ago and re-opened his recruitment. Clark and his family saw what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood did by developing former Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu, turning him into a first-team All-American and the steal of the 2021 NBA Draft.

What is Illinois getting in Clark?