All Things Alex Illikainen Recruitment Thread: UPDATED 11/12/18: Illikainen leaves UW
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I think it is pretty awesome that we are in a position to not fret when we lose a top in-state recruit. It is great that we have such a fantastic recruited class on Sept. 21st…that we really don't care all that much that Alex didn't pick us. Good luck to him.
Do you think it's pure coincidence that he committed to Wisconsin only days after we fill our recruiting class? I don't think he wanted to come to Minnesota, and this was a convenient way to not have to say I'm choosing Wisconsin over Minnesota. He had plenty of time to commit to Minnesota.
Goldy Gopher
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Illikainen runs the floor very well and is much more athletic than people want to give him credit for I'd compare his style a little bit to that of Zeller when he was at Indiana. He would have fit in perfect here and I believe he will have a very good college career but just hope he and the Badgers struggle in games against the Gophers.
I'll go farther and hope he struggles in all of his games. I hope he has a long prosperous career as a dentist which replaces the love he once held for basketball, killed by bo Ryan's tiresome offensive style. Also I hope josh Martin blocks one of his shots into Bo Ryan's grinchy mug. Thus endeth my hopes and dreams for the career of Alec illkinainen.
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Illikainen took an official to Iowa August 30 and then unofficially visited Minnestoa September 4, then officially visited (and committed) to Wisconsin this weekend. Nwankwo committed on September 5 to Minnesota and Jarvis took the "last" scholarship officially on September 12 (but I believe he actually committed to Pitino on the 6th or the 7th).
I think, by the timeline of events, that Alex slow played Minnesota or Minnesota slow played Alex. Alex was ready to take an official visit to Iowa on August 30 (after allegedly just being offered on August 21 per 247), but not Minnesota? What happened surrounding the unofficial to Minnesota September 4? If Alex wanted to be a Gopher and if the Gopher coaching staff wanted Illikainen more than at least one of their other targets, then Alex would be a Gopher right now. I tend to believe that Alex was the one doing the slow playing here, but that's just my own speculation.
I disagree with Alex being a bad fit for Minnesota as Pitino needs to have a big on the court that can shoot the 3 in order to spread the floor for his 3 guard attack. Oto and Joey both spent quite a bit of time on the perimeter and were involved in a number of pick and pop situations for the Gophers last year. I think Alex fits in at both Wisconsin and Minnesota and would have had a chance to be successful at either school. Now that he's a Badger, I wish the best for the kid in every aspect of his life with the exception of the basketball court.
I think, by the timeline of events, that Alex slow played Minnesota or Minnesota slow played Alex. Alex was ready to take an official visit to Iowa on August 30 (after allegedly just being offered on August 21 per 247), but not Minnesota? What happened surrounding the unofficial to Minnesota September 4? If Alex wanted to be a Gopher and if the Gopher coaching staff wanted Illikainen more than at least one of their other targets, then Alex would be a Gopher right now. I tend to believe that Alex was the one doing the slow playing here, but that's just my own speculation.
I disagree with Alex being a bad fit for Minnesota as Pitino needs to have a big on the court that can shoot the 3 in order to spread the floor for his 3 guard attack. Oto and Joey both spent quite a bit of time on the perimeter and were involved in a number of pick and pop situations for the Gophers last year. I think Alex fits in at both Wisconsin and Minnesota and would have had a chance to be successful at either school. Now that he's a Badger, I wish the best for the kid in every aspect of his life with the exception of the basketball court.
Seconded. All things considered, I am disappointed he is not a Gopher, but it has nothing to do with our staff screwing up in recruiting or evaluation. We're naive if we think he would not be a good fit here. He's big and he can shoot. Guys like that fit in everywhere and in any style. He could have been a Gopher if he wanted to. I read the "slow play" a little differently. I suspect Pitino told him to crap or get off the pot on the unofficial and he chose to get off the pot and we have a solid class coming in next fall. I think cracking the Twin Cities recruiting nut is more important for the Gophers now than getting an outstate player who we wanted as well. I'm disappointed but we didn't lose out either.
I hope Alex has a great career as a coach or dentist as well. Sounds like a great kid, but going to WI will be a big hole to dig out of.
GopherinPhilly
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There were 4 scholarships open for a year and he passed on all of them...if he wanted to be at MN he would have been. I wish him the worst of luck and Sconnie and hope he never sees the NCAA tournament and that he is forced to transfer after Sconnie cancels it's MBB program because of the embarrassment they brought upon their University after losing to MN by 80 at the Kohl center and the grinch is carried out on a stretcher after wetting himself and then slipping on the puddle and falling on his grinch face.
Winasota Gopher
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I actually think thats possible.
+1.
Last year's sconnie run was not typical as Grinch seems to struggle to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA. Hopefully (for his sake) traitor has a better haircut than decker (yes, U know I spelled his name wrong). He will always be behind Dusty as the best BB player coming out of GR.
Last year's sconnie run was not typical as Grinch seems to struggle to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA. Hopefully (for his sake) traitor has a better haircut than decker (yes, U know I spelled his name wrong). He will always be behind Dusty as the best BB player coming out of GR.
golfing18now
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I disagree. Locking down the top Minnesota kids under the Monson and Tubby regimes (Pryzbilla/Rickert/Humphries/White/Williams/Coleman/others) hasn't led to a resurgence in the program or an increased desire for all Minnesota kids to stay home. (see Alex Illikainen) I think establishing networks in talent rich areas in other parts of the country will lead to better talent in the long run. Last year's Minnesota class was the exception, not the rule. I like what Pitino is doing.
Bad Gopher
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And a four-star talent to boot...after the Gophers got a three-star guard to round out their class. Eerily similar.
I agree. I hate that he's going there but I think he'll have a really nice career.
GopherJake
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This. Lots of speculation that Alex slow-played us, but I haven't seen any convincing evidence either way.
Well done. Satire is best when there's a chance it could happen....
Mr. Gopher
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How could he possibly choose Wisconsin over Minnesota? I don't get it.
Don't think he was a good fit for the Gophers. Did not play well this summer in the EYBL which is mostly played at an up-tempo pace. His rankings were dropping all summer and colleges were pulling offers. My guess is he that he never wanted to be a Gopher and thought he could find a better offer. As the offers grew slim, Pulley got on the phone with the WI staff and made a deal to get him an offer/commitment and he took it. Iowa was never in the picture.
Golden_Sloth
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They are ranked almost exactly the same across the board.
ESPN:
Jarvis - 4* #22 PG
Alex - 4* #21 PF
Rivals:
Jarvis - 3* NR
Alex - 3* NR
Scout:
Jarvis - 3* #20 PG
Alex - 3* #26 PF
247:
Jarvis - 4* #17 PG
Alex - 4* #27 PF
http://247sports.com/Player/Jarvis-Johnson-22916
http://247sports.com/Player/Alex-Illikainen-31471
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/143159/jarvis-johnson
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/181865/alex-illikainen
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=7082958
http://wisconsin.scout.com/a.z?s=193&p=8&c=1&nid=6944755
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Jarvis-Johnson-130526
https://rivals.yahoo.com/basketball...inen-125236;_ylt=ApRSqU6y4RS7jZMPnh..umjXO5B4
Seems bad was doing some trolling.
Bad Gopher
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Seems you're kinda hasty about calling someone a troll.
Alex has fallen from 4* to 3* in the last year, so I was working on recollection of outdated info. I'm glad to be corrected.
Didn't say you were a regular GH official genuine certified troll, just seemed like some trollish comments.
Going off memory how high was Alex ranked at his peak? Was he in the 40's at one point? Was he was a mid 80's guy the end of last season and now is a 90 something right?
Bad Gopher
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Both he and Jarvis have been a moving target.
Difference I see, Bad, is that we kind of whiffed on Leuer and somehow thought we could get him to walk on. I would not have traded him for Hoff and I think it was one or the other at the time. I think the staff messed up on the evaluation, mismanaged scholarships and missed on a player we might have gotten. Not so with Alex. They knew what they had, offered him a scholarship and he waited it out. We'll probably never know what went through his mind or Pitino's, but we can be sure we have a very good recruiting class this year. The good class salves the wound of missing out on an instate player.
While I am thrilled with the incoming class, we sound like bitter recruting war losers when we say he would not have been a good fit. As a Badger, I can wish him no success, but he certainly has potential to be a very good college player.
BballJones
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The good news for AI is that if he stays in Madison after he graduates, he has options. He can either work for American Family or be a bartender.
I think Alex could fit in well with Bo Ryan's system, I just hate to see him join the UW program though.
Feels like we've been betrayed again, hopefully we will kick there butts for the next few years and let him know he made a mistake.
Congrats to the young man though.
I'm still very excited about our recruiting class and new comers this year and can't wait to see what they can do.
Anybody know when Midnight Madness is gonna be?
it should be happening soon, like this month right?
Feels like we've been betrayed again, hopefully we will kick there butts for the next few years and let him know he made a mistake.
Congrats to the young man though.
I'm still very excited about our recruiting class and new comers this year and can't wait to see what they can do.
Anybody know when Midnight Madness is gonna be?
it should be happening soon, like this month right?