Obviously, there has been a lot of backchannelling between Dennis and Illinois interests ever since he declared for the NBA Draft back in March. The Illinois collective is in a position to ensure that the money is competitive. The family likes Illinois and I think they are sold, or close to it. Illinois people have felt pretty confident all along.
RayJ needs to visit and get a good vibe, though. He knows Tim Anderson well and feels comfortable with him. Now, it's about getting to know the other coaches and the players, feeling good about those relationships, and hearing the plan the staff has for him.
There should be a visit fairly soon. It all depends on how far into the process he is with NBA scout evaluations. I think that has ramped up of late, and I see him coming back to college.
Illinois needs to do well during the visit. I don't think it's a done deal like the other transfers were before they visited. If they dot all of the I's and cross all of the T's, they have a chance to close.
Dennis is also taking calls from Indiana, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and others. He's listening, but I still think the ball is in Illinois' court.
On a related topic...
High school recruiting is in a weird place right now.
Chester Frazier is doing most of the leg work. The options in the 24 class are dwindling, although I think some will emerge this summer. Chester is throwing out a ton of 2025 offers. Underwood is primarily focused on the Portal and "getting old".
Some big-hit donors and highly engaged fans, especially in Chicago-land, are uneasy with how things are trending. Some see similarities to where Bruce Weber was in the post '05 era.
There was disappointment and confusion with losing a nearby kid like Cole Certa to Notre Dame, and there are concerns about not recruiting in-state players hard enough. Personally, I don't share the concern IRT Certa. I wasn't sold on him and I'm not convinced Underwood was either. Certa has okay this spring. Hot and cold.
Nothing new regarding Coleman Hawkins or TJ Shannon. "Going through the process." Hope to hear more this week.
RayJ needs to visit and get a good vibe, though. He knows Tim Anderson well and feels comfortable with him. Now, it's about getting to know the other coaches and the players, feeling good about those relationships, and hearing the plan the staff has for him.
There should be a visit fairly soon. It all depends on how far into the process he is with NBA scout evaluations. I think that has ramped up of late, and I see him coming back to college.
Illinois needs to do well during the visit. I don't think it's a done deal like the other transfers were before they visited. If they dot all of the I's and cross all of the T's, they have a chance to close.
Dennis is also taking calls from Indiana, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas State, and others. He's listening, but I still think the ball is in Illinois' court.
On a related topic...
High school recruiting is in a weird place right now.
Chester Frazier is doing most of the leg work. The options in the 24 class are dwindling, although I think some will emerge this summer. Chester is throwing out a ton of 2025 offers. Underwood is primarily focused on the Portal and "getting old".
Some big-hit donors and highly engaged fans, especially in Chicago-land, are uneasy with how things are trending. Some see similarities to where Bruce Weber was in the post '05 era.
There was disappointment and confusion with losing a nearby kid like Cole Certa to Notre Dame, and there are concerns about not recruiting in-state players hard enough. Personally, I don't share the concern IRT Certa. I wasn't sold on him and I'm not convinced Underwood was either. Certa has okay this spring. Hot and cold.
Nothing new regarding Coleman Hawkins or TJ Shannon. "Going through the process." Hope to hear more this week.
