All Things Alex Illikainen Recruitment Thread: UPDATED 11/12/18: Illikainen leaves UW

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BleedGopher said:
Marcus blog: Gophers recruiting: Alex Illikainen considered prep school but will finish high school in MN

“Earlier in the year, I just explored it,” said Illikainen, who played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with Howard Pulley last week in Eagan. “But I’m not going.”

Illikainen, who is arguably the state’s top player in the 2015 class, says he was encouraged to see top players in the 2014 class like Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones and DeLaSalle’s Reid Travis — also McDonald’s All-Americans — stay in Minnesota to finish their high school career.

“It shows that you can have success staying in Minnesota,” said Illikainen, who has scholarship offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Creighton and Nebraska among others.

– Illikainen, who is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 83 prospect in his class by Rivals.com, says he continues to have a “great relationship” with Gophers coach Richard Pitino and his staff, including assistant Ben Johnson.

“We’re texting and talking all of the time,” he said. “They have great things to say. I really liked watching them.”

http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...rep-school-but-will-finish-high-school-in-mn/

Go Gophers!!
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Make

It

Happen!
 

BleedGopher said:
Marcus blog: Gophers recruiting: Alex Illikainen considered prep school but will finish high school in MN

“Earlier in the year, I just explored it,” said Illikainen, who played in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with Howard Pulley last week in Eagan. “But I’m not going.”

Illikainen, who is arguably the state’s top player in the 2015 class, says he was encouraged to see top players in the 2014 class like Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones and DeLaSalle’s Reid Travis — also McDonald’s All-Americans — stay in Minnesota to finish their high school career.

“It shows that you can have success staying in Minnesota,” said Illikainen, who has scholarship offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Creighton and Nebraska among others.

– Illikainen, who is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 83 prospect in his class by Rivals.com, says he continues to have a “great relationship” with Gophers coach Richard Pitino and his staff, including assistant Ben Johnson.

“We’re texting and talking all of the time,” he said. “They have great things to say. I really liked watching them.”

http://blogs.twincities.com/gophers...rep-school-but-will-finish-high-school-in-mn/

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Can't help but be optimistic about Illikainen. If he commits, the '15 class will be a success any way you spin it.

I would love to see an early commit from him and maybe get the ball rolling with some other recruits, too. I think Alex is the type of player guys will want to play with - great passer and will hit the shot if you get him a look.
 

Per Matt Jessen-Howard:

- I’m sensing Alex Illikainen is maybe leaning towards Creighton. He’s already taken several unofficial visits there. He loves the Gophers, too. It’s tough to say. It will come down to whether or not he likes a small campus like Creighton or a big one like the U.

- Alex Illikainen spoke highly of both Minnesota and Creighton. I think it’s very close. It will come down to whether or not he prefers Creighton as a smaller private college, or Minnesota, a massive university. Alex also talks frequently with Providence, Cal, and Nebraska. One thing I like about Alex is that he’s one of the few players in AAU who seems to block out.

http://go4report.com/post-eybl-dinkytown-dirt-eybl-recap/
 

I watched Alex for the first time this past weekend. I was impressed with his strength, must have 60lbs on paper-thin Amir. Looked very fundamentally sound. Nice touch, range and smooth shot.

Fore anyone who has seen more of him how is his athleticism? Didn't notice any leaping ability of explosiveness of the ONE game I've watched him play live.
 

Richard said:
Per Matt Jessen-Howard:

- I’m sensing Alex Illikainen is maybe leaning towards Creighton. He’s already taken several unofficial visits there. He loves the Gophers, too. It’s tough to say. It will come down to whether or not he likes a small campus like Creighton or a big one like the U.

- Alex Illikainen spoke highly of both Minnesota and Creighton. I think it’s very close. It will come down to whether or not he prefers Creighton as a smaller private college, or Minnesota, a massive university. Alex also talks frequently with Providence, Cal, and Nebraska. One thing I like about Alex is that he’s one of the few players in AAU who seems to block out.

http://go4report.com/post-eybl-dinkytown-dirt-eybl-recap/
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Creighton is the outlier on the list of schools that Alex has said he's most interested in: Minnesota, Creighton, Nebraska, Oregon, Indiana, California, etc. All are large state schools, Creighton is the only one that is a small private University.

Go Gophers!!
 


BleedGopher said:
Creighton is the outlier on the list of schools that Alex has said he's most interested in: Minnesota, Creighton, Nebraska, Oregon, Indiana, California, etc. All are large state schools, Creighton is the only one that is a small private University.

Go Gophers!!
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I feel pretty good about Al we've been on him for a long time. Creighton could be popular because of the numbers McDermott put up for them, gotta be appealing for a big man
 

98VQueens said:
I watched Alex for the first time this past weekend. I was impressed with his strength, must have 60lbs on paper-thin Amir....
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My database has him at +1 year, +2 inches and +45 pounds. Am I wrong?
 

MN1nAZ said:
My database has him at +1 year, +2 inches and +45 pounds. Am I wrong?
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What database are you reffering to?

Amir must be close to 6'-8" & appeared an inch shorter than Alex, 1.5" max. If Alex is 6'-9", with all that filling out he has done, would think he is up to 220, 225.

I see a few months ago he said "I think 6-7, actually and 180, 185" in an interview with Chris. He doesn't look it.
 

per @PulleyHoops:

Congratulations Alex Illikainen, Jarvis Johnson and Sacar Anim who have been invited to participate in the Victor Oladipo & Ty Lawson All American Camp presented by The Elite Skills Basketball School - ESBS. This is one of NIKE's premier basketball events for elite high school basketball players. The 2014 Victor Oladipo & Ty Lawson All American Camp will be conducted on the illustrious campus of Dematha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD from July 9-11, 2014. This event is limited to 60 of the nation's elite high school players, by invitation only.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s236ep

Go Gophers!!
 



BleedGopher said:
per @PulleyHoops:

Congratulations Alex Illikainen, Jarvis Johnson and Sacar Anim who have been invited to participate in the Victor Oladipo & Ty Lawson All American Camp presented by The Elite Skills Basketball School - ESBS. This is one of NIKE's premier basketball events for elite high school basketball players. The 2014 Victor Oladipo & Ty Lawson All American Camp will be conducted on the illustrious campus of Dematha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD from July 9-11, 2014. This event is limited to 60 of the nation's elite high school players, by invitation only.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1s236ep

Go Gophers!!
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That sound you just heard was Sacar Anim blowing up.
 


per the Daily:

Alex Illikainen, currently the top-ranked player out of Minnesota at No. 83 on Rivals’ Class of 2015 list, said he’s working on his ball handling this summer to play in a fast system.

“You can’t be sloppy with the ball in that kind of situation,” Illikainen said. “To play [for] the Gophers and to play in the Big Ten, I’ll definitely have to be better at that.”

According to Illikainen, Pitino envisions him as a stretch forward at Minnesota — a finesse big man that can take outside shots to open up the floor.

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/mens-basketball/2014/06/10/year-pitino-builds-stronger-ties

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per the Daily:

Alex Illikainen, currently the top-ranked player out of Minnesota at No. 83 on Rivals’ Class of 2015 list, said he’s working on his ball handling this summer to play in a fast system.

“You can’t be sloppy with the ball in that kind of situation,” Illikainen said. “To play [for] the Gophers and to play in the Big Ten, I’ll definitely have to be better at that.”

According to Illikainen, Pitino envisions him as a stretch forward at Minnesota — a finesse big man that can take outside shots to open up the floor.

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/mens-basketball/2014/06/10/year-pitino-builds-stronger-ties

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

POLLYANNA!!!!!!

Come to Papa Alex!
 




BleedGopher said:
per the Daily:

Alex Illikainen, currently the top-ranked player out of Minnesota at No. 83 on Rivals’ Class of 2015 list, said he’s working on his ball handling this summer to play in a fast system.

“You can’t be sloppy with the ball in that kind of situation,” Illikainen said. “To play [for] the Gophers and to play in the Big Ten, I’ll definitely have to be better at that.”

According to Illikainen, Pitino envisions him as a stretch forward at Minnesota — a finesse big man that can take outside shots to open up the floor.

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/mens-basketball/2014/06/10/year-pitino-builds-stronger-ties

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

DNO3a.gif
 



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Alex Illikainen, who visited Nebraska on Saturday per <a href="https://twitter.com/RobinWashut">@RobinWashut</a>, just picked up an offer from Boston College, per <a href="https://twitter.com/D1Circuit">@D1Circuit</a>.</p>— Matt Jessen-Howard (@mjessenhoward) <a href="https://twitter.com/mjessenhoward/statuses/477213970634256384">June 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 


A good recruiting update for Alex from Matt Jessen-Howard at http://go4report.com/alex-illikainen-talks-recruiting/. Here are some of Alex's quotes from the article...

Regarding Cal: “I met the new coach that’s there. I haven’t figured out if I have an offer there, but I have been in touch with them. I’m very interested.”

Whether it’s an official or unofficial visit, his next recruiting trip might be to Providence, where his sister Molly is a sophomore on the hockey team. “It’s pretty cool that I could go there with my sister. My other sister lives an hour away from Providence, too,” he says. “It definitely helps (Providence) out a little bit, but I’m not going to base my decision off of it.”

Regarding Minnesota: “I have a great relationship with them,” he says. “I talk to Pitino every week. We really have a great relationship.”

Regarding Nebraska: “The new coach, Coach Mo (Jim Molinari), and Tim Miles are talking to me as much as anyone. They had some new coaches coming in, so I didn’t hear from them much, but I’m talking with them again.”

Comparing Minnesota and Creighton: “(Minnesota and Creighton) are totally opposite, pretty much. I just have to figure out what I want,” he says. “Do I want the small school like Creighton? I mean, they still have a big fanbase for basketball. You come to Minnesota, and you got 55,000 kids. Creighton has 4,000.”

Illikainen plans to take a step in his recruitment after Peach Jam, the EYBL finals, which is July 16-20. “I’ll either take my officials or make a final list,” he said. Alex plans to finish all of his official visits by early next fall."

Ultimately, “relationships with the coaches and the players” will be the biggest factor in his decision. “I want to go somewhere where the kids like me, and I like them — a family atmosphere.”
 

4 star PF Alex Illikainen (Grand Rapids/Howard Pulley) will be visiting both Creighton and Nebraska this weekend.
— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN)

I hope the visits go awful! ;)
 

I like that Pitino is recruiting the NE well, but MN produces enought talent in BB to compete for B1G and NCAA titles if we just kept that talent at home. Not even all of it, but most of it.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
I like that Pitino is recruiting the NE well, but MN produces enought talent in BB to compete for B1G and NCAA titles if we just kept that talent at home. Not even all of it, but most of it.
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What comes from Minnesota won't always fit the brand however. But I agree, we do have plenty of talent in Minnesota. The problem is, and this has been covered often here, is that "shutting down the boarders" is just not a feasible thing as many kids just want to get away sometimes. I'd bet that even Duke/UNC lose kids in their area from time to time.
 

Winasota Gopher said:
What comes from Minnesota won't always fit the brand however. But I agree, we do have plenty of talent in Minnesota. The problem is, and this has been covered often here, is that "shutting down the boarders" is just not a feasible thing as many kids just want to get away sometimes. I'd bet that even Duke/UNC lose kids in their area from time to time.
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It's a well-known fact at GopherHole that if we don't immediately lock down the borders, the program will implode. Threat level currently "elevated", Alex. Do you copy?
 


98VQueens said:
I watched Alex for the first time this past weekend. I was impressed with his strength, must have 60lbs on paper-thin Amir. Looked very fundamentally sound. Nice touch, range and smooth shot.

Fore anyone who has seen more of him how is his athleticism? Didn't notice any leaping ability of explosiveness of the ONE game I've watched him play live.
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Without getting the anti-King crowd fired-up, I'm temped to ask is he a more skilled Joey King type player? Seemed similar in many aspects.
 

98VQueens said:
Without getting the anti-King crowd fired-up, I'm temped to ask is he a more skilled Joey King type player? Seemed similar in many aspects.
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I don't think that is a real great comparison as really the only thing I see in common with them is the ability to shoot the ball. Alex is definitely more skilled and athletic and probably a little longer while Joey is more scrappy and willing to mix it up a little bit and I haven't seen much of that from Alex.
 

98VQueens said:
Without getting the anti-King crowd fired-up, I'm temped to ask is he a more skilled Joey King type player? Seemed similar in many aspects.
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I'd say he's a little stronger and alot better at rebounding, but yes, offensively I do see many similarities.
 

GameDay said:
I'd say he's a little stronger and alot better at rebounding, but yes, offensively I do see many similarities.
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I would say much stronger than Joey was headed into his senior year.

He didn't look much more athletic when I watched him, so thanks, that's what I was trying to get a sense of from others who have seen him more than I.
 

98VQueens said:
I would say much stronger than Joey was headed into his senior year.

He didn't look much more athletic when I watched him, so thanks, that's what I was trying to get a sense of from others who have seen him more than I.
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If I had to compare Alex to someone, it would probably be Jon Leuer. Doesn't blow you away with his athleticism, but still would consider him an above-average athlete for his size. Can give you a little bit of everything on offense, good jump shot and can create a little off the dribble against bigger defenders. Wouldn't classify him as a banger down low, but is pretty solid with post moves as well. Good, but not great rebounder and defender. Just seems like a great all-around player that would be best playing as a Stretch 4.
 

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