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

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John Galt said:
The fact is there is no scholarship open right now.
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How is that a fact when Gaston is not even on a scholarship right now?

I don't agree with all of it but the real fact is scholarships are renewed annually.
 

Are people ignoring his Brewster Coach's quote? Saying he is down to Iowa and Wisconsin now?
 


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Go Gophers!!
 

Gold Vision said:
Are people ignoring his Brewster Coach's quote? Saying he is down to Iowa and Wisconsin now?
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“He's pretty much down to those two,” Smith told SNY.tv.

It's not set in stone.

I'm very happy with the class as it stands today, would be great to add AI, thrilled if can get Clarke.
 


It looks like recruiting is over for the fall unless someone gets kicked off the team or leaves the team before November. Illikainen isn't coming here unless a fall scholarship opens up. He will come here if one opens up
 

HOOP DREAMS said:
&#147;He's pretty much down to those two,&#148; Smith told SNY.tv. It's not set in stone. I'm very happy with the class as it stands today, would be great to add AI, thrilled if can get Clarke.
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We didn't visit him this week during the open period and he doesn't have a committable fall offer.

Would have loved a shooter in this class, but thrilled with what we have.
 


Gopherguy0723 said:
It looks like recruiting is over for the fall unless someone gets kicked off the team or leaves the team before November. Illikainen isn't coming here unless a fall scholarship opens up. He will come here if one opens up
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Do you know something or just shooting in the dark? All public signs point to him being committed to either Wisconsin or Iowa in less than 10 days. So you think he would decommit and take our offer if a spot opened, even though he had a Minnesota offer for over a year and never jumped on it?

I would like to believe that, but it seems far fetched.
 



WanderingGopher said:
Do you know something or just shooting in the dark? All public signs point to him being committed to either Wisconsin or Iowa in less than 10 days. So you think he would decommit and take our offer if a spot opened, even though he had a Minnesota offer for over a year and never jumped on it?

I would like to believe that, but it seems far fetched.
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Excellent point...he's had how long to jump on board if he truly wanted to be a Gopher??? I'll have no issues booing his a$$ if he plays for the cheesedicks or pig farmers.
 

Pitino is not going to over sign, he has too much class for that move! Coach said he plans on having Gaston in Jan. All slots are filled AI is off the table unless he wants to roll the dice on future attrition. If AI wanted to be here that badly he would have already committed.
 

The Brain Trust said:
Pitino is not going to over sign, he has too much class for that move! Coach said he plans on having Gaston in Jan. All slots are filled AI is off the table unless he wants to roll the dice on future attrition. If AI wanted to be here that badly he would have already committed.
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Like we have been saying, the game has changed. If you screw around the spot will not be available. A much as we would like to see AI at the U, he dilly dallied around and the train left the station. It is funny how much he talked about representing the state of Minnesota early on in his recruiting. When ever he comes home from where ever he goes to school his buddies will always say "you could have played for the U"!
 

alchemy2u said:
Like we have been saying, the game has changed. If you screw around the spot will not be available. A much as we would like to see AI at the U, he dilly dallied around and the train left the station. It is funny how much he talked about representing the state of Minnesota early on in his recruiting. When ever he comes home from where ever he goes to school his buddies will always say "you could have played for the U"!
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Agreed. I can't help but think that Alex overplayed his hand here, thinking that a spot with the U was virtually guaranteed while Pitino and staff were out recruiting talent in all corners of the country and overseas. When the music stopped Alex was left without a chair, and if it wasn't for Bucky's last minute offer to hedge their bets, Iowa may have been his only option.
 



WindyCityGopher said:
Agreed. I can't help but think that Alex overplayed his hand here, thinking that a spot with the U was virtually guaranteed while Pitino and staff were out recruiting talent in all corners of the country and overseas. When the music stopped Alex was left without a chair, and if it wasn't for Bucky's last minute offer to hedge their bets, Iowa may have been his only option.
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I think his game is a perfect fit for IA...
 

The Brain Trust said:
Pitino is not going to over sign, he has too much class for that move! Coach said he plans on having Gaston in Jan. All slots are filled AI is off the table unless he wants to roll the dice on future attrition. If AI wanted to be here that badly he would have already committed.
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Well said. Time to move on. Gopher fans survived the Reid experience. This is a very solid class. Minnesota is no longer a place you can always fall back on.
 




Bummer deal, if this is the case AI signs elsewhere. Why wait soooo long to commit??
 

I'm guessing Alex and Pitino were in complete contact on this. With only one scholy left Alex told coach he was either still undecided or not interested in Mn.
 

station19 said:
I'm guessing Alex and Pitino were in complete contact on this. With only one scholy left Alex told coach he was either still undecided or not interested in Mn.
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Seems to be the case, just wasn't sold on Minnesota, doesn't really appear like he really wanted to be a Gopher all that much.

I think we have kids that are good and want to be here.
 

Could just be a small-town kid wanting a small-town college.
 

BarnBoy said:
Could just be a small-town kid wanting a small-town college.
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Doesn't add up if he chooses Wisconsin. Madison has a population of about 250,000 and UW has about 40,000 students, so they lose the smallness factor.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Doesn't add up if he chooses Wisconsin. Madison has a population of about 250,000 and UW has about 40,000 students, so they lose the smallness factor.
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It still has a much smaller feel than the 15th largest metro area in the country.
 

I was thinking more Iowa than Madison. Regardless, both feel more collegy and have fewer psychopathic killer polar bears.
 


If a scholie is available in the spring, why can't he wait until then?

I felt he pudged around and other players Pitino wanted committed ahead of him.

I thought the Gophers have only four scholies which are all taken. What about Gaston? Is there i fifth scholie reserved for him?

I guess I am confused. If Pitino wants AI, and a scholie is not available until Spring does that mean there is definitely one that will be open?

Why can't AI wait until the Spring signings? I certainly will like to see him in a Gophers inu.
 

hungan1 said:
If a scholie is available in the spring, why can't he wait until the


I felt he pudged around and other players Pitino wanted committed ahead of him.

I thought the Gophers have only four scholies which are all taken. What about Gaston? Is there i fifth scholie reserved for him?

I guess I am confused. If Pitino wants AI, and a scholie is not available until Spring does that mean there is definitely one that will be open?

Why can't AI wait until the Spring signings? I certainly will like to see him in a Gophers inu.
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Gaston is in the 2014 class; Alex is 2015. Most HS BB players want to lock up a scholarship by the November signing date. There is no certainty that a scholarship will be available in the spring because a current underclassmen scholarship player would have to leave. Alex is not going to be a Gopher; that ship has sailed.
 

What guarantees does Richard have that Gaston will pass the exam/administration lets him in? Does that swing the conversation a little bit? As of right now the Gophers have 5 open scholarship slots for the team. Come Spring that could be a completely different story, and we can all say till were blue in the face that Gaston "SHOULD" have passed the test and be on the team now. But he didn't, and there is no way to know whether or not he will in the 2nd semester.

Does Pitino then sign AI now and gamble with the attrition and move Gaston to a 2015 scholarship? Would Gaston wait for that?

I think its a bit more complicated than we think. But I agree with most that AI is likely a goner and Gaston is likely to be a gopher come January.
 

station19 said:
I'm guessing Alex and Pitino were in complete contact on this. With only one scholy left Alex told coach he was either still undecided or not interested in Mn.
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No. Word is Minnesota was the leader throughout and he wanted to come here. Seems to have just assumed he had a bit more time to enjoy the process and be "sure" before pulling the trigger, and I guess you can see why. It was extremely unusual and amazing how we filled the final 3 scholarships in the span of less than 2 weeks at the end of August and beginning of Sept. (Jarvis silent verballed the Monday after his visit, meaning we were done on Sept. 8). I would bet that's never happened here.

Obviously it's not like he's left out on the street, having the Iowa and Wisconsin offer as well as the east coast offers. But he's never going to have the same experience Jarvis is going to get, and being that Alex doesn't really look like a pro prospect, he missed a big opportunity to secure a legacy here that would help his post-basketball life.

I think he probably got some bad advice from people in his camp, and overplayed his hand.
 

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