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

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GuyFawkes said:
So I hung out with alex's cousin over the weekend, I will admit she really doesn't know much about the whole recruiting process, but I mentioned Travis to her, and she said, she thinks that he was "the guy" who their family was watching closely because they play the same position. So I guess if there are any positives with the whole Reid Travis thing, its that him picking another school probably helps our chances with Illikainen.

I tried to get more info out of her, but all she wanted to do was "drink and have fun" and I guess Alex Illikainen's recruitment did not fall in that category for her
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Aren't you the exert who said Travis was a lock for the U????????/
 



Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
 


Hey all your inside info seems to be legit and to me, who has no inside info whatsoever I welcomed your posts. I really wanted him to come play for the Gophers and was disappointed when he chose not to but it was his choice....will still follow his career however far it goes but can't say how much I will root for his success if at all which I know he(Travis) could care less if I do.
 

Don't let them get you down Fawkes. I appreciated your info.:cool02:
 


GuyFawkes said:
Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
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For the record, I believe you completely and appreciate the info that you have shared. That being said, I think you need to lighten up a little. Just about every comment I've seen made referencing you since Travis's decision has been pretty obviously tongue in cheek, as is very common on a message board. Sure some people are going to be a little more skeptical now, can you really blame them? I think most people trust that you were sharing valid information and don't blame you for the way things turn out. For those that don't believe and are giving you a hard time, I think you need to take your own advice and get over it.
 



GuyFawkes said:
Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
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Everything you say is true. I too have a source & I posted 15 months ago that the only offer that would get Reid to leave the Gophers was Stanford if it came. It did & he took it. Sucks, but I'd probably push my own kid to do the same.
 

GuyFawkes said:
Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
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No one is bashing you... Grow some thicker skin.... It's the 'Hole... How can any of these guys typed words bother you so much??

Good job on the info, ignore the other noise man.
 

GuyFawkes said:
Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
Click to expand...

Lighten up Francis
 

GuyFawkes said:
Never said he was a lock for the U, said he was leaning for the U, which he was, I also told you his family wanted Stanford and was in his ear about it, and reid admitted he made his decision the night before, which means parents convinced him to go stanford...getting really sick of people being upset with me because he picked another school, though all my info was accurate, like I said before I did not need to share anything with you guys, had nothing to gain from it, but I did because figured you guys would enjoy some info about the situation. Really starting to regret my decision, and will probably think twice next time before sharing inside info if I ever get any, not really worth it to me anymore if I am going to just get randomly bashed for every post I make because some 17 year old didn't pick your school. Get over it, if you take your homer glasses off,you would realize the kid made the right choice, stanford is a top 5 school academically, and is the TOP school academically that gives out athletic scholarships (ivy league schools don't give out athletic scholarships) Any parent would be an idiot to not encourage their kid to go to a stanford or a harvard if given the chance, I'm only 22, and even I understand that. so yeah, GET OVER IT ALREADY!

As a fan I wanted Reid to pick Minnesota like the rest of you, but not sure if I was his parent I could have done the same thing. If he is good enough for pro ball he will be discovered no matter the school, different story when it comes to education. Try to look at his decision fro the travis point of view and you would realize how immature you have been about the whole situation...

on that note, sorry for hijacking this thread, let get back to alex!
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First of all, I appreciated your info. Second of all, can we not do the typical Minnesotan "ya, sure, Stanford is a better options for recruits, as are a number of other schools, and recruits would be idiots to go to the U" stuff, especially in an Illikainen thread? Illikainen and other recruits have plenty of other fanbases in their ears telling them that they have better options than the Gophers. I think it's counterproductive at best to add our voices to that chorus.
 



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Creighton head coach Greg McDernott is watching Alex Illikainen tonight, Richard Pitino seeing Alex tomorrow, Cal watching next week.</p>— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanJamesMN/statuses/411542937751666688">December 13, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Alex Illikainen will also be visiting Creighton and attending the Creighton-Marquette game in Omaha on December 31st.</p>— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanJamesMN/statuses/411547810811490304">December 13, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Not sure if its really news worthy but alex's cousin told me, her Aunt (alex's mom) says that he really likes Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa State, Oregon, and Indiana right now.

Edit. forgot to add Iowa State
 

GuyFawkes said:
Not sure if its really news worthy but alex's cousin told me, her Aunt (alex's mom) says that he really likes Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Indiana right now.
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I have to think that unless his visit didn't go well a few weeks ago, that Iowa State is on his list right now as well.

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
I have to think that unless his visit didn't go well a few weeks ago, that Iowa State is on his list right now as well.

Go Gophers!!
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oops, forgot to mention Iowa State, she told me 5 schools, and I just noticed I only typed 4, sorry
 


per Marcus:

Illikainen said it is a thrill to be recruited.

"It is awesome,'' he said of playing in front of Pitino, who sat courtside with assistant coach Ben Johnson. "It shows the respect he has for the Minnesota kids. It shows he wants us to stay.''

Illikainen's passion for the outdoors is an intangible that works in the Gophers' favor.

"I really like the distance and the history of 'The Barn,' '' Illikainen said about the Gophers. "Being way up in northern Minnesota, we don't get the best respect or competition. When people recognize that we are strong, it is a good feeling. I love being from northern Minnesota.''

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...grand-rapids-illikainen-eager-impress-gophers

Go Gophers!!
 

Wow it sounds like we are in good shape with him. What a class we'd have with him and Jarvis.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

Was just up in the Grand Rapids area and met a friend who had a son that played a few years back and knows Alex. Still practices with them from time to time. From what they knew he was very very high on becoming a Gopher. Kids from that area rarely venture very far from home after high school, and when they do, they don't tend to head very far. Take it with a grain of salt, as it didn't come from Alex or a family member, as well as how hard it is to say no to some of the other schools pursuing him. But I think Alex would be a great grab for Pitino and keeping the Minnesota pipeline just that; a MINNESOTA pipeline
 

SuperSenior13 said:
Was just up in the Grand Rapids area and met a friend who had a son that played a few years back and knows Alex. Still practices with them from time to time. From what they knew he was very very high on becoming a Gopher. Kids from that area rarely venture very far from home after high school, and when they do, they don't tend to head very far. Take it with a grain of salt, as it didn't come from Alex or a family member, as well as how hard it is to say no to some of the other schools pursuing him. But I think Alex would be a great grab for Pitino and keeping the Minnesota pipeline just that; a MINNESOTA pipeline
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I agree that we have a great shot at landing him, but I also thought we had a great chance to land Vaughn. IMO, the stib article a few weeks back put the dagger to any chance we had with Vaughn. So you just ever know what will happen until they actually decide to commit.
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Looks like <a href="https://twitter.com/AIllikainen_25">@AIllikainen_25</a> is in attendance for the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> game. Let's show him how great <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheBarn&src=hash">#TheBarn</a> can be!!!</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/419913404145348608">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Looks like <a href="https://twitter.com/AIllikainen_25">@AIllikainen_25</a> is in attendance for the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> game. Let's show him how great <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheBarn&src=hash">#TheBarn</a> can be!!!</p>— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherHole/statuses/419913404145348608">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Go Gophers!!
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Let's hope his visit went well! If anything he saw that as soon as EE graduates, the playing time in the middle is readily available for anyone who really wants it to grab. Out-state MN is Gopher country, by the way; much more so than in the Twin Cities.
 

It would be huge to get an early commit from him (and Jarvis). It would really give the staff some recruiting momentum.
 


STrib profile: Alex Illikainen: A hoops star from a hockey hotbed

Grand Rapids junior Alex Illikainen is an uncommon Division I basketball talent in a puck-crazy town.

Next summer, Illikainen will get a chance to reach beyond his mostly exclusive Grand Rapids development and training. He is set to play for Minneapolis-based Howard Pulley and travel the country playing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

“I feel isolated sometimes,” Illikainen said. “A lot of schools still haven’t seen me. But I’m content with what I have. … I go out there every night trying to prove northern Minnesota [basketball] is big and competitive. This summer will be big for me.”

http://www.mnbasketballhub.com/news_article/show/327369

Go Gophers!!
 

"One of the memories of Darin Illikainen’s youth consists of his dad taking the kids’ basketballs and puncturing them behind the garage. Hockey was the only sport allowed in their Hermantown home.

The same could have happened to Darin’s own family in Grand Rapids. He converted his basketball-loving wife, Mary, into a hockey fan."

The curse of Minnesota.:cool02:
 

The title says "Big Man".... Is he a 5? Or is he a 4 or even a 3?

His highlight reels are not flashy, which isn't meant to be a jab. Has anyone actually seen his game (not you howie) and say whether or not he would be a fit?
 

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