The Trib is reporting that Illinois Freshman and former NU target Mark Smith will transfer. Interesting.
OT: Mark Smith to Transfer
- Thread starter NJCat
- Start date
I have been texting my Illini fan brother, he says the Black and Finke are eligible to grad transfer and may leave and that as many as 2 more bench players may transfer.
feel bad for the kid. NU would have been a perfect opportunity for him and a better style of play. Hope he finds a good school to land at.
They got a commit today from a 2* under the radar Shooting Guard. Weird times at Shampoo-Banana.
Could we still get him now? There was at least one Wisconsin player who transferred to Iowa ...
One question would be whether Collins could take him in without annoying Lathon.
Highly unlikely he'd be released to play for a conference rival even assuming he was interested in NU.
They really screwed up with THT. He was sign sealed and delivered for the Fighting Undies but they caved to an AAU coach. Kid is going to be very good at ISU.
It’s amazing how the Illinois board has completely turned on Smith. From must have “savior” recruit to bum. Disgusting how they flipped on him after one season. If they do get the widespread transfers as rumored, it certainly won’t help their already shaky reputation in revenue sports of being eager to dispose of recruiting mistakes.
Wouldn't he have to sit out a year like Turner? He would have helped us a lot this year and might going forward but it would seem that ship has sailed
Yeah, my post there was sort of clickbaity. He would have to sit out a year, and then he and Lathon would both be sophomores. If Young doesn't redshirt, that sets up a five-man class that graduates at the same time. He also struggled big time after Underwood benched him.
The main reason to recruit him is we need more play making ability at guard. I think Gaines will be a great player, but not necessarily one who beats defenders one-on-one or initiates offense for others. We'll see what AJ Turner or Kopp can do. So if we feel like Smith can initiate offense and play next to/with another lead guard, it would be good to explore the option.
It would make Willy's head explode if NU had another 12 scholarship player roster next season though.......
I'm not ready to write off Gaines yet. By end of the season, he was getting by defenders with his first step burst to the basket, and if he can shoot more consistently, he's going to create matchup problems.
Smith wanted to play point and would have had lots of playing time behind BMac this year. Oh well...Can't see him fitting here now with Lathon coming in. I had a post about a month ago stating that he made a big mistake going to Illinois who had a plethora of guards.
I think it is allowed, but requires both sitting out a year and losing a year of eligibility.
The Uthoff kid who left Wisconsin for Iowa? He left after his redshirt Freshman year.....
They continue to be one of the most underachieving state university basketball programs located in a major basketball state. They've really never recovered from the loss of Bill Self, and that's been quite a while ago.
Kruger, Self and Weber all had great success at Illinois and have gone on to greener Big XII pastures. Strange that Illinois isn't a destination job, given the proximity to Chicago and St. Louis for recruiting and the great fan support. Weber's success in Manhattan, KS really has to grate on Illinois fans......
I suppose I should expand my b-ball college knowledge, because from my limited vantage point the big ten seems to crush coaches with some frequency. There are notable exceptions, but many of them seem not up to the challenge regardless whence they came. I suspect the same is true in other conferences and I just miss it.
We already have 13 scholarship players for next year. Unless someone is forced to retire by injuries (RI?), or someone leaves the program, Smith to NU is not an option.
The rumor mill seems to think that one if not two of last seasons players might not be coming back. Thought NU was in the top two for Smith last year. Having him as a back-up LG and a #2 could look pretty good down the line. If anyone thinks it's ok to carry 12 rather then the allowable 13. please tell us why.
The Cats were in the "others receiving votes" for Smith last year, behind Illinois, Michigan State, Kentucky and Ohio State. Interestingly, I'm not sure any of them would offer him a scholarship these days. If the Cats were still interested and willing to jump through the Big-Ten-to-Big-Ten transfer hoops, I'd have no problem with them extending Smith a scholarship. Of course, that's assuming somebody on the roster transfers to open a spot, and knowing he'd have to sit out a season and lose a year of eligibility. But my guess is not all of those stars are going to align.
http://www.bnd.com/sports/college/article203546009.html
It's being reported that Illinois will not restrict his transfer to any school or conference. Also, does that rule still exist in the Big Ten regarding losing a year of eligibility?
Even if we did have a scholarship to offer Smith, what makes you think he would want to come to NU to be the backup lead guard behind Lathon? He'll likely look for a place where he has a chance to be the starting guard right away.
You know all I can do is
Stupid Illinois has no clue what it truly is and what it wants to be. And you see that in far more than their administration.
They felt jilted by Self for leaving for a blue blood. Since then, they have devalued the value of their program with each hire:
* The loyal guy instead of a hot prospect at a time of strength - Weber
* Then going against the original idea, a poor choice for the hot prospect - Groce
* Finally, the obviously desperate choice for overpaying for a coach with one year of P5 experience - Underwood
Each one has driven the value down more and more. What a mess.
Well maybe he thinks that he can also play at the 2. Can He? Although I'd still prefer that they bring in a 5th year transfer as a 1 or 2.
Certainly seems worth investigating Smith’s interest in NU at the very least, if an intra-conference transfer is possible. He’s big enough to play alongside Lathon — I don’t necessarily see it as a “one will start, one will be a backup” situation.
Not sure he’s starter material after what we saw from him as a freshman but with a bit of development why not have a lineup in a couple years of Lathon-Smith-Kopp/Gaines-Nance-Benson?
I guess you have to weigh if Smith is better than the kind of 2019 recruit Collins can land after this season.
Not sure he’s starter material after what we saw from him as a freshman but with a bit of development why not have a lineup in a couple years of Lathon-Smith-Kopp/Gaines-Nance-Benson?
I guess you have to weigh if Smith is better than the kind of 2019 recruit Collins can land after this season.
i don't think you can have a scholarship though unless hardship. you have have to walk on
