Women's basketball signing day chat: 4 p.m. Tuesday
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 - 4:00pm
Talk with Illinois women's basketball beat writer Tony Bleill about Jolette Law's nationally ranked class
Talk with Illinois women's basketball beat writer Tony Bleill about Jolette Law's nationally ranked class
Welcome to our inaugural women's basketball chat. We hope to have more of these in the future, so if you're interested, let me know. I love to talk basketball. So, on to the questions.
Have you heard anything about Kelsey Bone? Do you think she'll sign this fall?
As I understand it, Kelsey could make her decision known by early next week.
There was a report that she might wait until the spring, but I'd be a bit surprised if that happened. Most kids in her position -- rated No. 1 in the country -- don't want to go through the recruiting process for that long of a period if they don't have to.
What can Illinois do to get more fans in Assembly Hall for games? Is it simply a matter of winning more? They haven't been great recently, but not terrible either, yet attendance continues to fall every year.
I've been asked this question a lot, and I think you've got the answer. Yes, it
would help if the Assembly Hall didn't charge for parking (by the way, that's an Assembly Hall decision, not a Department of Intercollegiate Athletics decision). But even with free parking, you'd still only add a small percentage of people. A consistent winning program will bring the fans back. To what degree, I'm not sure. When Illinois was winning in the late 1990s and drawing big crowds, it came during a period in which women's college basketball as a whole was experiencing great growth in attendance. In my opinion, attendance has kind of leveled off nationally in the last few years. We've certainly seen it in the Big Ten, where even the best programs -- take Ohio State -- are only drawing 4,000 or so a night. Wisconsin used to get great draws, but the Badgers haven't had much success lately and it is reflected in their attendance. My guess is that it will take some time for Illinois to get significantly larger crowds at home. One winning season probably won't do it. But a Big Ten title can go a long way.
Tony
How many scholarships does Law have this year? Any chance of anyone signing during the late period?
Thanks for the question, Claire. And it's a good one.
Jolette has seven scholarships available this season, and six of those are accounted for now that Destiny Williams joined the group today. The seventh has Kelsey Bone's name on it, if she's so inclined. As far as signing someone in
the spring, I haven't asked Jolette that question directly, but I will do so in the next two days, so keep your eyes peeled to HQ. Jolette will have a signing day press conference on Wednesday, and I'll have a lengthy Q&A with her in Friday's paper and on HQ. I'll make sure we get her response.
This much I'm sure of, too: Jolette and her staff will be keeping tabs on all of that high school talent in your neck of the woods. Bolingbrook is loaded.
What is the status of the recruit from East St. Louis that we were had signed last year? Is she in school some where? Do we have a chance to get her at a later date?
Mike,
You're speaking of TeAndrea Smith. Funny you should mention her. Smith enrolled at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Mo., and her signing was hailed by coach
Gary Koch. So, out of curiosity, a few days ago I visited the school's Web site to see how she was faring early in the season. But Smith isn't listed on the team's roster. I've called Mineral Area a couple times to get an answer about her status, but I haven't reached Koch yet. Keep an eye out here; I'll get something up as soon as I'm able to get some reliable info on her situation. As far as ending up at Illinois, I think it's a long shot that's getting longer with each passing day. Had she qualified academically, TeAndrea would have been a focal point on this team. But by the team she becomes back into play for the UI, the Illini probably will be set at her position. Law's recruiting haul this month speaks to that.
Has Coach Law said anything about moving games back to Huff Hall, because it's a more intimate/intimidating setting, with fans closer to the court? Do they still charge for parking at Assembly Hall?
Sandy,
You managed to hit one of my hot buttons. As the guys in the office can attest, I have very strong opinions on this subject. In any event, the university has no plans to move back to Huff. Their response partly has to do with logistical reasons. It is extremely difficult for TV crews to broadcast a game from Huff, and there are other issues involved like restrooms, ingress/egress, etc. In short, Huff has outlived its usefulness as a facility for a modern-day women's basketball program. Now, I can add about 15 more reasons why I believe it's a very, very bad idea to move back to Huff, but I'll save you my little diatribe on that one.
UPDATE: Chris Mennig of Blue Star says -- pending some last-minute signings by top-20 kids across the country -- Illinois' recruiting class ranks 4th nationally. That would be the best-rated class the UI has had since these sorts of things came into vogue. Chris also says that he thinks Kelsey Bone could be waiting until the spring to make her decision. You can find more on Bone at Blue Star's Web site.
What visions do you have for these student athletes beyond basketball? For instance, if one wanted to become a doctor and thus had to sacrifice practicing basketball, would you be down with that? Do you encourage post-graduate degrees for certain student athletes?
Aneysia, I think your question probably is best directed to Jolette. But, hey, just for the record, I'm totally fine with that. As far as I'm concerned, these are student-athletes -- emphasis on the student part.
Many highly rank recruiting classes do not necessarily make their mark on a program. Why is that? And why will this class meet expectations?
Explain your analysis of the other Big Ten teams recruiting for this year. Who else is bringing in top athletes?
Shakeya,
Good question. Wish I had better answers for you, but here goes. I can't promise this class will live up to expectations. I don't want to mislead anyone here; I've only seen a couple of these girls play, and that was through clips on TV. I'm just going by what the experts -- those folks who have seen them play -- have to say. Recruiting, to some extent, is a crapshoot. Just look at the differences between the rankings produced by Blue Star and HoopGurlz. They can evaluate the same player in much different ways. Who knows? Maybe a kid will get upset by a lack of playing time and transfer. You never know what the future holds.
As far as the Big Ten, Illinois is first, Penn State second (three players in the top 70), and then Purdue, Ohio State and Northwestern (yes, believe it or not) are pretty close, I think. Northwestern will sign two players in the top 100. Pretty amazing.
How important is it for you to be one of the pioneers of this program's resurgence?
Jack,
I think your query is best directed to the players themselves, and you're in luck (to some extent). We did a Q&A with each of the recruits (still trying to reach Destiny) and asked them five questions. I didn't ask that question specifically, but for the most part, it is answered by them. I think you'll find their responses interesting. We'll be posting those Q&As throughout the day on Wednesday on HQ, and they'll be in Wednesday's paper.
Tell me it's true about Destiny Williams!
Your wish is my command. Check out the front page of HQ, if you haven't already, for more details on Destiny.
This from Blue Star's Chris Mennig: "She's probably the most overall talented kid Illinois has brought in since (Tauja) Catchings."
To piggy back off this great incoming class , what will Coach Law look to get in next years class ?
Ron,
Another good question, and another one that I'll be posing to Jolette tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll get you a better idea at that time. My guess? It's always imperative to get a true post, and that's especially the case if they don't get Bone. I also think they'll look heavily at point guard, another position Jolette takes very seriously, given that she's a former point guard herself. As the season plays out, we'll have a better idea on whether McCully, Josil, etc., are the answer at point.
After Reed signed with Texas, one would think Bone would be down to TAMU, Illinois and South Carolina. Do you think Law is optimistic that Bone will join Williams?
Dave,
I think Jolette feels good about the job they've done recruiting Bone. Jolette is a confident person, and she believes strongly in her abilities, especially when it comes to recruiting. Can they get both Williams and Bone? Good question. Williams is more of a 4, while Bone is a true center. Maybe that makes a difference to Bone, I don't know. The good part for Illinois now is that Bone is, for lack of a better term, gravy. If she comes, this becomes an unbelievable class. Even if she doesn't, Illinois is in great shape.
How do you see Illinois doing in the preseason? And how do you think Illinois' performance this year could affect Bone's decision?
Heather,
I think Illinois will struggle, largely because of its inexperience in the backcourt. I'm not revealing any special insight when I suggest that teams with young backcourts have a difficult time winning at this level. But as far as the season affecting Bone's decision, I don't think it will. Kelsey seems like she wants to go someplace where she can make a difference, and she can do that at Illinois. She also has a school like South Carolina on her list, and the Gamecocks will likely struggle this season, too. I think Kelsey probably sees that Illinois is on an upward trend, and that will be in the UI's favor.
ESPN lists the two prospects below as possible 2010 prospects. Have you heard anything about them?
Lynette Holmes Wing 6-2 Bogan H.S.
Centrese McGee Guard 5-8 Thornton Fractional North High
Chris,
I haven't, but to be honest, I've been so wrapped up with the seniors that I haven't had much of a chance to focus on the juniors. That project begins Thursday, so I'll have a better idea in future chats. Keep after me on that one.
That's all the questions. This has been fun. If you'd like more chances to chat, or have any other questions related to women's college hoops, feel free to e-mail me at tbleill@news-gazette.com.