Ibby all for Illinois
Ask Tate if about Weber's super seven here
Saturday was a big day for Ibrahima Djimde.
The senior at Huntington (W.V.) Prep took the SAT in the morning. Later in the evening, he attended prom — "looked nice," said his basketball coach, Rob Fulford.
And in between it all, Djimde decided where he will soon spend the next four or so years of his life.
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound power forward/center ended his recruitment by choosing Illinois over Old Dominion. After visiting the mid-major school late last week, Djimde made his decision Saturday, then notified the Illinois coaching staff Sunday morning. In the end, the deciding factor came down to Djimde feeling at ease with head coach Bruce Weber and assistant coach Jerrance Howard.
"He's a relationship kid, and he felt comfortable with the relationship he had developed with those guys," Fulford said. "It was an overall fit for him."
Howard first visited Djimde a little more than a month ago, Fulford said, and Djimde then took an official visit to Illinois the last weekend of April. While on the visit, he impressed the coaching staff by playing well against the current Illinois players in a scrimmage, said Huntington Prep assistant Taj Hawkins.
"They wanted Ibby bad especially after they saw him play on campus with their players. He did a good job playing up there with those guys. He's a lot more skilled than they thought he was," Hawkins said.
Djimde is a native of Mali in west Africa, having moved to the United States about a year and a half ago before the start of his junior season at Progressive Christian Academy in Washington D.C. He's only been playing basketball for "five or six years," Hawkins said. A mild-manner individual off the court who's a "yes sir, no sir type of kid" according to Hawkins, Djimde has a different persona on the floor.
"He plays extremely hard. He's relentless on both ends. He just competes," Fulford said. "He's all out.
"If that's what Coach Weber was looking for, that's what he got."
Fulford said Djimde is most comfortable on the offensive end with his back to the basket, though he added in the past year that Djimde has added the ability to step up and hit shots from the elbow or short corner. The next step is for him to become more adept at ball-handling and facing up inside, Fulford said.
Djimde — whose nickname is "Ibby" — will be one of seven new members on the Illini's 2011-'12 roster, six of which will be freshmen. While the large class makes it seem likely that someone will redshirt, Djimde believes he can help fill a void down low left by the graduation of Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis and the loss of Jereme Richmond to the NBA draft.
"He feels he can come in and immediately contribute," Fulford said. "It's (realistic), based on what they described their need was — someone to protect the paint, defend and rebound. He definitely does that."
Would it help all you negative "fans" know that IU and Mizzery got in on him late and he stayed true to the two schools who offered first? ODU top 40 program as well...but that wouldnt matter to you would it. Let the kid come play here before you start bashing on he and the staff
To all you optimists, maybe you forget our previous 6-9 220 centers...I believe he rode pine during his time as an Illini and is now playing for Memphis. Illinois hasn't had good luck with finding a "true" center, so I understand why so many think that this kid won't be any different.
Stan Simpson was never an "effort" guy. We heard about it in practice and we saw it in the few minutes a game he played. If he gets any time at Memphis it will be because he finally figured out that effort is what wins and what gets you court time. He hadn't gotten that clue in his time at Illinois.
And if you look back, the guys that work out best on a Weber team are the guys that go hard. The 2005 team had five or six of those guys. Chester, DJ, etc. Weber's defense is based on guys going hard all the time. His offense rewards guys who run hard, cut decisively and work.
FInally, effort guys are the ones who keep the tempo up in practice, who make everyone work harder to get better because otherwise they get shown up. The single biggest failure for the past couple years is not enough guys who go HARD. It sounds like Ibby brings that. Skillwise, we don't know yet -- Warren Carter was worthless his first two years and he turned out nicely -- but if he gives effort, we can use him.
With Maniscalco and now Ibby, we add two guys that it sounds like go hard all the time. Thank goodness!
I agree - a perfect get. The description sounds like the MSU players Coach Izzo recruits and the UW players Coach Ryan brings in: major bangers, the hidden gems that make or break a season. 4-6 extra wins a year with guys like that aboard.
Should be a fun season. How will it all play out? Go Illini!
Exhibit A:
One Charles Oakley, Virginia Union 6-9 | 245lbs led the NBA in rebounds 2 years and in the top 10 in six seasons.
Exhibit B:
Charles Barkley, Auburn 6-6 | 250lbs led the SEC in rebounding all the years before going pro. Managed to survive the NBA well enough to become a Top50 player.
Our newest Illini:
Ibby, Huntington Prep 6-8 | 250 "He plays extremely hard. He's relentless on both ends. He just competes," Fulford said. "He's all out."
Just sayin'....
Go Illini!
Old Dominion was in the tournament in 2011 and was favored to win a game or two but got beat in the first round by Butler.
Might not be MSU, Kansas, Duke, caliber team but he most likely gave up instant playing time to come to Illini and WORK for playing time.
We need effort guys that like to fight for rebounds. Hell he is already as big, weight wise, as Tizdale was his last game...
I always take a wait and see approach with any recruit. You never know how kids handle that transition from HS to College. Saying that, I certainly like the things people say about him. Wasn't the big complaint about Tisdale that he was slender and not a banger, doesn't this kid fill that need on the team (and the fan bases demands)?
Poor choice for the young man. While I wish him the best, he should have chosen ODU if that was his other option. Illinois under Weber is where big men go to die. Seems like the next Simpson, Carlwell, Semrau, etc...all of whom were more highly regarded recruits than "Ibby".
Who's the big man coach on the Illini again? And what exactly does he do to deserve keeping his job?
I believe there are those who use this forum as a means to vent about Weber no matter the subject. If Djimde decided to go to ODU, who has been to the tournament several times, these same people would be griping that Weber can't recruit. It is sad. I am happy to have this young man on the team and I wish him well. Welcome to the Illini family!
Comments
IlliniHQ.com embraces discussion of Illini sports. We welcome you to contribute your ideas, opinions and comments, but we ask that you avoid personal attacks, vulgarity and hate speech. we reserve the right to remove any comment at its discretion, and we will block repeat offenders' accounts. To post comments, you must first be a registered user, and your username will appear with any comment you post. Happy posting.