Illinois

5 early portal entrants Illinois should target

Published

2 years ago

March 22, 2023

5 early portal entrants Illinois should target

Illinois’ season ended with a 10-point loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Des Moines, Iowa. So the tumultuous offseason begins.

Properly, from a participant personnel perspective, the offseason started months in the past. 5-star level guard Skyy Clark left this system. Large man Zacharie Perrin signed his NLI, didn’t qualify academically, spent a semester at Dawn Christian Academy in Kansas, enrolled at Illinois, and left this system all inside a couple of months. Moreover, Italian level guard Niccolo Morretti joined the roster at first of the spring semester.

The postmortem to this season has been ugly. There was loads of finger-pointing inside and out of doors of the fanbase. However whatever the amount of consternation, the free company interval has begun. And Illinois has a nonetheless undetermined variety of roster spots to fill.

Matthew Mayer is out of eligibility. Terrence Shannon is more likely to depart attributable to his potential late first-round NBA Draft standing. Coleman Hawkins additionally has an opportunity to be drafted this 12 months.

After which, there’s the anticipated attrition.

Few anticipated Adam Miller, Brandin Podziemski or Andre Curbelo’s exits as issues to be proactively solved. But these departures have considerably impacted the roster which now lacks perimeter capturing and first playmakers.

As gamers enter the switch portal, hypothesis will run wild. So let’s begin trying on the prospects. Listed below are a couple of gamers at present within the switch portal who might make sense for the Illini.

As of March 21, there are 616 Division I males’s faculty basketball gamers within the Switch Portal. Certainly, there may very well be a couple of matches for the Illini amongst that group.

Jamison Battle – Minnesota

Photograph by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Pictures

Battle is a 6-foot-7 ahead with whom Illini followers are acquainted. I used to be there at The Barn the evening he dropped 31 on the Illini. Battle has legit scoring chops and dimension. His Large Ten expertise would even be a particular plus for a doubtlessly younger Illini squad.

Nevertheless, Battle is extra of a scorer than a shooter. He shot 37% from the sphere and 31% from behind the arc this previous season. It might be tough for him to play in lineups with Ty Rodgers, Amani Hansberry and Dain Dainja. Because the 3-4 man in that lineup, he wouldn’t present enough flooring spacing.

So maybe he’s not the best match as a small ahead with the present Illini roster. However his expertise and productiveness make him at the least price a cursory inquiry. And he may very well be extremely productive as a small-ball 5.

Damian Dunn – Temple

Dunn is a talented guard who shot 35% from three-point vary and was second on the Owls with 15 factors per sport this previous season. The 6-foot-5 guard has 58 begins beneath his belt.

Dunn has two years of eligibility, which makes him much more interesting to an Illini squad with largely unproven guards. The third-team AAC performer will little question be a sizzling commodity within the portal. Based on 247 Sports activities, he has already heard from Georgia Tech and VCU.

Whereas Dunn is a succesful scorer, his help to turnover ratio is near 1:1. So there are questions surrounding how he would carry out as a main facilitator in a bigger convention. However as an off-ball scorer, Dunn might match with the Illini’s switchable, prolonged, versatile philosophy

Chris Ledlum – Harvard

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: DEC 21 Howard at Harvard

Probably the most frequent gripes of Illini fandom is that the admissions division is a bottleneck to the DIA getting high-end athletes.

So for you, expensive reader, I convey you a Harvard grad switch.

Not solely is Chris Ledlum a Harvard grad switch, however he was a 4-star recruit popping out of highschool. He ranks as one in all Tommy Amaker’s most high-profile signees. And he didn’t disappoint.

The 6-foot-6 ahead is comparable in dimension to Ty Rodgers. And very similar to the actualized model of Rodgers that brings vivid goals to Illini followers, Ledlum is a real stat sheet stuffer. Final season, Ledlum scored 19 factors per sport on 47% capturing. He added 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block per sport and emerged as one of many Ivy League’s prime gamers.

The Brooklyn native could wish to stay on the east coast, which might be comprehensible. However his multi-dimensional defensive profile and midrange proficiency might match a rebuilding Illini effectively.

Graham Ike – Wyoming

NCAA BASKETBALL: MAR 15 Div I Men’s Championship - First Four - Indiana v Wyoming

Ike is coming off a season spent on the sidelines recovering from an harm. However the Wyoming massive man was a very productive participant previous to his accidents.

He was almost a 20-and-10 participant for the Cowboys within the 2021-22 season. He even put up 17 and 9 towards Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers within the final sport he performed. At 6-foot-9, he tasks as a publish participant for an Illini group that sometimes struggled towards greater frontcourt gamers.

Sure, there’s harm danger. And naturally, there are questions concerning the degree of competitors. However the stat sheet, bodily measurables, and productiveness display a resume of a basic step-up switch. He’d be an enormous get for the Illini frontcourt.

Andrew Rohde – St. Thomas

The Horizon League freshman of the 12 months was an ace for the Tommies this previous season. The 6-foot-6 level guard averaged 17 factors on 45% from the sphere and 82% from the foul line. As a freshman, he solely shot 32% from three-point vary, however he flashes the potential for additional development all through the remainder of his faculty profession.

The Milwaukee native may very well be a terrific match for the Gophers, who play a mere 4 miles from St. Thomas. However that is the sort of participant who could be a wonderful pursuit for the Illini. A tall, rangy guard who can deal with the ball matches what the Illini have to replenish their roster.

The Illini already stole Dain Dainja from the Gophers yard. And at one level, they gained a Milwaukee-area recruitment for the present WCC Co-POY (Podz). Maybe Rohde will give the Illini the possibility to strike once more within the Higher Midwest.

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Illinois

How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time

Published

5 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.

Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.

This week we have Booked in Evanston, Illinois!

What’s your store’s story?

Chelsea Elward, a lifelong Evanstonian, opened Booked in 2018 as Chicagoland’s first children’s focused independent bookstore — and the only one with a tiny door just for kids. Today, the store is owned by two employees, Abby Dan and Betsy Haberl.

Recently, we’ve filled the shelves, launched weekly kids’ programming (including two trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons Groups for tweens and teens), expanded the adult section, and added adult book clubs!

Our aim is to be a community space and a community asset, helping Evanston’s families, schools, congregations and businesses connect through books.

What makes your independent bookstore unique?

We’re the store with the tiny door! (Technically, our door is called a “wicket,” but Evanstonians and visitors know that we’ve got a little door within a door just for kids.)

We love to see them confidently (or nervously) striding through our tiny door to find a magical space with books at their level, a cozy rainbow rug, as well as puzzles and toys.

We’re a storytime spot for a fleet of toddler parents and caregivers, thanks to our musically talented and enthusiastic staff. We also host our trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons group, began with four kids and has expanded to a weekly after-hours event for tweens and teens. And as we’ve grown and curated our adult shelves, we’ve built two enthusiastic, committed book clubs: Booked Club (which reads literary fiction and nonfiction) and Sunday Smut (which reads modern romance).

Many community members come in to talk books with us, and we love building these relationships. Most importantly, we are all hand-sellers. You tell us what you need, what you’re feeling, what you want to feel or communicate with a gift, and we can find you the right title.

What’s your favorite section in your store?

I love our Middle Grade section — there is just so much depth there! Middle Grade authors are doing everything from talking dogs to neurodivergent narrators in verse to dragon flights to dust bowl family sagas to elite private schools and everything in between.

I love it when parents or grandparents come in with a great idea of who their kid is but no idea what they should read next. We always have something new or different, and we love it when they come back to tell us we nailed it!

Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?

Evanston is everything to Abby and Betsy — we both live here, send our kids to schools here, employ fellow Evanstonians, spend our own money at local businesses.

Booked is a physical place where kids and adults can come to gather and shop, but we’re also a community entity that gets diverse books into classrooms, homes, shelters and other community spaces. We bring authors to the community and its schools, and we bring people of all ages together. Without customers, we can’t add this layer of richness to Evanston, enrich the lives we touch, and we can’t be a cool spot to pick out great stickers. We just won’t be here.

Check out these titles recommended by Booked owner, Abby Dan:

“The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich
“Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck
“Finally Heard” by Kelly Yang
“The Other Valley” by Scott Alexander Howard
“Sheine Lende” by Darcie Little Badger
“Funny Story” by Emily Henry
“The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich
“Pretty Ugly” by David Sedaris

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Illinois

Illinois counties exploring succession would be welcomed in Indiana: House speaker

Published

13 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Illinois counties exploring succession would be welcomed in Indiana: House speaker

Several Illinois counties that have explored the idea of secession might be welcomed with open arms in Indiana.

Legislators in Indiana’s Republican-majority General Assembly have introduced a house bill that would establish a commission to discuss whether it’s advisable to adjust the boundary between Illinois and Indiana.

The House Republicans included the bill on a list of their top priorities for the 2025 session, which specifically noted that dozens of counties in Illinois have voted since 2020 “to secede from their high-tax state,” the Indianapolis Star reported.

“To all of our neighbors in the West, we hear your frustrations and invite you to join us in low-cost, low-tax Indiana,” House Speaker Todd Huston said, according to the newspaper.

In the November election, a total of seven counties in Illinois faced a ballot question on exploring the idea of secession, and all seven voted in favor of the proposal, according to county clerks’ offices. The group includes: Iroquois, Calhoun, Clinton, Green, Jersey, Madison and Perry counties.

Prior to the 2024 election cycle, at least two dozen counties voted affirmatively on the non-binding initiatives.

The reasoning behind the referendums, according to supporters, is that the city of Chicago and Cook County have a sizable impact on the policies enacted by the state legislature, and rural counties share different interests that are not being represented by the actions of the General Assembly.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called Indiana’s proposal “a stunt” earlier this week.

“…It’s not going to happen, he said. “But I’ll just that say Indiana is a low-wage state that doesn’t protect workers, a state that does not provide health care for people when they’re in need and so I don’t think it’s very attractive for anybody in Illinois…”

Many legal experts have expressed skepticism that such an effort could ever be successful. That group includes Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who penned a letter to the state’s attorney of Jersey County on the issue in 2023.

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Illinois

#10 Illinois vs #2 Iowa Wrestling – Live Updates – FloWrestling

Published

20 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

#10 Illinois vs #2 Iowa Wrestling – Live Updates – FloWrestling

#10 Illinois faces #2 Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday, January 17 at 6 p.m. CT. Follow along here for live updates from the dual.

Probable Match-ups
125: Caelan Riley, SO vs #28 Joey Cruz, SO
133: #2 Lucas Byrd, SR vs #3 Drake Ayala, JR
141: #17 Danny Pucino, SR vs #21 Ryder Block, FR, 2-2 or Jace Rhodes, SO, 5-2 or Cullan Schriever, SR, 3-5
149: #15 Kannon Webster, FR vs #3 Kyle Parco, SR
157: #22 Jason Kraisser, SR vs Miguel Estrada, FR
165: #15 Braeden Scoles, FR vs #2 Michael Caliendo, JR
174: #19 Danny Braunagel, JR vs #5 Patrick Kennedy, JR
184: #13 Edmond Ruth, SR vs #5 Gabe Arnold, FR or Angelo Ferrari, FR
197: #13 Zac Braunagel, SR vs #1 Stephen Buchanan, SR
285: #11 Luke Luffman, SR vs #13 Ben Kueter, FR

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