Illinois Basketball: Saint Louis a Real Threat for Jordan Goodwin?
The Illinois basketball team has already put together a great class of 2017 if it ended today.
But, it is not ending today and fans want to see that great group continue to get even better.
This isn’t an unrealistic expectation either. Illinois has a few players that are heavy leans toward the Illini and a few others who have cut their lists and kept us on there.
One of those heavy leans toward the Illini is Jordan Goodwin.
Goodwin is a combo guard-forward that is 6-foot-4 and 205-pounds. He is a 4-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 56 player in the class of 2017.
I really don’t have to say it, but Goodwin is a major want for Illinois basketball fans. He is going to be a superstar player and every Illini fan wants to see him in orange and blue next season.
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For much of this year and some of 2015, Goodwin has been a heavy lean toward the Illini. This has recently started to be questioned by some people.
As of late, Saint Louis is now apparently a contender for Goodwin.
There have been a lot of changes to the Billikens over the last six months.
In March of this year, Saint Louis hired former Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford to man the ship. This was actually a solid hire for the Billikens.
Oklahoma State made five NCAA Tournament’s out of the eight seasons Ford was the coach. This is a solid run but it ended with the Cowboys finishing 12-20 and letting him go.
Ford was also not a bad recruiter. Just in the last two recruiting classes at Oklahoma State, he managed to pull in four 4-star players and four 3-star players.
This was a hire by Saint Louis that has some sort of winning track record and a solid history of recruiting as well.
Saint Louis also has a few more draws for Goodwin.
Goodwin is from Belleville, Illinois which is about 25 minutes from the Saint Louis campus. That is nice for his family and friends to come see him play on a nightly basis.
Saint Louis also has the promise of playing time.
The Billikens have been pretty bad over the last two seasons and a major reason of that is talent on the team. They do not have the personnel to become a winning team.
This means that Goodwin would be able to come in immediately and get as much playing time as he wants.
So, there I have laid out all the benefits that Saint Louis brings to the table. Honestly, it doesn’t sound that great compared to what Illinois brings to the table.
The Illinois campus is under three hours away from Belleville, Illinois which isn’t a bad haul at all. Goodwin’s friends and family can make that drive without a problem.
The location factor really isn’t a big deal.
I mentioned earlier that Ford had made five out of eight NCAA Tournament’s when he was with the Cowboys. The Billikens aren’t the Cowboys, though.
Ford had resources to win more at Oklahoma State but failed to do so. Now he brings his coaching ability to a Saint Louis team that isn’t good at all.
Saint Louis was 11-21 in each of the last two seasons. Listen, I know the Illini have struggled but you can chalk that up to injuries.
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But, even if Illinois didn’t have injuries and you took their record at face value, they still haven’t been as bad as Saint Louis and they play in a much tougher conference.
Saint Louis has also failed to secure a recruit for the class of 2017 as well. This means that their losing will continue on for years to come.
Illinois, on the other hand, has three players already committed with another one waiting in the wings. They also have a few others who have their eye on the program as well.
The class of 2017 for the Illini will enable them to win in 2017 and into the future.
So, what this debate between Illinois and Saint Louis really comes down to is winning or playing time.
If Goodwin wants to win he would come to Champaign. Illinois has the health and recruiting to win and win a lot in the future. This is something that Saint Louis cannot pitch.
But, if Goodwin wants guaranteed unlimited playing time, no matter how good the team is, then Saint Louis is a better choice because they can offer him more playing time than anyone in the country.
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Hopefully, Goodwin chooses winning so that he can continue to develop his game and reach the NBA. This path only leads him through one city and that is Champaign, Illinois.