Hoops Crootin Roundup

Was anyone else watching the Iowa game last night? Then I guess you saw that we got out-rebounded by nineteen. The Illini currently lack size and anyone resembling a true post player. Not a single player on this roster is ready to be a Big Ten center right now. Luckily the Illini staff had a nice surprise visitor yesterday.

Schnider Herard: 6-foot-10 Center (Miss St Transfer)

Schnider is a transfer target currently attending Mississippi State. Herard is a 260 pound six foot ten center and would add size that Illinois is absolutely dying for. He averaged just five points and five rebounds last year for the Bulldogs.

I can only imagine what he would look like if Orlando Antigua got his hands on him. Herard would add so much size and rebounding ability. Coming out of high school he was a four-star center and the number seven center in his class. The big man originally out of Plano, TX is thinking about enrolling in the spring.

This would mean that he is eligible for the spring next season. The tape on Schnider is what you would expect for a guy his size. He is an elite rebounder with a strong back to the basket game. He doesn’t get up and down the floor quite like most of the guys Underwood has targeted, but I think the Illini will settle for any size they can get at this point.

As far as what this means for their other post targets, only time will tell. I don’t think it’s a super encouraging sign that they are looking for transfer target bigs with the kind of targets they have been going after lately, but who knows. Underwood could very well just be looking to add as much size as he possibly can going forward. We will see what this means for the future, but with a visit in already and a short window to close on Herard, it will take all hands on deck to get this talented post presence.