Orange 4, Blue 0 POSTGAME

[IlliniSpine]

Originally Posted by illiniobserver22

A couple more thoughts as I've had time to digest:

- Good to see DJ handling the ball a little bit, and he split double teams off screens a few times. If he had finished better in transition a couple times, he would have had a monster game. He could have a really nice year.

- I think this offense will look much better against teams that aren't able to switch and hedge as much as we did tonight. Our defense looked really good all night, everyone was really active and we know we have the length and athleticism to compete. Also, as they get more comfortable knowing where the kickout is when the double team comes, it will look smoother and they'll find open shooters more often. Work in progress.

- Devin Langford is dripping with potential, but has a long way to go. He's bouncier than I thought, and is a plus athlete with height, length, passing and dribbling ability and a decent looking shot. He's got a lot of work to do on the mental part of the game. Knowing his spots, learning the schemes, being aggressive, etc.

- Nnanna looks like he's made the leap Meyers made last year. Hands look good, touch looks great, and he runs like a gazelle. Can be a star at the college level.

- I'm not sure about Abrams. I don't know if he has the instincts of a point guard or the scoring ability of a 2 guard. He just doesn't have much touch. Also, he always plays like he's in a hurry and dribbles too hard. I don't think he's one of our best 5 right now.

Yes. We knew that we may have some pleasant and not so pleasant surprises:

Pleasant: NE and MH developing, DJ regaining confidence/driving, BP playing more point, ID picking it up (could play a few minutes perhaps), Shaw rebounding

Unpleasant: TA not developing into the primary PG, DL still not developing despite skill set, Shaw still fouling a lot (6 fouls)

[Mark Seifert]

Originally Posted by DaytonIllini

Was the pace decent? Did they push the ball at every opportunity?

As someone else upthread mentioned, it was all a little rusty at first. I caught myself thinking, man, everybody sure is settling for a perimeter look quite a bit... again.

But the game got significantly more interesting after the first few minutes. More transition game, more driving. As a few others have mentioned, it's clear they're all just learning a new style of play. You can definitely see the process.

[Iceberg34]

Originally Posted by IlliniSpine

Valid points...but what about match ups against schools with bigger 4s such as MSU or Mich (PF McGary 6'10 260, or Morgan 6'8 250)

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-ba...t-for-2012-13/

Henry rebounded well against MSU last year. He is strong and athletic enough to play PF on a good team. I'm more concerned about ball handling issues.

[IL2000]

I was not encouraged by tonight. This could be a long year...

[BlockI]

I'm not sure anyone in their right mind would go into this season thinking we would have a great year. It will likely be a long year but that is expected IMO. If it happens to go better than expected great!

[FredrickFremont]

"I didn't throw no damn clipboard, punk."

(paraphrasing)

[OrangeAndBlue217]

Originally Posted by FredrickFremont

"I didn't throw no damn clipboard, punk."

(paraphrasing)

haha

[Shenanigans]

Originally Posted by IL2000

I was not encouraged by tonight. This could be a long year...

Ive been involved in sports my whole life, played and coached basketball and football. Out of all of those years, never have I ever been able to find out the true identity of our team or our coaches from a scrimmage. Completely different dynamic whether things go good or bad.

[CAHALL15]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that intensity when Groce speaks? He just seems to be a very focused, no nonsense, high expectations, coach.

[DaytonIllini]

Originally Posted by CAHALL15

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that intensity when Groce speaks? He just seems to be a very focused, no nonsense, high expectations, coach.

What surprised me is how easily he transitions from pleased to unpleased. In other words there were clearly things that he is not happy with (turnovers, pace, screens) and when he is asked about those things, you can see he is unhappy. But then just as quickly he can heap effusive praise about something good that happened.

That may seem like no big deal but I think it is. A coach that gets ticked about something and perseverates about it tends to fail to see the positives in that same player. That can lead to losing faith in the player and benching him when maybe it isn't justified. I was really excited to see that personality trait in Coach Groce.

[JoeJ]

Groce said Henry is the biggest surprise to the staff compared to expectations. Very high on his rebounding. Nanna looked great out there. I think Shaw had as many fouls as the rest of his team combined. Certainly the pace was nowhere near what Groce wants, but I am optimistic overall.

I don't understand why they can't get a couple of college kids to announce the scrimmage, with the internet feed not being great and the numbers on the practice jerseys not being too clear, it was hard to tell who was throwing up bricks. They did announce made baskets.
GO ILLINI!

[sparky791]

Originally Posted by Shenanigans

Ive been involved in sports my whole life, played and coached basketball and football. Out of all of those years, never have I ever been able to find out the true identity of our team or our coaches from a scrimmage. Completely different dynamic whether things go good or bad.

Exactly. Remember Alex Legion looked all big-ten a few years back in O & B scrimmage. Much ado about nothing imo. Not saying we will be gang busters but you can't judge much on a scrimmage in late october.

[Railsplitter]

Does anyone know if the scrimmage will be on the Big Ten network yet

[Dan]

Active Egwu impresses for Illini

Egwu made seven of nine shots, grabbed six rebounds and was among the most energized players on the floor as the Illini team hustled through four eight-minute periods.

"I thought Nnanna was really, really good in the first two eight-minute scrimmages," Groce said. "He was active. He was all over the glass. He shot it well and he kept balls alive. And he ran well.

"Nnanna wants to be good so he works at it. Everything good that happens to him, it's well-deserved. He earns it."

Tupper

Illini itching to get into action

"I'm trying to establish a mindset that at Illinois, practice matters," Groce said.

Richardson put the ball on the floor and scored a team-high 18 in the scrimmage, including an 8-for-10 night at the free-throw line as he attempts to be more than one-dimensional on offense. "Everyone knows he's such a threat from behind the 3-point line," Groce said. "He'll complement that with his dribble drive game."

Since the beginning of practice on Oct. 12, Paul was the only point guard with more assists than turnovers in live action, although sophomore Tracy Abrams and freshman walk-on Mike LaTulip rallied after a sluggish first week. Paul had nine points with four assists and four turnovers.

Supinie

[Dan]

Orange & Blue Scrimmage Recap

Recap | Stats (pdf)

[Calvin]

"Since the beginning of practice on Oct. 12, Paul was the only point guard with more assists than turnovers in live action"

This makes me cry.

By the way, anyone know if video is up somewhere? TIA

[WesterveltVictoryCigar]

Originally Posted by Railsplitter

Does anyone know if the scrimmage will be on the Big Ten network yet

Here's the schedule, you can look for it but I doubt it is going to be shown.

Originally Posted by Calvin

By the way, anyone know if video is up somewhere? TIA

The archive isn't up yet on fightingillini.com, but should be eventually. Of course you'll need a subscription to view it.

[PeoriaIllini1]

Originally Posted by IlliniSpine

Small line up with MH playing the 4. Hope he can defend the 4

BP- 6'4
DJ - 6'3
JB - 6'5-6'6
MH - 6'6
NE - 6'11

What i liked to hear was that according to Groce in the post game interview that the #1 rebounder in practice and scrimages is Mike Henry. Also he is "By Far" the biggest surpirse to the staff in how he has played and improved. If he continues to rebound it will be hard to keep him off the floor. That is something that i think most of us as fans have yet to see. I like to hear the new information from what the coaches are seeing based on what they are charting. Groce said it will almost be impossible for him not to be on the floor if he rebounds like that and shooting is what he does best. I was surprised and encouraged to hear the from our coach.

[Illinigirl]

Just out of curiosity, how did they split the coaching staff?

[bert]

Originally Posted by CAHALL15

Is it just me or does anyone else feel that intensity when Groce speaks? He just seems to be a very focused, no nonsense, high expectations, coach.

I'm with you! He reminds me a little of Izzo in terms of his intensity. Listening to him makes me want to put on my sneakers! This season might be tough but I think he was a great hire.

[Mike]

For anyone interested, just looked at "(Good Stats - Bad Stats) / Minutes" for each of the players and here's they they ranked for last night's scrimmage:


1. Richardson
2. Egwu
3. Henry
4. Djimde
5. Shaw
6. Paul
7. McLaurin
8. Bertrand
9. Rice
10. Langford
11. Abrams & Griffey
13. LaTulip
14. Berardini

[Cool Hand Luke]

Went to the scrimmage. About what I expected.

Keeping in mind this is just a team scrimmage...

1. It was painfully obvious the defense is well ahead of the offense. The guys are still trying to figure it out on the offensive side of the ball.

2. Our own defense may be the best we see all year. Maybe that's because our guys are so familiar with what they were seeing. But I also think we play defense with a tenacity and edge we haven't seen in a long time. We put constant pressure on the ball. It reminds me of the Chicago Bears defense in the way they gang tackle and are always trying to strip the ball. We may get burned by this approach sometimes, but we are going to force a lot of turnovers.

3. I just don't see Devin Langford playing much. He's an intriguing athlete at that height. Yeah, he can handle the ball better than you'd expect for someone his size, but it's not tight. He's got a very loose handle. He'd get the ball taken from him every time against B1G teams.

4. Abrams didn't stick out to me, good or bad. He was just kinda there. I think he's still trying to figure things out. He's not a PG at this point.

5. LaTulip may play more than I imagined. He's not spectacular, but he's solid. A tough kid who has a nice shot and solid handles. When the game slows down for him he'll be a solid contributor in a backup role.

6. McLaurin/Ibby. Neither guy will wow you, but they'll do pretty much exactly what we expect. They'll rebound, play D, block a few shots and put in some garbage points. Sam is super strong in the upper body. Ibby isn't skilled with the ball. The longer he holds it the worse the result. However, if he can just stay near the basket and not think too much he will play. I was impressed by his conditioning and how well he played for what he does.

7. Shaw/Henry/Egwu. I really like these guys. While he didn't do anything spectacular, Shaw's rebounding numbers speak for themselves. I don't know if he'll do much else, but he will rebound. Speaking of rebounding, what we've heard about Myke Henry is absolutely true. Shaw ended up with a few more, but Henry is a phenomenal rebounder. The kid just has a knack for it, whether it be boxing out/positioning or chasing down loose balls. He just knows where to be. Henry is going to be important for this team's success. IMO, Brandon Paul is the most physically gifted player, but Henry might be the best natural basketball player. He just always looks under control and always seems to know what he's doing. Egwu just looked solid. He doesn't jump out at you and scream "NBA!" like Leonard did, but I think he could be an NBA guy. Great size. Moves extremely well and has a nice shot. You can tell he's really been working his tail off. If not for DJ, he would have had the best game.

8. Griffey was just sorta there. Didn't do anything we haven't seen before. But I am not worried about him as much as Abrams. When the games begin he will do what he does and hit shots.

9. Rice still needs to lose 20 lbs. Dude is a bull. But he would benefit from slimming down even more, IMO. He was a little wild at times, but he is super aggressive. When he can figure out how to stay under control without losing that aggression he'll be fun to watch. He's an erratic player. If you aren't familiar with him, just accept that. He's going to make spectacular plays and he's going to make boneheaded plays. But either way he'll be in full attack mode.

10. Joe Bert didn't do a whole lot. Like most of the guys he's still figuring it out. He didn't look bad, he just didn't stand out. He's still my guy though. When the lights turn on he'll be ready to play. That's opinion, obviously. He's just been one of my favorites since he got here. If he can figure out where he fits in the offense and stays in attack mode he will be fun to watch.

11. DJ/BP. Paul looked like a guy trying to figure out how to initiate offense for the first time. But he's so talented. He'll make it work one way or another. I'm not worried about him. DJ had the best game. IMO, he seemed to have the best grasp of what we are trying to achieve on offense. While he did get fouled on two 3pt attempts, he was driving to the basket which was nice to see.

12. Groce has his work cut out for him trying to figure out how to fit square pegs into round holes. It's really unfortunate we do not have a real point guard. He can't be thrilled with the roster as it is currently constructed. Lots of talented players, but we are missing a piece or two in order to make this offense run the way he'd like.

Do not be surprised if we struggle offensively coming out of the gate. I can see what Groce wants to do, but it's going to take some time for our guys to get adjusted. However, I think our defense is going to keep us in a lot of games and win us a lot of games. Attack mode is the perfect way to describe what he wants defensively. Groce is going to try to dictate the pace with the defense rather than merely react to what the other team's offense does.

Don't be surprised if we end up in more 50-45 games. I know we've joked about no more 40 point games, but we may see some unless/until our guys figure this offense out and can make it work without a true PG.

The whole Groce pace and "Attack Mode" thing is real. He wants his guys full speed ahead at all times, both pushing the ball up the court on offense and getting back and attacking on defense. While I expect us to struggle for a while on offense, I would not want to have to play against this defense. We may not have the perfect pieces for our offense, but we have a lot of athletes who can really make life uncomfortable for opposing teams.

I have no idea how good we will be or what to expect this season.

[illiniobserver22]

Originally Posted by Mike

For anyone interested, just looked at "(Good Stats - Bad Stats) / Minutes" for each of the players and here's they they ranked for last night's scrimmage:


1. Richardson
2. Egwu
3. Henry
4. Djimde
5. Shaw
6. Paul
7. McLaurin
8. Bertrand
9. Rice
10. Langford
11. Abrams & Griffey
13. LaTulip
14. Berardini

IBBYYYYYYY!

That sounds about right. Was that your ranking? How did you formulate it, if so?

[Combo]

Originally Posted by IlliniSpine

Small line up with MH playing the 4. Hope he can defend the 4

BP- 6'4
DJ - 6'3
JB - 6'5-6'6
MH - 6'6
NE - 6'11

That's not a small lineup at all. This isn't the NBA. In fact, three of the five you listed are likely taller than the average college player at that respective position.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by illiniobserver22

IBBYYYYYYY!

That sounds about right. Was that your ranking? How did you formulate it, if so?

Yeah, IBBY played out of his mind!

I just used (Points + Assists + Rebounds + Steals + Blocks - Fouls - Turnovers) / Minutes. Don't know how the NBA folks calculate the PER stat, but I'm guessing it's kind of like what I did:

.96 Richardson
.73 Egwu
.72 Henry
.72 Djimde
.67 Shaw
.55 Paul
.50 McLaurin
.42 Bertrand
.38 Rice
.32 Langford
.25 Abrams & Griffey
.15 LaTulip
-.14 Berardini