Video: John Groce message to the students

Dan · Sep 17, 2012, 05:20 PM

Quote:

#Illini coach @JohnGroce has a message for U of I students: http://bit.ly/OyHRB2 . @Illinois_Alma @Illini_OKrush @IlliniPride

http://twitter.com/IlliniHoops

FeelYourPaign · Sep 17, 2012, 05:31 PM

Feel like I saw that somewhere else, but so what ?
He does that really well, doesn't he?
Great hire, Mike Thomas

Juice · Sep 17, 2012, 06:41 PM

I feel like we see something like this every year. And every year the assembly hall feels dead... At least the last few years... Maybe because they havent had alot to cheer about but still. I don't think it will become one of the most intimidating arenas until MT's new renovation plan goes through and the students are closer to the court.

MTILLINOIS · Sep 17, 2012, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juice

I feel like we see something like this every year. And every year the assembly hall feels dead... At least the last few years... Maybe because they havent had alot to cheer about but still. I don't think it will become one of the most intimidating arenas until MT's new renovation plan goes through and the students are closer to the court.

At this point, the atmosphere should improve dramatically. We aren't running a boring, delay offense whose number one purpose was designed to let the worst shooter on the team bail us out with 1 second on the shot clock, which put everybody to sleep.

IlliniX · Sep 17, 2012, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTILLINOIS

At this point, the atmosphere should improve dramatically. We aren't running a boring, delay offense whose number one purpose was designed to let the worst shooter on the team bail us out with 1 second on the shot clock, which put everybody to sleep.

Haha! That MSU win sure felt like a loss last year.

Juice · Sep 17, 2012, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IlliniX

Haha! That MSU win sure felt like a loss last year.

Haha yeah. That was just torture!

illinifan4249 · Sep 17, 2012, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juice

I feel like we see something like this every year. And every year the assembly hall feels dead... At least the last few years... Maybe because they havent had alot to cheer about but still. I don't think it will become one of the most intimidating arenas until MT's new renovation plan goes through and the students are closer to the court.

I think it is more getting students excited to go to the games, now people go to watch but aren't really excited. I think it was a lot to do with tempo, bad losses, and the thing that made me upset most when Weber would call a time-out when we were on a run. Hopefully with Groce and a faster tempo team Assembly Hall can get back to rocking like it was just a few years ago.

FeelYourPaign · Sep 18, 2012, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illinifan4249

I think it is more getting students excited to go to the games, now people go to watch but aren't really excited. I think it was a lot to do with tempo, bad losses, and the thing that made me upset most when Weber would call a time-out when we were on a run. Hopefully with Groce and a faster tempo team Assembly Hall can get back to rocking like it was just a few years ago.

I'm pretty sure that it will, but it might take until next year. This year should be better, simply because the style of play is better. But next year should be great, because we have a whole year of experience with JG's system, we have a great class coming in and people see the trend. Three big positives that the 1,000 people on here know about, but not so much the 16,000 we want inside the building. JMO.

Illini2016 · Sep 18, 2012, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juice

I feel like we see something like this every year. And every year the assembly hall feels dead... At least the last few years... Maybe because they havent had alot to cheer about but still. I don't think it will become one of the most intimidating arenas until MT's new renovation plan goes through and the students are closer to the court.

Might be a stupid question, but how could we get the students closer to the court? The students along the side are on the court and the students along the baseline are right behind the cheerleaders. From what I have heard, no other school has their students as close to the court as we do. Just wondering.

WesterveltVictoryCigar · Sep 18, 2012, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illini2016

Might be a stupid question, but how could we get the students closer to the court? The students along the side are on the court and the students along the baseline are right behind the cheerleaders. From what I have heard, no other school has their students as close to the court as we do. Just wondering.

The renovation plans are to surround the court with students, not just have them at one end/sideline. Remains to be seen if that will actually happen.

Foo G · Sep 18, 2012, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WesterveltVictoryCigar

The renovation plans are to surround the court with students, not just have them at one end/sideline. Remains to be seen if that will actually happen.

Will there be a quiet area for the geriatrics?

Future Walk-On · Sep 18, 2012, 11:12 AM

hahah this is unreal we have some die hard fans.

youtube.com/urrL7JjD8cs

its a funny video but i simply linked it just in case..

Foo G · Sep 18, 2012, 12:54 PM

Quote:

"Tate is so old he can't hear him yell."

:laugh:

U of I 89-05-10 · Sep 18, 2012, 01:18 PM

Oh my God, if I hear another excuse maker for Assembly Hall's atmosphere, I'll lose it. It was THE best atmosphere in the Big Ten for years, and with a coaching staff people believe in again and results on the floor, it will be again. Can we all just drop the defeatist mentality of 2007-2012?! We're recruiting very well, there's excitement again ... We don't need to get ahead of ourselves, but making excuses is a thing of the past for Illini sports.

illynifan34 · Sep 18, 2012, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

Oh my God, if I hear another excuse maker for Assembly Hall's atmosphere, I'll lose it. It was THE best atmosphere in the Big Ten for years, and with a coaching staff people believe in again and results on the floor, it will be again. Can we all just drop the defeatist mentality of 2007-2012?! We're recruiting very well, there's excitement again ... We don't need to get ahead of ourselves, but making excuses is a thing of the past for Illini sports.

I think I agree.

If you build it (exciting, competitive, high level top 20 basketball) they (ravenous fans) will come.

Illini2016 · Sep 18, 2012, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illynifan34

If you build it (exciting, competitive, high level top 20 basketball) they (ravenous fans) will come.

We also need the fans and atmosphere to build high level basketball. It really helps with recruiting and the like.

illynifan34 · Sep 19, 2012, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illini2016

We also need the fans and atmosphere to build high level basketball. It really helps with recruiting and the like.

The evidence is compelling though, the last few years the basketball has sucked and the fans weren't into it. The few years before that the basketball was awesome and Assembly Hall was rocking, the basketball comes first.

PBLPanther · Sep 19, 2012, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by U of I 89-05-10

Oh my God, if I hear another excuse maker for Assembly Hall's atmosphere, I'll lose it. It was THE best atmosphere in the Big Ten for years, and with a coaching staff people believe in again and results on the floor, it will be again. Can we all just drop the defeatist mentality of 2007-2012?! We're recruiting very well, there's excitement again ... We don't need to get ahead of ourselves, but making excuses is a thing of the past for Illini sports.

Absolutely. As someone who now lives out of state and only makes it back for a game or so a year it was crazy to see the drop-off over the last few years.

During the 2006 season, I came back for the PSU game (yuck) and had at least 10 people ask to buy my tickets as I walked up. The next year year I stood in a crazy long freezing cold line waiting to get into MM.

The last couple of years comparably have been night and day.

Illini2016 · Sep 19, 2012, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illynifan34

The evidence is compelling though, the last few years the basketball has sucked and the fans weren't into it. The few years before that the basketball was awesome and Assembly Hall was rocking, the basketball comes first.

Probably true, but I would like to see both sides begin to work on it, thereby assisting each other.

CardiacIllini3 · Sep 19, 2012, 01:08 PM

The deadline to join Orange Krush was pushed back a week to the 23rd. I wonder if it is because of low numbers. Any insight?

illynifan34 · Sep 19, 2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illini2016

Probably true, but I would like to see both sides begin to work on it, thereby assisting each other.

To me you are right in the microcosm of a single game, a great crowd can really boost the play in a single game, but it is just about impossible to sustain that type of crowd over a period of time with bad play.

BananaShampoo · Sep 19, 2012, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illynifan34

To me you are right in the microcosm of a single game, a great crowd can really boost the play in a single game, but it is just about impossible to sustain that type of crowd over a period of time with bad play.

Agree. And I will add that I have NEVER in my entire life been in an atmosphere as alive and electric as it was on December 2, 2004, and the crowd and the players both fed off each other. AH was the center of the universe on that night.

illynifan34 · Sep 19, 2012, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BananaShampoo

Agree. And I will add that I have NEVER in my entire life been in an atmosphere as alive and electric as it was on December 2, 2004, and the crowd and the players both fed off each other. AH was the center of the universe on that night.

2nd favorite night of my life.

And I am confident that with Groce at the help guys like Illini2016 will get to experience something similar and better in their time on campus.

illinifan4249 · Sep 19, 2012, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardiacIllini3

The deadline to join Orange Krush was pushed back a week to the 23rd. I wonder if it is because of low numbers. Any insight?

I heard that the ticket office gave them an extra week and this is when Illini Pride originally wanted to have the deadline, so they would have 3 home football games to get pledges at, not necesarrilly that there have been low numbers of sign ups.

Future Walk-On · Sep 19, 2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illynifan34

2nd favorite night of my life.

And I am confident that with Groce at the help guys like Illini2016 will get to experience something similar and better in their time on campus.

ok i am going to guess that this was WF @ ILL

or am i wrong

Sep 18, 2012, 11:12 AM	#12
Future Walk-On of House Targaryen Location: Peoria, IL Posts: 1,432	hahah this is unreal we have some die hard fans. youtube.com/urrL7JjD8cs its a funny video but i simply linked it just in case.. __________________ 6 stars or bust Last edited by Future Walk-On; Sep 18, 2012 at 11:25 AM.

Sep 17, 2012, 05:31 PM	#2
FeelYourPaign Location: Barrington, IL Posts: 2,300	Feel like I saw that somewhere else, but so what ? He does that really well, doesn't he? Great hire, Mike Thomas

Sep 17, 2012, 06:41 PM	#3
Juice Posts: 1,540	I feel like we see something like this every year. And every year the assembly hall feels dead... At least the last few years... Maybe because they havent had alot to cheer about but still. I don't think it will become one of the most intimidating arenas until MT's new renovation plan goes through and the students are closer to the court.

Sep 18, 2012, 01:18 PM	#14
U of I 89-05-10 Location: Iowa City, Ia. Posts: 952	Oh my God, if I hear another excuse maker for Assembly Hall's atmosphere, I'll lose it. It was THE best atmosphere in the Big Ten for years, and with a coaching staff people believe in again and results on the floor, it will be again. Can we all just drop the defeatist mentality of 2007-2012?! We're recruiting very well, there's excitement again ... We don't need to get ahead of ourselves, but making excuses is a thing of the past for Illini sports.

Sep 19, 2012, 01:08 PM	#20
CardiacIllini3 Posts: 88	The deadline to join Orange Krush was pushed back a week to the 23rd. I wonder if it is because of low numbers. Any insight?