2018 Off Season Thread

[Tacomallini]

So since I along with everyone here loves to be a coach from the couch I thought it might be interesting to see what we think every player needs to work on this off season to take that next step to helping the team win next year.

Trent Frazier - This one is tough because the kid has far exceeded what I thought he would be this soon. If he was giving us this production his senior year I would have been happy. I'm going to say work on his right hand dribble drive ability. Could definitely favor his left.

Kipper Nichols - Attitude/toughness/competitive fire. Guy has all the tools but I think he needs a little bit of a mean streak in him.

Greg Eboigbodin - Strength/Post game. I think he has the will/drive to get the rebound just needs the physicality.

Te'Jon Lucas - Three Point shot. Kid can drive with the best of them. He needs to make the defender think he could hit a three at any point.

Mark Smith - Handles, Handles, Handles and confidence. Kid can be a load when he drives it but he doesn't always have the confidence to do so and I saw a lot of times where he gets stripped or just lost it on his own.

Da'Monte Williams - Grow about 4 inches would be great. Keep that knee healthy and be the best friend of Fletch to increase his explosiveness.

Aaron Jordan - I'll let Rob put his two cent in here

Matic Vesel - I'll be happy he is becomes Finke 2.0
Leron Black - Learn to know when to pass and when to shoot while in the post. Kill his power dribble. Learn not to foul.

Michael Finke - Rebounding could be better. Wish we would utilize him more in the pinch post.

Ayo - TBD

Look forward to your opinions!

And free throws. Please practice your free throws. But don't transfer!

 

[JoeJ]

After looking at the prediction thread, is it time to praise Kathy now? Certainly not laughing.

I did have us in the NIT, though we are well short of even that. Hoping things improve next year. Not sure that they will substantially. Really concerned about the lack of recruits,

 

[IlliniinIowa]

After looking at the prediction thread, is it time to praise Kathy now? Certainly not laughing.

I did have us in the NIT, though we are well short of even that. Hoping things improve next year. Not sure that they will substantially. Really concerned about the lack of recruits,

Yeah. I had us at 21 wins and never thought we'd be an NCAA tourney team. Was hoping for a deep NIT run though.

But, even with that said I really enjoyed watching this team play and improve this season. They play so hard and give all out effort 100% of the time. You have to respect that. I did, and really hope we can somehow find a grad transfer big and make a big jump to get back into the NCAA tourney discussion next season.

We've been too bad for too long....

 

[IlliniFandom]

Yeah. I had us at 21 wins and never thought we'd be an NCAA tourney team. Was hoping for a deep NIT run though.

But, even with that said I really enjoyed watching this team play and improve this season. They play so hard and give all out effort 100% of the time. You have to respect that. I did, and really hope we can somehow find a grad transfer big and make a big jump to get back into the NCAA tourney discussion next season.

We've been too bad for too long....

I agree. Watching the team grow was an awesome part of this. They definitely gained some toughness, but have a long way to go and I'm not sure they're going to get there by next year either.

Ayo is going to help, but we all thought MS would be a no brainer and he would be able to compete day 1...which he did, but struggled through normal freshman growth as most do. So what I thought was a lock, isn't always going to be. So Ayo's contribution to next year is TBD.

Of course, all are going to grow a bit between now and the start of next year. Do we get to do an overseas trip this year? If not, we are woeful in the following:

1) Shot blocker/rim protector/rebounder: Those over-the-back rebounds that Iowa had were just frustrating. We just need an effort guy with enough muscle to block out these 7 footers at times. Maybe we trade some speed/offense for this, but man...that was just sad to watch.

2) Three point specialist: We need a guy that can shoot lights out to stretch the floor. Lots of dribble drivers, but Frazier is our only real deep threat. Finke can't release without at least 2 seconds to shoot. Someone that our opponents need to respect to keep them honest and spread the floor.

3) Lock down defender: TJL is awesome, but he is only one guy. I would love to see another long/lanky guy...kinda like a Brian Randall who could lock down and defend anywhere between a 1, 2, 3, and some 4.

4) Lastly, another shot producer/tough guy. I want another trent frazier all said and done. Maybe that's Ayo, maybe that's MS in his second year...but I want someone who has the mentality that I'm going to get it. I think MS has it and saw it when he would shoulder down and try to use his muscles/brawn to get to the rim and finish. But that worked in HS...isn't working yet for him at the college level. Maybe that means more time in the weight room, maybe that means more athleticism/quickness...but I have high hopes that we could have it between MS and Ayo...

 

[IlliniBrave75]

A lot of the discussion on here revolves solely on us and what we need, but where we finish next season also has a lot to do with what happens to the other B1G teams as well! What do they have coming in and who do they lose?
At this point we don't know with certainty who will transfer (like Tyler Cook @ Iowa), but we do know who is out of eligibility.

Illinois - Mark Alstork
Indiana - Josh Newkirk, Robert Johnson, Freddie McSwain Jr., Collin Hartman, Tim Priller
Iowa - Charlie Rose, Dom Uhl
Maryland - Sean Obi, Jared Nickens, Michal Cekovsky
Michigan - Jaaron Simmons, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Duncan Robinson
Michiagan State - Lourawls Nairn Jr., Ben Carter, Gavin Schilling
Minnesota - Nate Mason, Davonte Fitzgerald, Bakary Konate, Reggie Lynch, Matz Stockman, Gaston Diedhiou
Nebraska - Duby Okeke, Malcolm Laws, Evan Taylor, Anton Gill
Northwestern - Bryant McIntosh, Gavin Skelly
Ohio State - Jae'Sean Tate, Andrew Dakich, Kam Williams
Penn State - Shep Garner, Julian Moore
Purdue - P.J. Thompson, Vincent Edwards, Dakota Mathias, Isaac Haas
Rutgers - Candido Sa, Mike Williams, Jake Dadika
Wisconsin - Aaron Moesch
This came from ESPN (probably not the best source), but I dont' have time to double check. I thought KDB and Happ were seniors too!

 

[Illini B-Ball Fan]

And free throws. Please practice your free throws. But don't transfer!

You can bank on that...

 

[yeahyeahyeah]

I saw a team this year that by all statistical probability "won" 17 or 18 games this year even with a ton of underclassmen minutes. It's not crazy to think that with another year of practice and maturity and the "sophomore leap", plus adding a top 30 player that we might win 20+ games next year, which could very well make it a tournament team depending on how all shakes out.

Sent from my XT1526 using Tapatalk

if everyone comes back the whole team will shoot better, have a better grasp of offense/defense/transition schemes, the coaches will have more familiarity with each other, and better chemistry on court... this team lost 11-17 games after leading in the 2nd half, win all those games and they have 25 wins, 13 BT wins. If we could get a big who can compete in the paint defensively and upgrade our NC schedule, we are looking at better next year.

 

[ChiefIllini]

if everyone comes back the whole team will shoot better, have a better grasp of offense/defense/transition schemes, the coaches will have more familiarity with each other, and better chemistry on court... this team lost 11-17 games after leading in the 2nd half, win all those games and they have 25 wins, 13 BT wins. If we could get a big who can compete in the paint defensively and upgrade our NC schedule, we are looking at better next year.

Thing is only about 3 or 4 of those games were we every comfortable leading in the second half. I'll say we deserved to win 4 of those games, but all 11 is a stretch (one which you were probably providing just as an example). I could easily see this team at 18-14 but any better than that is probably homer bias. Based on that, getting another 3 or 4 next year on top of the 4 we should've won this year seems reasonable to me, as long as we dont lose a major piece.

We playing in the Maui invitational next year. Always a great place to build some wins for March. I think Underwood mentioned his dislike for how weak the conference schedule was essentially blaming his predecessor. Also believe more in conference games are being added (2?). That should help with RPI and good quadrant wins. NIT seems like a safe bet, assuming no major players come here. But look how OSU turned it around. This is probably the worst time to predict anything. I do know we will be better. This is basically rock bottom.

 

[SKane]

I'll be interested in what other Illini tradition is done away with, how soon Josh advises the fans and how he spins it.

 

[Illini_1979]

Good date to bear in mind. Very likely that no transfer news pertaining to our team will break until after that.

Is that because the food at the banquet is so good they don't want to miss it?

 

[ILL in IA]

I'll be interested in what other Illini tradition is done away with, how soon Josh advises the fans and how he spins it.

 

[Illini B-Ball Fan]

Is that because the food at the banquet is so good they don't want to miss it?

Nah, it'll be all about next year's culture and positionless seating with no chairs availability.

 

[TCTORNADO]

You can bank on that...

Well played!!:thumb:

 

[Illini B-Ball Fan]

Well played!!:thumb:

I know, but man, it's sure going to be a long 8 months till that first game and see if we've improved on those free throws. opcorn:

 

[Whitmans Sampler]

Hopefully we have Black, Kipper, Trent, Ayo and a banger. That would be a team that could compete for 20 wins and a shot at the dance.

+1. I really like that nucleus

 

[Illini B-Ball Fan]

The bank's open all summer long.

ATMs make banking easy nowadays.

 

[Ga65]

It sure would be nice to let Black, Kipper, and Finke play their natural positions on defense. Think it would help Black with the foul situation. Would like to see someone larger than Ebo. Not sure Fletch can get him to the point where he can bang with the 7 footers.

 

[Deleted member 29907]

Thing is only about 3 or 4 of those games were we every comfortable leading in the second half. I'll say we deserved to win 4 of those games, but all 11 is a stretch (one which you were probably providing just as an example). I could easily see this team at 18-14 but any better than that is probably homer bias. Based on that, getting another 3 or 4 next year on top of the 4 we should've won this year seems reasonable to me, as long as we dont lose a major piece.

We playing in the Maui invitational next year. Always a great place to build some wins for March. I think Underwood mentioned his dislike for how weak the conference schedule was essentially blaming his predecessor. Also believe more in conference games are being added (2?). That should help with RPI and good quadrant wins. NIT seems like a safe bet, assuming no major players come here. But look how OSU turned it around. This is probably the worst time to predict anything. I do know we will be better. This is basically rock bottom.

Anyone else see this site and think of Flo and the Progressive gang around the table - BU is the guy who says "Present" based on this writeup. Pretty sad, but I guess it could be worse, our coach could be Sean. We need to get our PR dept working to improve this.

 

[Deleted member 631370]

Man, I forgot we are playing in Maui.

The field features Arizona, Duke, Auburn, Xavier, Gonzaga, and Iowa State.

Lots of opportunities for quality wins, but that could be a rough way to start the season.

 

[the national]

Man, I forgot we are playing in Maui.

The field features Arizona, Duke, Auburn, Xavier, Gonzaga, and Iowa State.

Lots of opportunities for quality wins, but that could be a rough way to start the season.

May be rough, but it will be good for our guys to watch all those other good teams play. It’s good for them to see what a put together team looks like.

 

[TownieMatt]

Man, I forgot we are playing in Maui.

The field features Arizona, Duke, Auburn, Xavier, Gonzaga, and Iowa State.

Lots of opportunities for quality wins, but that could be a rough way to start the season.

There's no venue in basketball that's more conducive to upsets IMO. We should embrace the underdog role in that tournament.

 

[Elgin7680]

It sure would be nice to let Black, Kipper, and Finke play their natural positions on defense. Think it would help Black with the foul situation. Would like to see someone larger than Ebo. Not sure Fletch can get him to the point where he can bang with the 7 footers.

I am sure Finke is a very nice guy, but he can't defend a 4, he is even to slow to guard the 5.

 

[PtownIllini8]

Yeah, there's certainly some Kool-Aid going around, but I do think most are fairly realistic.

I think we'll probably be anywhere from 8 to 11 in the preseason B1G standings.

We could be better than that with Jones and a 5th year big that can solidify our soft middle. Time will tell on signings and preseason health.

 

[PtownIllini8]

Here is the one that stands out the most to me. Might want to keep a closer eye on his projections come the start of next season.

FWIW, Kenpom has a projection of 15-16 / 5-13 right now.

I'd say it's worth very little at this point with our roster still in flux.

 

[PtownIllini8]

A lot of the discussion on here revolves solely on us and what we need, but where we finish next season also has a lot to do with what happens to the other B1G teams as well! What do they have coming in and who do they lose?

Just like Black, KBD is a redshirt junior. But he's probably gone. Draft projection I saw had him at #22, so easily a first rounder.