It’s so nice to have A-list players again. Keep that pipeline open.
Funny you mention this. I noted in stats shared for the six All Big 10 1st teamers that Al Cowan made nearly 3x as many FT's as Ayo. So I don't think Ayo is that prolific at getting to the line! He's still damned good and it's great having a 5-star player on the roster.Been a while since we had a guy who could get to the line like Ayo. So many killer traits, but he can finish like a pro.
Had Kofi yet signed with the Illini or were you thinking we'd even be Top 7-8 in the conference without him?My post from February 2019:
If Ayo comes back, we simply will NOT be in the third tier next year. Have you looked at the amount of talent on this team? No team in the Big Ten will be better than Illinois. I know we are all battered by the early season losing, but that is a thing of the past, thankfully. Go Illini!!
"Ya gotta have faith, people!"
Funny you mention this. I noted in stats shared for the six All Big 10 1st teamers that Al Cowan made nearly 3x as many FT's as Ayo. So I don't think Ayo is that prolific at getting to the line! He's still damned good and it's great having a 5-star player on the roster.
Here are a few random FT stats for comparison:
Made
212 A. Cowan
148 J. Smith
115 C. Winston
111 K. Cockburn
77 A. Dosunmu
80 A. Feliz
Definitely not. In terms of free throw rate, only Griffin is below him among the main rotation players. Compared to the rest of the Big Ten, Ayo's free throw rate is half that of everyone in the top ten.So I don't think Ayo is that prolific at getting to the line!
too fast to get fouled.Definitely not. In terms of free throw rate, only Griffin is below him among the main rotation players. Compared to the rest of the Big Ten, Ayo's free throw rate is half that of everyone in the top ten.
Had a tough time predicting Ayo to be a unanimous pick over Cowan but I was giving Winston an auto spot. IMHO, neither Cowan nor Ayo really separated from the other. Cowan was a much better perimeter shooter with a bit better handle while Ayo was a better mid range shooter and better at the rim. Both were tough in the clutch. Could not go wrong with either but of course I like Ayo and sure would love to see him together with this team for one more season. However, that would be shocking unless the NBA wants him to prove he can shoot better from the perimeter after another year of college work. Who knows for certain? Kofi, OTOH, has a lot of work to do. Not that he will not get there, but he is not yet ready for an NBA team to use a draft choice on him. If he can improve his ability to hold onto the ball in traffic and become a solid jump shooter inside 15 ft., he may be a lottery pick...but much work to do.
Pretty surprising. A guy his size getting all those rebounds I just figured he was doing something dirty.Feliz gets one of the BIG Ten sportsmanship awards. I think Aaron Jordan got one of those last year.
Pretty surprising. A guy his size getting all those rebounds I just figured he was doing something dirty.
Victim of teams lack of success. He will probably get his by being picked on the 1st roundHow unreal is it that Oturu was second in scoring, first in rebounds, first in blocks and didn't make either first team?
Victim of teams lack of success. He will probably get his by being picked on the 1st round
How was cowan a much better perimeter shooter? he shot 29.1 % from 3 in conference play and ayo shot 29.6. Cowan also shot 37% overall for the conference season so he wasnt that great at 2s either. For comparison, ayo was 47% from teh field in conf play.