I won't continue to pile on the hate towards Finke but I will acknowledge that I wouldn't have disliked him as much if we didn't have to rely on him playing the 5. He's an okay stretch 4 but a well below average 5.
Illini Basketball 2018-2019
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I won't continue to pile on the hate towards Finke but I will acknowledge that I wouldn't have disliked him as much if we didn't have to rely on him playing the 5. He's an okay stretch 4 but a well below average 5.
In full agreement with this sentiment. He just is not a 5. I wonder if having to play at the 5 led to some of his 3-pt shooting woes. Maybe got him a little too tired. In the end is was probably best for both parties that he left.
I'd argue these conditions can coexist without contradiction. He would've helped the team this year, and made it better, but it would've been marginal. There were games last year that without him, we wouldn't have either been in a position to win or won. We still have a scholarship open for this season. Having Finke instead of air is obviously a positive. None of the bigs we added can bring his offensive game to the table (this year).
weird...I came to a 2018-2019 basketball thread and kept hearing about the 2018-2019 GCU team. Am I on the wrong forum?
OurMottoisOskeeWowWow
- Illinois
Glad Samba is good to go. Given that Rose won't be 100% at the first half of the season.
OurMottoisOskeeWowWow
- Illinois
So what's the deal with what is going on with the NCAA and Arizona? Arizona is still under investigation right?
Is there any video out there of Higgs?
He's listed at 6'8 and I'm wondering if he could be our dark horse starting C. Kind of like an Ed Morrow or Juwan Morgan. Doesn't have the height but makes up for it with speed/athleticism. That type of player could really excel in BU's offense and defense.
He's listed at 6'8 and I'm wondering if he could be our dark horse starting C. Kind of like an Ed Morrow or Juwan Morgan. Doesn't have the height but makes up for it with speed/athleticism. That type of player could really excel in BU's offense and defense.
IllFanInMi
I
Guest
And if freshman were still ineligible to play varsity ball, we would be the hands down consensus pick to win the B10 JV trophy.
billybaroo
- Pebble Beach, CA
Maybe I missed it, but I'm surprised there haven't been any Augie comparisons with the way this kid runs the floor.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
I think its because most think he's more Larry Bird-like in his athleticism. Personally, I see more Vince Carter in his prime.
Yeah, but can he dunk though?
He'll need to work on the off hand (r), very left dominant as a 4/5 who will handle the ball...
He's 6'10" or 11". He is slow afoot and is not a very good passer/handler. He is a 5. There is no way in hell he can guard a decent stretch 4. The fact that he couldn't come to terms with that is in large part why he left, from my understanding. He and his family believed that his less than stellar play last year was from having to guard the 5 spot. Holy cow is that mentally weak. No wonder Underwood couldn't stand the culture of the team and its leaders. Finke played best last year at the end when he appeared to finally understand his role (on that team) was to shoot it every time he could get a shot off. I really struggled to like Finke because he seemed to not accept his role (or shoot quite as well as we had hoped) and was truly not a B1G level athlete. All of that said, seemed like a good kid, good family, and I wish him the best.
Put me firmly in the camp of, no way Higgs starts at C. With that said, who knows because its likely to be a freshman, at least to start the season. My odds are heavily in Samba Kane's favor, assuming he really is a top 100 talent in his original class and has some offensive game not seen in the few highlights online.
Understand the sentiment but its summer and there isn't much to talk about that hasn't been said about 800 times. If we're still talking Finke in main threads come November, I'm in total agreement.
Has anyone ever figured out exactly why Spicy G transferred? I figured at some point there would be some explanation for it but I haven't really heard. When he transferred I thought maybe he was going to head to a more comparable level of play. He was going to get Big 10 playing time and seemed skilled enough to handle himself in the Big 10. But instead he is headed to lower level. Anyone? What gives?
Like most transfers, we will never know for sure. I think the most curious aspect is how late he transferred out. My best guess he was clashing with the coaching staff/players, but it could be something simpler such as not liking UIUC (previously thought impossible by anyone
). Timing would suggest, in my mind, something to do with schooling.
The only interview I ever saw with him was the one on WCIA, where he was draped in a Nigerian flag and talked about how he wanted to go somewhere he could feel like he fit in with the community. He wound up in Boston, which has a large and growing population of immigrants from West Africa (and specifically, Nigeria and Ghana).
I'm sure that wasn't the only factor, but it seems like the most obvious one to me.
https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/06/27/big-ten-basketball-top-5-rising-sophomore-2018-19-conference/
Fansided is not the best source but it's nice to see Frazier is getting some well-deserved attention.
Fansided is not the best source but it's nice to see Frazier is getting some well-deserved attention.
That same article picks us to finish B1G @ #13.
Maybe he wants to be the big fish in a small basketball-pond, not the other way around.
Deleted member 29907
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Why does Davison remind me of Craft?
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