I had begun to assume a similar primary reason that revolved around him wanting more contact with people with the same or similar cultural background.
Illini Basketball 2018-2019
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I had begun to assume a similar primary reason that revolved around him wanting more contact with people with the same or similar cultural background.
There is a big difference from freshman Egwu and an upper class Egwu...we are getting the freshman Egwu who averaged about a foul every 5 minutes. 313 minutes/ 61 fouls & less than 10 minutes/game. Glad we have him, but realistic expectations.
I'd argue, with the exception of pre injury Mike Thorne (and I could see you arguing even without excluding him), that freshman Egwu was better than any center defensively we've had since. Egwu's presence has been much more appreciated since he graduated, but he was the most underrated player of the 2010's.
There were 33 Nigerian students on campus this past fall. Nine of them were undergrad. Though that number is small, it is larger than from any other African country (and most other countries not in Asia):
http://isss.illinois.edu/download_forms/stats/fa17_stats.pdf
I'm not sure where you are going with this? Since Egwu, who are you calling centers? Thorne and Maverick, maybe Finke?,maybe Eboigbodin? You threw out Thorne; Eboigbodin I thought did great for a freshman big, this is getting close to the proverbial tallest midget contest. I loved Egwu by the way, just glad he didn't need to play much as a freshman. The bar needs to be higher.Th
Interesting, though maybe not unexpected as Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa by a pretty wide margin. Still, we're talking about a Nigerian undergrad population that can squeeze into a GMC Savana...
As an aside, I went to a small school in the middle of nowhere that had a decent number of international students, though no large group from any one country. A lot of those kids didn't make it past the first year, and I can understand why. That type of adventure isn't for everyone.
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
But the good news is that apparently Trent's growth plates are open, because he's now 6'4". Or maybe he was just wearing three pairs of shoes.
Maybe we should focus our recruiting on Chinese students who want to play basketball and major in engineering.
Is there data for D1 hoops that would be equivalent to WAR? What would be the expected stats of someone playing 25 minutes at different positions? I am not implying that any of the freshmen will match the output of guys leaving, but getting 4.6 rebounds a game over 25 minutes playing close to the basket defensively has to be below replacement level.
I guess it is the time of year to be optimistic, but I like the roster composition this year. I'd rather have more experience, but there is a better balance of skillsets and what also seems to be a couple guys that can actually finish in traffic. We got teased at the beginning of the season last year with a steady diet of FTs, yet we couldn't find a way to get to the foul in in B10 play.
I guess it is the time of year to be optimistic, but I like the roster composition this year. I'd rather have more experience, but there is a better balance of skillsets and what also seems to be a couple guys that can actually finish in traffic. We got teased at the beginning of the season last year with a steady diet of FTs, yet we couldn't find a way to get to the foul in in B10 play.
The general lack of talent/athleticism became much more apparent as the conference season wore on and coaches were actually scheming for what we had shown on film (and the talent level of our competition increased). One of the big pieces of evidence for that was the lack of free throws.
I do like the roster better this year (bias or not) but we will have a lot of disappointment due to freshman mistakes. Hopefully the increase in talent outweighs the likely decrease in efficiency.
Any word on Higgs? Thought he was supposed to be here this week?
I like this miniseries, and I think Tevian is going to be a real annoyance for opponents in the B1G.
I haven't heard much about Higgs' situation. Can anyone expand on this?
TownieMatt
CU Expat
- Chicago
Found it interesting that Jones said part of the reason he came to Illinois was 'the opportunity to start'. Who we'll actually end up starting is still such an enigma to me.
Competition is good!
Dan
Admin
The #Illini will be back at @TheGarden Jan. 26 to face Maryland in the B1G's "Super Saturday – College Hoops & Hockey" doubleheader.
Tickets are on sale now-
https://fightingillini.com/news/201...ini-vs-maryland-at-madison-square-garden.aspx
Tickets are on sale now-
https://fightingillini.com/news/201...ini-vs-maryland-at-madison-square-garden.aspx
Hopefully he'll have a few more NCAAT wins than Malcolm did too...
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
So an NBA first rounder? Because an athletic version of Malcolm would be a capital S stud. Hope you're right.
More like a tall Don Freeman.
You mean the same 6'2" Don Freeman who seemed to score at will in the paint and avg. about 25 a game as a senior? Illinois has not had a player with that kind of skill and scoring ability since...and that was around '64 or so....over half a century ago. As for that matter, neither has anyone else in the B1G. Nick Anderson had a similar athleticism and motor, but he was a couple of inches and some pounds bigger. Don Freeman was simply a freak and a favorite of every Illini fan who sat and marveled at what they saw. If Jones has a heart 1/10th the size of Freeman's, he is destined for All-B1G. Those of us who saw him play were blessed.
Jones is the most intriguing player on this team for me and I have no idea what to expect or information on which to place hope. We have heard some sparse reports of good things but mostly silence about a player that can be a key part of this coming season. If anyone has seen him play more than on highlight video....please pass on your thoughts. You will have my guarantee that I will not call you blind, a knucklehead, and optimist or pessimist, or any other of the myriad of things our posters rant on about. Just want first hand opinion.
If Tevian reaches his ceiling he's a no-doubt NBA player. His chances of reaching that ceiling are probably on the wrong side of 50/50 at this moment (the chances of being a productive collegian are higher), but we'll know a lot more once we've seen him on the floor.
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