This board has not been too happy since Bragging Rights. Some reasons justified, others not so much. Although I will never tell anyone how to be a fan for their team, it's important to differentiate between the micro and macro moments/conclusions during a season. So I want to discuss out loud the micro and macro below. The micro will be this season, and macro will be the overall program.
Micro Negatives:
- A 4-8 record that started off as the most brutal schedule in the nation when factoring in opponents' and travel
- Fouling is still an issue on a game by game basis
- Recency Bias: The second half of Bragging Rights
- Young team still plays young, and won't be as talented as other teams in Big 10 until more development occurs
- "Veteran" Leader of the team is a Sophomore
- Inconsistent Shooting
- Not enough trips to the free-throw line (two-folded issue between system fluency and ability to attack)
- Rim protection and rebounding still an issue
- Defense faces challenges when 1-1 stops need to be made
- Irrational fan base thinking the world is ending after every loss and some thinking BU isn't a good coach (absurd thoughts)
Micro Positives:
- Only 4-8 record considering the brutal start to the season
- Trent Frazier has taken a leap, the young man is special
- Young team is the most athletic team Illinois has had in years
- Current roster has much higher floor and ceiling
- Team is understanding BU system much more this year as opposed to his first
- Identity has been consistent throughout the season and stay true
- Georgi B (great find) has massively exceeded expectations and will be a significant player during his tenure
- Aaron Jordan being a model Illini on and off the court
- So much room for improvement still to be made this season
- Most growing pains for freshman will be over soon, they have had to grow up really fast this year
- Having BU as our coach
Macro Negatives:
- Fanbase fatigue of irrelevancy and impatience hindering ability to see the forest from the trees
- Behind in facilities arm race (But plans in motion to upgrade)
- The state of Illinois and its overall toxic recruiting atmosphere
- Chicago being a national city for players with adult handlers' caring more about themselves than the future of the young men they claim to care about
- Archaic belief still existing that local recruiting is vital to program success (In 2018 it isn't)
- Not a true understanding of how the last four years of the previous tenure set this program back immensely (for the board)
- Other programs have low-hanging fruit to recruit against Illinois
- Not a national or regional brand
- Damonte Williams ACL tear in high-school robbing him so far of the college career everyone expected
- Critics of BU's record since leaving SFA as if he didn't inherit two programs who fired their previous coaches for pretty obvious reasons that they were not good coaches or program builders
- Pity party Illinois fans love to have, ENOUGH OF THIS GLASS IS TOTALLY EMPTY MENTALITY
Macro Positives:
- BU as the head of the program. He has brought a clear and notable identity that will translate into success
- Illinois will be amongst the nation's leaders in tempo on offense and forcing turnovers on defense
- Ability to get players from different regions of the country, and internationally as well
- Coaching staff's ability to scout players and identify talent... can't stress enough how crucial this is, especially if top-50 players aren't knocking on your door
- An offense that stretches the opposing defense horizontally and vertically, and is nuanced to have counter's for what is happening
- An offense that can play to the strengths of an iso player as well as get the entire team involved
- A defense that takes opponents entirely out of their usual offense and causes them to abandon their ideal game plan
- Strong foundational pieces already in place about 1.5 years into BU tenure
- Better recruiting staff and results opposed to last coach (The losses clearly hurt but BU is only going after guys that will actually be Big 10/ Elite Big 10 talent... no MAC roster)
- State Farm Center is an amazing arena to play home games
- A fan base that is dying for success and will support the Illini
- You. Yes you. Whether you are active and post on this board, or just casually read, or don't even know this website even exists. The fact that there is a passionate Illinois community that cares is the greatest net positive. If the passion and un-dying love for Illini Basketball remains, which it will, then the commitment to excellence put in place by our AD will continue. The sun will shine, all because of you.
I am sure I missed a couple of facts, positive or negative. But if anything, I just hope this helps you realize the differences between one game and one season/tenure. I hope you all had an amazing holiday season!