Illini Basketball 2016-2017

[SescIllini]

Kipper is a tireless worker, did you notice that every drill he does he does it very well and with intensity. His shot and handles are solid, the fact that he is being talked about as a 2G vs Stretch 4 speaks to that.

Also in the video notice that Black, Thorne, Abrams, and Kipper were on the bench. How will the Illini fare with these four in uniforms vs street clothes.

 

[Illini B-Ball Fan]

Kipper is a tireless worker, did you notice that every drill he does he does it very well and with intensity. His shot and handles are solid, the fact that he is being talked about as a 2G vs Stretch 4 speaks to that.

Also in the video notice that Black, Thorne, Abrams, and Kipper were on the bench. How will the Illini fare with these four in uniforms vs street clothes.

The Illini will fare molto bene with these 4 back.

 

[Bomb Squad 217]

First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm gonna take them as disrespect.

Thats my line!

 

[Joel Goodson]

Kipper is a tireless worker, did you notice that every drill he does he does it very well and with intensity. His shot and handles are solid, the fact that he is being talked about as a 2G vs Stretch 4 speaks to that.

Also in the video notice that Black, Thorne, Abrams, and Kipper were on the bench. How will the Illini fare with these four in uniforms vs street clothes.

Tireless worker and physique are well known by those paying attention. What's pleasantly surprising, if not shocking, is how good his outside shot looks and his handles are. If one had suggested he could play as a 2, I'd have called that a major reach. Now, I think he can do it. Looks to me like he has a ton of positional flexibility and could be the X factor. Far too soon to call him manna, but what a gift. Yeah, I'm high on Kipper.

 

[FiveStar]

Tireless worker and physique are well known by those paying attention. What's pleasantly surprising, if not shocking, is how good his outside shot looks and his handles are. If one had suggested he could play as a 2, I'd have called that a major reach. Now, I think he can do it. Looks to me like he has a ton of positional flexibility and could be the X factor. Far too soon to call him manna, but what a gift. Yeah, I'm high on Kipper.

Who's the poster who saw Kipper play a bunch in high school? Is it TC? Whoever it is, I'm interested in his/her take on Kipper as a college 2.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Who's the poster who saw Kipper play a bunch in high school? Is it TC? Whoever it is, I'm interested in his/her take on Kipper as a college 2.

I saw him play twice his junior year in HS @ OHSAA tournament. Yes, he can play the 2. Groce has confirmed this by referencing his versatility. He was awesome that year in Columbus and was the MVP. His 3 pt. shot is clearly his area to work on. Defensively, he always liked to defend the opponents best player.
My old, old Buckeye blood sometimes still comes out in me. i.e. my Presidency last year of XSimpson fan club.

 

[Mike]

Who's the poster who saw Kipper play a bunch in high school? Is it TC? Whoever it is, I'm interested in his/her take on Kipper as a college 2.

Just watched a vid of him and I like him physically going to the hole with his half hook. Think "that" translates well. Hope his jumper and handles translate.

 

[TCTORNADO]

BTW, I can't imagine a scenario where Nichols would play much 2. He probably has out grown and bulked up to where the 3 and 4 will be his home. He did start his career at St. Ed's as a 6'1" freshman PG.

 

[FiveStar]

BTW, I can't imagine a scenario where Nichols would play much 2. He probably has out grown and bulked up to where the 3 and 4 will be his home. He did start his career at St. Ed's as a 6'1" freshman PG.

There's a lot that goes into being a 2, but in my eyes, it's hard to be a shooting guard if you can't shoot (jimmy butler and d-wade are more exceptions than the rule). As long as he can learn shoot, or his shot isn't "broken" mechanically, I think he'd be a really great change of pace at the 2 to JCL.

As a side note, my ideas about shooting guards needing to be able to shoot are also why I worry about damonte, but that is for a different thread.

 

[Combo]

BTW, I can't imagine a scenario where Nichols would play much 2. He probably has out grown and bulked up to where the 3 and 4 will be his home. He did start his career at St. Ed's as a 6'1" freshman PG.

Yeah, I don't think he'll play the 2. He may be capable of doing it and it's a nice soundbite, but he's best at the 3 or 4 (and that's where we'll need him).

 

[HuskerIllini]

Real quick, with all the stuff we hear about Fletch does anyone know how much bigger/strong Black is?

 

[FatGreg]

Real quick, with all the stuff we hear about Fletch does anyone know how much bigger/strong Black is?

I glanced at his insta page to see if there were any pics that showed off physique changes (in a basketball jersey, shirtless, etc.). Nothing really, although he does look generally lean and fit. Fwiw, his page is basically pictures of his girlfriend (I assume that's who it is), some family, and lots of Bible verses and faith-based captions. Seems like a nice, down-to-earth young man...hard to reconcile it with some of his incidents on and off the court. Hopefully he's matured over the last year and will be a good player and citizen going forward.

 

[Joel Goodson]

I glanced at his insta page to see if there were any pics that showed off physique changes (in a basketball jersey, shirtless, etc.). Nothing really, although he does look generally lean and fit. Fwiw, his page is basically pictures of his girlfriend (I assume that's who it is), some family, and lots of Bible verses and faith-based captions. Seems like a nice, down-to-earth young man...hard to reconcile it with some of his incidents on and off the court. Hopefully he's matured over the last year and will be a good player and citizen going forward.

2 years in the program. Am expecting many of his rough edges on the court to be smoothed out. Hopefully, the goon tendencies he exhibited his freshman year are a vestige of the past. I'm sure the staff has talked to him a lot about this. 2 years in the program now, 20, not 18, vastly different comfort level, think he's bound to have matured.

 

[TCTORNADO]

Real quick, with all the stuff we hear about Fletch does anyone know how much bigger/strong Black is?

LB from back in June.

 

[nwebb1]

It seems like we have been hearing a lot about Malcolm, Mav, and Tracy in the weight room but not as much about the other guys.

I wouldn't mind hearing some about DJ, JCL, and Jordan as far as their athleticism is concerned.

 

[Illiniguy13]

LB from back in June.

Looks to me like he's definitely put on some size.

 

[FatGreg]

2 years in the program. Am expecting many of his rough edges on the court to be smoothed out. Hopefully, the goon tendencies he exhibited his freshman year are a vestige of the past. I'm sure the staff has talked to him a lot about this. 2 years in the program now, 20, not 18, vastly different comfort level, think he's bound to have matured.

That's my expectation. If everyone stays healthy, I believe we'll have a top-4 frontcourt in the B1G this year. I'm guessing that Leron will start and play 23-25 minutes. I'm guessing he'll put up 8-9 points and 5-7 rebounds.

 

[Combo]

That's my expectation. If everyone stays healthy, I believe we'll have a top-4 frontcourt in the B1G this year. I'm guessing that Leron will start and play 23-25 minutes. I'm guessing he'll put up 8-9 points and 5-7 rebounds.

I still think Finke might be our starting PF. Assuming Thorne at C, Finke is a better complement at the 4. Of course, both Black and Finke will play alot regardless of which starts.

 

[WesterveltVictoryCigar]

I still think Finke might be our starting PF. Assuming Thorne at C, Finke is a better complement at the 4. Of course, both Black and Finke will play alot regardless of which starts.

We'll certainly see that to start the season while Black is serving his suspension. If it works well then I'd guess they might just stick with it.

 

[DragonIlliniFan]

A frontcourt of a healthy Thorne and Leron gives me excitement enough for the upcoming season. That's a load for teams to deal with. Now if only we had a legit stretch-4 with high basketball IQ who could shoot the 3 well and doesn't mind coming off the bench to back the big boys up, we'd be set.

Oh wait..

 

[FatGreg]

I still think Finke might be our starting PF. Assuming Thorne at C, Finke is a better complement at the 4. Of course, both Black and Finke will play alot regardless of which starts.

Highly possible. Black, Finke, Thorne, and Morgan will all play a lot. We've got the ability this year to play numerous combinations at the 4/5 based on matchups and hot hands:

Black - 6'7, 230, PF, super high motor, excellent rebounder, good athlete, great rebounding instincts, respectable mid-range jumper

Finke - 6'10, 230, PF/C, skilled face-up big with plus-level shooting, ball handling, and passing ability. Terrific size at the 4.

Morgan - 6'10, 240, C/PF?, good size, big body, great mid-range shooter, decent post scorer

Thorne, Jr - 6'11, 280, C, NBA size and run/jump athleticism, good post scorer, very good rebounder, health-based conditioning limitations

The only concern is that none of these guys are true rim protectors and all except Black are probably a little below average in terms of agility and lateral quickness (though none are stiffs, either). The rebounding boost we should get from Thorne and Black will mostly shore up last year's defensive issues, but teams with athletic, skilled bigs like Purdue, IU, and Wisconsin could still give us headaches in the paint.

 

[Combo]

Highly possible. Black, Finke, Thorne, and Morgan will all play a lot. We've got the ability this year to play numerous combinations at the 4/5 based on matchups and hot hands:

Black - 6'7, 230, PF, super high motor, excellent rebounder, good athlete, great rebounding instincts, respectable mid-range jumper

Finke - 6'10, 230, PF/C, skilled face-up big with plus-level shooting, ball handling, and passing ability. Terrific size at the 4.

Morgan - 6'10, 240, C/PF?, good size, big body, great mid-range shooter, decent post scorer

Thorne, Jr - 6'11, 280, C, NBA size and run/jump athleticism, good post scorer, very good rebounder, health-based conditioning limitations

The only concern is that none of these guys are true rim protectors and all except Black are probably a little below average in terms of agility and lateral quickness (though none are stiffs, either). The rebounding boost we should get from Thorne and Black will mostly shore up last year's defensive issues, but teams with athletic, skilled bigs like Purdue, IU, and Wisconsin could still give us headaches in the paint.

Good analysis. I think all four will play at least 15 mpg (health permitting). Nichols will likely get a few minutes at the 4 also. That's a solid rotation up front (again assuming health).

 

[IllinoisFanAtFSU]

I think that as long as we can keep three of the four healthy (out of Black, Finke, Morgan, and Thorne) and producing, we will be fine in the paint and be able to make a tournament run. If the entire roster stays healthy since we had more than two seasons' worth of issues last year, watch out! I could see 22-23 wins with a full contingent.

 

[JaxIllini1]

BTW, I can't imagine a scenario where Nichols would play much 2. He probably has out grown and bulked up to where the 3 and 4 will be his home. He did start his career at St. Ed's as a 6'1" freshman PG.

I'd say the scenario of the current year looks pretty favorable for him to get time at the 2. Malcolm will, barring injury, play 32+ or even 34+ mpg at the 3 this year against good competition. Not many minutes to be had at the backup 3. Kipper may get time at the 4, but you'd hope that in their third years, two talented guys like Black and Finke would lock down that position. But backup SG may be the most wide-open competition on the roster.

Tracy will likely play less than 25 mpg due to being out for so long with injuries, and unless Tejon lights the world on fire I'd say Tracy will play almost all of his minutes at PG. DJW seems more like a 3/4 to me than a 2, even moreso than Kipper. So if Kipper can prove more effective at the 2 than Jordan does, and I think that's a distinct possibility, I could definitely see Kipper playing at the 2. In fact I hope that's how it plays out.

 

[Big Al]

I'd say the scenario of the current year looks pretty favorable for him to get time at the 2. Malcolm will, barring injury, play 32+ or even 34+ mpg at the 3 this year against good competition. Not many minutes to be had at the backup 3. Kipper may get time at the 4, but you'd hope that in their third years, two talented guys like Black and Finke would lock down that position. But backup SG may be the most wide-open competition on the roster.

Tracy will likely play less than 25 mpg due to being out for so long with injuries, and unless Tejon lights the world on fire I'd say Tracy will play almost all of his minutes at PG. DJW seems more like a 3/4 to me than a 2, even moreso than Kipper. So if Kipper can prove more effective at the 2 than Jordan does, and I think that's a distinct possibility, I could definitely see Kipper playing at the 2. In fact I hope that's how it plays out.

For Malcolm Hill, there's not much difference between the 2 or the 3 offensively. He's going to touch the ball on almost every possession. Defensively, it remains to be seen which player (MH, KN, or DJW) will be better suited at either spot, but there will probably be plenty of instances when two of them are on the floor together. More than any team we've had in a while, his one has the potential to take just about any 5 guys and throw them out there for stretches. Hill, Nichols, and Williams give you a lot of versatility.