We need whoever is willing to buy into this team and will fully commit to winning as an Illini. Trent Frazier is a good, recent example of who is needed.
Eh? Not gonna pick this apart, but there are a lot of incorrect or unknown assertions here.
You take either one and be thankful for it. Two is too much to hope for. FWIW, I'd take both in a heartbeat, scholly situation in '18 be damned.
Highland Shootout this year has some good matchups:
JSmith/Stevenson vs JPickett/BE
DMW vs Ramey/Gordon
JGood vs JTill
Any indications at all yet that Epperson has considered us? And with that rising stock of late, I wouldn't bet against the field.
Ayo picks up an offer from UTEP.
Come be the next Tim Hardaway? They do have one more national championship than we do
Back when it was known as Texas Western!And the only NCAA men's basketball title won by a University in the State of Texas.
And the only NCAA men's basketball title won by a University in the State of Texas.
That's kind of crazy
New CB for Wilkes to Indiana yesterday. Maryland "insider". I'm still watching Bozich on this one (who is also going with IU).
http://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution/Kris-Wilkes-at-North-Central-58314/CurrentExpertPredictions
Kind of like Loyola in the state of Illinois.
I'm not anticipating he picks UI but I really hope this isn't how it shakes out. Ugh.
At least they (IU) aren't getting the Wilkes-Jaren Jackson-Scruggs-Malik Williams class they were originally hoping for. I hope they go 0-for-4 on top in-state kids.
I think what we really want is for clappy to be just successful enough to keep his job a little longer, so we can pick up an Indiana kid or two...![]()
Despite what the coaches tell those guys, it's unlikely that they'll contribute much in their first year.
This kind of comment irritates me. Not because you said it, but because of how it fits my view of development and motivation. Illinois has had many impact freshman over the years, and put young guys on the floor for plenty of minutes when the older player was held in higher regard overall.
I think great coaches don't just look at match-ups on the floor when putting younger players in the game. They look at what's best for motivating players and getting them to improve, and balance that with the needs of the moment. Seeing how a player responds in various game situations is also valuable intel.
Another couple points on early PT --
1. Sometimes you have a weak position, for example our PG situation is pretty bad. Tracy is a warrior, but he wouldn't have been ranked in the upper half of the BIG at pg to begin with, and now that he's had some very serious injuries, there's no reason to think his ceiling has gone up. Tate's weaknesses are known, and would be farther down that list. If you have a promising freshman, IMO he should be given some 'mistake' time. Time that helps his development and should help you over the course of the season, but isn't necessarily what you'd do in a one game playoff.
I'm sure Groce is aware of these considerations, but just looking at how he subs, and how hungry guys have been in some of our collapses, IMO it's an area he should look to improve.
Every position is different when it comes to early PT, but for sure you can say guards and bigs are different. I get that, and expect that.
BTW, I don't see TJL being someone who gets a lot of early PT, so please don't throw that one out as counter-argument. If he does, I'm expecting plenty of growing pains --freshman PGs make plenty of mistakes, and the way Groce puts a premium on limiting t/o, I think it makes it that much more difficult on a freshman mentally.
Considering TA's injuries and TJL's lack of experience I think Groce should get TJL as many minutes as possible against the cupcakes. That would give TJL some good experience and time to get used to running the offense. It would also allow TA to stay fresher for when schedule gets more difficult.