Illini Basketball 2016-2017

#201      

UofIChE06

U
Pittsburgh
UofIChE06
CAHALL15 said:
Not anytime soon. We need to string together a few tournament appearances before something like this could happen.
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Not true. Pretty simple actually. Get one of the young up and coming Chicago rappers with ties to the players (or is a fan) to come down and do a song or two during the event. If Dee gets things back on track from whatever is going on have him act as a master of ceremonies/hype man. Keep the energy high and make it fun.

Biggest mistake is to do anything resembling a practice or scrimmage. It needs to be fan entertainment more than anything else.
 
#202      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
UofIChE06 said:
Not true. Pretty simple actually. Get one of the young up and coming Chicago rappers with ties to the players (or is a fan) to come down and do a song or two during the event. If Dee gets things back on track from whatever is going on have him act as a master of ceremonies/hype man. Keep the energy high and make it fun.

Biggest mistake is to do anything resembling a practice or scrimmage. It needs to be fan entertainment more than anything else.
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We went the entertainment route in the past and it was much worse than the basketball focused scrimmage. The problem is not the venue or content. Step 1 is getting fans to attend. We have not been able to get the crowds in the past. What makes these events a success is that UK, MSU, IU, KU etc. get sold out crowds that are excited to see the basketball team. It is not the cheeesy appearances and impersonations by Self and Izzo and the fake rap/dance contests that make these events a success.

If you can't get the crowds, you got nothing. Without a few NCAA appearances, top recruiting classes, etc. we will not get the crowds, so entertainment would be lame. JMO.
 
#203      

OldGreg

O
OldGreg
IF we make a tourney run AND land Wilkes, they I think it's something worth exploring otherwise we are not ready to put on that kind of event.
 
#205      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
#206      

BananaShampoo

B
Captain 'Paign
Phoenix, AZ
BananaShampoo
FiveStar said:
Like the article (obviously). Tracy is just gonna have to work his way through some awkward plants, sharp turns/twists, lower body contact and probably someone stepping on his foot or something else weird. But once he makes it through all that unscathed (probably 1 game TBH) he'll be that dog we've been missing.
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Leron Black and Mike Thorne are dogs that we've been missing. I expect well see a lot more dog in all our guys after the adversity they faced last season, an off season under Fletch, and the lack of respect they've gotten in the preseason from media and prognosticators.
 
#207      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
BananaShampoo said:
Leron Black and Mike Thorne are dogs that we've been missing. I expect well see a lot more dog in all our guys after the adversity they faced last season, an off season under Fletch, and the lack of respect they've gotten in the preseason from media and prognosticators.
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I should have specifically mentioned on the perimeter. Agree on Leron for the paint. Thorne, would be great to see a very angry 6'11 280 pounder.
 
#211      

FatGreg

F
FatGreg
I'll say that if Tracy stays healthy and has truly maintained his pre-injury athleticism, this could be a terrific year. Tracy thrived as the third offensive option his sophomore year. That year, Brandon Paul was a ball dominant scoring wing and DJ Richardson was a high usage spot up shooter.

This year's team could have a similar makeup: Malcolm plays a somewhat similar role to Paul, JCL spots up like DJ (and afterward Nunn) did in this offense (and hopefully is a better shooter and penetrator than both), Finke is a better shooting version of Griffey, etc. We don't have an Egwu type defender, but Thorne adds a totally different dimension to the offense. Leron Black could be a deluxe version of McLauren. I almost see it like this:

Tracy = Tracy
Hill = Paul
JCL = better DJR
Black = better Sam Mac
Finke = better Griffey
DJW/Kipper = Bertrand
AJ = Myke Henry (shooter off the bench)
Thorne = Egwu (much worse defense, much better offense and rebounding)

Maybe Egwu's defensive versatility made all the difference. Maybe AJ, DJW, and Kipper won't offer comparable value to Bertrand/Henry. Maybe this year's team won't demonstrate the same tenacity and character as Groce's first team. On paper, though, I think we look like a souped up version of the 2012-13 roster. I think this could be a really good year!
 
#212      

Lord Snow

Lord Snow
Lord Snow
I would say this team is going to be better than that team. I expect or hope so anyway. We shall see
 
#214      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
FatGreg said:
I'll say that if Tracy stays healthy and has truly maintained his pre-injury athleticism, this could be a terrific year. Tracy thrived as the third offensive option his sophomore year. That year, Brandon Paul was a ball dominant scoring wing and DJ Richardson was a high usage spot up shooter.

This year's team could have a similar makeup: Malcolm plays a somewhat similar role to Paul, JCL spots up like DJ (and afterward Nunn) did in this offense (and hopefully is a better shooter and penetrator than both), Finke is a better shooting version of Griffey, etc. We don't have an Egwu type defender, but Thorne adds a totally different dimension to the offense. Leron Black could be a deluxe version of McLauren. I almost see it like this:

Tracy = Tracy
Hill = Paul
JCL = better DJR
Black = better Sam Mac
Finke = better Griffey
DJW/Kipper = Bertrand
AJ = Myke Henry (shooter off the bench)
Thorne = Egwu (much worse defense, much better offense and rebounding)

Maybe Egwu's defensive versatility made all the difference. Maybe AJ, DJW, and Kipper won't offer comparable value to Bertrand/Henry. Maybe this year's team won't demonstrate the same tenacity and character as Groce's first team. On paper, though, I think we look like a souped up version of the 2012-13 roster. I think this could be a really good year!
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This also how I like to think of teams coming together. Who plays what role successfully and compare it to a last successful team.

I will make one very minor nitpick (again just for my way of thinking). I'd combine the Henry/Bertrand role and the AJ/DJW/Kipper role. More of a what do you need for that situation in terms of energy/athleticism vs shooting, but probably spot minutes unless one of them just snaps, which would be a great problem to have.
 
#217      

Tevo

Tevo
Wilmette, IL
Tevo
miketherevelator said:
http://www.si.com/college-basketbal...r-jok-grayson-allen?xid=socialflow_twitter_si
[FONT=&quot]SI's Top 100 projected scorers this season[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Malcolm number 7.[/FONT]
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This is surprising to me. I expect Malcolm will be every bit as good as last year, and likely better, but I also believe we'll have much more distributed scoring that last year, with The Missing Pieces (Thorne, Black and Abrams) taking up a significant chunk of the offensive production. We lose Kendrick's 15ppg, but if Thorne and Black combine for 18 a night, and Abrams scores 8, that takes up all of Kendrick's load plus some, and doesn't leave any room for JCL to score more, or for any of the other guys.

This, of course, assumes the same level of total scoring, but even if we increase from 72 to 76 ppg, that still isn't much. I'd expect Hill's PPG to actually drop a few from last season.
 
#218      

icengineer

I
Southern Illinois
icengineer
Tevo said:
This is surprising to me. I expect Malcolm will be every bit as good as last year, and likely better, but I also believe we'll have much more distributed scoring that last year, with The Missing Pieces (Thorne, Black and Abrams) taking up a significant chunk of the offensive production. We lose Kendrick's 15ppg, but if Thorne and Black combine for 18 a night, and Abrams scores 8, that takes up all of Kendrick's load plus some, and doesn't leave any room for JCL to score more, or for any of the other guys.

This, of course, assumes the same level of total scoring, but even if we increase from 72 to 76 ppg, that still isn't much. I'd expect Hill's PPG to actually drop a few from last season.
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Let's just let Hill have his 18 per game and everyone else will score 5-10/game. I'm cool with that. :thumb:
 
#220      

Ga65

G
Ga65
Defense

We have no chance unless the defense is significantly better. However, I believe it will be as well as much better rebounding. If we score the same we will be in very good shape.
 
#222      

icengineer

I
Southern Illinois
icengineer
Bogey99 said:
That's only 23-28 points per game. Doubt we make the tourney unless our D really steps up! ;)
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You're just looking at it differently then I. With a 9 man rotation and an average of say 7.5pts/player plus Hill's 18 That's a cool 78 pts/game. I think we can win lots of games at that rate. Our PPG last year was 72 so a 6 pt improvement, and a better D, should translate to several more wins.:thumb:
 
#223      

CAHALL15

C
Central Illinois
CAHALL15
Obelix said:
We went the entertainment route in the past and it was much worse than the basketball focused scrimmage. The problem is not the venue or content. Step 1 is getting fans to attend. We have not been able to get the crowds in the past. What makes these events a success is that UK, MSU, IU, KU etc. get sold out crowds that are excited to see the basketball team. It is not the cheeesy appearances and impersonations by Self and Izzo and the fake rap/dance contests that make these events a success.

If you can't get the crowds, you got nothing. Without a few NCAA appearances, top recruiting classes, etc. we will not get the crowds, so entertainment would be lame. JMO.
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Totally agree. Who wants to come watch an NIT/bubble team? Those with successful preseason events are always in the tournament and generally are top 25 ranked teams who have highly coveted recruits.
 
#224      

Deleted member 11241

D
Guest
Deleted member 11241
I'm going to be driving up to watch the Detroit game on Nov 18 and staying overnight and going to the volleyball game against Ohio St on the 19th. Need suggestions on good hotels to stay at. Thanks in advance
 
#225      

Illinifanatic4ever

Illinifanatic4ever
Orange & Blue Blood in my Veins
Illinifanatic4ever
IlliniGman said:
I'm going to be driving up to watch the Detroit game on Nov 18 and staying overnight and going to the volleyball game against Ohio St on the 19th. Need suggestions on good hotels to stay at. Thanks in advance
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Might be hard getting a hotel this late because football game against Iowa on the 19th. Might check out the Drury Inn but they could be booked up like most will be.