Go Dolphins :thumb:
Not Illini related, but Slaughter seems to do well without big names. Granted his big names ( Okafor, White, Reynolds) ran into bigger names at Simeon (Parker, Nunn, Tate, Pollard etc) but still . . .
Lol.
Go Dolphins :thumb:
Not Illini related, but Slaughter seems to do well without big names. Granted his big names ( Okafor, White, Reynolds) ran into bigger names at Simeon (Parker, Nunn, Tate, Pollard etc) but still . . .
Lol.
...Tate...
He’s averaging 12 and 7 for a pro team in Canada. Kids progress, and regress, all the time.
...Tate...
He’s averaging 12 and 7 for a pro team in Canada. Kids progress, and regress, all the time.
We've often discussed how Groce couldn't land a difference making point guard until Lucas (which arguably isn't a true difference making guard). And now it seems Underwood is plagued with the same problem but with bigs. The more I think about it, Groce really didn't get any great post players either. Arguably Tilmon was the only legit post player that Groce got to sign with Illinois. So we were without a legit point guard or post his entire tenure. No wonder we are struggling so much this year.
Brad Underwood has had three players with an original commitment to him, two of them being big men. Whether they play major roles is yet to be seen, but Greg has shown tons of potential and Matic is 'a build from the bottom' prospect with a lot of potential.
Go Dolphins :thumb:
Not Illini related, but Slaughter seems to do well without big names. Granted his big names ( Okafor, White, Reynolds) ran into bigger names at Simeon (Parker, Nunn, Tate, Pollard etc) but still . . .
Over the course of Groce's tenure, many on this board slammed him for shooting for home runs when it came to PG recruits instead of going after the ones who were 3 start type guys but absolutely gettable. Now Underwood has basically done just what everyone suggests Groce should have done but with bigs in his first and only recruiting class, and yet that's not good enough either.
:huh:
If Matic stays, I think you'll see a big jump from him. I think he's still in the adjustment period to the US and college. Give him an offseason with Fletch. He passes well and sees the floor pretty well.
He seems to understand the offense better than most of the rest of the team. He's made a couple of first cutter passes where the recipients seemed surprised there was a basketball hitting them in the hands.
Most of the first cutters jog through their cuts and barely make it out all the way to the corner to clear for the second cutter. They just play for the pass to the pinch post and the wrap around handoff.
If Matic stays, I think you'll see a big jump from him. I think he's still in the adjustment period to the US and college. Give him an offseason with Fletch. He passes well and sees the floor pretty well.
Agree. I like him. He's aggressive and he's not afraid of contact. I'd like to see him play more. I think he needs more experience. What are we going to do if he plays? Lose?
I assume he can also shoot well, but I could be wrong. Haven't seen an attempt. Also, he's a lot quicker on his feet than Finke.
Watched Chris Peyton in Bloomington last night against Lincoln. 6'7", slender. Explosive leaper, decent ball handler, very unselfish passer, good teammate, limited offensively. In 32 minutes on the court he never attempted a shot outside of 5 feet. Scored 13 against a small team.
I'd keep an eye on this guy if only because of his extreme athleticism. I remember Ken Norman early in his career, never attempted anything beyond a layup (although he was very good at that, hence the name "Snake"). Developed a well rounded offensive game and became a very good pro. Maybe this guy is capable of expanding his game. He's young.
I would not expect to see him as an ILLINI, I know we need guys, but Peyton seems like a late bloomer, limited other than inside and even though a good passer, we need guys that are athletic with immediate upside. I would put peyton in latter category.