Illini Basketball 2019-2020

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#601      
As a point of reference, Giorgi was the first freshman post player to average more than 20 min/game since James. Next highest was Leron at 14.8 min/game (going back to James). Last year, Giorgi was basically playing until he got into foul trouble, and even then he averaged 26. Given that we expect to have more post depth this year, I don't think Kofi will be nearly that high. My guess is Kofi will be around 20 assuming things go well.
Believe most of the previous strong post players were backups to upper classman so their minutes were limited. Kofi's will be dependent on whether we get Holyfield and Samba's progression. I think your 20 mins is a good guesstimate.
 
#602      

UncleBob

San Clemente, CA
Talk to your doctor. I would suggest Xanax.


And this....

1556140508125.jpeg
 
#603      
Kofi spent a year in very isolated Virginia, Illinois will seem like a metropolis. See him and Giorgi being well liked by student body.

On another note, Anthony Curbello would be a great get. True PG, reminds me of a Stockton type PG. Could see him with very high assist numbers. OA seems to be very solid with Caribbean players (Adonis, Feliz, Kofi, Trent).

Do you mean Andre Curbelo?
 
#604      
Kofi spent a year in very isolated Virginia, Illinois will seem like a metropolis. See him and Giorgi being well liked by student body.

On another note, Anthony Curbello would be a great get. True PG, reminds me of a Stockton type PG. Could see him with very high assist numbers. OA seems to be very solid with Caribbean players (Adonis, Feliz, Kofi, Trent).
Trent is from the Caribbean?
 
#608      
Haven't posted in awhile so I have some catching up to do!

So damn happy that Ayo is returning and Kofi signed. We WILL WIN!!
 
#609      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
If Kofi averages 20+ minutes as a freshman....it's going to be a very good year. The beginning of the season might keep it from getting that high, but by the end of the season he'll be 20 per. As mentioned before in here, conditioning and fouls will be his boogeymen. Standard B1G freshman big nemeses.
 
#610      
People were upset when I said there is real concern with Kofi producing. He just has a ton of work to do on his body. He really struggles to get up and down the court...in high school. He also fouls a lot and those fouls happen more often when you are tired.

BUT...the potential high low with Kofi and GeogreGy (nobody spells it right). Fake handoff to Ayo, fake to Trent, turn and drop it down to the big fella...wowza. That is the play that they sold to Kofi. He has good hands for a big guy which only helps this play.

Can someone explain why people are concerned with depth? This will be our deepest team in years if everyone stays. This is a real college basketball roster, the first one in I don't know how long...maybe since Weber was here.

Samba will be much improved. He has awesome footwork, he just didn't have the time to get into the rotation because of being late at the start of the season. HE will be so much better...lots of positive talk there.

Kofi will struggle to adjust imo, but he will have some really easy looks too. Good rebounder, posts up well and will only get better there.

Giorgi will be a much improved shooter. He was capable last season, but just never got comfortable. I think he knows he needs to shoot well outside in order to have any shot at the league. He is one of the hardest workers on the team...he will work on that shot until it works on him.

Ayo...a little nervous because he will want to work on his shot as well and I really don't think its his strength. But being told to shoot better from outside and get stronger by scouts will make him do both of those things...we will see if it is for the better.

Trent- Needed the offseason to get healthy...he was dinged up all season. Just need him to be more aggressive next season,

Dre- Think he is who he is. Wont see a huge jump, but that's ok. He was the best player on our team for stretches.

AG- Shooters shoot. Watch out for a monster jump this season (I just hope that jump doesn't take him elsewhere)

TJ- Another expected huge leap. Had the suspension, but if he keeps a positive attitude this dude has as much NBA potential as anyone on the team.

Monte- Takes over AJ role as the stopper. I want to see him get aggressive on offense so bad, but I just don't think it is the player he will ever be. Its a mental thing with him...skill level is there.

Kip- Rumor is he may get passed up on the depth chart. Coach was just never happy with him because he knows how much potential Kip has. Again, like monte it is a mental thing...skill is there.

TJ- will start. Just an all around player. To win the award he did last season was pretty remarkable. Fits in right away to our offense and defense.

Coach is set to add a new look to our defense. Apparently he is going to work more full court stuff into the mix.
 
#611      

ivwilsoniv

Aurora, IL
People were upset when I said there is real concern with Kofi producing. He just has a ton of work to do on his body. He really struggles to get up and down the court...in high school. He also fouls a lot and those fouls happen more often when you are tired.

BUT...the potential high low with Kofi and GeogreGy (nobody spells it right). Fake handoff to Ayo, fake to Trent, turn and drop it down to the big fella...wowza. That is the play that they sold to Kofi. He has good hands for a big guy which only helps this play.

Can someone explain why people are concerned with depth? This will be our deepest team in years if everyone stays. This is a real college basketball roster, the first one in I don't know how long...maybe since Weber was here.

Samba will be much improved. He has awesome footwork, he just didn't have the time to get into the rotation because of being late at the start of the season. HE will be so much better...lots of positive talk there.

Kofi will struggle to adjust imo, but he will have some really easy looks too. Good rebounder, posts up well and will only get better there.

Giorgi will be a much improved shooter. He was capable last season, but just never got comfortable. I think he knows he needs to shoot well outside in order to have any shot at the league. He is one of the hardest workers on the team...he will work on that shot until it works on him.

Ayo...a little nervous because he will want to work on his shot as well and I really don't think its his strength. But being told to shoot better from outside and get stronger by scouts will make him do both of those things...we will see if it is for the better.

Trent- Needed the offseason to get healthy...he was dinged up all season. Just need him to be more aggressive next season,

Dre- Think he is who he is. Wont see a huge jump, but that's ok. He was the best player on our team for stretches.

AG- Shooters shoot. Watch out for a monster jump this season (I just hope that jump doesn't take him elsewhere)

TJ- Another expected huge leap. Had the suspension, but if he keeps a positive attitude this dude has as much NBA potential as anyone on the team.

Monte- Takes over AJ role as the stopper. I want to see him get aggressive on offense so bad, but I just don't think it is the player he will ever be. Its a mental thing with him...skill level is there.

Kip- Rumor is he may get passed up on the depth chart. Coach was just never happy with him because he knows how much potential Kip has. Again, like monte it is a mental thing...skill is there.

TJ- will start. Just an all around player. To win the award he did last season was pretty remarkable. Fits in right away to our offense and defense.

Coach is set to add a new look to our defense. Apparently he is going to work more full court stuff into the mix.

Who is the second TJ you're talking about? Holyfield? The first TJ is Tevian.
 
#612      
With Giorgi at four, imagine him as the second cutter. Cuts into the lane, can score if he gts the ball. If he doesn't, he then post on the block.
 
#614      
If Kofi averages 20+ minutes as a freshman....it's going to be a very good year. The beginning of the season might keep it from getting that high, but by the end of the season he'll be 20 per. As mentioned before in here, conditioning and fouls will be his boogeymen. Standard B1G freshman big nemeses.


Assuming Kofi comes in by June, do people really thing this staff won't get him in good shape by November? I sure don't. He made big strides in conditioning according to the Oak Hill people, so it sure sounds like he's willing. If so, I have zero concern that he'll hold up for that 20 mins/game.
 
#615      
People were upset when I said there is real concern with Kofi producing. He just has a ton of work to do on his body. He really struggles to get up and down the court...in high school. He also fouls a lot and those fouls happen more often when you are tired.

BUT...the potential high low with Kofi and GeogreGy (nobody spells it right). Fake handoff to Ayo, fake to Trent, turn and drop it down to the big fella...wowza. That is the play that they sold to Kofi. He has good hands for a big guy which only helps this play.

Can someone explain why people are concerned with depth? This will be our deepest team in years if everyone stays. This is a real college basketball roster, the first one in I don't know how long...maybe since Weber was here.

Samba will be much improved. He has awesome footwork, he just didn't have the time to get into the rotation because of being late at the start of the season. HE will be so much better...lots of positive talk there.

Kofi will struggle to adjust imo, but he will have some really easy looks too. Good rebounder, posts up well and will only get better there.

Giorgi will be a much improved shooter. He was capable last season, but just never got comfortable. I think he knows he needs to shoot well outside in order to have any shot at the league. He is one of the hardest workers on the team...he will work on that shot until it works on him.

Ayo...a little nervous because he will want to work on his shot as well and I really don't think its his strength. But being told to shoot better from outside and get stronger by scouts will make him do both of those things...we will see if it is for the better.

Trent- Needed the offseason to get healthy...he was dinged up all season. Just need him to be more aggressive next season,

Dre- Think he is who he is. Wont see a huge jump, but that's ok. He was the best player on our team for stretches.

AG- Shooters shoot. Watch out for a monster jump this season (I just hope that jump doesn't take him elsewhere)

TJ- Another expected huge leap. Had the suspension, but if he keeps a positive attitude this dude has as much NBA potential as anyone on the team.

Monte- Takes over AJ role as the stopper. I want to see him get aggressive on offense so bad, but I just don't think it is the player he will ever be. Its a mental thing with him...skill level is there.

Kip- Rumor is he may get passed up on the depth chart. Coach was just never happy with him because he knows how much potential Kip has. Again, like monte it is a mental thing...skill is there.

TJ- will start. Just an all around player. To win the award he did last season was pretty remarkable. Fits in right away to our offense and defense.

Coach is set to add a new look to our defense. Apparently he is going to work more full court stuff into the mix.
Sounds like you have some info the rest of us lack. TJ pretty much of a sure thing? Samba much improved? Defense to be adjusted?
Assume if TJ starts Kofi won't and that would surprise me. (Not saying you are wrong but would be surprised). There will be plenty of minutes in either case. If TJ comes and Samba is much improved, we will have a very good year IMO.
 
#616      

skyIdub

Winged Warrior
Assuming Kofi comes in by June, do people really thing this staff won't get him in good shape by November? I sure don't. He made big strides in conditioning according to the Oak Hill people, so it sure sounds like he's willing. If so, I have zero concern that he'll hold up for that 20 mins/game.

My comment wasn't in reference to him being able to hold up for 20 mpg.....it's the combined rigors of conditioning and the learning curve to be effective for an average of 20 mpg.

If he manages to do something similar to Giorgi....(which is where I was going with my comment)...and average 20 mpg for the full season....that means it's going to be a very good season. That is serious contributions from a 7' freshman in the B1G.
 
#617      
Assuming Kofi comes in by June, do people really thing this staff won't get him in good shape by November? I sure don't. He made big strides in conditioning according to the Oak Hill people, so it sure sounds like he's willing. If so, I have zero concern that he'll hold up for that 20 mins/game.
He's 6'10 290. Yes, I don't think it's crazy to think he will be limited in some way by his conditioning, especially considering the tempo we will want to be playing at. Combine that with the fouls that will likely be an issue for him at various times throughout the season, and 20 min/game seems like a fair estimate. We'll have to wait and see.
 
#619      
He's 6'10 290. Yes, I don't think it's crazy to think he will be limited in some way by his conditioning, especially considering the tempo we will want to be playing at. Combine that with the fouls that will likely be an issue for him at various times throughout the season, and 20 min/game seems like a fair estimate. We'll have to wait and see.

I agree, 20 minutes seems reasonable.
 
#620      
Ayo...a little nervous because he will want to work on his shot as well and I really don't think its his strength. But being told to shoot better from outside and get stronger by scouts will make him do both of those things...we will see if it is for the better.

OK, you CAN'T mean that Ayo shouldn't work on his shot since it isn't his strength, right? When something isn't your strength then you're supposed to work on it. I assume you were trying to convey something other than what I read. I think that Ayo is a good enough all-around player that if he works on his shooting and bulks and strengthens up, he's NBA ready.
 
#621      
Thing I'm most looking forward to next season... Everyone will be a year older and experienced. Can't understate the impact of Freshmen becoming Sophomores, Sophomores becoming Juniors, etc. #GoILLINI
 
#622      
OK, you CAN'T mean that Ayo shouldn't work on his shot since it isn't his strength, right? When something isn't your strength then you're supposed to work on it. I assume you were trying to convey something other than what I read. I think that Ayo is a good enough all-around player that if he works on his shooting and bulks and strengthens up, he's NBA ready.
I'm guessing what he MEANS is that Ayo has to prove to the NBA folks that his shot is better and thus focus on showing that, which may lead to bad shots or too many shots. It would be hard being a college athlete that is probably an NBA player if you improve "this or that" and you try to balance personal goals vs. team goals.
 
#625      

jmilt7

Waukegan
Speaking of that, do we know if he is going to enroll for summer??

Apparently, yes, according to the interview video above. BU mentioned classes and being here in June around June 10. If I understood it correctly, June 10th is when summer classes begin so actual arrival may be before that I suppose
 
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