DeonThomas
- South Carolina
I like hearing this from a trusted source. TYThink Belo and Trent both could have played tonight if they REALLY needed them.
I like hearing this from a trusted source. TYThink Belo and Trent both could have played tonight if they REALLY needed them.
BBVs play yesterday makes me feel much better about the giant hole Kofi leaves in the lineup at Center next season.This game actually solidified the 9-man rotation for me, with lots of offense coming off the bench:
G - Frazier
G - Curbelo
F - DaMonte
F - Grandison
C - Kofi
Bench - Hawkins (lots of growth between FR and SO seasons!)
Bench - Hutcherson (can we ever get him healthy!)
Bench - Payne (behind Kofi at the 5, exclusively)
Bench - Plummer (trusted; played 36 min on Tuesday; sharp shooter; smooth and under control)
Fighting to get into the rotation, and ready to play when injuries hit:
* BBV (showed lots of promise and lots of upside)
* Goode - very solid FR; can hit some shots for us
* Melendez - very nice spring in his legs; I really like this guy; will play lots of minutes over his Illini career
Struggling to see the floor this year:
* Podz (red shirt?)
* Lieb (hope he keeps developing; lots of minutes available in 2022-23 and beyond!)
Hope you are right but Plummer and Payne haven’t been impressive to me. In a game with Kofi out, BBV has more minutes than Payne. Plum played a lot of minutes but we were three guards down. He did make some plays at the end but think the majority of minutes will be the three that didn’t play.This game actually solidified the 9-man rotation for me, with lots of offense coming off the bench:
G - Frazier
G - Curbelo
F - DaMonte
F - Grandison
C - Kofi
Bench - Hawkins (lots of growth between FR and SO seasons!)
Bench - Hutcherson (can we ever get him healthy!)
Bench - Payne (behind Kofi at the 5, exclusively)
Bench - Plummer (trusted; played 36 min on Tuesday; sharp shooter; smooth and under control)
Fighting to get into the rotation, and ready to play when injuries hit:
* BBV (showed lots of promise and lots of upside)
* Goode - very solid FR; can hit some shots for us
* Melendez - very nice spring in his legs; I really like this guy; will play lots of minutes over his Illini career
Struggling to see the floor this year:
* Podz (red shirt?)
* Lieb (hope he keeps developing; lots of minutes available in 2022-23 and beyond!)
Missed this when going over the box score this AM. Mikey likey!Big takeaways Jake is good good. Coleman too. BBV still big and strong and now serviceable. The team had 16 assists on 24 FG with no point guard. Gonna be a fun season!
He can thank Young on JSU for making 4 straight rainbow 3s in the second half. They looked like prayers and all were answered.Wheres the guy that took Jackson State +26. Had it locked down
I thought Grandison looked way more athletic out there yesterday than he ever did last year from a speed/quickness standpoint. I know we threw him some lobs last year too. Maybe it was him being more aggressive and decisive in a different role yesterday, and having a year of experience with the team already. I'm not sure but he looked way better to me.For me Grandison had the best performance. He was leading scorer and he did it within the framework that he’ll be used during the season. He is just so professional out there.
I'd like to see it vs. big ten opponents before I believe it.BBVs play yesterday makes me feel much better about the giant hole Kofi leaves in the lineup at Center next season.
BBV actually played impactful minutes in the big ten tournament. Pull some of the highlight clips and you should see him go. He can be a solid role player for usI'd like to see it vs. big ten opponents before I believe it.
Any sort of positive play from him is encouraging, I wasn't expecting much of anything and was pleasantly surprised by his passing and rebounding.I'd like to see it vs. big ten opponents before I believe it.
He played 3 minutes against Rutgers and 3 minutes against Iowa and did not score. Am I missing something?BBV actually played impactful minutes in the big ten tournament. Pull some of the highlight clips and you should see him go. He can be a solid role player for us
Plummer is going to have to play a fair amount of minutes. We have very little depth at guard.Hope you are right but Plummer and Payne haven’t been impressive to me. In a game with Kofi out, BBV has more minutes than Payne. Plum played a lot of minutes but we were three guards down. He did make some plays at the end but think the majority of minutes will be the three that didn’t play.
The game of basketball isn't limited to scoring. He was impactful on defense and had a presence overall during the tournament. He was not sent in those games to prioritize scoring. It was to play defense and have a presence. He did that.He played 3 minutes against Rutgers and 3 minutes against Iowa and did not score. Am I missing something?
I want the guy to succeed, but I don't think he has yet proven he is any sort of solution for the hole that Kofi leaves., which is what I was responding to. I hope we can see that this year. Role player would be great, but we need more than that coming from somewhere.
Technically, it's impossible to miss half our starters. Just sayin'.............
I saw growth in Hawkins, but also a long way to go to fulfill his potential.This game actually solidified the 9-man rotation for me, with lots of offense coming off the bench:
G - Frazier
G - Curbelo
F - DaMonte
F - Grandison
C - Kofi
Bench - Hawkins (lots of growth between FR and SO seasons!)
Bench - Hutcherson (can we ever get him healthy!)
Bench - Payne (behind Kofi at the 5, exclusively)
Bench - Plummer (trusted; played 36 min on Tuesday; sharp shooter; smooth and under control)
Fighting to get into the rotation, and ready to play when injuries hit:
* BBV (showed lots of promise and lots of upside)
* Goode - very solid FR; can hit some shots for us
* Melendez - very nice spring in his legs; I really like this guy; will play lots of minutes over his Illini career
Struggling to see the floor this year:
* Podz (red shirt?)
* Lieb (hope he keeps developing; lots of minutes available in 2022-23 and beyond!)
To your point about BBV: I have news for you, he is going to be larger and more physical than most people on most teams.I saw growth in Hawkins, but also a long way to go to fulfill his potential.
Plummer will not be relied upon to create his own shot. he's a pass and shoot guy only.
BBV - I see this more as an outlier for now. I don't doubt he has improved and can be a solid breather for the team once in a while, but he was just a larger, more physical person than the Jackson state had and thus was able to succeed. I don't think I'm ready yet to say he has lots of promise and lots of upside as we did when he came in as a freshman during exhibition and dubbed him the next heir apparent.
Podz - I think he is further away than we think, especially when compared to Goode and Melendez which is funny given how scared everyone was about him decommitting when we lost Chin. I still think he could be a good player. I love that he was identified as the one with the biggest chip on his shoulder. I hope he turns into a Lucas Johnson type for us that is scrappy, energetic, and can drain an outside shot once in a while.
I think this is a big undersell on Podz. Nothing against Lucas Johnson.I saw growth in Hawkins, but also a long way to go to fulfill his potential.
Plummer will not be relied upon to create his own shot. he's a pass and shoot guy only.
BBV - I see this more as an outlier for now. I don't doubt he has improved and can be a solid breather for the team once in a while, but he was just a larger, more physical person than the Jackson state had and thus was able to succeed. I don't think I'm ready yet to say he has lots of promise and lots of upside as we did when he came in as a freshman during exhibition and dubbed him the next heir apparent.
Podz - I think he is further away than we think, especially when compared to Goode and Melendez which is funny given how scared everyone was about him decommitting when we lost Chin. I still think he could be a good player. I love that he was identified as the one with the biggest chip on his shoulder. I hope he turns into a Lucas Johnson type for us that is scrappy, energetic, and can drain an outside shot once in a while.
Agree with the defensive part but (at this stage of the season) they're the 2nd lowest KenPom rating we face this year.I think some people aren’t giving Jackson Stare enough credit. They were undefeated in their conference regular season last year and were ranked 5th in the nation in defensive efficiency.
They’re a solid, well-coached team with a strong defensive identity. Easily the best low-major we play this year and the exact kind of team that could bite a higher-ranked team playing without its primary ball handlers.
I played myself so I can appreciate that there is more than scoring. Rutgers was mop up time, and consisted of a missed shot, a turnover, and 2 rebounds. Against Iowa he literally had no stats. Not that we would expect much from six minutes, but he didn't prove much either. My whole point is jury is still out on being a material contributor during crunch time against high end competition. Maybe he's already proven he can fill minutes here and there. FWIW, he's been the one guy I've wanted to succeed, so I am hoping for the best.The game of basketball isn't limited to scoring. He was impactful on defense and had a presence overall during the tournament. He was not sent in those games to prioritize scoring. It was to play defense and have a presence. He did that.
Well, we usually start six, including two point guards: Bad Belo and Good Belo. Am confident that those two personalities will fuse during November.Technically, it's impossible to miss half our starters. Just sayin'.............