Not every player is on the same learning curve. Hawkins has the size and length you need. He’s just needs to figure some things out. I miss the days when people understood that development is a process.
Arizona 83, Illinois 79 Postgame
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AZ is a very good team. They have length.size, can shoot. Kerr took over the game in the second half. What he did is what we miss with AC not playing.
The only other team in the BT with that type of athletes is PU. Win the BT baby.
The only other team in the BT with that type of athletes is PU. Win the BT baby.
The only thing that Coleman needs to figure out is if he's a Alpha dog or not!!!! If it wasn't for Plummer and Frazier and Granderson to a certain extent we would have been blown out of the game!! We do not need another Ben Simmons.
The liability that shut down Harper or slowed down K. Murray until he fouled out?
MSU and Michigan have found this out.
OK, I watched the game replay 4 times and poured over the stat sheet for 3 hours, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the Illini lost because Brad dressed casual instead of donning the orange blazer. Can’t expect a team to play their best if coach can’t be bothered with looking his best.
One crazy thing that I don’t think has been mentioned is that Trent Frazier did not take a shot from 11:21 in the second half to 0:07. Not just didn’t score — did not take a shot. He was the leading scorer at the time with 24 points and then nothing. Was AZ over playing him that much? That just seems crazy to me.
A lot of mental mistakes as mentioned before. What really gets me irritated is watching Hawkins commit weak fouls. The coaching staff needs to tell him man up dude, if he’s going to foul then FOUL! And as for Plummer thank god for the transfer portal.
Point guard is not the most important player at Illinois. If we were to lose Kofi we would probably not win 5 more conference games.
Trent addressed this indirectly in the post game presser. They doubled him, which “created opportunities for his teammates”. Specifically, Grandison was wide open for a few shots. If teams want to double Trent or Kofi, then they are likely leaving one of our 40% three point shooters wide open. Pick your poison.
Coleman is still developing. This was a tough test for him. An excellent learning experience. The first time I’ve seen him guarding a 6-11 240 lb power forward. We are asking Coleman to do a lot. He’s playing the point at times, but then expected to shut down a big. His perimeter defense and ability to frustrate smaller players didn’t translate well last night. I still think Coleman has improved a lot over the past season and he has a very high ceiling. His performances against RHJ and KM were lights out.
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As our primary ball handler. Slashing to the basket. Getting the ball in Kofi’s hands when he is open and not double teamed. Taking care of the ball at the end of the game. Rebounds, guarding a guy like Kerr. The list goes on.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
That's about how much elevation I got on my jumper in high school, so that counts!My observation was on the final two that clanked short he didn't seem even to leave the floor and, of course, that usually indicates fatigue late in the game and the lack of juice to make the shot that deep.
I'm not going to complain too much. He's an important scorer for us.
The key is that your last sentence needs to be understood by both sides. I do think that some of the negativity directed at Hawk and others sometimes is a reaction to the over the top praise that is given out. During the preseason and early going, I’ve seen posts saying Hawk will be our third AA, could be a candidate for leaving early and he’s the Illini’s best pro prospect. So when he has a bad game or stretch, some people are reacting to “yeah, right, he’s an All American. BU’s over the top praise I think plays into this too. I know he’s just motivating players, but he may be creating unreasonable expectations in the fans’ eyes at the same time.
I like Hawk and he certainly shows promise — though never been on the Hawk Hype Train — but he’s still a work in progress. Give him room to grow without getting down on him, but at the same time don’t call him the next Durant when he makes a shot.
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Agree… needs to
Stop with the reach fouls.
I've read this as well....but how long will it take for Belo to get back to being effectively game ready....I mean does anyone know if AC has been doing any basketball related activities the past 3 weeks??? Has he been able to run, shoot, do any passing or ball handling drills???....If not then I suspect AC will not be back to game form for some time. Good thing is that I think we have several games in a row that would afford him the opportunity to play his way back to 100% before we hit the hardest stretch of our schedule. Either way we need him back ASAP
I think he wasn’t in very good shooting position for those late misses. One thing I’ve noticed with Jake is I can almost always tell if he is going to make or miss a 3 based on his pre-shot shooting position. When he’s in good position and set well, he almost always makes it. When he isn’t, I know he’s going to miss.
My observation was on the final two that clanked short he didn't seem even to leave the floor and, of course, that usually indicates fatigue late in the game and the lack of juice to make the shot that deep.
I'm not going to complain too much. He's an important scorer for us.
Hawkins had a couple of great assists at really big points in the game.
I agree. Kofi did figure out how to attack the AZ centers in the 2nd half. We need to learn to throw the ball into Kofi immediately when we break the press. We break the press and keep letting the other team get into their half-court D and then try to throw the ball into him. BU may not want to get into a running game but, we still need to punish teams for pressing us. Also, BU needs to understand that teams are jumping our passing lanes (both Iowa and AZ did this all game) and make adjustments mid-game. Great game! We just came up a couple of big shots short.
I had no problem with only 4 guys scoring. Always feed the hot hand. Trent and Plummer were microwaves and you still have to feed Kofi.
Hawkins was just one of many young guys to be a little hesitant on the big stage.
I mean, think about it, this was a top 10 opponent, in a packed house, with an incredible atmosphere and do or die (sort of) expectations.
This was basically a S16/E8/F4 tourney game and the bright lights were on.
Coleman and a few of his fellow underclassmen simply got a bit of stage fright and stumbled through their lines.
However, I’ve always subscribed to the idea that getting really good at certain situations means being in those situations.
Some people are deathly afraid of driving, but get them behind the wheel and eventually a drive to the store becomes mundane and regular. I could rattle off so many other examples of this, but I know I don’t need to.
The big stage and bright lights is what we want. Luckily the B1G schedule will provide plenty of chances to get acclimated.
Coleman and the freshman will be better because of it…but they aren’t there yet. (I mean, we ALL saw that hook shot air ball right?? Hang in there CoHawk!)
I mean, think about it, this was a top 10 opponent, in a packed house, with an incredible atmosphere and do or die (sort of) expectations.
This was basically a S16/E8/F4 tourney game and the bright lights were on.
Coleman and a few of his fellow underclassmen simply got a bit of stage fright and stumbled through their lines.
However, I’ve always subscribed to the idea that getting really good at certain situations means being in those situations.
Some people are deathly afraid of driving, but get them behind the wheel and eventually a drive to the store becomes mundane and regular. I could rattle off so many other examples of this, but I know I don’t need to.
The big stage and bright lights is what we want. Luckily the B1G schedule will provide plenty of chances to get acclimated.
Coleman and the freshman will be better because of it…but they aren’t there yet. (I mean, we ALL saw that hook shot air ball right?? Hang in there CoHawk!)
We actually had more offensive rebounds than AZ for the game. There were a few times that it seemed like there were a couple of players waiting for someone else to grab the ball. Hawk just needs to look for his shot more.
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