Illini Basketball 2022-2023

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#26      

ElGran

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ElGran
Bbuck21 said:
1989 Illini were one of the best 10 teams in college BB history. The versatility was unbelievable. Kenny Battle was considered the power forward (if you fell the necessity to position label each player) . He was no more 6'4" and was the point on that 1-2-2 full court press🤗
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Actually their position "labels" were quite accurate offensively. Bardo PG; Gill- SG; Nick - SF; Battle - PF; Hamilton - C. Those "labels" were very accurate - and all five of them actually fit those specific positions well.

Only on defense were they "positionless." And very much so - Battle and Bardo in particular, could guard all five positions.
 
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#27      

ddinsm

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ddinsm
ptgrd23 said:
I watched the Flying Illini manhandle Michigan at Assembly Hall January 1989 on B10 network last night. That was a fun team. Pressed full court most of the game. All 5 players could switch to guard any position. The athleticism of Battle, Gill, Anderson, Hamilton, Smith and Bardo was amazing.
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We have some great athletes on the 2023 team -- RJ, TSJ, Coleman and Matt M. Dain, Ty, Jayden and Skyy are unknowns at this time.

I am hoping that Brad brings back the full court press and run at every opportunity. Its how kids want to play these days and our team roster suits it.
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Sorry I missed it, available online or re airing sometime? How did it look, I have an old VHS copy somewhere but it probably looks like hell
 
#28      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
BretMyBeachHouse said:
Well I was. Others as well. Not exactly sure what happened that we lost him. But experience and maturity are worth a ton. He shot well and played a pretty smart game. People love the shiny new thing and lots of fans dismiss the tried and true.

Still think this is too low. I believe the board overrates CoHawk and RJ but this ranking grossly underrates Shannon and Mayer in my opinion.
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I believe I read that if Jake had re-upped right away, he would have been welcomed back with open arms. But when he decided to declare for draft, BU wasn’t going to hold a spot for him and recruited assuming he was gone. By the time he pulled out of draft, wasn’t much room for him. I don’t know if they told no room at the inn, but if he would have come back at that time he would have been in a reduced role. Probably decided he didn’t want that.
 
#29      

the juiceman cometh

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the juiceman cometh
RockfordIllini said:
If Jake is worth an extra 6-7 slots, there’s an argument to be made we are under ranked by 12-14 slots because we now have better players than Jake at the wing.
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Pretty sure he's not talking about Jake instead of Mayer or TSJ but Jake in addition to those guys.

I also think we're under ranked but I get it. We were ranked 19th in the final AP poll, 20th in the final Kenpom, got bounced in the 2nd round and lost our entire starting lineup. We added some great pieces but it's an entirely new team. I can see why having at least 1 starter back would ease some of the concerns of a national pundit as far as team ranking.

I am a firm believer this team has top 10 potential but that's a status that has to be earned on the court. It would be borderline crazy to rank us higher in the preseason than we ended last season after losing Kofi, Trent, etc., even while acknowledging that by the end of the year this team could be better than that team.
 
#30      

ElGran

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ElGran
EyeoftheIllini said:
I believe I read that if Jake had re-upped right away, he would have been welcomed back with open arms. But when he decided to declare for draft, BU wasn’t going to hold a spot for him and recruited assuming he was gone. By the time he pulled out of draft, wasn’t much room for him. I don’t know if they told no room at the inn, but if he would have come back at that time he would have been in a reduced role. Probably decided he didn’t want that.
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Agree totally. The coaching staff couldn't wait to see what he was going to do before adding more players. And we added two guys who would definitely have impacted his playing time.

Sort of the same principle as not waiting on Nance's decision and going with Mayer. You add pieces that can help you when you can.
 
#31      

SergioKittner

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SergioKittner
RockfordIllini said:
Agree. Jake was a star in his role, but his role was limited as you described above. Was a great player for us and I will miss him. And this isn’t a shot against Jake by any means, but both Mayer and Shannon >> Jake, and, honestly, decent chance Ty Rogers > Jake too. There’s a reason Jake moved on and it’s because we are absolutely loaded at the wing.

If Jake is worth an extra 6-7 slots, there’s an argument to be made we are under ranked by 12-14 slots because we now have better players than Jake at the wing.
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It will be interesting to see what they ask Jake to do and how well he does in his role for Duke. If it’s post dumps and open 3’s he will do really well. If they want him to handle and pass and do “more”, I think you’ll see some regression.
 
#32      

ElGran

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ElGran
SergioKittner said:
It will be interesting to see what they ask Jake to do and how well he does in his role for Duke. If it’s post dumps and open 3’s he will do really well. If they want him to handle and pass and do “more”, I think you’ll see some regression.
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I agree. I'm not sure what Duke's roster looks like (other than having a gazillion five stars). But if they need a guy that does the things you mention (feed the post and hit open 3s), he'll likely get playing time.
 
#33      

DMark59

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DMark59
If he thinks that he is going to get a lot of playing time at Duke with at least six 5 star players on their roster please give me some of what he's smoking
 
#38      

oldman

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oldman
Is Melendez bigger through the shoulders and arms? He could use some added bulk. His weight on the roster has not changed.
 
#39      

PIT_ILL

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PIT_ILL
BretMyBeachHouse said:
Well I was. Others as well. Not exactly sure what happened that we lost him. But experience and maturity are worth a ton. He shot well and played a pretty smart game. People love the shiny new thing and lots of fans dismiss the tried and true.

Still think this is too low. I believe the board overrates CoHawk and RJ but this ranking grossly underrates Shannon and Mayer in my opinion.
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I liked Jake as much as the next guy but no way Mayer isn't an upgrade. He is bigger, quicker, and has a championship ring.
 
#40      

PIT_ILL

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PIT_ILL
oldman said:
Is Melendez bigger through the shoulders and arms? He could use some added bulk. His weight on the roster has not changed.
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He looks a little bigger. I don't know that he will ever be as shredded as someone like Ayo. Clark on the other hand is going to be a monster after spending time with Fletch. He already looks like a Jr.
 
#41      

logjam

logjam
logjam
ElGran said:
Agree totally. The coaching staff couldn't wait to see what he was going to do before adding more players. And we added two guys who would definitely have impacted his playing time.

Sort of the same principle as not waiting on Nance's decision and going with Mayer. You add pieces that can help you when you can.
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Gotta take pie while pie is passin....
 
#43      

illiniguy

illiniguy
illiniguy
PIT_ILL said:
Mayer has a championship ring.
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So does JCL...

(although it took him 7 years to get it)

Friday The 13Th Scream GIF by Karla Delakidd
 
#47      

illinitiger

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illinitiger
DMark59 said:
And who will Edey be able to guard on are team when we go to our up-tempo style of play????
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Touche..

Edey may block a couple of Dain shots, clog the middle to prevent drives but Purdue will give up 60% 3p to us...and we win:)

Luckily history shows he is only in for ~20 min/game.

BTW, 80% from 2p is slightly better than 50% from 3p.
 
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