If you‘re going to be “every day guys“ , you have to be “ten toes in”. Sorry.
Arkansas 73, Illinois 63 Postgame
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PizzaHutParkingLot
- McPherson, KS
Really want Coleman back for another year. Truly think he can ascend to All-B1G level. CH, Ty, Sincere, and Luke are key to bringing back the fire Trent/DaMonte left.
He did have 6 turnovers today. He contributes some. But yes I love his talent. A lot was hung on his shoulders this yr. would be great if he came back but I don’t expect it.
The only thing I think Underwood has done better than his recent predecessors is hire Antigua, Coleman, Frazier and Anderson.
Tough way to end the year. Not much positive will come from this season. Hearing rumors of lots of departures, including ACs. It seems Brad sacrificed his culture this season. I hope he learned his lesson. It might take him a year or two to get back to the tournament….
What a D-Bag
uofi7477
- Silver & Gold Vandals
Did we underachieve by only being a 9 Seed to begin with...?
Dee_4_Three_83
- Mahomet, IL
Is this last year's post? Nevermind, you mean Assistant Coaches, not Andre Curbelo. Moving on.
And maybe BU? (promises to guys)
Yeah, the dude publicly called out his coach twice! You don’t do that-PERIOD.
1.) The first time he was seemingly talking out of both sides of his mouth…complaining about Underwood yelling(trying to instill some discipline…I would assume) and at the same time implying Underwood needing to take more of an active hand in quelling the dysfunction??
2.)The second time around…he bragged that he was the one dialing up the plays for
Brad to call FOR HIM. Yeah, nothing wrong with that at all.
I hate to be so blunt but this is what’s known. It’s out there. It’s not me extrapolating a bunch of junk.
Take Care Pru!
My thoughts on the game:
It was a playground game, and Arkansas had better players and far better athleticism. I felt their athleticism overwhelmed our guys. Nick Smith though, I mean if that guy is the best player in the 2022 class then that class was terrible. Wasn't impressed by him. As for Illinois, Underwood has shown he's just not an Xs and Os coach. He's not going to outscheme anyone. He's a roll the ball out coach.
As for the program, doesn't look real promising in the near future. Need guys back that may leave (Epps, Melendez, Hawkins). Underwood needs to prove he can win without Kofi
It was a playground game, and Arkansas had better players and far better athleticism. I felt their athleticism overwhelmed our guys. Nick Smith though, I mean if that guy is the best player in the 2022 class then that class was terrible. Wasn't impressed by him. As for Illinois, Underwood has shown he's just not an Xs and Os coach. He's not going to outscheme anyone. He's a roll the ball out coach.
As for the program, doesn't look real promising in the near future. Need guys back that may leave (Epps, Melendez, Hawkins). Underwood needs to prove he can win without Kofi
Seriously? We’re still trashing him even post-season? Yeah, you’re right. Him showing confidence and trying to instill some in his teammates in the days before the game is why we lost. Sorry, my bad … you’re not pinning it on him. Got it.
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You hit upon something important here: The overall changing relationship between Coach and Player in the Modern Era.
Here’s a theory: We live in a culture where people of all ages just feel more... ‘entitled’ to stuff. Add to that the fact that players now have much more control over the trajectory of their careers both with so many top college programs maybe promising the Moon to the top recruits before they get to campus AND with the ability to make money through NIL... plus the fact that they have been told probably since the 6th grade how GREAT they are on the court (and they can be the next ‘Big Thing’ one day).
(Many) Players just want things ‘now’. How does that dopey TV commercial go? ‘It’s MY money and I WANT IT NOW!’
NOT saying all players are like that. But many seem to be.
They all want the max playing time. They all want the attention. They all like the new power they feel in the relationship with the institution they (temporarily) play for. They all want to be THE MAN. (Again, not the team-oriented personalities and some of the best and mature talents. But ‘many’ like the lure of where the fame and money is to be mined, right? And that is Self-Promotion).
And so...
How does a coach find rights ways to navigate these perilous waters? How keep several highly talented players going in a team direction and in a frame of mind that they will LISTEN TO HIM? How does he forge a ‘Team’ from puzzle pieces with different ideas of how to best serve themself?
There is that small group of legacy rock-star coaches that gets more rapt attention from players because everyone knows their names and they’ve sent a bunch of guys to pro ball over the years. So the player might give a little.
But once you get past those maybe 12 or so coaches... the sway that many of the remaining coaches may have with players can start to melt away.
We know how the NBA handles this dilemma: The Players pretty much have all the power. The coach is a figurehead.
Only those in intimate circles really know how Coach Underwood related this Illini group and how much they really listened to him.
But the bottom line is that for now and tomorrow in the New Ball Age... you have to bring in really talented players... and then find a way to get them to LISTEN TO YOU.
Steelyunk
- Tobacco Road
I’ve never disliked an Illini team. And we’ve suffered some shite hoops. Love so many of the underclassmen on this team and hope they come back. Hope we make Coleman an offer he can’t refuse. Other than that… bring on football.
Honest question, where did this “built for March” stuff come from? Was that something BU said? I can’t say I followed the team particularly closely recently so I’m guessing I missed it.
Morbid, but I’ll accept it.
I didn't recognize this year's team...
I generally wish the best for those players that move on from the Illini, or at least I did in the pre-portal era. But after this childish BS of taking a break from basketball and the team midseason, then collecting all your NIL, then officially leaving the team when you have received it all, then trying to make yourself the focus when your former team loses in the NCAA, I wouldn't feel too bad about it if some Louisville hooker gives him Herpes Simplex 10 and his pro career highlight is playing for the Azov Aces in eastern Ukraine.
Frustrating to come out of timeouts and at half time and all we get is a 3 point shot. The spread is just not effective in my opinion. There were several plays in the spread where it could work with Shannon and going to his left yet we had a right hander going to the left side. 4 passes around the outside without cuts is not an offense. The game has to be the defense switch in ball screens and back cuts and find the match up you want. Also the cuts we do get in spread have to be for real. We accomplish more from the scissor cuts at the top vs the first 2 cuts on the spread.
I think many fans forget how awful we were prior to Underwood getting here.
It was essentially a rebuild this year, still a 20 win season (4th in a row, mind you), and you feel bad about the direction of the program.
I suppose that is so he can say he didn’t enter the portal until our season was over in response to the question of, “Why are you a selfish quitter who quit on your team mid-season as soon as you lost your starting job?”
Bye, and, well, bye.
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