I tried looking this up without any luck. Does anyone happen to know if we are playing in a preseason tournament next season?
That was definitely the highlight of our season…I tried looking this up without any luck. Does anyone happen to know if we are playing in a preseason tournament next season?
I feel like it's pretty easy to draw an analogy between the NCAA tournament and the Triple Crown horse races, which still get quite high TV ratings and remain a sort of common cultural staple, filling out brackets=girls dressing up with fancy hats, but where the underlying sport was once a massive thriving business and spectator activity that had a big mindshare in the sports and entertainment world, it's now just a super niche thing that nonetheless is in the public eye a few times a year.And I think that's what Gritty is getting at - you will always have a group of diehard fans, and even some fans "without a connection" (i.e., neither alumni nor townies) will remain avid fans, as well; however, if recent trends continue for several years down the road, I do think you will start to lose a significant chunk of the fans that turn college sports into such a massive industry. And thus, it very well might become more niche, ala the examples he gave.
This is so depressing and so easy to see happening, lol. $hlt.
We'd make one helluva backcourt.YEAH! I got 6'4, 280 lbs. of slow, 66 year old arthritic, surgically repaired die hard Illini basketball player who can clear 8 sheets of hard stock paper with his jump just ready to lay it on the line for the beloved!
We'd make one helluva backcourt.
I certainly grew up in the era of coaches being stoned "motivators". See the movie "One on One" with Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole (ah, be still my beating heart - I've always had a special place for that sultry redhead). Loved that movie back in '77 when it came out . . .
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Lol - I’m gonna have to ask TA and Brad for permission to share that whole story … Bits and pieces have come out but the whole story probably never will …
That is one interesting take! Some players stay calm and cool. Ch seems to let the other team speed him up and he just makes a lot of bad passes. I don't normally criticize players, but he just needs to calm down.As
As frustrating as his many turnovers were, I think a lot of his bad passes were a result of the other players not being in proper position. How many times did he make crazy cross court passes and how many times was it because no one else was near him to receive an easier pass?
The problem is what is Underwood supposed to do when at least half the freshman leave after their freshman year? He has to supplement those defections with transfers to fill those holes left behind(that has had to be the case for Miller, Curbelo, Podz, now Skyy Clark). My belief is some of these freshman are being promised things or under the impression of promises and when they don't get their way, their inner circle gets in their heads and makes them believe this is not the right situation for them to make it to the NBA.I'm with you, way too many fans content to see the Illini play "Transfer Portal Roulette" every year. Being reliant on Senior Transfers and Freshmen that end up leaving just to make the first round is not an appealing direction yet appears where we're heading...
Some schools get old/stay old and have minimal defections...such as Michigan St and Purdue. Underwood will need to figure out how to get the types of guys who won't just move on to supposed greener pastures but get loyal guys. It's very hard to do in this day and age. it probably starts with getting players in your own backyard who have a vested interest in seeing Illinois succeed...like an Ayo Dosunmu. How many Chicago area prospects have the Illini gotten since Ayo? ZeroThe challenge going forward is if you take only HS recruits and the occasional transfer, you're not likely to ever get "old" as a team, as you will have transfers out. And if you rely heavily on the portal, you never build the long term cohesion needed to succeed. Either path is a Pyrrhic victory we'd rather not endure. I don't have the answer, but I hope the guy making millions does.
Based on what evidence? Why do you think college sports are toast?I feel like it's pretty easy to draw an analogy between the NCAA tournament and the Triple Crown horse races, which still get quite high TV ratings and remain a sort of common cultural staple, filling out brackets=girls dressing up with fancy hats, but where the underlying sport was once a massive thriving business and spectator activity that had a big mindshare in the sports and entertainment world, it's now just a super niche thing that nonetheless is in the public eye a few times a year.
Sometimes culture just moves on and there's nothing you can do. But with college football and basketball, and with MLB, I think as of 10-20 years ago there were very strong prospects for them to remain extremely popular cultural fixtures. I'm still cautiously optimistic on MLB, but college sports is well down the path to decline at this point based on decisions they've made that you're all sick to death of me whining about .
But you see in it that post above. This gnawing sense that none of this is grounded in any context anymore. That's a totally different nature of complaint than an old coot yelling about the Fab Five's baggy shorts or something.
I expect RJ back
I hope so.I expect RJ back
meh?