Illini Basketball 2023-2024
- Status
All three teams had losing records last year and they all have new head coaches for next year.
I know that Joe Biggs is responsible for putting our schedule together. I assume that Underwood plays a significant role in selecting the opponents.
Kilgore Trout
- Driftless Region
Loved that place and the pizza. My dad was friends with the owners and I spent a lot of time there with him. Do they still have the "backward" clock behind the bar?
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
not seeing it with DGL, at least this season, but will be delighted to wrong:
Based on positional opportunity, it may be right.
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
I'll be really surprised if our roster is set.
Yes indeed regarding the backwards clock.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Either way, I'm excited to see another quality Illini team this year. On paper a solid 4-5 seed team, sign me up for that every season for the rest of my life please.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Don't let anyone take that from you.
Torvik doesn't really see any abilities, or usage of Sencire and/or Ty this upcoming year. Also, they don't see any freshmen helping, or even playing unlike they do other schools. He must really have the inside scopp.
Illinois 2024 Projected Roster & - Customizable College Basketball Tempo Free Stats - T-Rank
T-Rank College Basketball Ratings and Rankings. And fun.
barttorvik.com
Assuming Hawk, Dain, and Guerrier are healthy (please!), it will be tough for Amani to get much playing time. He would have to be really good to steal minutes from those three.
He will be running the point.
Well done my friend. PG by committee - why not give everyone a try!
That is heavily optimistic. Realistically if they don't add a PG, we're looking at a 9-10 seed, which means it can get bubbly really fast.
if healthy, no chance
I’d guess the same, maybe a bit better than last year. But if they add a capable PG or Williams is healthy and eligible, my prediction would be about a 3 seed.
Someone put a bowl of cottage cheese on the ground... It turned to madness as you would expectI hope that upper right photo isn’t representative of the offense with Ty running at PG.
Random Scattered Thoughts:
1.“I don’t care about position.” I want the best players.” That was Brad Underwood at a presser a couple of seasons ago…
I suppose that’s sometimes/often true. (Jordan WAS a better get than Bowie.)My point is…how much do you suppose Brad leans into this idea? And, how much does that govern his thought process in roster construction? For a guy who played guard he seems like more of a wingman. Lol
2. How much of the offensive woes from last season…are really on Geoff?
I will say the 5-O stuff seemed pretty awful if that was him. But it’s so hard to say with the lack of coach-ability of that team. As to Geoff…I don’t know obv. I am asking…Is a lot of Brad’s frustration with Geoff…that he’s simply not Stephen Gentry for lack of better way to say it. (Who BU apparently enjoyed bouncing ideas off of…and had a kind of shorthand with…) Pretty sure, by most metrics offensive efficiency (and the like) increased under Gentry.
He put Trent/Ayo & Kofi in a lot of ball screens and ran some bang for the buck, wham-bam NBA sets. Quick immediate actions that suited the personnel. But I think it is a bit of revisionist history to say the Spread wasn’t efficient. Because it definitely WAS. Look at what Brad did with it SFA, & OkSt…it was one of the most efficient offenses in basketball.
Much of those years BU had Gentry on his staff…apparently Gentry thought it was okay. (He undoubtedly helped Brad tailor it tho.) It worked pretty well here…before Gentry arrived. It isn’t perfect but it has proven itself at the high D1 level…despite what Derek Piper says. It went a long way to getting Brad this job.
I have no idea what kind of dynamic they have behind the screens.AND If he thinks Geoff isn’t cutting the mustard, I get it. But on the other hand, BU is the head coach. The buck stops here…if he thought the 5-out stuff was a dog turd. BU has veto power if he thinks it isn’t gonna work.
Frank Martin ran what he wanted to run. And LET Brad put in the Spread ONLY after the other stuff he originally wanted to run wasn’t working. My point is, Frank was still in charge of the offense. The assistant isn’t gonna run anything the head coach doesn’t sign off on…Brad made a comment after Gentry left that “he was gonna run what he believed in.” So
Undoubtedly BU did veto the 50-stuff eventually (that supposedly originated with Geoff?) …and we went back to the spread…and that worked only SOMEWHAT better…That team last year could of had Stephen Gentry and the Ghost of Red Auerbach on the sideline and it would have looked the way it did most of the time because they didn’t play together.
3.) I am optimistic about this season. My biggest frustration from last season was lack of control more than anything. It felt like the culture took a step backward. I realize that happens sometimes in programs…guys getting into shouting matches with Izzo on the sidelines for example. Plenty of that stuff goes on. But there’s a difference between conflict and dysfunction. We had the latter for much of the season. To Brad’s credit he pulled us out of it; the best he could. I’m happy that Brad went out and got some extra coachable pieces. (I hope.) That means more to me than being marquee names…especially right now. I think we need to steady the ship after last season.
1.“I don’t care about position.” I want the best players.” That was Brad Underwood at a presser a couple of seasons ago…
I suppose that’s sometimes/often true. (Jordan WAS a better get than Bowie.)My point is…how much do you suppose Brad leans into this idea? And, how much does that govern his thought process in roster construction? For a guy who played guard he seems like more of a wingman. Lol
2. How much of the offensive woes from last season…are really on Geoff?
I will say the 5-O stuff seemed pretty awful if that was him. But it’s so hard to say with the lack of coach-ability of that team. As to Geoff…I don’t know obv. I am asking…Is a lot of Brad’s frustration with Geoff…that he’s simply not Stephen Gentry for lack of better way to say it. (Who BU apparently enjoyed bouncing ideas off of…and had a kind of shorthand with…) Pretty sure, by most metrics offensive efficiency (and the like) increased under Gentry.
He put Trent/Ayo & Kofi in a lot of ball screens and ran some bang for the buck, wham-bam NBA sets. Quick immediate actions that suited the personnel. But I think it is a bit of revisionist history to say the Spread wasn’t efficient. Because it definitely WAS. Look at what Brad did with it SFA, & OkSt…it was one of the most efficient offenses in basketball.
Much of those years BU had Gentry on his staff…apparently Gentry thought it was okay. (He undoubtedly helped Brad tailor it tho.) It worked pretty well here…before Gentry arrived. It isn’t perfect but it has proven itself at the high D1 level…despite what Derek Piper says. It went a long way to getting Brad this job.
I have no idea what kind of dynamic they have behind the screens.AND If he thinks Geoff isn’t cutting the mustard, I get it. But on the other hand, BU is the head coach. The buck stops here…if he thought the 5-out stuff was a dog turd. BU has veto power if he thinks it isn’t gonna work.
Frank Martin ran what he wanted to run. And LET Brad put in the Spread ONLY after the other stuff he originally wanted to run wasn’t working. My point is, Frank was still in charge of the offense. The assistant isn’t gonna run anything the head coach doesn’t sign off on…Brad made a comment after Gentry left that “he was gonna run what he believed in.” So
Undoubtedly BU did veto the 50-stuff eventually (that supposedly originated with Geoff?) …and we went back to the spread…and that worked only SOMEWHAT better…That team last year could of had Stephen Gentry and the Ghost of Red Auerbach on the sideline and it would have looked the way it did most of the time because they didn’t play together.
3.) I am optimistic about this season. My biggest frustration from last season was lack of control more than anything. It felt like the culture took a step backward. I realize that happens sometimes in programs…guys getting into shouting matches with Izzo on the sidelines for example. Plenty of that stuff goes on. But there’s a difference between conflict and dysfunction. We had the latter for much of the season. To Brad’s credit he pulled us out of it; the best he could. I’m happy that Brad went out and got some extra coachable pieces. (I hope.) That means more to me than being marquee names…especially right now. I think we need to steady the ship after last season.
Last edited:
- Status