Recent content by hoopsfan47

Two thoughts. 1. It will be a positive for a frosh or two to get minutes if/when Mirk is sidelined. Even practice time with the first unit will be quite valuable. 2. In my mind, the biggest question to be answered when Mirk returns is at what level will he return? Also, will he be able...

Great to see that clip. Last clip we saw showed him lacking in physicality and a tad hesitant instead of doing his thing quickly and confidently. Brown is obviously progressing physically (thanks Adam Fletcher) which he badly needed. In addition, he appears to be confident and doing what he...

Well, there goes the season. We all know that no team can win a game without a point guard. The season is done. And said point guard has to be under 6'2"tall or he is worthless. (OK....up to 6'4" maybe...but not an inch more.) No wonder BU can't win a title with all those 6'6" point...

Good observation. But here are my perceived reasons. Mirk is an aware passer and if they drop off their man to pester him, they just cut to the hoop and shoot a layup off his pass. Also, not much a guy the size of Fears can do without fouling when a strong, 6'9" guy holds the ball over his...

Agree 100%. What AS does is score against anyone. But he can be controlled in that regard when a team has an elite defender of his size and construct their defense to stop him from getting into the lane....in which case this Illini team will plenty of other options that open up. He is...

Since I was 8 years old I believed that Chesty Potato Chips were the breakfast of Champions and were the food of choice by my beloved Illini hoopsters. Now, at age 79, I am beginning to suspect I was wrong....but maybe not?

That would be nice...and offensively that might prove true. But JJ has the size, athleticism, along with maturity/some limited experience to defensively prove an adequate defender against B1G bigs under 7'. Not sure either the frosh or JJ can become dependable, but we will all hold out the...

Buying or selling the Illini hoops team? I can't imagine being a daily reader/poster of this site and not being a buyer....EVERY SEASON. I have been for 70 years and I am not an Illini alum...though I have many ties and interests with the University of Illinois. If you are not highly...

Totally agree. He does everything at a pretty competent level. Not sure that qualifies him for a roster spot, but the total of the parts is a pretty hefty sum. If I were an NBA coach, I would love being able to look down the bench and see a guy that can do anything that is needed, has the...

Very impressed with the play of Will Riley who seems to be progressing/improving on schedule. Wizards could make a leap next season if they can find bench players to give them some production. So, where does Trae Young fit? Will he do what it takes to make his team a winner and trust his...

IMHO, Ben is the kind of guy that can bank 50 million dollars over the next decade simply by doing the things at which he is good. 3 and D for sure, and he can do both as well as most. What I enjoyed most about watching Ben over his two seasons at Illinois was his growth on the defensive...

This may seem the case....but IMHO the Illini will need two high level bigs....6'11-7'3" to compete at the same level again. Lot of talent among the newcomers, but also a lot of repetition. But I am not being negative as I really like the new guys. They just won't have all the parts...

This clip is like crack to all Illini hoops addicts at just the right time. But it is too brief....4-5 hours would be about right.

Ben was pretty quick to get his shot off and was looking to shoot anytime he could when under 30 ft. Jake only shoots when open and was deterred anytime a defender was within 6 ft. He can get more shots, but needs to work on a quicker process and maybe some moves to get open. I can't...

The fact is that no team has a defensive player who can stay in front of really quick PGs with a handle. But you can keep them from running a layup drill with good team defense and making them do what they are least effective doing. After watching "Kooleymon", he likely will be as...