2018 Off Season Thread

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#626      
Also, the good folks over at Illiniboard had an awesome take about how Ohio State, Nebby as well as Indiana and Wisconsin are all teams that lost probably over 50% of their production entering this season. The difference between them was that OSU and Nebby lost production off bad teams, while Indiana and Wisconsin lost their production from good/great teams. Thought this was an interesting thought that shows that we can't completely write off next season as lost.
 
#627      
Hahahaha Like I said, it's definitely a balancing act that we're going to have to get right in the future. We're not ready for a week of Duke, Kansas and Kentucky but maybe we should also eliminate some of these Augustana and Grand Canyon games.

Will agree with the elimination of those types, although Grand Canyon should not be imo, it may give us some ground to recruit from previously untapped to most extent, meaning the southwest/west coast with exposure.

Augustana and Eastern types though yes indeedy!:chief:
 
#628      
Hmm, never really thought of the recruiting implications for scheduling some of those type of teams. Couldn't we instead schedule like an Arizona State or something like that though?

More importantly Colangelo with school ties to both obviously, doubt this will be going anywhere anytime soon. It actually may work out for both schools longterm.:chief:
 
#632      
Terrible decision for both parties when he left, we really could've used his shooting. I forgot where I read it but apparently he saw ONE practice from Underwood and decided to transfer right after. Guess it was for the best.

1 practice might have been more than enough if he knew if wasn't for him. Whatever. Going to Depaul for any basketball player right now is a questionable decision but looking particularly so now.
 
#633      
1 practice might have been more than enough if he knew if wasn't for him. Whatever. Going to Depaul for any basketball player right now is a questionable decision but looking particularly so now.

I prefer to believe narratives that fuel conspiracy theories, such as JCL leaving due to his HS coach Shane Heirman being hired there.
 
#634      
Master of the understatement...LOL, :chief:

I know that we haven't been nearly as good as Michigan State recently but I've always liked how they play a brutal non-con schedule.

MSU played more Q4 teams than Illinois did this year; scheduling such powerhouses as North Florida, Stony Brook, Southern Utah, Houston Baptist, and the great states of Cleveland and Savannah.

Our Non-Conf SOSs were about 20 apart.

Not really sure I would call their non-con "brutal".
 
#635      
I prefer to believe narratives that fuel conspiracy theories, such as JCL leaving due to his HS coach Shane Heirman being hired there.

So, a few days ago there was discussion of Mr. Irvin possibly considering DePaul for a job. Does what's happening now stop that thought in its tracks?
 
#636      

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Don't know much about Kane, but wasn't he a low 3*? Why do you think he'll be able to start and hold his own in the B1G? Genuinely curious because I know nothing about the kid other than his HS ranking.

Well he was a 4* before he reclassed if that makes you feel better.
 
#638      
I'm not a fan of chaos or Creaning players. But how many times did BU say this team didn't turn it on when the lights were on? He said this was the first team he had to figure out how to motivate.

We never truly ran the BU offense, because I don't think there was enough buy in. I don't totally buy that we lacked the players for the offense.

When things got tougher in the BIG, our 3 top players were Black, Trent, and Kipper. So I don't know how much of it was BU and how much of it was a realization that certain players weren't going to give you 100 percent all the time.

I like your post, and it's an observation that allows me to give Underwood a pass on his first year here. He inherited a roster from a coach who was more of a player's coach, and played a lot more individual style of play. Nothing against the guys, just a tough situation to have a new coach and new system. Many guys didn't adapt well to it.

I don't know if Underwood can win with the guys he'll have next year, mainly because of the talent level of our bigs. However, the current roster has too many guys who don't fit. I'm expecting a rebuild next year, with significant improvement. I don't know if we can get to .500 in conference, but I think Trent and Ayo give us a competitive backcourt, and Kipper and Spicy will be good pieces to work with. AJ has played well at times, and I think he'll be better with more ball movement.

Losing Black hurts, but it was almost certainly a good move for him, and guys should leave when they're ready.

Everyone's going to be restless this offseason. There's no cure-all in terms of talent coming in, so assuming it all goes well, it will take time.
 
#639      

ILL in IA

Iowa City
Do you really think Black is ready for professional basketball. I think he would be much better off playing another year in college.

I think it is entirely possible we got the best Leron has to offer this past year. The risk/reward of making a couple minor improvements to his game, that most likely wouldn't get him an NBA contract, vs getting hurt and losing out on making a living playing basketball overseas weren't worth it in his mind. I would love to see him back, but I see the logic behind his decision.
 
#640      
I think it is entirely possible we got the best Leron has to offer this past year. The risk/reward of making a couple minor improvements to his game, that most likely wouldn't get him an NBA contract, vs getting hurt and losing out on making a living playing basketball overseas weren't worth it in his mind. I would love to see him back, but I see the logic behind his decision.

Still amazed some people can't see this.
 
#641      
Still amazed some people can't see this.

Leron made the right call. Would have been interesting to see how he'd have done without Finke taking up shots (Leron got really hot when Finke was out a few games with the concussion). But anyways... Leron's stock is the highest it has been. He made the right call for sure.
 
#642      
I just really see the diamond in the rough with this kid, I really think he will be that inside player we need/pinch post/passer etc...he is already built for the league so...we will see.:chief:

Yeah I saw some tape on him and I really like his fluidity seems quick and agile. OTOH I really liked what I saw from Ebo last year. He showed me a nose for boards and rebounds that I think we can use in a big. With our stable of guards, not to mention maybe grabbing either Ramey or Feliz, I feel like we really need bigs who are down for the dirty work like cleaning the glass, rim protection rather than scoring.
 
#643      
This will be a REALLY young team next year so we should be sure to temper expectations but the future looks bright!

Next year's breakdown as of now:
Freshmen - 5
Sophomores - 4
Juniors - 1
Seniors - 1

Could use a grad transfer like Jordan Caroline or a JUCO to provide experience.
 
#646      
Still amazed people think he is ready to be a professioal player

Take a look at some of the former Illini making a living playing overseas and then tell me Black isn't ready. The man has his degree and now is going to get paid to play basketball. Could he get a better deal in a year? Maybe if he avoids injury. Will he get a deal now, absolutely.
 
#649      
MSU played more Q4 teams than Illinois did this year; scheduling such powerhouses as North Florida, Stony Brook, Southern Utah, Houston Baptist, and the great states of Cleveland and Savannah.

Our Non-Conf SOSs were about 20 apart.

Not really sure I would call their non-con "brutal".

It's debatable, but I look at SOS this way: let's compare two fictional teams that are "relevant" in that they are expecting to make the dance. They are both roughly top-50 teams that will be among the last at-large births.

Team A plays a non-conf schedule that includes:
5 awful, bottom of the barrel teams
2 top-50 teams
3 Elite teams in the top 10.
Balance of the schedule are middle of the pack Div 1 teams

Overall SOS = 120 (tie)

Team B:
Virtually all teams in the 80-160 range.
Overall SOS = 120 (tie)

Who will have the most losses?
 
#650      
If Jaylon Tate can play pro ball, I'd say most of the players on our roster could as well.
Just looked it up and there was even an article about Jaylon being considered for Rookie of the Year. He had some impressive stats..
 
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