With Belo gone, it's almost a guarantee they are going to get someone in the portal. Even if its not a shot maker, we need a consistent decision maker. There is way too much talent coming back and coming in to have as many wasteful possessions as we did.
Andre Curbelo in the transfer portal
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With Belo gone, it's almost a guarantee they are going to get someone in the portal. Even if its not a shot maker, we need a consistent decision maker. There is way too much talent coming back and coming in to have as many wasteful possessions as we did.
I totally understand it. If I recall, they even called it a neck injury versus a concussion at first.
sacraig
- The desert
I'd argue he was never truly healthy this year.
Totally understandable given how things have played out and that we're likely to have some good freshmen coming in to fill the PG spot. Wish him the best and hope he regains his old form and then surpasses it wherever he goes.
Yeah they were being pretty hush-hush about it. I don't think it came out that it was lingering concussion symptoms until he actually returned (again, prior to the covid protocols absence). I recall all of the speculation about what was going on with him at the time.
I hate seeing Belo leave as much as the next guy, but losing him isn't devastating. At his best, he was truly spectacular. At his worst, he totally disrupted the offense. He will always hold a special place in our hearts, but we shouldn't let nostalgia from a solid 6-7 game run last season for a title control the narrative.
He simply can't shoot from beyond 15 feet, wide open. He is inconsistent and streaky which makes it impossible to game plan. You don't know what guy you're getting on a given night. Not ideal out of your floor general. I wish him nothing but the best and will be rooting for him. He will always be an Illini.
With that said, after 3 fantastic seasons from our Illini, I am willing to sacrifice some of the "upside" for consistent play. Tired of getting to the tourney and looking confused without a steady hand to right the ship.
He simply can't shoot from beyond 15 feet, wide open. He is inconsistent and streaky which makes it impossible to game plan. You don't know what guy you're getting on a given night. Not ideal out of your floor general. I wish him nothing but the best and will be rooting for him. He will always be an Illini.
With that said, after 3 fantastic seasons from our Illini, I am willing to sacrifice some of the "upside" for consistent play. Tired of getting to the tourney and looking confused without a steady hand to right the ship.
I wish AC nothing but the best and hope he has success wherever he goes....AC can be a very dynamic player, but his inconsistent play is just that...inconsistent.....my guess....and it's just a guess....is that we have more consistent point guard(s) either by recruitment or via the portal coming into the picture next year....if the incoming guard(s) are more consistent than AC (unless he eliminates the inconsistent play) he would be relegated to a backup role next year.....my guess is that this conversation has already taken place between the coaching staff and AC...and AC decided to move on......can AC be a very good player...you bet....will he....TBD.....I'm guessing the coaching staff relayed the message to AC that if the inconsistent play continued playing time would limited.....I hope that wherever AC winds up that he has success and becomes a more consistent player and becomes that dynamic player that we feel that he can become.....thanks for being an ILLINI 
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Are you sure he didn’t mean immaturity of his motor reflexes?
It’s gotta be Miami, right? I can see him sliding right into the Charlie Moore role. Those dudes played wide open, pickup style basketball all the way to the Elite 8.
Seems like a perfect fit for numerous reasons. That was one of his finalists as a prep if I recall…
Seems like a perfect fit for numerous reasons. That was one of his finalists as a prep if I recall…
Roster construction is always a gamble, but I tend to think the team is better where it's headed now. I'd hate to be pressed on CH or AC, but I see the case for CH pretty clearly, and we won't know if AC gets back to 100%. Even if he does, you're right that he is a lot easier to defend if he's shooting sub 25% from 3. Either way, it is what is. Staff is positioned well to deal with it.
Quite a few people saying St. John’s, as well.
Something else I will add — many programs, nearly every recent Illini team included, would be unable to withstand losing two top 50 kids to the transfer portal (Miller and Curbelo) while remaining competitive. In our case, some even arguing that we’ll end up with a better roster when all is said and done.
Kudos to this staff for being ready, willing and able to reload.
Pretty sure he said immaturity and poor decision making OFF the floor vs on it. Said he was addressing a lot of issues
MDchicago
- Lake Norman NC
I was always on team Belo, but as the year went on did begin to question if he would ever fully develop into someone you really want as your 1A playmaker and offensive decision-maker, but always gave the benefit of the doubt given the craziness of his year.
The point I turned was the NCAA video interview preview of the Houston game, where he seemed checked out to me (certainly not dialed in like you would hope) and imo did not represent himself or the team and university well as he ate his chicken sandwich and fries (during a 10 minute national media interview) and gave glib, rote answers to the media (we're going to do what we're going to do, etc.). In hindsight, recognize that he already knew he was gone at that point, but still a disappointing final performance. Talented player, but fresh start (and new Illini PG) seems like a good idea for all.
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Hope he does well. We'll be fine.
Agreed...I think/hope we are going to see some new schemes both offensively and defensively...it will be a competitive pre season...also who's going to be the leader teaching the culture going forward this year.
Ummm, I guess I thought that was more obviously a joke than it may have been.
I wish he would stay, especially after the year he had. However I think he just dribbled into another triple team and threw the ball out bounds. (Jk)
Yeah if he's looking for a kinder, gentler fan base....Big Blue ain't it.
I said that earlier.Great call.. they were a finalists for him two years ago. Miami or St Johns. He is from the area & Pinzon goes there. I see alot of Belo highlights. My favorite is the game against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament last year when he had those two dunks.
I'll just come out and say it- I'm really disappointed. I think Curbelo is the textbook definition of a kid with clear NBA potential who needs college coaching to reach that potential. While the transfer portal makes it easier there are skilled players who fall down or fail and run from it to somewhere else thinking it won't follow them, and there are skilled players who take their lumps who come back more focused, more committed, and play with an edge that allows them to reach the highest of heights. I don't know what happened at halftime of the Houston game, and I don't know how Andre dealt with a really rough season, nor do I know how the staff treated him, or anything idiot "fans" might have said to him. But I do know this- it's really disappointing to see a kid with so much talent walk out a door when things aren't sunshine and rainbows, because it means either you've failed him as a staff or coach, or he's failed himself. Either way, it's not good. If Andre left because he wants to improve as a player but doesn't think Underwood or the staff is the staff that can do it, I understand and in that case, yes, leaving is probably the best option, but if he left due to handling injury or sitting on a bench immaturely, and doesn't want a coach who's going to hold him accountable or help mold him into a mature adult, then that is truly sad. Sigh...
Tacomallini
- Washington State
I was thinking he must be on like a 5,000 calorie a day diet and burning it just off just as quickly, and the poor dude hadn't had a chance to eat in between practices, pressers, etc.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
Let's engage in a creative writing exercise shall we?
Let's say your basketball team has a literal phenom on it. He's off-the-charts in some respects. He is good for a handful of highlight plays each and every game. But because he's so gifted, he refuses to run set plays and responds poorly to coaching. In his mind, basketball is art, it's jazz, it needs to breathe and be organic. But when he's making it up on the fly and ignoring what his coaches and teammates want and expect him to do, he's impossible to play with. His unpredictability is a double-edged sword. Opponents can't stop him; his own teammates can't figure out how to play with him. So teammates are in the wrong place at the wrong time, they fumble passes, and they stand around, wondering if they'll have the chance to participate on this possession.
Last year was different. The phenom had someone who could hold him accountable. Someone whose skill, personality, and drive phenom respected. Someone who could be a big brother to him. But big brother isn't around any more. And with a new group of young players coming in next year, our coaches can't have an upperclassman modeling disregard for coaching and lack of team-mindedness. Phenom thinks the grass could be greener elsewhere. That he'll be better appreciated somewhere else. It's time for phenom to find out for himself how much of this is due to deficiencies in the system. Maybe later on he'll recognize personal and professional growth could be a part of the picture. Maybe he won't.
Either way, a change of scenery could be good for all involved.
Let's say your basketball team has a literal phenom on it. He's off-the-charts in some respects. He is good for a handful of highlight plays each and every game. But because he's so gifted, he refuses to run set plays and responds poorly to coaching. In his mind, basketball is art, it's jazz, it needs to breathe and be organic. But when he's making it up on the fly and ignoring what his coaches and teammates want and expect him to do, he's impossible to play with. His unpredictability is a double-edged sword. Opponents can't stop him; his own teammates can't figure out how to play with him. So teammates are in the wrong place at the wrong time, they fumble passes, and they stand around, wondering if they'll have the chance to participate on this possession.
Last year was different. The phenom had someone who could hold him accountable. Someone whose skill, personality, and drive phenom respected. Someone who could be a big brother to him. But big brother isn't around any more. And with a new group of young players coming in next year, our coaches can't have an upperclassman modeling disregard for coaching and lack of team-mindedness. Phenom thinks the grass could be greener elsewhere. That he'll be better appreciated somewhere else. It's time for phenom to find out for himself how much of this is due to deficiencies in the system. Maybe later on he'll recognize personal and professional growth could be a part of the picture. Maybe he won't.
Either way, a change of scenery could be good for all involved.
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