Not every player is on the same learning curve. Hawkins has the size and length you need. He’s just needs to figure some things out. I miss the days when people understood that development is a process.
The only thing that Coleman needs to figure out is if he's a Alpha dog or not!!!! If it wasn't for Plummer and Frazier and Granderson to a certain extent we would have been blown out of the game!! We do not need another Ben Simmons.Not every player is on the same learning curve. Hawkins has the size and length you need. He’s just needs to figure some things out. I miss the days when people understood that development is a process.
The liability that shut down Harper or slowed down K. Murray until he fouled out?Coleman Hawkins has all the talent in the world, but until he starts to play with confidence and aggression he's a liability to the team.
MSU and Michigan have found this out.I disagree.
the reason we haven’t been good since Self is because we had one point guard in that time period. dmac. And what do you know. We made the tournament with him.
Point guard is easily the most important position in basketball.
Point guard is not the most important player at Illinois. If we were to lose Kofi we would probably not win 5 more conference games.MSU and Michigan have found this out.
Trent addressed this indirectly in the post game presser. They doubled him, which “created opportunities for his teammates”. Specifically, Grandison was wide open for a few shots. If teams want to double Trent or Kofi, then they are likely leaving one of our 40% three point shooters wide open. Pick your poison.One crazy thing that I don’t think has been mentioned is that Trent Frazier did not take a shot from 11:21 in the second half to 0:07. Not just didn’t score — did not take a shot. He was the leading scorer at the time with 24 points and then nothing. Was AZ over playing him that much? That just seems crazy to me.
Coleman is still developing. This was a tough test for him. An excellent learning experience. The first time I’ve seen him guarding a 6-11 240 lb power forward. We are asking Coleman to do a lot. He’s playing the point at times, but then expected to shut down a big. His perimeter defense and ability to frustrate smaller players didn’t translate well last night. I still think Coleman has improved a lot over the past season and he has a very high ceiling. His performances against RHJ and KM were lights out.Stop with the excuses!!! Did you watch the same game that I watched? He played like a deer caught in headlights.
We need a point guard.One crazy thing that I don’t think has been mentioned is that Trent Frazier did not take a shot from 11:21 in the second half to 0:07. Not just didn’t score — did not take a shot. He was the leading scorer at the time with 24 points and then nothing. Was AZ over playing him that much? That just seems crazy to me.
As our primary ball handler. Slashing to the basket. Getting the ball in Kofi’s hands when he is open and not double teamed. Taking care of the ball at the end of the game. Rebounds, guarding a guy like Kerr. The list goes on.I realize that the Illini need Curbelo, but in what manner would he have changed the outcome of this game. I believe the Illini played a very good game against a team that is a matchup nightmare for them.
That's about how much elevation I got on my jumper in high school, so that counts!I double checked...the highest his feet clear is normally 6 inches on his pseudo jumper.
The key is that your last sentence needs to be understood by both sides. I do think that some of the negativity directed at Hawk and others sometimes is a reaction to the over the top praise that is given out. During the preseason and early going, I’ve seen posts saying Hawk will be our third AA, could be a candidate for leaving early and he’s the Illini’s best pro prospect. So when he has a bad game or stretch, some people are reacting to “yeah, right, he’s an All American. BU’s over the top praise I think plays into this too. I know he’s just motivating players, but he may be creating unreasonable expectations in the fans’ eyes at the same time.Not every player is on the same learning curve. Hawkins has the size and length you need. He’s just needs to figure some things out. I miss the days when people understood that development is a process.
Agree… needs toA lot of mental mistakes as mentioned before. What really gets me irritated is watching Hawkins commit weak fouls. The coaching staff needs to tell him man up dude, if he’s going to foul then FOUL! And as for Plummer thank god for the transfer portal.
I've read this as well....but how long will it take for Belo to get back to being effectively game ready....I mean does anyone know if AC has been doing any basketball related activities the past 3 weeks??? Has he been able to run, shoot, do any passing or ball handling drills???....If not then I suspect AC will not be back to game form for some time. Good thing is that I think we have several games in a row that would afford him the opportunity to play his way back to 100% before we hit the hardest stretch of our schedule. Either way we need him back ASAPIn regard to Belo-have heard he is getting closer. Goal is to be back by big ten play starting up again
I think he wasn’t in very good shooting position for those late misses. One thing I’ve noticed with Jake is I can almost always tell if he is going to make or miss a 3 based on his pre-shot shooting position. When he’s in good position and set well, he almost always makes it. When he isn’t, I know he’s going to miss.That's about how much elevation I got on my jumper in high school, so that counts!
My observation was on the final two that clanked short he didn't seem even to leave the floor and, of course, that usually indicates fatigue late in the game and the lack of juice to make the shot that deep.
I'm not going to complain too much. He's an important scorer for us.
Hawkins had a couple of great assists at really big points in the game.Pain. Hawkins absolutely killed us that game. Some mental lapses and lack of effort in spurts killed us as well. Arizona is a really good team.
I agree. Kofi did figure out how to attack the AZ centers in the 2nd half. We need to learn to throw the ball into Kofi immediately when we break the press. We break the press and keep letting the other team get into their half-court D and then try to throw the ball into him. BU may not want to get into a running game but, we still need to punish teams for pressing us. Also, BU needs to understand that teams are jumping our passing lanes (both Iowa and AZ did this all game) and make adjustments mid-game. Great game! We just came up a couple of big shots short.They are good. So are we. Now tear it up until Michigan and Purdue come to town and get Belo back in the fold. Hopefully Kofi sees this game tape and as a result finishes strong on his moves the rest of the year and takes his time on the catch. That was the difference. (And as a sign of how amazing he is, he still put up 13 and 13.)
I had no problem with only 4 guys scoring. Always feed the hot hand. Trent and Plummer were microwaves and you still have to feed Kofi.12 players see tick, 4 score. Epithet
We actually had more offensive rebounds than AZ for the game. There were a few times that it seemed like there were a couple of players waiting for someone else to grab the ball. Hawk just needs to look for his shot more.I think you’re partially right but I also think we will have plenty of nights this year where we make a bunch of threes. It was our defensive/rebounding effort along with Kofi and Hawkins on offense that hurt us tonight. Trent and Plummer have been raining threes all season