He was also getting praise for his defense and toughness at the Nike Basketball Academy. Not much info available yet, but it sounds like Malcolm was one of the top players there.
Illini Basketball 2016-2017
- Status
He was also getting praise for his defense and toughness at the Nike Basketball Academy. Not much info available yet, but it sounds like Malcolm was one of the top players there.
Hopefully some reduced minutes (will still be 30-35) will help his activity on D'. The team defense was so atrocious last year that I don't know how you can do a 180 without some individuals that are "D-first" type of guys. A healthy Abrams is a great place to start. Mav and Finke still seem to fair better in zone situations.....
I guess I'm not sure where Hill fits in. If the "bigs" can't guard anyone like in '15/'16, I'm guessing you'll see more zone and Hill won't be tested. If Groce truly uses him on the perimeter and he has to defend 1-on-1, it could be a different story.
The worst part of our team defense was rebounding, and that was almost entirely due to the loss of Thorne and Black, who are by far our best on the boards. Very tough to stop teams from scoring when you keep giving them extra chances. And that's one of the biggest reasons to expect us to be better next year, rebounding should go from one of the weakest stats to a positive.
The second area where I'd expect improvement is having more experience on the perimeter. Not just getting Tracy back, but JCL, AJ and DJW have all been in the system a year and should improve just by knowing the system that much better.
t7nich
- Central IL
I think we’ll be favorites going into the BYU game.. They lose 2 of their top 3 scorers from last year, including WCC player of the year and triple double machine Kyle Collinsworth. Interesting article on them and the fact that they have 8 new players coming in this year.
http://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2016/3/30/11288026/byu-basketball-2016-17-roster-problem
Yeah, not so sure about that. Their star returning player, combo guard Nick Emery, was ranked #64 composite and averaged over 16 pts last year as a freshman on pretty efficient shooting. The new guys they add include big man Eric Mika (#39 in his class; went on mission after winning conference FOY honors - will be a RS SO), TJ Haws (#55 in his class; PG), Payton Dastrup (#96 in his class; PF), and Yoeli Childs (#116; PF/SF). In terms of pure talent, they'll be one of the best teams we face all year. Tough non-con slate this year.
Deleted member 4333
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Guest
I agree that Black and Thorne's absence created additional opportunities for the opponents to grab offensive boards. However, the perimeter was regularly beaten off the dribble or by ball movement, so whoever was hovering under the basket (Morgan/Finke, etc.) was frequently out of position to challenge shots.
Will the experience help the underclassmen know positioning within the system? I hope so. System or not, I don't think that there is any solid argument that any of JCL, AJ or DJW were natural, competent on-ball defenders. Nunn was the only guy that regularly anticipated a pass or created perimeter havoc on the defensive end. It would be fantastic if one of these guys (or Nichols, Lucas, etc.) had a real nose for defense as I never saw it from any of the guys you listed.
t7nich
- Central IL
Could be a tougher battle than I originally thought. Wasn't sure the quality of players they had coming in. Thanks for the info. Will be interesting to see how their team looks come Dec 17th. Still not a stretch for us to be favored though, given what we bring to the table.
I had kind of ignored the numbers, not wanting to end the Kool-aid parade, but this pretty much sums it up, we may be better, but I would put the chances of scoring 78 ppg somewhere between zero and very very close to none. We may be better offensively, but we still aren't an elite offensive team; defense & rebounding is where we need to show the most improvement and will be the bigger key to winning more games.
I don't expect any of them to be great defenders, just looking for competence. DJW has the skills to be pretty good on D, not sure if he has the desire.
The best thing about freshman is they become sophomores...not expecting them to automatically jump to defensive players of the year, but they will be stronger, system will help with ball movement, & having Thorne behind them will also minimize the impact of getting beat off the dribble. Just saw an article on Kendall Gill & how he was looking forward to 2nd year with Mourning behind him so he could gamble & be more aggressive on defense. They will be improved, that's all we got at this point.
That would be the case had there not been the recent rule changes. Those new changes make it very possible. Especially if we stay healthy and produce like it looks we can on paper.
Govoner Vaugn Fan
- New Orleans
In the preseason, I am looking at 12-0. I'll revise that after the first (unlikely) loss. Until that occurs, 12-0.
JCL was starting to do this near the end of the season.
I've frequented NbaDraft.net for years and it's more than fair to say their mocks are pretty awful.
Deleted member 29907
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Guest
Exactly. His help defense and anticipation was starting to pass most on the floor Imo. He would still get beat man to man but he probably more than anyone rotated to the next open guy better than most.
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
Captain Bubbles
- Fairfield, IL
I'm still looking forward to the day Malcolm scores over 40 points, flies through the air like Michael Jordan in Space Jam for some ferocious slam dunks, and records a triple-double.
It's wishful thinking, and I'm still dreaming about it.
It's wishful thinking, and I'm still dreaming about it.
A quick little write up on Malcolm from the Nike Academy off nbadraft.net
Malcolm Hill 6'5.5, 235, 6'8.5 wingspan, SG/SF, Illinois --
Hill came into the event with even lower expectations than Hart, but actually helped his cause quite a bit. He may not be a draft pick, but he's for sure a lot closer to one after Nike than he was coming in. He got hot on the 2nd day and at one point couldn't miss, with a number of pros (Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ulis) on the court. He's a tank, having the 2nd heaviest weight at the event at just 6-foot-5. And is not bashful at all about taking shots. He's got a bit of a street ball game as he is extremely physical and a little unorthodox with the way he creates shots and shoots the ball. If he had more explosiveness it would help his cause, and scouts also aren't sure what position he is. But he should have a big year for Illinois and could get some looks based on the way he played in Hawthorne.
Malcolm Hill 6'5.5, 235, 6'8.5 wingspan, SG/SF, Illinois --
Hill came into the event with even lower expectations than Hart, but actually helped his cause quite a bit. He may not be a draft pick, but he's for sure a lot closer to one after Nike than he was coming in. He got hot on the 2nd day and at one point couldn't miss, with a number of pros (Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Ulis) on the court. He's a tank, having the 2nd heaviest weight at the event at just 6-foot-5. And is not bashful at all about taking shots. He's got a bit of a street ball game as he is extremely physical and a little unorthodox with the way he creates shots and shoots the ball. If he had more explosiveness it would help his cause, and scouts also aren't sure what position he is. But he should have a big year for Illinois and could get some looks based on the way he played in Hawthorne.
frozenrope9190
- Aurora, IL
Nope, that guy's name was Winthorp.
Yes. Just glad someone got the reference. Was beginning to feel really really old
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
Nope, that guy's name was Winthorp.
Oh, we got it! I was thinking of some kind of "It was Duke! It was Duke!" line, but I couldn't find the funny, so I left it alone. Until now, of course.
Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
What do you think they mean by that? I hadn't heard that before.
Edit: ps thanks for the recap! :thumb:
I think essentially they mean he works the mid-range game in an age where most players are almost universally shooting threes or trying to dunk; he overcomes his lack of explosiveness by using his body/strength and an assortment of fakes and moves; he takes smaller wings to task from the high post by backing them down or lowering his shoulder and drawing fouls. Essentially, his game wouldn't be unorthodox in 1985, but it's atypical today from an NBA scouting perspective.
It ain't cool bein no jive turkey so close to Thanksgiving
- Status