AeroIllini
- 3rd Floor talbot lab
Here's to hoping basketball does a bit better than football, at least we aren't at the bottom there
Illini Basketball 2016-2017
IMO next years team will not be a lot better than this years team despite the great recruiting class. I believe this because it seems to take a year to teach defense. This year has a soph group that has had significant playing time and should be at least competent defensively. If they get both Wilkes and Kiir, they should be better by tournament time next year but this years team has depth and scoring and should be able to compete within BIG. I also wonder if Kipper is being groomed as the defensive stopper. If he can effectively guard MH he can guard 1-4 and that would fit JG's strategy as I hear him.
Losing Hill is going to sting. Even a talent like Wilkes wouldn't replace Hills production overnight. And let's be clear-- Kipper is being groomed as a defensive stopper and it's sounding like he will be that guy...but right now Hill is in a different world. None of our guys can "effectively" guard him. See combes' scrimmage report. I believe he said a couple times Kipper is the only one that comes close to adequately defending Hill. The handful of defenders put on him at the Nike Skills Academy also had trouble slowing him down. With that said, Kipper has some serious defensive potential. I think he's going to experience a confidence boost when he's defending guys not named Malcolm Hill in actual games :thumb:
Joel Goodson
- ties will be resolved
Agree on next season's team vs. this season's team.
WRT Kipper, I think that was probably the initial plan. But Kipper has blown away initial expectations, so he'll be a whole lot more than a defensive stopper. WRT this season, there aren't a whole lot of minutes to be had. But he'll be inserted for more than defensive purposes.
People need to tap the brakes here and wait for the kid to play in an actual game.
Too much stock is put into practice reports. It is encouraging to hear good things but it really doesn't mean something until it translates into actual games.
You play the way you practice. I find this old cliche to be pretty truthful.
True most of the time, but not always. We have all heard reports of guys tearing it up in practice but can't translate it into games. Part of that is the different intensity level of games versus practice. Why it is encouraging to hear guys are playing well it is important to note that reports tend to come with a bit of bias attached. It is not intentional bias but it happens to all of us.
You do play the way you practice. You virtually never play the way the homer local media reports through conversations with a self-interested coaching staff that you practice.
Groce has also been pretty open about guys needing to step up, get better in a certain way, be more consistent, etc.
He already fouled out of the first 4-6 games... lol....
:congrats:
That's why they call it foreplay.
You have really been on a roll lately.
Great picture.....looks like Morgan may be taller than Thorne!
Great picture.....looks like Morgan may be taller than Thorne!
And Finke makes Leron look small
and AJ has new arms!And Finke makes Leron look small
Yet Leron outrebounds them all in almost every practice.
Captain Bubbles
- Fairfield, IL
Kipper looks like he's expressing his anger of a 1,000 savage banshees. Basically, he looks like a man on a mission.
Finke looks like Dirk.
You can easily tell how Fletch and his staff have done an amazing job by making these guys look like commandos.
Finke looks like Dirk.
You can easily tell how Fletch and his staff have done an amazing job by making these guys look like commandos.
Captain Bubbles
- Fairfield, IL
Either Maurice or Robin Gibb...Finke could be the lead singer for the BeeGees.
Barry
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Captain Bubbles
- Fairfield, IL
Forgot about Barry. I was trying to match Finke's face with one of them in my head. Good call.
And Charles Barkley is probably shorter than Leron. Having hops helps, but you just gotta want it.