It could be Lucas or it could be that we are starting 4 guards which isn’t outside the realm of possibility with BU.
My bet is 4 guards. Unless TJL doesn't start because he missed 10 days of practice and is behind.
It could be Lucas or it could be that we are starting 4 guards which isn’t outside the realm of possibility with BU.
I would be surprised. Who would find the bench out of an assumed lineup of tejon, smith, alstork, black/kipper, finke?
I hate to answer this question because I like our front court and genuinely root for all of our players. And I don't want to give anyone bulletin board material. But I do believe that Da'Monte will force the issue, even though your lineup will probably be where it starts at the beginning of the season. Like Kipper said, it ultimately doesn't matter, everyone is going to play and everyone will be needed. Starters don't matter apart from the novelty aspect.
True I'm pulling for "wins" and my ole hall of fame use to say...."it's not who starts the games as much as who finishes the game!" Who does BU trust to be on the court when it counts.....
I'm generally a fan of letting players play a few games before making huge predictions for them based on glowing reports by coaches/media etc. optimistic damonte will be good. Let's give him a chance to prove it before burdening him with nutty expectations. How many players have we saddled with unrealistic expectations based on practice reports - and here we go again.
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I actually meant to post something similar in my response, but lost my train of thought. Let's let all these kids (including our vets) play for a while on the court. Sometimes it can be so exciting to dream on things and we just jump the gun. I'm clearly included in this.I'm generally a fan of letting players play a few games before making huge predictions for them based on glowing reports by coaches/media etc. optimistic damonte will be good. Let's give him a chance to prove it before burdening him with nutty expectations. How many players have we saddled with unrealistic expectations based on practice reports - and here we go again.
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I actually meant to post something similar in my response, but lost my train of thought. Let's let all these kids (including our vets) play for a while on the court. Sometimes it can be so exciting to dream on things and we just jump the gun. I'm clearly included in this.
It wouldn't completely surprise me for Lucas to sit I guess. I'm fine with alstork or smith playing the point. But if I was a betting man, I would put my money on Damonte not starting as Conference play approaches. No offense to him. (I can say whatever I want when I say that )
It's fun and gets the juices flowing before the season and we aren't in practice daily...
Combes where ya at (video)
Starting lineups for a scrimmage mean little right now. These scrimmages are not usually full games. They are started and stopped for instruction. Situations are set up. They are basically practices with different players. Players will be substituted far differently than in a real game. Scores don’t mean much, either.
Williams getting a “start” in this scrimmage does not mean he is in the top five. He may be, but he may not be. Coaches use all sorts of motivational techniques.
I would expect Lucas to not be used as much as he normally would as he breaks back in. No point in pushing him too fast with almost a month before the first game.
I did notice the signs when we came back for the practice.
Having been to many of Groce's practices and early scrimmages, all I can say is what a big difference. Coach Underwood's practices are tuff !! This team is going to be TUFF .....
I'm generally a fan of letting players play a few games before making huge predictions for them based on glowing reports by coaches/media etc. optimistic damonte will be good. Let's give him a chance to prove it before burdening him with nutty expectations. How many players have we saddled with unrealistic expectations based on practice reports - and here we go again.
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I did notice the signs when we came back for the practice.
Having been to many of Groce's practices and early scrimmages, all I can say is what a big difference. Coach Underwood's practices are tuff !! This team is going to be TUFF .....
Starting lineups for a scrimmage mean little right now. These scrimmages are not usually full games. They are started and stopped for instruction. Situations are set up. They are basically practices with different players. Players will be substituted far differently than in a real game. Scores don’t mean much, either.
Williams getting a “start” in this scrimmage does not mean he is in the top five. He may be, but he may not be. Coaches use all sorts of motivational techniques.
I would expect Lucas to not be used as much as he normally would as he breaks back in. No point in pushing him too fast with almost a month before the first game.
If there's one element that's been sorely missing from Illinois basketball over the past 10+ years, it's been an identity of toughness and resilience.
That 2001 team was tough as nails. One of the toughest teams I've seen. 2005 wasn't as physically tough, but they were very resilient and had a cohesive identity that really propelled the team to greatness. 1998 = tough.
Most (if not all) of the great teams have that "it" factor. And it's usually forged by strong leadership. Underwood, at first glance, appears to be the type to foster that kind of identity.
As somebody else said, Groce and his gimmicky SEAL training and TNT bracelets never forged toughness or identity. That's not something you can manufacture with bumper sticker phrases and fake military training. It's something you have to work at day in and day out, and by all accounts, he went the route of a "friend" rather than a "take no prisoners" leader. This program needs a leader. Hopefully we have it in Underwood.
Underwood is the polar opposite. Loves his players, but sees that they are preparing for something very challenging, and therefore can't let them learn poor habits. Tough, but necessary. If he were recruiting soft players, it would probably backfire, but he knows he needs guys that "get it", and so he can develop the culture to expect greatness through hard work. Some people thrive in that environment, and have fun pushing themselves. I think that's Underwood's kind of athlete.
I will criticize Groce all day long, but I'm going to stick up for him a little here. Groce was a player's coach --definitely soft and tried to work with guys collaboratively. That probably works ok with competitive guys who are self-motivated, but fails when guys need to be pushed. To the extent he recruited some higher ranked guys, I think this style is a big part of landing them.
Small Mark Smith mention:
Mark Smith, Illinois: Smith was named Mr. Basketball in Illinois last season and his decision to stay home was a major coup for Brad Underwood. Smith is strong, skilled, and confident, so expect him to have a chance to start for the Illini immediately as they attempt to crack the top half of the Big Ten.
That 2001 team was tough as nails. One of the toughest teams I've seen. 2005 wasn't as physically tough, but they were very resilient and had a cohesive identity that really propelled the team to greatness. 1998 = tough.
If there's one element that's been sorely missing from Illinois basketball over the past 10+ years, it's been an identity of toughness and resilience.