Illini Basketball 2018-2019

Status
Not open for further replies.
#276      

Tevo

Tevo
Wilmette, IL
Tevo
Tevo said:
Let's say each of those guys, if playing for 40 minutes, might have 8 good minutes, 20 serviceable minutes, and 12 bad, oh-my-God-he's-a-freshman minutes. The trouble is, when any one guy goes in, you're not sure what he's going to give you. ...
Click to expand...

Desert Illini said:
I understand what you are saying. But the point I was trying to make is that surely 2 of them will develop enough to at least be an average defender. At worst we'll have enough fouls to give that maybe we'll get lucky and wear the opposing C down, or possibly get them into foul trouble. I think anything offensively is gravy. We are bound to get 6 points/game from the center position just off garbage buckets.

I also think too many people are selling Ebo short. He was looking good towards the end of the year. Finke was out with the concussion and Ebo was starting and holding his own.
Click to expand...

Hopefully we will be fortunate and a couple guys will surprise us and outplay their stars and their offer sheets. But for fear of this devolving into another discussion of probabilities, having Giorgi not pan out doesn't make it any more likely that Kane will, and having Kane not pan out doesn't make it any more likely that Ebo will. They are all individual flips of the proverbial coin. Still, I agree that with several guys in the mix (and again, I think really we're talking about just three guys -- Giorgi, Ebo and Kane), it's better than having just one or two. But it would be surprising if ANY of them are even Big Ten average this season, and that includes just on the defensive side. Freshman bigs don't usually play good defense, even 4 and 5 stars often don't. For even one three-star freshman big to come in and legitimately hold his own on defense against the experienced bigs in the Big Ten, let alone TWO of them playing that well, would be surprising.

As for having lots of fouls to give -- is that really a good thing? I mean, I guess it means we're more likely to still be able to have someone tall in the game, but if we're using 15 fouls a game from just our lone Big position against the other team as a strategy to "wear them out", we're going to have a very long season. And games will take 3 hours to get through.
 
#277      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
Just because teams get good minutes out of low ranked freshman does not make it the norm. Having a 3 star kid come in a produce effective minutes on a good team is rare and involves an amount of luck in finding them that isnt trivial.
 
#279      

JIllini

J
JIllini
ChiefIllini said:
Just because teams get good minutes out of low ranked freshman does not make it the norm. Having a 3 star kid come in a produce effective minutes on a good team is rare and involves an amount of luck in finding them that isnt trivial.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Unless your coach is Bo Ryan, a team of mostly 3 stars isn't gonna cut it in a conference like the Big Ten.
 
#280      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
ties will be resolved
Joel Goodson
Am assuming most, if not all, of the incoming freshmen will report on ~June 10th. Eagerly awaiting news about how they look (granted, to be taken with a liberal dose of salt).
 
#281      

Sizzler22

S
Sizzler22
JIllini said:
Agreed. Unless your coach is Bo Ryan, a team of mostly 3 stars isn't gonna cut it in a conference like the Big Ten.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Bo Ryan is the only coach in history to get great effort out of 3 star recruits. Probably the only coach to ever do it, can’t, won’t happen again ever. Ever.
 
#282      

ChiefIllini

C
ChiefIllini
Sizzler22 said:
Yeah, Bo Ryan is the only coach in history to get great effort out of 3 star recruits. Probably the only coach to ever do it, can’t, won’t happen again ever. Ever.
Click to expand...

Not sure he was labeling Ryan as a one off guy, just a recent close to home example. My point is all these people wondering how teams like Loyola grab low 3 star kids and turn them into starters like we are missing something... It's partially just luck, especially if they produce freshman year.
 
#283      

Second and Chalmers

S
Second and Chalmers
ChiefIllini said:
Just because teams get good minutes out of low ranked freshman does not make it the norm. Having a 3 star kid come in a produce effective minutes on a good team is rare and involves an amount of luck in finding them that isnt trivial.
Click to expand...

And that's true even if the player winds up becoming a stud later in their career.

Very typical Loyalty for the "3 star" part to predominate over the "freshman" part in people's minds.
 
#285      

Bailey

B
Los Angeles
Bailey
TownieMatt said:
Nice Q&A with Trent on The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/336174/2018/05/17/my-first-year-a-qa-with-illinois-guard-trent-frazier/

(Looks like you need a subscription to read it)
Click to expand...

He caught a lock of flack during the season, but Alstork gave a bit more than a box score would show

Q: What was the best piece of advice you got during the season?
TF: Our fifth-year senior Mark Alstork — he was an incredible leader to me.
Click to expand...

There's more to that quote obv
 
#286      

BRucks

BRucks
BRucks
ChiefIllini said:
Not sure he was labeling Ryan as a one off guy, just a recent close to home example. My point is all these people wondering how teams like Loyola grab low 3 star kids and turn them into starters like we are missing something... It's partially just luck, especially if they produce freshman year.
Click to expand...

Is it luck --- or Sister Jean?
 
#287      

Illiini

Illiini
In the land of the Nittany Lion
Illiini
BRucks said:
Is it luck --- or Sister Jean?
Click to expand...

Then there's this Chicago nun who can send you on a mission from God.

giphy.gif
 
#288      

TownieMatt

T
CU Expat
Chicago
TownieMatt
Malcolm Hill just posted a pretty funny Instagram story:

He's with Mark Smith and making fun of his Mizzou shirt. Malcolm: "Ewwwwww, that yellow!" Mark then mumbles something about fortnite...
 
#289      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
When will new recruits start coming on campus to start summer workouts ?
 
#291      

Ga65

G
Ga65
That gives them five months+ before the season starts. Fletch up, develop some chemistry, get coached up.
 
#293      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
Peoria Illini said:
IMO the only really tough hit we took in this offseason was Leron Black. I would have liked to have Tejon still around, but I think we've adequately replaced him, and then some. We are younger, but I think we have improved the team with athleticism and skill, and I think we will compete for a spot in the tourney.
Click to expand...

It's hard to find too many tough hits after the season we had last year, Frazier would have been a tough hit, maybe Kipper, other than that? but that said given our bigs we will miss Finke.
 
#294      

Greensboro

Greensboro
Greensboro
Rap73 said:
Since Anthony Davis left Kentucky how many NCAA champs had dominating centers? If Evo and Kane can play defense, this team will be fine.
Click to expand...

This seems to be changing the narrative a bit, most teams win championships with a balance, there's a difference between not having a dominant big man & proving guard play wins championship. We aren't shooting for dominant, we are hoping to get serviceable & even then we likely are playing Kipper and maybe Jones mostly at the 4 because we have no choice. Sure maybe Hill put up good numbers playing mostly the 4 & how many NCAA tournaments did Hill make?

For refernce last year; Villanova had 10+ points from 6 players, 2 were 6'9". The year before Carolina had more than there share of bigs and their best player was a 6'8" small forward.
 
#297      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
Relevant to last year, currently at b-ball coach clinic in San Antonio. New Mexico State coach Chris Jans one of the speakers. Talking about their full court press causing confusion after missed free throws. Cue clip of almost 10 second call and forced bad shot vs Illinois. :eek:
 
#298      

RIVERCITYCHIEF

R
RIVERCITYCHIEF
I like our incoming class. IMO the player not discussed enough is Feliz. The impact of having a shooting 1 or often in our recent history not having the threat as a shooter at the point has caused major issues with spacing and offensive flow. Trent was a breath of fresh air last season but I feel he will be more of a 2 next season I wonder what expectations are of Feluz? I just looked up and he shot over 60% from the field and 42% from three with very good vision. I anticipate him playing a very productive role and to play often. Other's thoughts on this? What other newcomers other than Ayo do you expect to play more if any?
I am excited to add more shooting at the 1 and 2 when Feliz and Tent are on the floor. I am wondering if Ayo, Trent, and Feliz will play some together. I think the shooting, spacing, and driving to the basket will be something we have seen in a while with those guys out there together along with other additions.

https://youtu.be/kv_1URHdzYo
 
Last edited:
#299      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
RIVERCITYCHIEF said:
I like our incoming class. IMO the player not discussed enough is Feliz. The impact of having a shooting 1 or often in our recent history not having the threat as a shooter at the point has caused major issues with spacing and offensive flow. Trent was a breath of fresh air last season but I feel he will be more of a 2 next season I wonder what expectations are of Feluz? I just looked up and he shot over 60% from the field and 42% from three with very good vision. I anticipate him playing a very productive role and to play often. Other's thoughts on this? What other newcomers other than Ayo do you expect to play more if any?
I am excited to add more shooting at the 1 and 2 when Feliz and Tent are on the floor. I am wondering if Ayo, Trent, and Feliz will play some together. I think the shooting, spacing, and driving to the basket will be something we have seen in a while with those guys out there together along with other additions.

https://youtu.be/kv_1URHdzYo
Click to expand...

I’m interested in Felix cause I think he’s such a question mark. Nobody ever knows what to expect out of a juco, but he brings age, maturity, apparently good leadership, and some pretty solid international experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if those qualities helped him rise above the norm for a juco, but then the juco tapes don’t appear to be vs great juco comp IMO (could be wrong).

Here is his high school highlight tape for those interested. [YOUTUBE]aiw4m0O_Qdc[/YOUTUBE]
 
Last edited:
#300      

illini80

illini80
Forgottonia
illini80
RIVERCITYCHIEF said:
I like our incoming class. IMO the player not discussed enough is Feliz. The impact of having a shooting 1 or often in our recent history not having the threat as a shooter at the point has caused major issues with spacing and offensive flow. Trent was a breath of fresh air last season but I feel he will be more of a 2 next season I wonder what expectations are of Feluz? I just looked up and he shot over 60% from the field and 42% from three with very good vision. I anticipate him playing a very productive role and to play often. Other's thoughts on this? What other newcomers other than Ayo do you expect to play more if any?
I am excited to add more shooting at the 1 and 2 when Feliz and Tent are on the floor. I am wondering if Ayo, Trent, and Feliz will play some together. I think the shooting, spacing, and driving to the basket will be something we have seen in a while with those guys out there together along with other additions.

https://youtu.be/kv_1URHdzYo
Click to expand...
Agree, but we've got to get some solid play from the 5 to beat good teams. We are not likely to roll up big numbers on a nightly basis to cover for a lack of inside presence.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.