Yep. Hummel was on WDWS last year and talked about his connection to U of I and all the time he spent here as a kid. Weber never even offered him.
Illini Basketball 2018-2019
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Yep. Hummel was on WDWS last year and talked about his connection to U of I and all the time he spent here as a kid. Weber never even offered him.
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That's crazy. I never knew Weber didn't even offer him. Then he turns around in a press conference a couple years later and cries about how he wished he had players like him. Those guys can play :tsk:
That next day after that game was when I discovered Loyalty. A friend was telling me about that press conference, so I done a search for the video and this was the site it led me to. Not sure if I'm glad that happened or not
That's crazy. I never knew Weber didn't even offer him. Then he turns around in a press conference a couple years later and cries about how he wished he had players like him. Those guys can play :tsk:
That next day after that game was when I discovered Loyalty. A friend was telling me about that press conference, so I done a search for the video and this was the site it led me to. Not sure if I'm glad that happened or not
There have been plenty of lows over the past 10 years, but nothing beats the Bruce death walk for me. @Nebraska was surreal.
Looking at our current roster I think Aaron Jordan is going to have a break out year- This young man will surprise a lot of people with his pure stroke being fed by a 4 and 5 star players on the wing.
This kid as been through thick and thin - One thing that remains is TRUE is that he stuck with the Orange and Blue no matter the outside changes (coaches etc) over several years.
I for one applaud his leadership skills and growth and most important his commitment to the Orange and Blue these last 3 years. A special young man with special parents that glow bright Orange.
This kid as been through thick and thin - One thing that remains is TRUE is that he stuck with the Orange and Blue no matter the outside changes (coaches etc) over several years.
I for one applaud his leadership skills and growth and most important his commitment to the Orange and Blue these last 3 years. A special young man with special parents that glow bright Orange.
Bubba Eder
- Northeast Missouri
Agreed! I hope he brings a level of consistency as well. Will be really important with lots of newcomers.
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
Totally agree. Aaron Jordan is the epitome of what an Illinois student-athlete should be: he has superior smarts, excellent skills, and outstanding Integrity. The fact that he and his family have stayed loyal to Illinois through such adversity speaks volumes about what high character people they all are. I can’t wait for him to continue where he left off last season with another break out season!
I didn't know that parents could do this. What if myself or others would like their parents to do this? Can anyone get their parents to glow (bright) orange?
I didn't know that parents could do this. What if myself or others would like their parents to do this? Can anyone get their parents to glow (bright) orange?
All you gotta do is drink a load of Orange kool-aid....We do!
Just giving an example of why using athleticism as the sole indicator of future performance is bad logic.
And continuing with the Mr. Obvious theme, a senior Frankie Williams would be better than a Frosh Ayo. Not that there is any point.
We were talking about Giorgi and his future in a vacuum of athleticism so your retort doesn’t make any sense.
t7nich
- Central IL
Go back and read my post. I discussed skill and athleticism when comparing him to others on the roster. I answered the question with what I thought was the most logical (and obvious) answer.
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I'm so excited that we have 3 years of DaMonte Williams ahead of us.
Me too. He's my pick to have a break out season.
Seems like you think it is athleticism that separates them. Saying that "all 3 have skill" is kind of a non-statement, statement. I'm not necessarily predicting anything here, just saying that Giorgi's skill could elevate him above the other's athleticism and cited a few players that would be the least athletic on the team and still one of our best players this year. My hope is that whatever skillset Underwood saw in Giorgi makes him a surprise player for us this year. I don't think there is enough evidence to have a good feel for that on him right now other than most freshman bigs aren't very good.
t7nich
- Central IL
Yes, just based on what I've read and seen on videos, athleticism is the thing that stands out as the main difference. But I agree with you that he has the skill set to flourish in Brad's offense, for sure. And I think he'll get some solid playing time this year to show what he can do.
+1 to this sentiment. He's dealt with adversity here, and done a fantastic job.
Peoria Illini
- Peoria, IL
I think a lot with both Griffin and Giorgi is how well they play defensively. They'll need to be decent at that to see floor time, IMO. After that Griffin's time will be dependent on how well he can shoot from three and open up the defense. Giorgi should do well at the pinch post when in the game with distribution. Not sure I'd consider him much of a scoring threat right now.
Should be fun to watch!
I think Jones is pretty skilled for a kid his size and there have been some rumblings that Kane has offensive game we haven't seen on tape. I'm really high on Jones in particular and believe he can be one of our best players this year. If Giorgio has really high BB IQ and the game isn't too fast for him, I could see him getting time in part because he's not a turnover machine or a "ball-stopper" since he seems to be an adept passer. All of these guys, particularly the bigs, will have to be able to play solid defense without fouling too much. I could see Griffin struggling to get tick this year potentially but would love for him to be a surprise first year contributor. I imagine AJ will get the bulk of the minutes as our 3 point specialist.
A couple things that I think get lost in the offseason optimism:
One is the usual projection and optimism. Someone sees a highlight video with some nice plays, and imagines the player making those plays all the time, and compare that to what they expect other teams will have. Or worse, imagining them being better than their best plays while adjusting to the college game.
Another is looking at players in isolation. Sure, we have a nice class coming in, but how does it stack up to the competition? Look at other highlight videos of the recruits that are joining us in the BIG. If you go by recruiting rankings for this class, there's a bit of a drop-off after the top 6 in the conference:
1 Maryland
2 Indiana
3 Michigan
4 MSU
5 IL
6 tOSU
Being in the top 6 is nice. But consider that we have significantly more turnover than probably any team in the conference, and that drops our best case scenario to be more like middle of the conference, barring a miracle of catching up immediately to teams with better or more experienced rosters.
I'm ok with wild optimism for the future. Just don't see a reason to believe we'll be equal to or better than the upper third of the conference in the coming season.
One is the usual projection and optimism. Someone sees a highlight video with some nice plays, and imagines the player making those plays all the time, and compare that to what they expect other teams will have. Or worse, imagining them being better than their best plays while adjusting to the college game.
Another is looking at players in isolation. Sure, we have a nice class coming in, but how does it stack up to the competition? Look at other highlight videos of the recruits that are joining us in the BIG. If you go by recruiting rankings for this class, there's a bit of a drop-off after the top 6 in the conference:
1 Maryland
2 Indiana
3 Michigan
4 MSU
5 IL
6 tOSU
Being in the top 6 is nice. But consider that we have significantly more turnover than probably any team in the conference, and that drops our best case scenario to be more like middle of the conference, barring a miracle of catching up immediately to teams with better or more experienced rosters.
I'm ok with wild optimism for the future. Just don't see a reason to believe we'll be equal to or better than the upper third of the conference in the coming season.
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