this is going to be a year our first 5 aren’t our “best 5”. We will rarely or never have our best 5 on the court together at the same time this year.
Illini Basketball 2018-2019
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Hard to be sure who our best 5 guys are, but the chances any of them play non-negligible minutes at center are pretty low.
DaMonte and Kipper are the keys to our success this year. We'll go as they go. *drinks more Kool-Aid*
That’s a high mark for Ayo to live up to but I’m doing my best to help
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
Hopefully he's a bit more athletic than Draymond...
These lineups are way off without DMW in them. You'll see.
For whatever period we have with a healthy De La Rosa, I feel pretty confident the starting lineup will be Trent, Ayo, Da'Monte, Kipper and De La Rosa.
And somewhat paradoxically, I think the stronger we are up and down the lineup, the shorter the bench is gonna be. I bet Underwood would be thrilled if he can get away with not having to shuffle around 12 guys this year. 9 would probably be ideal. Kane, AJ, Feliz, Tevian? Can any of those guys be fill-ins at the 4?
And somewhat paradoxically, I think the stronger we are up and down the lineup, the shorter the bench is gonna be. I bet Underwood would be thrilled if he can get away with not having to shuffle around 12 guys this year. 9 would probably be ideal. Kane, AJ, Feliz, Tevian? Can any of those guys be fill-ins at the 4?
Didn't Underwood say that in his 30+ years of coaching that no one improved from one year to the next as much as DMW has. I'm interested to see what that all means.
the national
- the Front Range
Totally agree. Im curious how that improvement looks out on the court during games. Could be coach-speak. Either way, it will say alot about Coach's evaluation of players and will say alot about DaMonte himself.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
I agree that the level of improvement and consistency from these two will be a key factor in how far (if any) the team goes above pre-season expectations.
Does it mean he'll have a mediocre year, well below expectations, and then transfer to Mizzou?
Deleted member 4333
D
Guest
I'm laughing picturing Feliz at the 4.
Agreed. Love AJ, but he is what he is. Doesn’t have the tools to take this team to another level. My hope is that Damonte improves so much that he’s a guy that HAS to be on the floor as much as possible, 30+ min.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I am hoping that we are deep enough that no one averages 30+ minutes a game. It appears, where the team is most talented, we are also most talented. Sips kool-aid.
Illini_1979
- Oregon
This. After some of BU's comments going into last season, I will believe it when I see it.
Smith probably did look that good I practice and the week early schedule, but when they played bigger and more talented players his weaknesses showed
our wing/backcourt depth is deeper than our bigs. Our 5 best players might all be 1-3 (Ayo, Trent, Kipper, Jones, Feliz, Williams, AJ) any of those 5 might be our best. But none of them besides maybe Jones and Kip can play the 4/5
I walked away with the impression that the game never slowed down for him... he always, always, always looked lost. Contrast this with Trent, who "got it" partway through the conference season.
More relevant to this upcoming season, I am eager to see how or whether the phenomenon you're talking about manifests itself with Feliz. Maybe I've been too conditioned to expect the team to hit the wall in January from the Groce years.
blackdog
- Champaign
He will be out of eligibility after this season.
Selfcon4 said:
Yeah, but why? If he is hurt he can red shirt, right? Just cause he is a 5th year transfer does not mean he can't red shirt. Didn't Mike Thorne Jr. do it?
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A player can claim hardship and petition for a 2nd redshirt year due to injurye (ala Thorne), but there is not guarantee the NCAA will grant it.
Yeah, but why? If he is hurt he can red shirt, right? Just cause he is a 5th year transfer does not mean he can't red shirt. Didn't Mike Thorne Jr. do it?
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A player can claim hardship and petition for a 2nd redshirt year due to injurye (ala Thorne), but there is not guarantee the NCAA will grant it.
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