Getting up and down constantly means you pretty much take Kofi out of the game. It's fine to have 1-2 minute stretches but our personnel is not set up for this.
Illini Basketball 2021-2022
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Getting up and down constantly means you pretty much take Kofi out of the game. It's fine to have 1-2 minute stretches but our personnel is not set up for this.
And did win Sporting News POY. Also 2x All-American, including consensus 1st team in 2005. I am happy to talk about how great Dee was all day.
Except that Kofi is the second fastest player on the team, and runs the floor very well. He wouldn't be double and triple teamed, and would often be in place for offensive rebounds. My doubts about running are that #1 - BU is an incredible coach and if that were an option, that was his offensive philosophy at previous stops and the Illini would probably run more if he thought we could, and #2 - our depth probably would not allow it unless the freshmen and other subs were ready to play more. I am not doubting BU, he is the best thing that has happened for the Illini in a very long time. Just curious what others think. Thanx for your point.
He runs the floor well in short spurts but like most big men he is going to get tired quickly.
With Kofi now having the ability to pass out of double teams, our halfcourt offense is looking really good IMO.
If Kofi wasn't able to pass out of double teams then I agree with you that we need to get out and run.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Huh ?
We scored 19 straight points in 1-2 minutes ?...........wow , I need to go back and replay that 19-0 run again.............
And YES , we have the personnel to get up and down constantly....That is what BU is talking about with the scoring within 7 seconds thingy.............
And , Kofi runs the court well enough to get his on the up and down.....
Wow , just Wow....................................
Let's not act like that 18-0 is something that happens every day. Trent went unconscious and Zona had some miscues.
We do not have the frontcourt personnel to run up and down all game. Our halfcourt offense is plenty good enough right now. If anything, we should be concerned about our defense
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Good morning there quick twitch Knoxville.....
I can't help it when I read such nonsense...JMHO of course , but really ???????????????????????....people think that ???????????????
WOW.................................
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Do you watch college BB regularly ????........Large runs are a point of fact in almost every game played , including the Illini............
trent went unconscious and zona had some miscues ????...Of course , thats what happened...........Our front court consists of Kofi , CoHawk , Jake , DMW and Payne.....name one who can't run up and down the court in that scenario.....When they get winded BU sub's them out ........As far as zona had miscues , so does every team in every game.......
Our half court offense is really good right now , i agree.....
I also agree about concerns about our defense , but to say we don't have the personnel to run up and down constantly goes directly against the team BU wants and the team I root for .....The Illini have the personnel to run other teams off the court , and at least fast break for an
open 3 from TF , AP , JG , CH....
Sorry , but I disagree with your thoughts ....No big deal ....I know multitudes of peeps here disagree with a lot of my thoughts ....That's why I enjoy coming here to Dan the MAN's board......Lively and thought provoking...........................
So at the beginning of the year I said that we would be good, and there were about 7 things that could happen for us to be great, and we only needed 2-3 to hit. Here is where I think we are at:
1. Kofi takes a step forward - I think this has happened. With his passing, free throw shooting, and just overall feel for the game he looks more like a basketball player and not just a big dude out there.
2. Belo takes a step forward- obviously a no and I do think his absence has really set us back.
3. Plummer is an upgrade in the Ace role- this one is a little tougher. Obviously far ahead of Ace offensively and way ahead as a shooter, but well behind Ace defensively especially towards the end of last year. I do think he’s improving defensively and this can be a yes by year end but right now I will say incomplete, but trending yes.
4. Hutch is a contributor- obviously a no and just terrible luck.
5. Payne is an upgrade over Giorgi- this is a no. Payne is an upgrade on defense, but I always felt like Giorgi was a better defender than he got credit for and we do miss his offense. Still time for the lightbulb to come on for Payne though and I do think having Belo out has hurt his offense.
6. One of the frosh makes the rotation - still a no. Goode looks to be on the verge but for whatever reason BU doesn’t trust him yet. RJ has also shown flashes.
7. Coleman takes a step forward- not yet. Has shown flashes but too inconsistent and mistake prone. I feel like his career has been very similar to Griffin’s so far. Play sparingly as a frosh, play really well against low majors as a soph but struggles on big stage, and struggles defensively. The light bulb did come on for Griffin against HM competition right around the Wisconsin game and from then on he was probably our most consistent shooter. Coleman has been really good defensively in 2 of the last 3 games. I’m hoping with a little more practice he can figure out his role on offense and the light bulb will come on sometime in conference play.
So, not surprisingly we are behind where I hoped we would be, but a combination of injuries and illness have really hurt us. Still think there’s a chance we hit on a couple of the above and if that happens and we even get frosh Belo back think we will be really dangerous. My prediction of most likely to click from above:
1. Plummer surpasses Ace- probably already has but just want a little more defensively which I think is coming.
2. Frosh makes the rotation - Thinking Goode will be getting ~12mpg by March
3. Coleman takes a step forward - needs some consistency and confidence, hopefully will come with more practice and a few games against lesser competition (Tubelis was a beast).
4. Payne is an upgrade over Giorgi- just haven’t seen enough.
5. Belo takes a step- realistically think injury will have just put him too far behind to make the leap I was hoping for. At this point would be thrilled just to have frosh level Belo and I think we will be great.
Sorry for the long post. But just wanted to share my thoughts. Feel like it’s been more bad luck than anything that’s held is back so far and still think we have a great chance to win the BIG and go on a run in March. Go Illini!
1. Kofi takes a step forward - I think this has happened. With his passing, free throw shooting, and just overall feel for the game he looks more like a basketball player and not just a big dude out there.
2. Belo takes a step forward- obviously a no and I do think his absence has really set us back.
3. Plummer is an upgrade in the Ace role- this one is a little tougher. Obviously far ahead of Ace offensively and way ahead as a shooter, but well behind Ace defensively especially towards the end of last year. I do think he’s improving defensively and this can be a yes by year end but right now I will say incomplete, but trending yes.
4. Hutch is a contributor- obviously a no and just terrible luck.
5. Payne is an upgrade over Giorgi- this is a no. Payne is an upgrade on defense, but I always felt like Giorgi was a better defender than he got credit for and we do miss his offense. Still time for the lightbulb to come on for Payne though and I do think having Belo out has hurt his offense.
6. One of the frosh makes the rotation - still a no. Goode looks to be on the verge but for whatever reason BU doesn’t trust him yet. RJ has also shown flashes.
7. Coleman takes a step forward- not yet. Has shown flashes but too inconsistent and mistake prone. I feel like his career has been very similar to Griffin’s so far. Play sparingly as a frosh, play really well against low majors as a soph but struggles on big stage, and struggles defensively. The light bulb did come on for Griffin against HM competition right around the Wisconsin game and from then on he was probably our most consistent shooter. Coleman has been really good defensively in 2 of the last 3 games. I’m hoping with a little more practice he can figure out his role on offense and the light bulb will come on sometime in conference play.
So, not surprisingly we are behind where I hoped we would be, but a combination of injuries and illness have really hurt us. Still think there’s a chance we hit on a couple of the above and if that happens and we even get frosh Belo back think we will be really dangerous. My prediction of most likely to click from above:
1. Plummer surpasses Ace- probably already has but just want a little more defensively which I think is coming.
2. Frosh makes the rotation - Thinking Goode will be getting ~12mpg by March
3. Coleman takes a step forward - needs some consistency and confidence, hopefully will come with more practice and a few games against lesser competition (Tubelis was a beast).
4. Payne is an upgrade over Giorgi- just haven’t seen enough.
5. Belo takes a step- realistically think injury will have just put him too far behind to make the leap I was hoping for. At this point would be thrilled just to have frosh level Belo and I think we will be great.
Sorry for the long post. But just wanted to share my thoughts. Feel like it’s been more bad luck than anything that’s held is back so far and still think we have a great chance to win the BIG and go on a run in March. Go Illini!
We have the personnel to run, with one limitation. We do not have anyone who finishes well in traffic. Ayo was elite at this, and I don't expect to have anyone like that. But we need that long wing slasher type. Hutch might have been that for us. So, with running the concern is not getting down the court, but it seems to be with scoring when we do. As it stands now, our running would seem to be more a matter of getting down the floor quickly before the other team can set up their defense and get an open 3.
I think Hawk has taken a step forward. I just think people were greatly overestimating what his growth might be. His FG% is up from 34.5 to 46.2. His 3-point percentage has also improved very slightly from 23.1 to 25.9. On a per minute basis, I think the only stat he is down in is blocks.
GallopingGhost
- Denver, CO
This is really good and thought out. Can I offer my opinions on a couple?
1. Absolutely Kofi looks better, more dominant this year. Look out, Big Ten.
2. With injury problems, not yet. Could be a yes come Jan-Feb.
3. I agree with everything you said. Spot on. Defensive intensity needs to get better. BU is the guy to do it if its possible for a Senior to take a "defensive leap". But Ace/Plummer is a wash for me right now. We wouldn't be looking at a 7-3 team without plummer, but I can't say if we would be 7-3 if we had Ace. An impossible question, i suppose.
4 and 5. Sadly no, and will NOT happen, I imagine. I'd say Payne is not even close to equal Giorgi, especially when you add in attitude, teamwork and locker room energy.
6. Agree totally. When Goode is out there, I'm usually impressed by his defense. That's how you get minutes with BU. This will be a yes come March
7. Coleman is so hard. He looked like he already made it in games 1-3, but now with Kofi as the focus, he has yet to continue his progress. That concerns me. Dude is a baller and I think it will come if not this year, then next year.
So we are looking at like... 1.75 things happening so far? Haha with potential to top out at 5 of your 7 points later in the season.
Go illini!
*neigh*
Are there any examples of uptempo teams that also play through a back to the basket post player? I really don't know the answer. Seems to me though, that we can't play through Kofi AND be an uptempo team. BU has made the decision to be more of a half court team vs run n' gun.. which, IMO, is the right decision. Another example of him adjusting style of play to his roster mid season.
Maybe, but we desperately need what Dee (and Ayo) brought to the table - fast break points. We had one (ONE) fast break basket vs. 7 or 8 for AZ. That's been a weakness for us all year.
I agree with this..but we've been prone to turning the ball over 20+ times when we begin to play the up tempo game to this point...now maybe that will get better....but until it does I think BU will pull the reins in a bit on the running game
He may be the second fastest player on the team but is only good for a couple of hard trips down the floor, then jogging in both directions. Don't know if its from getting beat on or just conditioning. Sure missing 3 games and a bone bruise hasn't helped. We have been an average team in transition and the faster we play the sloppier we get.
The only person that can be compared to Dee that has played with the Illini over the past 5 years is Ayo, that’s it.
15 years*
Gotta get defensive boards and/or live ball turnovers to run and we didn't do that against Arizona, we were poor at both.
How are his turnovers? Seems awfully loose with the ball, those lazy telegraphed passes have to be hammered out of him.
And stop with the touch fouls on shooters. If you're gonna foul a shooter, get your money's worth and make sure the ball doesn't get to the rim for the -and 1. Continue to add strength.
To me those are the biggest weaknesses in his game that he really needs to (and can) correct. His ceiling is really high.
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Yeah he has some bad turnovers, but the weak and unnecessary fouls are what hurt us most. Stop doing those and he'll be just fine.
Plummer is the one who's been particularly bad about facilitating. His entry passes are absolutely dreadful.
The good news is it's not like we're asking someone to be who they aren't, we just need to tighten up how we play. We've played two games now that are 1/2 possession games that really came down to loose play. It doesn't feel good to lose them, but we weren't beat solely on talent or how we performed overall.
Happy Birthday to Coach Underwood! Thank you for believing in this program, and getting people excited about Illinois Basketball again!
Yes I hold my breath every time Plummer touches the ball if it's not leaving his hands for a shot in a microsecond LOL
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