Illini Basketball 2022-2023
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Very good point. We did use a lot of the 30 second shot clock so a faster paced/quicker scoring plays will keep guys off Kofi. I have not checked but I would bet we were one of the worst fast break scoring teams in the conference. More speed/better defending will help get more fast break points.
Fair point. But for me personally, the concern is less about playing unproven at the college lvl point guards and moreso the volume of unproven point guards we have. It would be nice to have a vet in the mix.
Also, Skyy and Epps haven't played in college yet so I can't speak to whether they are Dee & Deron level. If they can play to the level, i'll take it and I would imagine they can compete with a vet for playing time.
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Exactly what I said a few days ago, (about Sky and Epps). hahaha. I am so excited about these two.
TheFameProtector
- Champaign
FWIW, I mostly agree with you, though I do think it would be ideal to bring in an experienced big guard that has some playmaking chops to take the burden off of them as the sole creators. Skyy and Epps could end up both being home runs but they still lean towards scoring first and could benefit from playing alongside somebody that is more of a creator. There's also the issue of depth. We saw this year that an injury to one key guy can hit your rotations hard. If two guys are out (like when Trent and Belo both missed a game or two), then it can get real rough real fast. If Skyy were to have to miss time, then our backcourt as it stands right now would be very thin and unproven.
“We do not need to play anyone 30 minutes a game as we saw what giving 30 plus minutes a game to 5 players and the same 5 players game in and game out.”
What is that, a conference championship?
Kofi will likely average close to 30 mpg again this year — certainly not less than the 27 mpg he had the previous year. But hopefully he doesn’t have to have many if any at all 35 minute games. I do think that people are over estimating the impact of the Illini’s perceived depth will have on the rotation. It likely won’t be as tight as it was this year, but not going to consistently be 9-10 deep
for games either.
I mean yeah I kinda would.
If you have room competition is never bad and bringing in a more proven ball handler is only going to beneficial to the team.
i think the illini will be fine with CoHawk as a 4th option 3pt shooter with limited 3pt attempts. A CoHawk focused on his elite skills of offensive rebounding, running the floor and dunking can do us wonders.
Certainly have no expertise on stamina but if body fat is (7-8% nos) any loss of weight is muscle isn’t it? If he is using his energy fighting down low for position any loss of muscle is detrimental. I Certainly trust Fletch on this.
Dain is a whole different case based on appearance. If he gets to Kofi nos he is probably more like 240. Certainly could lead to a completely different look offensively as he is more like Hawk with a really good mid range game. My question is can he play defense against the big guys of Michigan and Purdue. Could not do it in the same way as Kofi muscling them. Dain is not a plug and play sub for Kofi and changing offensive and defensive sets based on a substitution seems complicated to me with young players. Would seem easier to me to work on a mid range game with Kofi. He doesn’t look bad with a 10-15’ jump shot and it would certainly help his draft status.
Probably why I’m not a coach.
I would like to see us run more offense with Kofi in the "dunker spot" where he's not being asked to post up constantly. This would only work if we have players able to drive, draw the D, then dish, but I think next season's roster will be better at that, especially if TSJ comes. When Kofi goes out Hawkins or Dainja could run that spot depending on which one is more dangerous picking and popping on the perimeter. I'm attaching a video of the types of buckets Kofi could potentially get in this type of attack. Seems a lot less tiring than what we asked him to do this past season. Obviously he would still post up sometimes and you could still get high-low looks out of it too.
Agreed, I think that was a big reason why Kofi's dunks were way down from the year before.
I get the excitement aboyt Skyy and Epps, I'm excited too. And I think Skyy starts and Epps gets a lot of minutes. But Skyy is coming off a major knee injury and neither has played a single minute at this level. The list of guys who looked ready in highlight videos but needed a year or more to get acclimated at this level is long. As a fan it's fun to fantasize about these guys being the second coming of one of the best backcourts in college basketball history. But the staff has to be realistic. Skyy and Epps could be better than their recruiting rankings and still not be Dee and Deron. So I wouldn't fault the staff for having a plan B.
They would if the assistant who took over for Howard was named head coach. He was a lot better than Howard in those last five games.
blackdog
- Champaign
Kofi is so strong that he could lose some muscle mass and still be bigger and stronger than everyone else. I could see them changing his workout routine to cut down on heavier lifts and focus more building stamina.
Exactly. Adam Miller transferred after starting every game.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
Come on now...all you have to do is look at the season scUM had with their freshman. We all should be prepared for some bumps in the road early.
Also, as for depth...after our year...how can anyone seriously question wanting depth at PG?
Or C. Or F. Or W. Or SG. Or Assistant Coach. Or team medical staff. Or .gifs. Or cheerleaders. Or fans that stand up during games. Or Krush signs. Or pizza toppings. Pool depth can be important also.
So to sum up, depth is important. Unless it's the line at the DMV. Or the bathroom line after a Chipotle run. Pun intended.
Also, as for depth...after our year...how can anyone seriously question wanting depth at PG?
Or C. Or F. Or W. Or SG. Or Assistant Coach. Or team medical staff. Or .gifs. Or cheerleaders. Or fans that stand up during games. Or Krush signs. Or pizza toppings. Pool depth can be important also.
So to sum up, depth is important. Unless it's the line at the DMV. Or the bathroom line after a Chipotle run. Pun intended.
I remember when Mark Smith was the new Deron Williams.
Hard to rely too much on freshmen, but with the amount of guard talent on next year's team, seems like someone should be playing well at any given time.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I see on page 1 that the schedule usually comes out during late summer, but do any specific games trickle out sooner?
- I know we have the Vegas tournament already.
- When does Braggin’ Rights usually get selected? Given the calendar, I’d have to imagine it’s Thursday 12/22, right?
- When does Big Ten/ACC Challenge announce the matchups?
- Any insiders hearing if we are resurrecting the United Center game? It was one thing to ditch it when we were awful, but history is QUITE clear that good Illini teams draw a good crowd there. Seems like it’s the perfect time to bring it back.
- I know we have the Vegas tournament already.
- When does Braggin’ Rights usually get selected? Given the calendar, I’d have to imagine it’s Thursday 12/22, right?
- When does Big Ten/ACC Challenge announce the matchups?
- Any insiders hearing if we are resurrecting the United Center game? It was one thing to ditch it when we were awful, but history is QUITE clear that good Illini teams draw a good crowd there. Seems like it’s the perfect time to bring it back.
Illini in OC
In. The. Alley.
sacraig
- The desert
Mark Smith had lots of tools at his disposal, but it's difficult to teach work ethic at such a late age.
Especially with his dad complaining that Mr Basketball doesn't run on a treadmill.
Hopefully we will get either N.C. or Duke. Love to play Duke at home.
So Illini are going to have play shirt and skins this year cuz Skyy and Epps’ jerseys will be hanging in the rafters? We’d all like this duo to be the second coming of Dee and Deron, and if they are they will see plenty of playing time whether depth at PG is brought in or not. And if they aren’t as good right out of the box, you have insurance and someone who can steady the ship. And what is it that freshmen typically have problems with? D and fouls again, having depth would be an asset when foul trouble crops up. And that isn’t even mentioning injuries. I seem to remember injuries impacting PG play this year. Would it be nice to have an insurance and have a good third option at point if that happens again. I like Podz and think he can be a valuable piece going forward, but I haven’t seen anything to lead me to believe he’d be the answer at point if thrust into that position.
I’m excited about Skyy and Epps. I’d also be excited to have the depth at PG so we don’t see a repeat of what happened this season should an injury become an issue.
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