Illini Basketball 2022-2023

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#701      

Piotyr

P
Piotyr
sacraig said:
I can't believe the disrespect given to my phone. Sagarin's site keeps crashing my browser.
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#705      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
Listening to the Illini Inquirer season preview and they bring up that Coleman held Keegan Murray, future number 4 pick in the draft, to 2-13 shooting. Murray was 5-9 when Hawk wasn't on him. That's how good Hawk was at the end of last season. Combine that with Mayer and TSJ and our defense is going to be a huge problem for everyone we face. It's going to be so much fun to watch.

Edit: Also, frankly, I'm just really rooting for Hawk. Other guys in his situation would have transferred. He decided to stick it out. I think he's going to be better because of it and I think we're also better with him.
 
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#706      

KnoxIllini2

KnoxIllini2
KnoxIllini2
The Galloping Ghost said:
Listening to the Illini Inquirer season preview and they bring up that Coleman held Keegan Murray, future number 4 pick in the draft, to 2-13 shooting. Murray was 5-9 when Hawk wasn't on him. That's how good Hawk was at the end of last season. Combine that with Mayer and TSJ and our defense is going to be a huge problem for everyone we face. It's going to be so much fun to watch.
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It’s fun that we have flipped the script from last year where we took our weakness and instead made it our strength.

Give us all the length and athleticism we can handle.
 
#707      

IlliniShelt

I
IlliniShelt
The Galloping Ghost said:
Listening to the Illini Inquirer season preview and they bring up that Coleman held Keegan Murray, future number 4 pick in the draft, to 2-13 shooting. Murray was 5-9 when Hawk wasn't on him. That's how good Hawk was at the end of last season. Combine that with Mayer and TSJ and our defense is going to be a huge problem for everyone we face. It's going to be so much fun to watch.

Edit: Also, frankly, I'm just really rooting for Hawk. Other guys in his situation would have transferred. He decided to stick it out. I think he's going to be better because of it and I think we're also better with him.
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I can't like that 2nd part enough. While staying wouldn't have been the right situation for everyone, I'm glad he's still here and I hope his perseverance is rewarded.
 
#714      

chudaman

chudaman
chudaman
The Galloping Ghost said:
Listening to the Illini Inquirer season preview and they bring up that Coleman held Keegan Murray, future number 4 pick in the draft, to 2-13 shooting. Murray was 5-9 when Hawk wasn't on him. That's how good Hawk was at the end of last season. Combine that with Mayer and TSJ and our defense is going to be a huge problem for everyone we face. It's going to be so much fun to watch.

Edit: Also, frankly, I'm just really rooting for Hawk. Other guys in his situation would have transferred. He decided to stick it out. I think he's going to be better because of it and I think we're also better with him.
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Good D on Keegan Murray does not necessarily translate to good D on Edey or Dickinson so time will tell if the Illini D will be a huge problem for everyone.
 
#715      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
chudaman said:
Good D on Keegan Murray does not necessarily translate to good D on Edey or Dickinson so time will tell if the Illini D will be a huge problem for everyone.
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Edey is a one-of-one. He's a huge matchup problem for every team. The thing is, unlike last year, Purdue doesn't have a ton of other guys that can hurt you. Doubling Edey is much more of an option this year. Plus, Edey will have to guard Hawk.

As for Dickinson, yeah, he has some weight on Hawk, which will be a problem down low, but Hawk is more athletic and can handle all the things Dickinson does on the perimeter and top of the key.

I get it. Not having the biggest, strongest guy on the court is scary. However, I think our length all over the court will make up for what we're missing in that one guy. We've seen firsthand how effective a long team can be against a dominant center.

And Keegan is averaging 17.7 pts on 51.3% shooting in the NBA right now. It's still early in his NBA career, but it shows how spectacular Hawk's defense was and why Coleman is on draft boards.
 
#716      

Monticello

M
Monticello
The Galloping Ghost said:
Edey is a one-of-one. He's a huge matchup problem for every team. The thing is, unlike last year, Purdue doesn't have a ton of other guys that can hurt you. Doubling Edey is much more of an option this year. Plus, Edey will have to guard Hawk.

As for Dickinson, yeah, he has some weight on Hawk, which will be a problem down low, but Hawk is more athletic and can handle all the things Dickinson does on the perimeter and top of the key.

I get it. Not having the biggest, strongest guy on the court is scary. However, I think our length all over the court will make up for what we're missing in that one guy. We've seen firsthand how effective a long team can be against a dominant center.

And Keegan is averaging 17.7 pts on 51.3% shooting in the NBA right now. It's still early in his NBA career, but it shows how spectacular Hawk's defense was and why Coleman is on draft boards.
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Great post. Every time I think, "They have a big guy we can't guard," I think back to that damned Houston game. They three freakishly long-armed guys at us all day, and we couldn't do anything. That's us this year!
 
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