Yep, I think often he has made up his mind to pump fake regardless instead of what the defense weakness may be. He has been here 3 years and has never shot over 30 percent from three, above 70 percent from the line, or taken care of the ball to the level where he should have the ball so much. He also should show more maturity after 3 years here. He has done better of defense historically. After 3 years I really don't expect those numbers to drastically change at this point. I hope they do but I don't see that happening.
Illini Basketball 2022-2023
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I don’t think he’s made up his mind to pump fake. It’s just a habit. He’s done it so many times, he does it w/o thinking. Same thing w starting to dribble at not ideal times. He just puts the ball on the floor w/o purpose out of habit.
I like BU (a lot), but this irks me that he hasn’t corrected both these two habits. Hawk is an undisciplined player. I don’t think he’s the huge talent that some in here think. But he could be better w/ more disciplined play.
As a disclaimer to this rant, i do believe his defense alone is enough to keep him on the court. HOWEVER. hawkins is the first player in line to tell an assistant coach that the reason he screwed up is another players fault. This is conveyed by His body language on the court, his presence in the huddles, his words in press conferences. He comes off as a guy who wants to be talked about as a leader, but doesnt display hardly any leadership qualities. When there is a true alpha doing real leadership things on the court, hawkins can safely operate in the wake of that leader and produce. But the second hes asked to be the man, hes flailing his arms explaining to fletch why its someone elses fault he has more turnovers than points or assists instead of being engaged in the time out huddle. IMO there has never been a hawkins bandwagon to actually be on. Just a long line of people with VR goggles imagining what it could be like. At times the glimpses of success make you feel like its actually real. But….the numbers dont lie. It aint.
The recent performance certainly disappoints me. But it doesn't particularly "alarm" me. BU knows something ain't right, and I'm confident that changes will be made, and team won't be playing like this in a month. If the revised version is equally bad, then I will be alarmed.
There must be some NBA talent evaluators who have the VR glasses, too. If you're in the conversation about the NBA draft, it's not just a bunch of homers who see his talent.
There are
You can be an NBA player and be only an above average college player. Where a dominate college player sometimes will not be considered for the NBA because they lack the size our ability to play above the rim
his size athleticism puts him in the conversation for the NBA. Very few people have that combination. Hawkins flashes of great play will get him drafted. Until he is consistent he won’t play much in the NBA unless he is out there for defense
You can be an NBA player and be only an above average college player. Where a dominate college player sometimes will not be considered for the NBA because they lack the size our ability to play above the rim
His problem right now is that he had limited minutes and lots of potential last year. Now, with more minutes it's likely people will not see as much potential. Long way to go, but he wouldn't be the first guy to drop in estimation with more time in college. Some people actually believe Frankie would have gone higher a year earlier.
At some point players have to find a way to correct the flaws in their game. There’s a reason not all talented people reach their potential. You can’t lay it all at the feet of the coach.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
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I'm not sure I would call his minutes last year "limited". He averaged 19 mpg and started 14 times, but there were definitely a few games where he wore a groove in the bench. I think that's largely because we had a Kofi.
My take on Hawkins is that he's been coached to be a support player his entire basketball playing life prior to arriving in Champaign and is struggling with the adjustment to being the alpha dog. This is an old article, but a great read on how he developed, and I think that background might have limited the development of the mental toughness it takes play at a consistent high level.
And I'll go on a bit of a tangent here. When Hawkins is referred to as "facilitating" the offense, that doesn't mean as a point-forward, it's what he was doing in the Syracuse game (I think it was Cuse where he got the 3D, apologies if I'm incorrect), which was a thing of beauty. Establish position inside the key, take a pass, make a pass, cut to the hoop or the perimeter, lather, rinse, repeat. It was the best execution of the 5 out I've ever seen, and for the life of me I don't know why they're not working it that well since then.
Teams look at film and figure out how to adjust. Not sure that's the reason, but it often is and something we often forget as fans.
I'm sure if you looked a UCLA game thread, they'd have been wondering why their coach didn't "adjust" on TSJ. Since that game, it's entirely possible that other coaches have looked at the film and done something to either get him off his game or interrupted the flow of our offense to keep him from getting the touches he was getting that day.
I definitely don't have the knowledge to know how much of a factor that is, but coaches or great, good, or bad for a reason. Sometimes it shows up subtly.
That was the game where we prepped in advance, knowing that we'd get that widely-spaced 2-3 zone. Coleman vivisected that zone, but hasn't had the same opportunity since.
viking6888
Greeley, Colorado
As well as his shooting. While most players waltzed into the locker room the required 90 minutes before game time, Bird has been on the floor by at least 6:00, more than two hours before tip-off. In the loneliness of Boston Garden, with only attendants and a few Celtics season ticket holders present, Bird shot more than 300 practice shots. He'd start with 6 to 10 free throws, move out on the court a bit, and then start firing away at a comfortable pace as comrade Joe Qatato hit him with perfect passes. Then the "Parquet Picasso," as he was dubbed, would speed up the routine and by the end of the workout throw up rapid-fire shots, many featuring the Bird "drop back a step" maneuver that guaranteed him an opening from every angle. "I really don't count my shots," Bird said. "I just shoot until I feel good." The shooting practice was reflective of Bird's desire and his love for the game. "That's the number one thing, the desire," he explained. "The ability to do the things you have to do to become a basketball player. I don't think you can teach desire. I don't know why I have it, but I do."
If the role Hawkins is best suited for is "defensive specialist" than that is the role he needs to focus. We have other players on this team who are more capable of playing the role of "ball handler," and "shooter."
Hopefully it doesn’t mean anything but Skyy just unfollowed IlliniMBB and deleted his commitment post on IG.
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
It's been like that for a few days
So I'm guessing there might be someone entering the portal soon....
JFGsCoffeeMug
BU:1 Trash cans:0
- Chicago
That would be so wild.
His bio used to include @illinimb too. Now that's gone.
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