The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
^^^agreed. Izzo turned into a turd near the end of the Weber era and has been putrefying ever since.
Illini Basketball 2022-2023
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It’s natural to be curious about what happened with this young man but this belongs only in the realm of ‘knowing’ for his immediate family (and his Illini-team family). We may get to know more if someone close to the situation has permission to reveal it.
The best that we – his extended Illini Nation family – can do in this situation is to send him good vibes and our hopes for the best outcome possible.
In a way these young men who wear Orange every year do seem like extended family for us in Illini Nation. We follow the daily exploits of these men closely as we begin to know their names and personalities better than some of those in our own blood-relative families. (And we may like the Illini guys better, too? But don’t tell anyone).
The lllini have responded to this situation as a rallying point to bring the team together and return to play at a high level. Maybe they did this organically on their own... or maybe Coach had a serious talk with the guys and this brought them closer as a team. Or maybe even Skyy said something to them.
In absence of the human factor... sports is just hitting a ball with a stick or throwing a ball through a hoop or down the field or kicking it into a big net. And how many times can you watch that before that gets boring. It’s the human factor... the flesh and blood men and women and boys and girls who play sports that draws us in and captures our imagination. And that fact that you never, ever can know what is going to happen or develop in the next moment of the game. Or the season. Or next season. And who might be the next hero. And who tried to be the next hero but couldn't be. And who put their arm around that guy to pick him up again.
That’s what keeps us all dialed in. And you just can’t take your eyes of this or you’ll miss something special.
I wouldn't wish him on my biggest/worst enemy. Guy is just, sorry can't say what I want, but you all know.
MSU shot 33% on mid range shots yesterday
I will post exactly once to say i disagree on two points.
I'm sorry you took this as dumping. There's a lot of dumping that goes on in here, a lot of it on players who very well could be going through as much or more than Skyy (post-concussion Curbelo, transfer rumors Miller...), and i am not a dumper. I do not disagree that it is a brutally frank and succinct assessment that happens to be written around the player's knee, but if "Nothing Happened" is worthy of reprobation, you are going to be very busy. If describing his tenure on the team (up to now) with the words "Nothing Happened" is a dump, i think that says a lot more about him than it says about me. Does the pic make it a dump? I don't know, but i assure you my sentiments about Clark's semester with the team and the down performances that ended it, and the future (with or without him) that comes after it are the same that led to his ink. What's past is past, to new beginnings!
Second, I don't think it is at all clear that Skyy is actually going through something, which i will plainly state, is not to say that he isn't. I am not an insider and nothing is clear to me at all. "Nothing Happened" is the Clark situation!
Did he punch Mayer? Nothing Happened
Did Mayer punch him? Nothing Happened
Are we better because he's gone?
Was he injured?
Is his family a roadblock?
Did Underwood's coaching style cause friction?
Does he own a refrigerator?
Is Moretti his replacement?
Nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened. That tattoo might as well be a press release...
I'm just a fan. I am not entitled to answers. I do not believe everything i read on the Internet. I understand coachspeak and saving-face. This is how it works - big boy basketball - and i understand that. Skyy Clark could be a total a-hole or a saint who was just diagnosed with stage IV cancer. He could also be a regular dude who wasn't quite ready for what came his way, and is adrift in the gulf between expectations and reality. I, and most others here, have only Internet-informed guesses. Unfortunately I was asked to care about him and cheer him on. I was told he was elite. Now the vibes i'm getting are:
And Forever
Somebody did ask Underwood about it. Check out the postgame press conference. Link is on page 6 or 7.
Underwood chose his words carefully and was more reflective… choosing to get across that Skyy’s well being is the top priority. He was not mad or at all put off by Izzo’s take on the matter.
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pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Correct me if I'm wrong , but this isn't the first time Skyy has jumped ship before................he came here amid vast hype and tremendous hope....
Evidently it hasn't worked out.........BU is playing his cards correctly and close to the vest , as he did when Miller transferred to lsu or belo to st johns.....
No need to exacerbate the situation and I commend him and staff for finding a replacement as soon as they did ....and Moretti ain't what I'd call
chopped liver ( yuck , I hate liver ....gross smell and taste).........
No need for any bridge burning by BU and also no need for the little squirt izzo-zero to chime in......................izzo-zero needs to tend to his own knitting and
STFU aboot the Illini program ..................jus me humblin opines.......................
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Any update on when he’ll join the team?
I thought February but I think it’s next week
Obviously, I can't and couldn't read Izzo's mind, but I believed the reason he was so "upset" and vocal about Weber being dismissed was because he knew how to beat Weber. At some point and in the back of his mind, Izzo knew his reign of consistently beating Illinois would come to an end.
And that end is Underwood.
Not sure if Izzo is a big fan of BU, but who cares. Take no prisoners, Coach, when it comes to MSU.
They frequently sit with each other at AAU games when on the road recruiting
For the insiders it seems like some of our players have been playing through some pain earlier in the season
RJ shoulder MM back TSJ leg say on Fletch instagram him saying it feels a lot better
Is some of our resurgence due to healing earlier aches and pains? Definitely think the players bought in but they seem to be playing like earlier in the season
RJ shoulder MM back TSJ leg say on Fletch instagram him saying it feels a lot better
Is some of our resurgence due to healing earlier aches and pains? Definitely think the players bought in but they seem to be playing like earlier in the season
Agreed. Basketball aside, the role he had in intimidating and covering up crimes of the sexual nature on that campus is disgusting.
Win at all costs, Tom.
23rd
Hopefully (considering injuries and poor play) neither are needed this season. That said, who is more likely to burn their redshirt, Perrin or Moretti?
I agree with what you, and others who have said similar things regarding Skyy, to a point. He is a young man and I don't think people should tear the guy up personally. But. I feel like there is a clear pattern that has been established that certainly raises some questions. When you factor in his history of changing schools, him coincidently losing his starting job right before he left, and the amazing change in team dynamics since his departure I think it is kind of silly to come to many other conclusions than the obvious. The very vague statement that was released seemed to me as a way to avoid questions. To make questions seem "inappropriate". And when you factor in the large amount of cash that people(including people on this board) have contributed to NIL then I think there is less ability to hide behind being a "kid". First of all, he's not a kid. If any other 19 year old is given a hefty paycheck for a job and walks away from it midway through there are sure as heck going to be some questions. I see that as a likely developing part of NIL. Accountability to those footing the bill.
Now is he going through something away from basketball? Are his parents calling the shots? Is the staff saying what they need to say to not burn Montverde bridges? Was Izzo right?
Who knows, but it seems ridiculous to pretend people can't be, or shouldn't be, upset with how it went down.
I’m not sure if you’re joking or not. Actually after sweeping the Illini for a couple/few years, I believe Weber was at least .500 against MSU his last 2 or 3 years, including a win over a top 10 ranked MSU in his last year. He was vocal about Weber being fired because in 9 seasons he was .500 or above in 7 of them for a conference winning percentage of .575 and .675 overall, and took Illini to tourney 6 years. If a coach with that body of work at a school can be fired, it’s bad for the coaching community. Never mind that the team had been trending downward and team was 8 games under .500 in conference over Weber’s last 5 years.
Izzo speaking out had nothing to do with he felt he could beat Weber. It was all about who does Illinois think they are that they believe they deserve better. Thankfully Illinois leadership didn’t agree even though they got the next hire wrong — and Josh came in and got the hire right.
Perrin is my guess. He doesn’t plan to be at Illinois for four years, anyway. Plus we will have been at Illinois almost a month longer to start with.
This post x 1000. I wish Skyy well but he immediately packed up and left town. The play of this team the last 3 games personally tells me all I need to know about the situation.
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Yeah, I agree…if Izzo knew anything at all about what went down…and then helped cover it up it’s super-sickening and disturbing…and let’s face it…he probably did. I might be ill-informed about it all…and it’s been a minute…But it if memory serves it was pretty much the same playbook Boeheim used when allegations about his Assistant Coach Bernie Fine came out.
1.) Hard Deny
2.) Discredit Anyone That Comes Forward
3.) Repeat…Ad Nauseam
4.) If Possible Change The Subject
Or, Simply Wait Out The News Cycle
Or some combination of the above…
illini80
- Forgottonia
More likely? Good question because it’s hard to see either one being a significant factor with limited practice and no game time. Getting Luke back in another week or so will help the guard depth. Esp at the 2 spot.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
There was a lot of clutter aboot the mateen cleaves team era and disturbing actions by the players that , to my knowledge has not been fully vetted to this day.............................The debacle with the terrible trainer and his actions has put a cloud over all aspects of the sports programs at msu.......To think that izzo-zero had no knowledge of any awful goings on is an insult to the general public.....izzo-zero has been there long enough and probably swept enough under the rug to make that tapestry the size of a FB field.......
His whiney approach on the sidelines is bad enough for me without getting into the sacred behind the scenes innuendo's to despise him......Again , he needs to stfu about our program and worry aboot the next fiasco that will happen there in his disgraced school..............JMHO....
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