Illini Basketball 2022-2023

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#251      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
Birdus said:
Individual talent does not make a team. Chemistry does. We have a good team that has shown flashes. Unfortunately, we seem to be hitting the wrong teams at the wrong time. Indiana will be psyched this Saturday if N.W. beats them. We still have to play N.W. and Purdue. Hopefully we can beat Minnesota, O. State and Michigan but nothing is guaranteed. At this point, I would be happy with a split and 7 seed. We still have time to round into playing up to the potential that we have flashed against earlier top ten teams.
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You need talent and chemistry. There is a reason our best Illini teams historically have had the most NBA players on them. Dont kid yourself . It takes both but with talent you can win without playing your best. Plus your not gong to win NCAA Titles and that’s our eventual goal. Without talent you can forget about going very far towards reaching it but with 2,3,4 or more NBA level talents you can play below average and smoke more college teams. We have had those teams before and I hope we do again soon. This team is a good start but they do need to mesh but Goode hitting some jumpers could go a long way to fixing that issue
 
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#252      

Birdus

B
Birdus
HailtotheChief said:
You need talent and chemistry. There is a reason our best Illini teams historically have had the most NBA players on them. Dont kid yourself . It takes both but with talent you can win without playing your best. Plus your not gong to win NCAA Titles and that’s our eventual goal. Without talent you can forget about going very far towards it.
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I did not say that talent was not important. All I said was that individual talent does not make a team. Players have to be bought in. On the same page and playing with chemistry. I believe we have that but have not put it all together. I have been an Illini fan for over 50 years. I go back to the "SPOON". I am talkin NICK. Yeh all of us would like a title! We are all on the same page there.
 
#253      

RockfordIllini

R
RockfordIllini
I really think how far we go in March will be as simple as how well we shoot.

I think our defense will keep us in most games. We are turnover prone and below average FT shooting which could both bite us in close games. But we’ve won 8-11 with pretty putrid 3 pt shooting numbers.

Mayer, Epps, Shannon have all shot below what they are capable of. If we get a little positive reversion from them, plus if Goode/Melendez can morph into ~35% shooter on 5-7 attempts combined, we will be a really tough out.

Don’t have to be a great shooting team for the year to go far, just need to get hot at the right time. We are capable, but can we find our stroke to the tune of about 36% as a team for 2-3 weeks? We will see.
 
#254      

Retro62

Retro62
North Bethesda, Maryland
Retro62
RockfordIllini said:
I really think how far we go in March will be as simple as how well we shoot.

I think our defense will keep us in most games. We are turnover prone and below average FT shooting which could both bite us in close games. But we’ve won 8-11 with pretty putrid 3 pt shooting numbers.

Mayer, Epps, Shannon have all shot below what they are capable of. If we get a little positive reversion from them, plus if Goode/Melendez can morph into ~35% shooter on 5-7 attempts combined, we will be a really tough out.

Don’t have to be a great shooting team for the year to go far, just need to get hot at the right time. We are capable, but can we find our stroke to the tune of about 36% as a team for 2-3 weeks? We will see.
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Gotta keep the ball moving. It's so much easier to shoot when you are set up and ready for the pass instead of hesitating while making the decision of whether to take it or not. Too many times the threes are decisions rather than reactions.
 
#255      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
Birdus said:
I did not say that talent was not important. All I said was that individual talent does not make a team. Players have to be bought in. On the same page and playing with chemistry. I believe we have that but have not put it all together. I have been an Illini fan for over 50 years. I go back to the "SPOON". I am talkin NICK. Yeh all of us would like a title! We are all on the same page there.
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I saw Spoon and Range play. We started getting better not long after that. I think the main reason we have not “put it together “ is we are just missing too many good open threes. When we make them we look damn good! Sure they make some mistakes but if shots fell from three at a good clip perceptions would change quickly. Plummer, Podz leaving and Goode being out has hurt more than we may realize. I do think we have guys that can shoot it. I am shocked how poorly RJ has been shooting it but we saw him do well before. I would like to see Goode get more opportunities. I am confident he and Mayer can knock down shots and improve our productivity and how they are perceived.
 
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#256      

soupy17

soupy17
MI
soupy17
Sam Vecenie's latest mock for The Athletic ($$) https://theathletic.com/4156999/2023/02/16/nba-mock-draft-walker-wembanyama-henderson/

Illini:
34. Terrence Shannon Jr.
46. Coleman Hawkins

Big Ten Players:
14. Jalen Hood-Schifino - Indiana
15. Jett Howard - Michigan
16. Kris Murray - Iowa
17. Brice Sensabaugh - Ohio State
28. Kobe Bufkin - Michigan
39. Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana
41. Zach Edey - Purdue

Other notables:
6. Cam Whitmore - Villanova
52. Bryce Hopkins - Providence
55. Emoni Bates - Eastern Michigan
 
#257      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
soupy17 said:
Sam Vecenie's latest mock for The Athletic ($$) https://theathletic.com/4156999/2023/02/16/nba-mock-draft-walker-wembanyama-henderson/

Illini:
34. Terrence Shannon Jr.
46. Coleman Hawkins

Big Ten Players:
14. Jalen Hood-Schifino - Indiana
15. Jett Howard - Michigan
16. Kris Murray - Iowa
17. Brice Sensabaugh - Ohio State
28. Kobe Bufkin - Michigan
39. Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana
41. Zach Edey - Purdue

Other notables:
6. Cam Whitmore - Villanova
52. Bryce Hopkins - Providence
55. Emoni Bates - Eastern Michigan
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It’s tough as hell to get drafted. Most I have seen do not have them perceived going that high if at all. I hope they get quality feed back and are realistic with their expectations. The last Illini I recall being selected in the first round as expected was Meyers. Ayo came back and played amazing and still fell to the second and others completely out after thinking they would be selected. Now with NIL that choice is more difficult than ever and should be a quality thought process.
I have no idea what the NIL money is now or could be if they stayed vs what they would realistically make here in what would likely be the G league,Japan like Kofi or elsewhere overseas. It is a very difficult decision and I hope once the season is over they get quality informed choices fairly quickly and do what’s best for them. I just would not dismiss coming back and getting paid as not being the best more secure option. However I hope BU isn’t waiting too long for them to decide and we miss out on others,
 
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#258      

OnlyOrange

O
Belleville, IL
OnlyOrange
soupy17 said:
Sam Vecenie's latest mock for The Athletic ($$) https://theathletic.com/4156999/2023/02/16/nba-mock-draft-walker-wembanyama-henderson/

Illini:
34. Terrence Shannon Jr.
46. Coleman Hawkins

Big Ten Players:
14. Jalen Hood-Schifino - Indiana
15. Jett Howard - Michigan
16. Kris Murray - Iowa
17. Brice Sensabaugh - Ohio State
28. Kobe Bufkin - Michigan
39. Trayce Jackson-Davis - Indiana
41. Zach Edey - Purdue

Other notables:
6. Cam Whitmore - Villanova
52. Bryce Hopkins - Providence
55. Emoni Bates - Eastern Michigan
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Would be great if Michigan lost Bufkin this year. He's had a phenomenal year.

Dickinson is back next year right? I don't believe he's a pro prospect from what little I've seen.
 
#259      

GoodePodzMelendez

G
GoodePodzMelendez
OnlyOrange said:
Would be great if Michigan lost Bufkin this year. He's had a phenomenal year.

Dickinson is back next year right? I don't believe he's a pro prospect from what little I've seen.
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I think both Edey and Dickinson are back next year. Not sure if Dickinson has the foot speed for the NBA. Edey is a bigger version of Kofi. Not sure how either’s game fits in the NBA. With the NIL money around, both will do well in college. For us, the question becomes Hawk. Does he stay his senior year to improve his stock to the first round? I hope so as he needs another year of growth. With the lineup of Dain, Hawk, Epps, Rodgers, Goode or transfer, we have the makings for a title run as the bench will be deeper and older. With the exception of a few teams next year, the conference will be better overall. We just need stay the course and keep bringing in Players who fit
 
#260      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
GoodePodzMelendez said:
I think both Edey and Dickinson are back next year. Not sure if Dickinson has the foot speed for the NBA. Edey is a bigger version of Kofi. Not sure how either’s game fits in the NBA. With the NIL money around, both will do well in college. For us, the question becomes Hawk. Does he stay his senior year to improve his stock to the first round? I hope so as he needs another year of growth. With the lineup of Dain, Hawk, Epps, Rodgers, Goode or transfer, we have the makings for a title run as the bench will be deeper and older. With the exception of a few teams next year, the conference will be better overall. We just need stay the course and keep bringing in Players who fit
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TSJ and Hawk both could return but that doesn’t seem likely based on chatter around here. No matter what they decide I wish them the best and I hope they choose what makes them happiest long term. Plus it is done so with wise and realistic expectations on income and all facets of their lives. Whether it would be as an Illini or as a professional elsewhere.
 
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#261      

bluemountain

B
bluemountain
RockfordIllini said:
I really think how far we go in March will be as simple as how well we shoot.

I think our defense will keep us in most games. We are turnover prone and below average FT shooting which could both bite us in close games. But we’ve won 8-11 with pretty putrid 3 pt shooting numbers.

Mayer, Epps, Shannon have all shot below what they are capable of. If we get a little positive reversion from them, plus if Goode/Melendez can morph into ~35% shooter on 5-7 attempts combined, we will be a really tough out.

Don’t have to be a great shooting team for the year to go far, just need to get hot at the right time. We are capable, but can we find our stroke to the tune of about 36% as a team for 2-3 weeks? We will see.
Click to expand...
TO's, FT shooting and an inability to make in game adjustments will limit how far we go.
 
#262      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
I can't see how Edey gets drafted if Kofi wasn't drafted. I realize Edey has some skills that Kofi hadn't developed (the whiplash hook n hold, for example), but I don't see him in the league, even at 7' 4".
 
#263      

jjv0004

J
Greenville, SC
jjv0004
Serious question for Lville, Indy or 0440. Did Underwood think having only Skyy was going to work as he thought Epps or Harris could play a capable point guard or did he attempt to get guys from the portal but could not land anyone?
 
#264      

OnlyOrange

O
Belleville, IL
OnlyOrange
HailtotheChief said:
TSJ and Hawk both could return but that doesn’t seem likely based on chatter around here. No matter what they decide I wish them the best and I hope they choose what makes them happiest long term. Plus it is done so with wise and realistic expectations on income and all facets of their lives. Whether it would be as an Illini or as a professional elsewhere.
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This. Would love nothing more than to have both back, for continuity alone. Can't imagine either returning.
 
#265      

illini510

I
illini510
OnlyOrange said:
This. Would love nothing more than to have both back, for continuity alone. Can't imagine either returning.
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Hawkins will test the waters but unless he has a meteoric rise in the NCAA tournament, he is at best a mid 2nd round draft pick and would probably benefit from a senior season where he could be the guy and really elevate himself. I don't think he is anywhere near reaching his ceiling. With TJ, Mayer, and Epps in the mix, the ball is not in his hands as much. I think if you remove even one of those guys from the mix, his ability to create for his teammates will increase.
 
#266      

HailtotheChief

H
HailtotheChief
OnlyOrange said:
This. Would love nothing more than to have both back, for continuity alone. Can't imagine either returning.
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Why not? Do you honestly think either will make an NBA roster or make more money elsewhere? I dunno what they may make somewhere but I do see the NBA next season. Maybe Japan or overseas they can. Whatever they decide I hope it’s a wise informed decision
 
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#268      

illini0440

illini0440
illini0440
jjv0004 said:
Serious question for Lville, Indy or 0440. Did Underwood think having only Skyy was going to work as he thought Epps or Harris could play a capable point guard or did he attempt to get guys from the portal but could not land anyone?
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They thought Skyy was really talented and would be fine. They wanted a guy like Ramey in the portal though as well.
 
#272      

BretMyBeachHouse

B
BretMyBeachHouse
jjv0004 said:
Serious question for Lville, Indy or 0440. Did Underwood think having only Skyy was going to work as he thought Epps or Harris could play a capable point guard or did he attempt to get guys from the portal but could not land anyone?
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I think they definitely wanted an experienced point. Ramey was an example of someone they were after hard. Older guys in the portal are always going to be thinking playing time. Everyone thought Skyy was going to grab a ton of minutes.
 
#273      

SCMART Illini

S
SCMART Illini
illini0440 said:
He’s definitely talented. Just didn’t work here
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Does anyone know how Skyy is doing? Maybe a dumb question, but is he still in Champaign taking classes? Thought someone said that was a stipulation for the transfer, but that seems like that would be really difficult/awkward?
 
#274      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
respect my decision™
Joel Goodson
SCMART Illini said:
Does anyone know how Skyy is doing? Maybe a dumb question, but is he still in Champaign taking classes? Thought someone said that was a stipulation for the transfer, but that seems like that would be really difficult/awkward?
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you serious? he gawn
 
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