Illini Basketball 2023-2024
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Govoner Vaugn Fan
- New Orleans
If we were to have had one more player foul out, Nate Mast would have had to play the 5.
Frank had the most pure, raw talent and all around game of any of them for sure. He could pass, shoot, penetrate with the ball on string. Derek Harper was before my time. As far as the others, you could say Bruce Douglas, Deron, Dee, Kiwane, and Ayo may have each had a trait or two that bested him, but I don't think anyone had the full package like Frank.
Nah Deron is/was the best of the bunch. Really solid all around game though not as flashy as Williams.
Dwill had the nastiest double crossover in the world and there is a reason Dwill was the best PG in the world for a time and no other Illini player can say that.
“A knee to the groin, an elbow to the side of the head…”
Beginning of my disgust for Bill Walton (and this was back when he was still coherent).
9 turnovers in a 1 pt game is pretty atrocious. He put up 19 pts and was only 2-8 from inside the 3pt line. Basically all of his damage was done from the line.
The 99 game was also on 4-17 shooting.
He honestly didn't play very well in either game. Healthy Jay Williams was a stud though.
The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
Zach Hamer and Tyler, aka illini0440, promoted to assistant coaches.
This is disappointing...
I'm all for promoting from within, but we need a better X and Os guy than just Geoff
But not at Illinois. Deron blossomed in the pros
Lol what?
Deron was the best player on the best Illini team ever. There is a reason he went 3rd overall. Great ballhandler, good shooter, excellent distributor, good on ball defender.
Deron was the total package and realistically did everything better than Frank outside of playing the passing lanes on defense and free throw shooting. Deron had the ball on a string, was just as good of a passer(better imo) just not as flashy, and was a better shooter.
I've never seen an Illini player(very few players in general) that were as good as changing paces as well as Dwill. He wasn't an exception athlete(good first step quickness) but he could beat everyone off the dribble at will because he had a ridiculous crossover, changed speeds so well, and was extremely physical.
Massive disappointment that Tyler is taking one of the new spots.
Shades of Lovie for sure now.
Shades of Lovie for sure now.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Not if he ends up playing well enough to hold down the point.
Loyalillini10
- Urbana, IL
You can be disappointed, but Tyler has done very good things for the program as an assistant.
Hamer has professional experience as a scout and as a video coordinator (film x's and o's guy)
It doesn't matter how many times I replay Ayo's cross-over dribble, it's always a blur to me. Then, one blink later, he's delivering it off the glass, protecting the ball like no one I have ever seen. So, yes, best closer.
Deron was awesome. But he exploded in the NBA. Credit the NBA scouts that saw what he could blossom into once he got into better physical shape. At Illinois he was a little pudgy.
He was a negligible better shooter than Frank. If you thought Deron had the ball on a string, then you surely must say the same about Frank. He was a wizard. In fact he was so good with the dribble that he would constantly get people off balance and get fouled ALL THE TIME. Once at the line he was an 81% FT shooter. Deron was 69%
Deron averaged 11 pts, 3.5 Rebs and 5.9 assists.
Frank averaged 14 pts, 4.4 Rebs and 4.4 assists. While being THE ALPHA and THE top of the scouting report.
Defensively, no contest.
Frank was a 2nd and 3rd team all American. All Big Ten 1st team 2x and the Big ten player of the year in 2001 and an absolute travesty that he did not win the award again in 2002.
Deron did not even make Big Ten Freshmen Team. Dee and Augustine did. He was 1st team all Big Ten 2x, but never player of the year. He was a 3rd team all-American.
Once again, both awesome. But for my money, Frank was better…… in college.
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Also, not sure the best team from Illinois was the 04-05 team and Deron was not the best player on that team. That would be Dee Brown.
I don’t know if Brad yells at Zach more or the players more lol
Way more qualified than Miles
Derek Harper
Tyler doesn't strike me as someone that will be content to ride his Dad's coattails and be a liability to the staff or the program....he strikes me as someone that has a good rapport with the players and can help communicate the staffs desires and expectations to the team in a way the players will respect and accept....but we'll see
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