No source. That is why I mentioned speculation. And asked if insiders had anything that could be shared. Not trying to "invent" anything. The original poster asked if anyone had any thoughts on Morez's fairly provocative comments. A few shared theirs, and then started being called "wild theories." Nothing more, nothing less. Do you have any sources?
Illini Basketball 2025-2026
- Status
Because they are, in fact, merely theories?
I don't know what this comment means? As I mentioned, poster asked for thoughts. That's all that were given.
It means they’re being called theories because that’s what they are.
Nobody knows why Morez left, so any opinion on this (mine included) is just speculation. We do know he signed an NIL deal with Illinois AFTER the regular season ended. Which I think shoots major holes in said theory.
But are they truly that "wild?" That's all. Yes, they are all theories. But, I don't agree they are all that wild.
Oh ok, so we’re just litigating “theory” versus “wild theory”?
In my opinion, I think it’s wild, yes
Could playing time have contributed to the decision? Yes I think there could’ve been concerns about that, but ultimately that concern was moot enough for him to sign a contract with us. I think there were 2 million “other” reasons he bolted.
Serious question. I watched several highlight videos of him and he seems like someone who is not very athletic. I never saw him dunk once. At 6'6" - 6'7" that seemed really strange to me. He seems like someone with a high basketball IQ though.
Does he have a side to his game that I did not see? He does not scream one and done to me.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
That’s not the narrative. He LITERALLY said that.
Not in the posted video he didn't. Yes he said it around the time he announced his transfer; or at least someone in his camp was reported to have said it.
1. Morez signed an NIL deal with IL three weeks after the season. He then reneges and transfers to Michigan saying he wants more freedom to expand his game.
2. A poster posts a Michigan Basketball summer update video where Morez says he "was looking for a players' coach" "to evolve his game" and that he's never had a head coach put him through individual workouts. Said poster asks for thoughts.
IT. IS. NOT. WILD. to speculate that he was unsatisfied with how he was handled in his FR year. Certainly not as wild as insinuating he is lying in the video about the reason he transferred, and that it is all about money or that he wants to shoot more threes.
Not that controversial of a take on some fairly controversial (to IL fans) comments from Morez.
But this extremely long winded speculation completely ignores the most obvious reason: $2 million dollars
EDIT: Just want to add maybe he was upset about how he was used… so upset that he signed another contract to play at Illinois upon completion of the regular season
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Can't recall any, but please provide an example(s) when this was ever done and the player returned to play.
Every player in the NCAA that returns to the program they played for the year prior? So thousands of them every season?
Maybe I don't understand what you're asking for, but virtually every player in the entire NCAA has some sort of NIL contract now
If he wants to play in the NBA he will have to shoot 3's. That seems like a reasonable explanation for leaving. With the current players, he was never going to be given the opportunity to shoot 3's. His role here was going to be rebound which he was doing well. Remains to be seen how many 3's he shoots this year.
I've seen KW drive in the halfcourt offense and dunk in traffic. I don't think he's crazy athletic but does have at least decent athleticism from what I can tell. He won't stand out in the layup line as a one and done type. Words that come to mind describing his game are smooth, under control, skilled, efficient. I get that this will seem wildly hyperbolic but the best comp I can come up with is a young / poor man's SGA. He's skinny and I'm sure will have freshman ups/downs
blackdog
- Champaign
There's a couple dunks in this one. There's another that shows some more drives. The way he finishes off contact and really a lot of other parts of his game remind me so much of Riley. His game isn't built on athleticism or being flashy but its there.
Zach Edey was drafted 9th overall and finished 5th in ROY voting. He attempted 0.8 3-pointers a game last season. Last season's Rookie of the Year attempted 4.1 of them a game at an abysmal 28.5% rate. If you own your role, you don't have to shoot 3's and even if you shoot them badly, you can still succeed.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Bigtex
- DFW
kid doesn't miss
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Also, "status" tends to lag actual success in the same way attendance does. In other words, we had worse attendance, TV spots, ratings, etc. in 2019-20 (when we were top 20) than last year (when we were a rather frustrating #7 seed). With that in mind, here is just another visual of the great job Brand and Co. have done in elevating the program back to a brand level we all enjoyed so much during the early and mid-2000s! For context below, I am defining "major network" as one of CBS, FOX, ESPN, etc .... pretty much not BTN, FS1, Peacock, SECN, etc. Also, regular season only so it's apples to apples with this year.
Games on Major Network by Season
9 in 2025-26
9 in 2024-25
5 in 2023-24
10 in 2022-23
7 in 2021-22
7 in 2020-21 (shorter season)
2 in 2019-20
It's not a SUPER helpful visual and has some obvious problems ... such as ESPN was an option for Big Ten regular season home games until the 2023-24 season (causing a dip starting in 2023-24) and it just sort of depends on the schedule that year.
However, if you take into account that we are only ever on ESPN anymore if we are playing on the road vs. an SEC/ACC team and that it's up to FOX or CBS to pick up our games now ... there has been a very clear improvement in the "stage" our program is on since Underwood got here.
Games on Major Network by Season
9 in 2025-26
9 in 2024-25
5 in 2023-24
10 in 2022-23
7 in 2021-22
7 in 2020-21 (shorter season)
2 in 2019-20
It's not a SUPER helpful visual and has some obvious problems ... such as ESPN was an option for Big Ten regular season home games until the 2023-24 season (causing a dip starting in 2023-24) and it just sort of depends on the schedule that year.
However, if you take into account that we are only ever on ESPN anymore if we are playing on the road vs. an SEC/ACC team and that it's up to FOX or CBS to pick up our games now ... there has been a very clear improvement in the "stage" our program is on since Underwood got here.
- Status