lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Just as we all predicted, 4 of our top 5 players in PRPG are freshman:
Illini Basketball 2026-2027
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
It's been a long and winding road getting here, and we definitely hope for Mirk's return to complicate it, but for the first time since his much-ballyhooed big money transfer this is Andrej Stojakovic's team, he's the alpha dog, and is playing very well.
I know we have not been tested yet (though I thought Penn was a pretty good team with all of their returning players and some decent size), but I am amazed at a few things:
1) Most freshmen play like freshmen, even against teams like Penn. These freshmen don't, except for maybe Williams' first 3 minutes last night. When he returned, he was laser-focused.
2) The speed at which the Illini process on the offensive end is pretty incredible. They process stuff faster than I can watching it. It's kind of like me trying to play Madden against my grandsons (the grandsons being the Illini, of course). It also seems to me that same basketball IQ is just starting to show itself on the defensive end, which is a harder concept.
3) The unselfishness. It looks like to a man they take more pride in making a good pass (not flashy, just super effective) than scoring themselves.
4) Going from one of the slower-paced, high-efficiency offenses of last year to this pace with great efficiency is just mind-boggling. The more possessions in a game the better our chances to win, something that almost always holds true for a more talented team in a matchup.
We're going to lose some games, especially with our best player on the sidelines, but as these young guns gain experience, look out. And this is so much fun to watch you don't ever want to leave early because no matter who Brad puts in they play an exciting brand of basketball. Final thought: This has to raise our recruiting brand even more because this has to be a fun style to play...and everyone gets to play.
1) Most freshmen play like freshmen, even against teams like Penn. These freshmen don't, except for maybe Williams' first 3 minutes last night. When he returned, he was laser-focused.
2) The speed at which the Illini process on the offensive end is pretty incredible. They process stuff faster than I can watching it. It's kind of like me trying to play Madden against my grandsons (the grandsons being the Illini, of course). It also seems to me that same basketball IQ is just starting to show itself on the defensive end, which is a harder concept.
3) The unselfishness. It looks like to a man they take more pride in making a good pass (not flashy, just super effective) than scoring themselves.
4) Going from one of the slower-paced, high-efficiency offenses of last year to this pace with great efficiency is just mind-boggling. The more possessions in a game the better our chances to win, something that almost always holds true for a more talented team in a matchup.
We're going to lose some games, especially with our best player on the sidelines, but as these young guns gain experience, look out. And this is so much fun to watch you don't ever want to leave early because no matter who Brad puts in they play an exciting brand of basketball. Final thought: This has to raise our recruiting brand even more because this has to be a fun style to play...and everyone gets to play.
Joel Goodson
- 9th man conundrum
yeah, they're pretty good