Has to be exhausting to be a college coach these days. But Brad has a few million coming in the bank every year so I don't feel too bad
Illini Basketball
- Status
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
The second paragraph I agree with. I do recall people thinking it would be a better team for March/Tourney style play once they gelled (which obviously didn't happen), but not a better college team overall.
Yeah, I don't know if I actually said it here, but I thought we would have a higher ceiling/lower floor without Kofi. And that's why no one pays me for my opinion
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
There was always some critical part of the machine on the fritz with this team.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
In a thread full of conjecture and doom and gloom that decision makes PERFECT SENSE to me..........Does it make perfect sense to others is your call...................I am glad we don't have to worry that EVERY player feels they have to visually post that they are or not coming back.....
I'm sure the coaching staff has a pretty good idea of who is or who is not returning.......The talks they are going to have with each player is the next step in the building of next season's roster , in addition to what they are uncovering in the portal..........
The portal could bear fruit that will also determine who will return from this year's squad........
I'm sure glad we have BU and staff to make those decisions and I am not going to do a daily handwringing session as I have no control on that aspect of the Fighting Illini......I will cheer on whoever don's the Illini uniform's next year.......I just hope that includes better 3 pt shooters and an experienced PG or two..........jmho
Agreed. This season's theme should be "Aunt ... Balls ... Uncle". So many what-ifs!!
Good article. BU has proven he can build a team and win here. He hasn't proven he can do it consistently and he hasn't won in March. If we go say 10-10 in league play next year and show the same weaknesses we did this year, what are currently whispers will become louder. He can survive a few more seasons of average results, but within the next few years it would be good to see a decent NCAA run and a run at a Big 10 title to show the Ayo/Kofi years weren't a fluke.Assessing Brad Underwood After Year 6
Assessing Brad Underwood after Year 6
Much like the 2023 season, it’s a bit of a complex topic.www.thechampaignroom.com
I don't disagree, as inartfully as I stated my response. I think the NIL $, showing off a refined offensive game and the potential for a NPOY campaign are intertwined.
The "culture nucleus" of this team is now Goode, Hawkins(if he returns), Harris, Rodgers. This is the defense & toughness bunch. I still love the potential of RJ - he can be one of those guys, but he has some things to prove. As of now, the best-case offseason scenario for this team is Shannon and Hawkins come back and we are able to snag a vet PG in the portal. Get an offense-minded guy on the staff. Eliminate all lead-guard duties for Shannon and cut back on Coleman being the set-guy on the perimeter to initiate actions. Bring in a + shooter from the portal, have a healthy Goode, and a big coaching emphasis on shot selection. That already sounds so much better.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Huge monster slump
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yep, exactly. It's hardly worth pointing fingers or engaging in the age-old exercise of spending the rest of March convincing ourselves why next year will obviously be so much better, but ... man, I actually do have optimism that a core of these returning players could be really good. Again, I'll try to engage in less conjecture about what exactly the chemistry problem was this year, but it's not OVERLY optimistic to assume we could positively address that problem in the offseason via departures, and I genuinely do get excited thinking about what a more "mentally functional"
version of this squad could do!
No snark, and certainly no ill will towards TSJ, but I do not see this. He's a very good player, for sure, but NPOY seems crazy to me.
He is weak with his off-hand, and his hands in general when making a drive. Possibly connected to his drives appearing out of control at times, which leads IMO to his not getting a lot of foul calls either.
Average 3 point shooter, good FT shooter. Good scorer in general, which is always nice. Any team would be very happy to have him but not NPOY.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I would tend to agree with your post .......I hope he comes back as he was 1st team B$G (coaches poll) and i would also think he could be a 1st teamer again with a better chance of being B$G POTY than NPOY................
His handles need to be tightened up as newman from purdont showed that is a big weakness for TSJ..........another summer working with Fletch also would help him in his drives to the rim as he was kinda knocked around some when he was going for those layups......
I hate to bring up expectations on R J as I really thought he was going to have a breakout year this year
and be a 10 ppg & 5 + rpg but that twas not the case..........If he would play with a chip on his shoulder and drive to the basket more , I think his 3 point shooting % would go up as well as the defender's would give him some space so he wouldn't drive around them .......
It's gonna be a long summer of opinions and thoughts discussed before we see them on the court again....I'm gonna tighten my seat belt on my computer chair and fire away , respectfully , of course , to others opinions........
LETS GO ILLINI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This feels like the best take for the season.
Yes, we were broken defensively in December, but that was mostly fixed and it felt like we executed well enough in each phase to be a team in march that could win.
Maybe good teams can cover guys slumping, but we had almost zero games where our big three all performed well.
I mean, if Princeton can make the Sweet 16 then it's reasonable to think we could make it at least that far. Having said that, this team had too many holes to think we would make a deep run. Within 2 or 3 games we were bound to have a 20 TO game or a game where we shoot 50% from the line or a game where we let a Pickett go off on us for 35 or a hero ball game from MM or TSJ. We were absolutely not built for a deep run in March
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
You can say this until you're blue in the face (and those guys would step into larger roles to be clear, as would Dainja and Melendez), but if Shannon and Hawkins return, Shannon and Hawkins are the stars, faces, and leaders of the team, the team goes as they go.
That is something short of 100% confidence inspiring. We can admit that to ourselves while understanding it's probably the best and correct option if available. The future is uncertain, you do the best you can.
Agree. Before the Ark game I said we needed 30+ from Mayer and TSJ. Got 22. If Matt had an even okay game we are right there and then who knows what happens. Unfortunate because I felt like we finally got Luke and RJ firing right when Matt slumps, Dain falls off and Jaden gets concussed.
sacraig
- The desert
Anyone suggesting Kofi leaving was addition by subtraction is Looney Tunes. But Mayer isn't Cockburn and you can't directly compare the two. We will have to wait and see how it all plays out, but Mayer is a great player who also didn't seem to function well as part of the team (from an outside perspective). It's hard to predict what impact him leaving will have.
sacraig
- The desert
There were legitimately people saying that. I vividly remember them trying to argue that we would be better without him because we could play position less like Brad always wanted.I don't think a single person thought that.
They were crazy people, but they did really exist.
splitter
- and not Nebraska
It is not as simple as doing with your off hand what you did with your dominant hand. I broke my right arm in 6th grade. Learning to brush etc. took a minute to learn. Learning to write took much longer. It was not just doing it backwards but upside down as well. Try signing your name. Being able to shoot with your off hand would not be an easy thing to do unless you have done it for a long time. Then there is muscle memory.
sacraig
- The desert
At any given time there was always some piece that was missing for one reason or another. We are a team that was usually less than the sum of its parts, for whatever reason. You could see we had all the talent and pieces to make a deep run but could never quite put it all together at once for more than about half a game at a time.
But man, when we did put it together for a half, it was a really fun team to watch.
sacraig
- The desert
Average results? We've flopped in March but the overall results are FAR above average.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
I think it didn't happen much (at all??) with Mayer or Skyy on the floor, but a bit more when we had a couple of specific lineups in.
splitter
- and not Nebraska
Then not trying to get out of it by getting to the rim and remembering that he wanted to be the defensive player of the year.
- Status