Illini in the NBA

Status
Not open for further replies.
#701      
All this success by Ayo might finally be able to draw me to watch some NBA games.
Yea, I've tuned in for several Bulls games....nice to be able to follow former Illini...Ayo and Hill...both are playing well and contributing towards the Bulls success.....and Stacy Kings Hot Sauce takes are classic
 
#702      
Looks like there is a good story about Ayo on espn web page. I don't have espn+ so I couldn't read it. Headline says Bulls got a steal in the draft.
 
#703      

rbillini

Redondo Beach, Ca
Ayo looks leaner than last year. That is probably giving him a little boost to lateral quickness.

Kudos to him to go from the superstar that was called upon to shoulder the load offensively to a defensive specialist so quickly.

He learned that from Trent.
 
#704      

drsmitty74

Rochester
#707      
I definitely don't recall him preventing penetration and/or moving on the hip of the ball handler like he has been with the Bulls. That's actually one of the things that stuck out about his last game with us -- Loyola's ball handlers were getting by him at will it seemed. And statistically, he's blocking nearly 3x the amount of shots he did in either his sophomore or junior seasons. I definitely don't think he was anything less than an above average defender in college, and juice man is spot on in that it seemed BU would save Ayo for offense and give DMW/Trent/AM those tougher assignments, but I also didn't foresee him ending up as an elite NBA defender immediately on arrival. Pretty wild and speaks a lot to those traits that DeMar spoke of in that video.
Potential for a 7-8 figure extension is a lot of motivation. I don’t think Ayo was ever 100% after that MS game. The B1G tournament bubble running right into the NCAA bubble did no B1G team any favors. Do remember reports of Ayo asking Brad to cover the other teams best. But being ranked as one the NBA’s better defenders his rookie year, after going 38th, is an out of blue accomplishment. Will be fun to see if other teams start adjusting and how he responds.
 
#708      

billybaroo

Pebble Beach, CA
Potential for a 7-8 figure extension is a lot of motivation. I don’t think Ayo was ever 100% after that MS game. The B1G tournament bubble running right into the NCAA bubble did no B1G team any favors. Do remember reports of Ayo asking Brad to cover the other teams best. But being ranked as one the NBA’s better defenders his rookie year, after going 38th, is an out of blue accomplishment. Will be fun to see if other teams start adjusting and how he responds.
I may be misremembering, but I seem to recall Ayo getting praise for his defensive efforts during his stint with the U18 Men's National team. I think he (Ayo) may have even mentioned his defense being a focus during tryouts. Still impressive (this year), but maybe not totally out of the blue. He was an #everydayguy before he ever stepped foot on campus.
 
#709      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
pre-game meal for Bulls game tonight..............

Fried Chicken Breasts
Boiled Cabbage w/ Diced Bacon
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Sliced Onions and Sweet Pickles
Cornbread w/ Peach Preserves
Sweet Lemonade

for dessert....
Ayo's first triple double in the NBA


yum yum
 
#710      
Every player on the floor right for the Bulls has a number under 13.

I bet that hasn’t happened in a while.
 
#711      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Ayo's last name has been pronounced like 4-5 different ways tonight .....Spurs announcers suck big time............................
 
#712      
Ayo is +1600 to score the first basket in tonight’s game. I’m gonna put my life savings on it. If it hits, I’ll seed UIUC’s NIL program.
Can I borrow some money?
 
#714      

Chad Fleck

Eureka, IL
I tried to watch some of the game tonight.

I just don't enjoy the NBA game.

It's fun to just watch Ayo. But when he stands in the corner with his man 15 feet away while someone else takes a contested jumper, I hate it. I understand there's a theory to it. But it hurts my basketball senses that I've developed over the last 25 years of playing and watching all levels but the NBA.
 
#715      

JFGsCoffeeMug

BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
Rough game (shooting-wise) for Ayo tonight. Good thing he'll have a chance to bounce back a couple of days later.
 
#719      
Rough game (shooting-wise) for Ayo tonight. Good thing he'll have a chance to bounce back a couple of days later.
Actually rough two games shooting for him — 6-19 overall, 0-7 from three. But what makes Ayo so valuable is that his impact isn’t relegated to just shooting/scoring. His +/- last night was +5 and it was +20 against Toronto the other night.
 
#720      
Can any of you recommend a reliable website to purchase an Ayo Bulls jersey (Nike swingman variety)? Not having a lot of luck on the sites I've checked so far.
 
#721      
Can any of you recommend a reliable website to purchase an Ayo Bulls jersey (Nike swingman variety)? Not having a lot of luck on the sites I've checked so far.
Got mine on Poshmark and it took awhile but came as advertized. First time using them though fwiw
 
Status
Not open for further replies.