Calillini
Now appearing in Tampa
I think it is better to have a racehorse that you need to occasionally rein in than a mule you need to use a 2x4 just to get its attention.
Let ‘Belo be ‘Belo
Illinois 101, St. Francis (IL.) 34 Exhibition Postgame
Let ‘Belo be ‘Belo
I couldn't watch the game but I'll I'm seeing is people raving about Belo. Can't wait to watch him myself.
Essentially a scrimmage, but very fun to see a promising team with many new faces. My take-away is the minutes played. It seems to me that Hutch and Plummer are likely to be in the rotation. There are a number of players competing for minutes that will be a bit harder to earn and may change over the season. Pretty good depth, and the freshmen look like they could step in if pressed. Should be a fun season!
Glad to read all the good reports. Didn’t see the game, though did listen on radio and, of course, looked at stat sheet. Not going to get overly excited based on an exhibition against a far inferior opponent. But sounds like at least some of the question marks are on their way to being answered.
Calillini
Now appearing in Tampa
He’s pretty amazing; thank goodness for replay because some of his moves and passes are hard to see in real time. I suspect he has hit a lot of people aside the head or other places (
) in practice.The classic from last season is the one between the legs of the defender. Anyone have a link to that one?
By the way, I am riding the ‘Belo Express all the way to the NBA.
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Agree on your takeaways.
Belo with 5 TOs against NAIA competition should be a signal that he was trying too hard and forcing action that wasn't needed. Difft dynamics as a starter this year. He was the pace changer off bench last year...but we dont need sportcenter top 10 plays every possession.
For Andre, I think if he can focus on "steady" and pick his spots on changing pace and using his incredible quickness/creativity...he will be much more effective.
That kid is basketball savvy like no other ... hiding by the sideline and stealing the ball, 2 bounce half court bounce pass, over the shoulder passes, etc. I can't wait to see what he's going to do this year.
Well, if he gets 50 possessions a game he just needs a top 10 play 20% of the time to fill the show. Is there any rule against him getting more than one?
I did suggest at one point that we needed to have a top 10 tracker for him and Kofi.
This was about him playing 25 minutes a game! He should do well in phases vs a crappy small team. If he doesn't do better than what Jake has proven he can do he won't. Its not about hating on Hawk but maybe its time Jake gets some love and respect. Hawk can be a solid back up but to get starters minutes at the 3 or 4 for that matter he will have to out play Jake, Damone, Hutch and others in games and you may see that happening I dont. Maybe you hate those guys based on your thoughts. I dont think thats the case but how you you fairly perceive my thoughts.
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I also liked those two guys. I'm not nearly as concerned about the three and four as I was a few days ago. Heck, Hutch even ran the point for a while. Was surprised that Hutch got the minutes that he did since Wood indicated that he had been sick most of the week.
Not going to read too much into an exhibition lol this.
However as a general CB developmental rule whatever gap there was between 1st year player Hawk and fourth year player Jake is likely reduced.
However as a general CB developmental rule whatever gap there was between 1st year player Hawk and fourth year player Jake is likely reduced.
Ask again in April.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
From what I recall, they were passes to guys who didn't play with him last year. Kofi and others had trouble handling his passes early on last season. I think the rest of the team will catch up just fine.
I believe at least one was forced to Kofi.
He needs to aim for better than 1 for Assist-TO ratio. Last year he had about 1.6...he will be most attractive with NBA at over 2
A-TO.
Illini_1979
- Oregon
Ask and ye shall receive.He’s pretty amazing; thank goodness for replay because some of his moves and passes are hard to see in real time. I suspect he has hit a lot of people aside the head or other places (
The classic from last season is the one between the legs of the defender. Anyone have a link to that one?
By the way, I am riding the ‘Belo Express all the way to the NBA.
Initial reactions:
1) Kofi is just unfair for 99% of D1 players. Too big, too strong. Him hitting jumpers should probably be illegal
2) I said it last fall, Belo is Steve Nash 2.0. The only thing he didn't flash last year was a reliable 3 point shot but I don't think that's going to be an issue this year.
3) Hutcherson is elite. Beautiful shot and crazy, crazy hops. If he stays healthy this year,
.
4) the two super seniors are lockdown defenders again - I'm excited to see Damonte get to play more minutes at small forward and SG after having to play out of position the last two years.
5) Hawkins may be the most improved kid on the floor this year. Definitely looks stronger and more confident.
6) the depth on this roster is crazy!!! Underwood's biggest problem this year is going to be tuning his substitution patterns
1) Kofi is just unfair for 99% of D1 players. Too big, too strong. Him hitting jumpers should probably be illegal
2) I said it last fall, Belo is Steve Nash 2.0. The only thing he didn't flash last year was a reliable 3 point shot but I don't think that's going to be an issue this year.
3) Hutcherson is elite. Beautiful shot and crazy, crazy hops. If he stays healthy this year,
.4) the two super seniors are lockdown defenders again - I'm excited to see Damonte get to play more minutes at small forward and SG after having to play out of position the last two years.
5) Hawkins may be the most improved kid on the floor this year. Definitely looks stronger and more confident.
6) the depth on this roster is crazy!!! Underwood's biggest problem this year is going to be tuning his substitution patterns
Ye old nutmeg
IlliniSaluki
- IL metro east burbs of St. Louis
That reminds me of Bird. Larry Legend did that pass a lot in his career along with a lot of other amazing passes.
I think that's just going to be the way it is with AC....last year early I made the statement to a friend,two words of advise for AC..."Under Control".....as the season went along he definitely played more under control but still had flashes of forcing the action when it wasn't there.....even BU made the statement that AC is going to dazzle you and then there's going to be "Oh NO" moments....just got to limit the Oh No moments
Well, I came away less impressed. All my issues with his play are likely due to his excitement, getting to play a game again and in front of people, so I full expect these to resolve themselves, but I felt he was a bit overzealous and tried to do a bit too much at times. I know that's his magic at times, but I think eventually he will calm down a bit. But just thought that "raving" was a bit much IMO.
Soulberries
- University of Illinois
I felt like Curbelo was a little too amped at the beginning of the game and was trying too hard, forcing drives into traffic. Given that there are a lot of expectations for him to assume Ayo's alpha dog role and the fact that he's never played before fans before, I wouldn't read into it too much. I have no doubt he'll settle down as he learns to trust his teammates more.
Hutch impressed me mostly with his hops and how smooth amd controlled he seemed. We'll see if he can match speed play w more hectic games, but seeing him crash the boards, along with Grandisons quick hops, Monte's grit, length of our centers and Co Hawk, and Belos knack for the ball, I envision LOTS of offensive rebounds this year.
Newmark4thFloor
- Houstown
I didn't see all 5 TOs, so I hesitate to comment, but it should be interesting to see how he plays over the season. Sometimes you have to let the game come to you and take what they give you. AC is capable of amazing plays, but I think he can be effective choosing his spots a bit more, or turning it on when it's needed. Regardless, he's fun to watch and incredibly creative.