He might not be the player his dad was but I see a lot of Lucas Johnson in his game. Basketball IQ, defense, rebounding, passing, hustling, and putting his body on the line for his team
Illinois 79, Purdue 62 POSTGAME
I go with "GB" but if he keeps hitting threes i will spell it all out.
With Georgie last year and Kofi this year. I have the upmost respect for coach Antigua! it just blows my mind these both young men who start that have such rawness. they have become so good. he is such a good coach I hope we can keep him!!!!!!!!
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
One sport wears pounds of padding and a helmet as protection. The other is just you and some synthetic fibers between you and the opponent.
Yeah, it makes him a punk.
This is also a terrible comparison. Two totally different sports with different expectations around contact.
Damich said last night (quoting someone) that that you play basketball "naked" because you aren't wearing pads and a helmet. The point was speaking to how everyone will know you and your face because of exposure, but that plays into what Griffin did too.
I think you nailed it...they wanted it more. We have to "want" every game or we will give up some we shouldnt. I hope those days of getting out willed/hustled are over.
Hockey players don't wear pads on their face, which is where all hits are directed in a fight.
But anyway what AG did was clearly a punk move and those are the types of actions that get escalated to a fight.
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Christian Laetner has been vilified for almost 30 years for that same play. If that's another player we're playing against, we'd be raising hell. This isn't hockey. If it was, it's within the context of the game. What he did would be an ejection in pretty much every other sport. Don't rationalize it. Let's be happy with the win, realize that was incredibly stupid not only because it was a cheap shot, but it put his team and that game in jeopardy at the time. Momentum flipped when that happened. If we would have lost, you'd be singing a different tune.
Again, it'll be handled internally. I'm guessing BU suspending him for a game is definitely in the cards. That play is a reflection on the coach, just like when we were kids....when we did something stupid, our parents got called into the fray and we got grounded....even if just for a day.
No other player lost their cool last night but him. Is this a tear down of AG? No. Is it a teaching point.... absolutely.
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Hence the mention of helmets (which leave relatively little face open to hit) and the fact that it's a poor comparison. Hockey literally has enforcers and the culture around it comes with the expectation of getting hit and into fights depending on your play.
That isn't the case in basketball. Period.
That was the best half of basketball I've seen out of Illinois in a long time, and probably out of anyone in the B1G this year, especially on the road. Obviously Kofi, Trent, Ayo, and Georgi played phenomenal. I'll comment that if Kipper and/or Damonte can even add a couple points each a game it will likely make things so much easier for us.
The main thing I want to emphasize is the body language and attitude of this team. Did you notice how Ayo and GB had their heads together having a moment, or Kofi and GB staring at each other like the monsters they are then doing their handshake? Feliz calling the group together for a huddle before Purdue free throws to cut back into the game? Trent and GB making plays and then talking to the crowd? We're showing confidence in ourselves AND our teammates! They're believing in themselves when so many of us were still skeptical because we hadn't seen THAT game yet. This team is dangerous. Could be a lot of fun.
The main thing I want to emphasize is the body language and attitude of this team. Did you notice how Ayo and GB had their heads together having a moment, or Kofi and GB staring at each other like the monsters they are then doing their handshake? Feliz calling the group together for a huddle before Purdue free throws to cut back into the game? Trent and GB making plays and then talking to the crowd? We're showing confidence in ourselves AND our teammates! They're believing in themselves when so many of us were still skeptical because we hadn't seen THAT game yet. This team is dangerous. Could be a lot of fun.
Who was the dbag who tripped players like a half a dozen times? Played for Duke? Racking my brain trying to remember.
Grayson Allen?
I looked at the updated cbs NET rankings. Illinois is still #40 (no movement after going in the road and whipping the boilers) Purdue is still #38. This makes no sense whatsoever
Feel sorry for anyone that did not record this game because we are very unlikely to see it again any time. Trent 5/7 from 3, Giorgi 2/3 from 3, Ayo 11 assists, Kofi with a 10 ft jumper, etc. Clinic on basketball.
Homecoming 2019
- Chicago
Just looked, they have been updated, we are 32 now.
That's a pretty substantial jump due to one game. I'll take it.
It's on ESPN to rewatch online. I did so early this morning.
It’s been a long time coming since the Illini were a threat to win every time they stepped on the court. They are really fun to watch. As others have said, Trent moving to the point seems to be the turning point.
Alright, he didn't embody the spirit of collegiate competition and wasn't the shining example of what we want a U of I basketball player to demonstrate at all times on and off the court. But this is a sport, this is a physical sport and while I don't agree with what he did, I can understand it. Fights break out all the time when playing this game. Even "old" man pick-up games emotions run hot sometimes. These are supposed to be well established individuals who are supposed to be "wise" but when playing a physical game, the brain doesn't work as it should all the time. AG just had a physical player fall on his leg and wrongly took it as intentional rather than accidental. If you look at AG's knees, they locked and I'm happy that the play didn't injure him. That said he was wrong and it was completely beneath him to do that, but as a teenager you're prone to mistakes and let's take it as that.
He is probably the second most emotional player on the team. That has propelled him to the player he was all those games before yesterday's game. But he let it get too wild and he was out of control. I'm sure he got it worse from his dad than from BU or anybody else. He let his team down and this could've been a disaster of a game, but we should keep an eye out for this behavior and if he starts to show a pattern...then of course, we start to worry. But for now I will chalk this up to immaturity/stupidity and hope he learns and grows.
I was at this game.
It was a cheap shot, but rule #1 of cheap shots is to do it when it's least likely to get caught. e.g. rebounding.
As those things go, it was pretty tame. While he "stomped" him, he didn't get any weight behind him, and it was definitely retaliatory for the guy rolling into him and taking him out. If I was the ref, I'd have tossed him.
It looked to me on the replay AG tried to push himself up off the floor using the guys nuts and missed.