Amazing game by MD who is likely the most unathletic, slow footed, slowest Illini to ever perform in the uniform...and maybe the smartest and most offensively skilled.
Not every player is blessed with a wealth of raw physical talent.
Shannon is athletic and explosive.
Hawkins has height and length and versatility and a nice Three.
And Mr. Wisconsin-Illini Basketball has taken the kind of ball talent he was given and carved out a fine way to thrive with it. He has the face of someone who is always on his way to church to teach a Sunday School class or something. But his quiet smile and calm demeanor is hiding his tools to wipe the floor with you with lethality when he gets you in his clutches.
Many of us can name players who were gifted with a great deal of roundball talent and who never maximized it. The list is long and sad. A real shame for them and their teams.
And then there are the really special guys who know what they can do — what they can’t do – and find ways to be winners with that. Topping off what they have and then working to exceed it.
That’s part of the beauty of this game. There are so many ways to be successful and get the job done.
And when you as a player find the right way for you... it’s a thing of beauty.