Deleted member 533939
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Werner hints at "interesting" news on Twitter.
Disregard, it's recruiting related.
Disregard, it's recruiting related.
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Illinois Basketball 2016-2017
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I can't tell if those tweets are actually indicating some positive news or that's just Mike being his optimistic faithful self. Gotta love that kid.
I'm not getting my hopes up but I certainly wouldn't complain getting him back after another off season with Fletcher. He'd be an absolute monster.
I'm not getting my hopes up but I certainly wouldn't complain getting him back after another off season with Fletcher. He'd be an absolute monster.
Mike Thorne
@bigmikethorne12
And blessed that I may have a great shot of attending this great University for another year. Decision right around the corner!
@bigmikethorne12
And blessed that I may have a great shot of attending this great University for another year. Decision right around the corner!
Pleeeeeeease!
IlliniRunIn07
- Tampa, FL
What does this even mean? Why would he post this? I guess what I'm asking, what information has he received that makes him now think he's got a better shot at this? I would've thought at this point, he would know what his chances are and just be waiting for a yes/no from the NCAA. That being said, I would be ecstatic if he got another year. Hopefully that's the news we get soon, maybe next Wednesday.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Huge shot in the arm, if it occurs. And if either, Nunn & Tate come back, or we get Moore, should be top 5 B1G and tourney team. Should also help with recruiting, since Groce's seat should be a little cooler. Scary that the NCAA could have this much influence on our program for the next couple years. Of course, they have had their influences in the past.
The Thorne decision has huge implications on Groce's career here. Thorne on the roster gets us in the tournament pretty easily next year IMO.
I think a lot of his tweets is just of him trying to stay positive, I doubt it means much.
Says you. I myself enjoy seeing other people "trying to stay positive"! :thumb:
Means much to me!
Big Mike says get that glass half empty attitude out of here!
Agreed. If he comes back 100% healthy after another offseason spent developing his body and game, he'll be one of the top 4 bigs in the league. Big Mike is capable of physically overwhelming most opponents, at least for stretches. He's like a mini Shaq at the college level. That's a heck of a weapon to have, even if he can only give you 20-22 minutes per game.
Where would a frontcourt rotation of Thorne, Mav, Finke, Black, and Kipper potentially rank in the Big Ten? I guess it depends on who officially leaves from Maryland, Wisconsin, and MSU. Got to be top-4, though, right?
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
It would only be average talentwise, but deeper than most.
Sent from my XT1526 using Tapatalk
+1 That group has potential to be good but none of that potential has been realized yet. Thorne is the only one with a semi-complete game. Finke and Mav have shown competence on the offensive end only. We haven't seen Kipper yet and except for one promising summer stretch, Black hasn't been able to stay on the floor long enough to prove anything. Hard to call top 4 with all the unrealized potential.
Who would you put in the top 4?
IMO quality PG play will be more important. Though yes, getting Thorne back would be a big help. Thorne, Mav, Black, Finke with a little help from Hill and Nichols is plenty of fire power upfront.
After looking at the remaining rosters in the Big 10, the front courts are not very impressive. I suspect we will see some guys surprise this coming season and hopefully those are ours. At this point I would probably place Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin above us, so we could be right there. I do still think we have to have some guys show well to get into that top four next season though.
I think a top 4 frontcourt is a safe preseason guess for next year with Thorne and Black back, but only due to the weaker frontcourts in the conference like you mentioned. Next year would be so exciting with Thorne and Black back. I can't imagine scoring droughts lasting as long as they did this year if those guys return.
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Agreed. The season pretty much went dead in the water when Thorne went down against Iowa State. Black getting hurt certainly hurt too, don't get me wrong-- but our lack of rebounding/interior defense became pathetically obvious when we lost big Mike. He makes this team quite a bit better.
I think it is easily IF we get what we saw early season from Thorne and Euro trip healthy Leron.
And the defense would be hugely improved by having guys who can actually rebound the ball.
Dan
Admin
Here's the known 2016-2017 schedule so far. Did I miss anything?
NIT Season Tip-Off with FSU, Temple, West Virginia (Barclays Center, Brooklyn)
Probably Thursday November 24th & Friday 25th
United Center: Illinois vs BYU (doubleheader with Northwestern-Dayton)
Saturday, December 17th
Braggin' Rights vs Mizzou in STL
Wednesday, December 21st
NIT Season Tip-Off with FSU, Temple, West Virginia (Barclays Center, Brooklyn)
Probably Thursday November 24th & Friday 25th
United Center: Illinois vs BYU (doubleheader with Northwestern-Dayton)
Saturday, December 17th
Braggin' Rights vs Mizzou in STL
Wednesday, December 21st
I would hope he would be closer to 6-7 rebounds per game. We don't really need him to score, we need him for rebounding and defense.
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