That sounds pretty good to me since I think rebounding and defense is where we need the most help.
Illinois Basketball 2016-2017
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That sounds pretty good to me since I think rebounding and defense is where we need the most help.
Sounds like he can be next year where DJ Williams is now. I like DJ Williams, and like his future even more, but he's not the difference between winning and losing right now.
Hmmm maybe I stand corrected. I still like Hill over Paul but it is close
Foggy Notion
- San Francisco
Paul was great, but Hill is more consistent and more versatile. Hill has also improved every year, and I expect more improvement next year.
I'd hate to choose, they might be my two favorite players over the last five years or so.
Paul is more athletic and I would say a better defender. MH is a bigger wing and has different strengths. Not sure it's apples to apples comparison.
Foggy Notion
- San Francisco
Agree.
This is what makes next year very exciting. Our best player getting better.
89illinigrad
- Chicago
I think that JCL is a better shooter than DJ, but that DJ as a senior is a better defender than JCL, so I would call it a tie.
Overall though, I think our depth next year, especially with the frosh getting so much tic this year, will be significantly better than the 2012-2013 team. That is where the biggest difference lies.
If next year's team, is not in the pre-season nor post season top 25, plus finishes 7th in B1G with a 8-10 record like the 2012-2013 team did, we will all be speculating on the new coach. I know 2 wins in NCAA are good, but overall body of work that year was not.
p.s. I did like the Muai Invitational win, though.
p.s. I did like the Muai Invitational win, though.
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I will temper my expectation based on practice reports. I'm citing reports about Starks and Legion (and what feels like a hundred others). Ray Rice was the only one that lived up to the hype unless I'm forgetting somebody.
Finke
I'll allow it. But I'm adding Cosby. We're at 3-2, which is still better than I was expecting when this started an hour ago.
Oh I'm not suggesting that either but I think he'll be above what DJW is right now.
Interesting to look at this way, my take away is more break it down by position & to keep it honest looked up stats for 2012-13, ignored everyone below Henry since those were mop up minutes, rounded up on minutes for starters due to subtracting sub minutes. For next year, didn't try to add to 40, instead giving Black/Finke/Mav 25 mpg (Egwu was a warrior and averaged 25.4 mpg; 30 year prior), used MH/KM/JCL current year mpg 35/35/24 & we are well over 80 already at 2/3 before you throw in AJ/DJ/Kipper.
Player GP MIN PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% FT% 3P%
Brandon Paul 36 32.0 16.6 4.4 2.7 1.2 0.6 2.7 .401 .738 .325
D.J. Richardson 36 33.8 12.3 3.9 1.6 1.3 0.2 1.4 .363 .815 .322
Tracy Abrams 36 28.7 10.6 3.5 3.4 1.4 0.1 2.6 .394 .748 .272
Joseph Bertrand 35 22.7 7.3 4.1 0.6 0.9 0.2 1.1 .502 .773 .321
Tyler Griffey 36 21.8 7.2 3.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 .434 .686 .347
Nnanna Egwu 36 25.4 6.5 4.9 0.5 0.6 1.4 1.0 .460 .636 .167
Sam McLaurin 36 20.7 3.8 3.4 0.4 0.3 0.7 0.8 .444 .585 .500
Myke Henry 35 10.6 3.2 2.1 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.7 .345 .708 .317
Mike LaTulip 16 2.4 1.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 .364 1.00 .333
Mike Shaw 14 3.6 0.9 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 .444 .500 .500
Kevin Berardini 10 1.2 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 .000 .833 .000
Devin Langford 22 4.3 0.5 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 .364 .200 1.00
Ibby Djimde 11 1.7 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 .500 .000 .000
5 - 26/14 Egwu/McLaurin............... vs. 25/15 Mav/Finke (or Black)
4 - 22/7/? Griffey/McLaurin/Henry... vs. 25/10/5? Black/Finke/Hill?/Kipper
2/3 - 34/23/22/ DJ/Bertrand/Paul.. vs. ? - 35/35/24/ Hill/Nunn/JCL/AJ/DJ
1 - 29/10 Tracy/Paul................... vs. ? Tracy/TJL/Tate/Hill
My concern when you look at it this way, we are likely significantly down at 1 & 5, roughly a wash at 2-4 (assuming Black is back & healthy). We quickly run out of minutes at 2/3 where next year's team looks better on the bench, so we are likely stuck at playing wings out of position again, still questions on defense at 1,4,5, still will have our rebounding woes, and have no good back up plan if something happens to a big or they can't go 25 mpg. If you want to break down 2 - 3 further I probably give the 3 to 12/13 (& Paul) since Malcolm likely spends as much time at 1 & 4; the 2 position to next year's team since Nunn is more versatile than Richardson. If Tracy or TJL can equal Tracy back then, & we are able to bridge the defensive gap at 5 with improvement from our bigs and the addition of big that is ready to contribute, then I think our ceiling is that team.
I was a year or so too young for REO but this got me digging in the garage for my Duke Tomatoe and the All-Star Frogs album.
I think he'll be better. Kipper gets a year to practice, learn the offense and defense, and get acclimated to college basketball. DJW didn't have that luxury.
Kipper is going to surprise a lot of people. DJW clearly should have been redshirted under normal roster conditions.
This is also true for me. And to build upon this, MH is developing and honing skillsets that he did not have initially, e.g. being able to run the point. This should be a useful counterargument (along with Rice's 3-point game) to those who say that Groce cannot awaken new skills within players and can only nurture existing ones.
It's a perfectly solid stat. It just doesn't fit your narrative about Lewis...so you deem it overrated.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
It might be a bit overrated, given that in 14 games we are talking about events that happen 1 and 2 times per game. That might not be earth moving. Maybe.
In the post-game interview with Barnhart and Hester last night, senior night was brought up. I may have misheard, but it sounded like Groce said he hopes Thorne is able to have two senior nights. If he did indeed say this, does it mean he for some reason thinks Thorne will get a medical redshirt? I thought this wasn't possible now.
He doesn't qualify according to the NCAA criteria for a medical red shirt. But apparently there is talk of appealing the decision. And that's fine, you can appeal anything. But I hope they are also pursuing other options and not waiting for what is (IMO) an unlikely decision in our favor.
I heard the same thing. Maybe I'm missing something in the rules (hopefully), but it seems to me he will not be eligible. I'm assuming they have some basis for their optimism, but I don't know what it is.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Wouldn't Thorne have already had a senior night at Charlotte?
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