altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
BTW, don't ever change that avatar.
BTW, don't ever change that avatar.
Might be time for a.....
Is it just me, or does Brad seem worn out? This staff is killing it and putting in the OT.So room for Nance. Id be surprised if we didn't pick up at least a back up guard
Makes sense. The only low-minute guy who has not transferred/left now is Lieb. You are lucky if you can keep 10 guys happy.Yes ... And I would not be surprised one bit if Brad leaves two open ...
Or we could get our big and pg in one player and keep 2 scholies...Is that the trade-off? I know the Mayer kid is tall, but he is listed as a guard. Wouldn’t he take one of the open wing spots?
He's no Larry Bird but he still has some eligibility left.Or we could get our big and pg in one player and keep 2 scholies...
It sounds good in theory, but teams get hit with the injury bug. We should know. You need bodies that can fill in at all positions. Leaving 2 empty would not look so great if you have a couple players from the same position go down.I really hope we don't actually keep 2 rides open. That would mean we're going in with 10 'real' scholarship players (plus Lieb), with 4 being true freshmen. That's awfully thin. I can see Underwood being frustrated at a crossroads with these guys that there's no room to play that will just leave (Podz types) but we need depth/competition at all spots because inevitably some of the guys you have won't be good enough. 2 open rides means we almost can't afford to be way off the mark on anyone (no Omar Payne types). Right now for instance, you're probably counting on Ty Rodgers being able to play the College 4 and Dainja to be able to give you serious minutes at the 5. If they can't, that's going to create issues (even with Nance) because Coleman and Nance can't be expected to play 35 minutes a night each night every game of the year.
It sounds good in theory, but teams get hit with the injury bug. We should know. You need bodies that can fill in at all positions. Leaving 2 empty would not look so great if you have a couple players from the same position go down.
So room for Nance. Id be surprised if we didn't pick up at least a back up guard
Yes ... And I would not be surprised one bit if Brad leaves two open ...
Hardaway bought that job. Seeing how he operates, I‘m not a fan.To play devil's advocate here, Bates may be 100% correct if the things he told recruits were along the lines of "Penny can't coach."
Yeah. Empty chair doesn't really help much in practices.It sounds good in theory, but teams get hit with the injury bug. We should know. You need bodies that can fill in at all positions. Leaving 2 empty would not look so great if you have a couple players from the same position go down.
The 4 and 5 are my biggest concerns although I still want a point guard. Last year burns fresh in my mind.I already see a lot of depth on the roster, although you can never guarantee you have enough. I think one of the reasons I see that is the versatility. Definitely a number of guys that can play multiple positions. I do think the team needs another big. Seems like every season there are at least a few games where injury or foul trouble makes you go 3 deep.
Competition. I want guys being pushed every day. Best man wins.Yeah. Empty chair doesn't really help much in practices.
The big is the area that I would feel uncomfortable heading into this season if we didn't have one more big body in case of injury or foul trouble.I already see a lot of depth on the roster, although you can never guarantee you have enough. I think one of the reasons I see that is the versatility. Definitely a number of guys that can play multiple positions. I do think the team needs another big. Seems like every season there are at least a few games where injury or foul trouble makes you go 3 deep.
BU said that was his vision and I hope he accomplishes it with this team.Stating the obvious, the 2022-23 Fighting Illini are going to be a special team. I'm really looking forward to the Flying Illini 2.0.
But was he wrong? Surprised people still want to go to Michigan…oh, I forgot, they don’t.
I am merely a promoter of the .gif, and the humorous application of .gifs in responses! The board seems to do pretty well with that!
I am merely a promoter of the .gif, and the humorous application of .gifs in responses! The board seems to do pretty well with that!
CHEMISTRY:This is music to my ears.
I know a lot of folks on here are dreaming of filling all 13 rides with 5-stars, and thinking a survival of the fittest scenario is going to benefit the team.
I'm more in the camp that sees roster construction as needing to account for chemistry, development, and opportunity. Yes, there might be more experienced players in the portal who are going to be better players on day 1 of practice, relative to who we already have. But there's the opportunity cost of who isn't getting experience, who isn't improving because they aren't getting real playing time, etc.
What's the long-term risk to program culture (something the staff sure likes to advertise) if the balance of the rotation tips towards short-term rentals and / or first-year players? Does the program develop a reputation as one where there's little commitment to providing real opportunity for development?
I suppose this isn't exclusively about open roster spots, but I would prefer that spots 10ish (give or take) to 13 would go to either projects or guys who are bought into a low-minutes role, with maybe some upside in terms of leadership / culture.