Gee I wonder why? Oh yes University of Illinois could not figure out how to get two of their players admitted to Italy...I really hope Kofi makes it to CU and has a great season. Why does University of Illinois have so many problems with administrative stuff?
Italy Tour
- Status
Something can be said for team riding hot hand...AG in yesterday's case. But...DW needs to use Italy to experiment on aggressive offense....I believe he has it in him if he wants to ...try it.
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
“Hey guys, we have real question marks about the visas for Kofi and Dre. We could fly them to Miami with the team, in case things work out, so they can continue on with us, or we could just give up now, not knowing if our last ditch request will come through, and then if the visas DO arrive try to get them on literally last second flights not only to Miami but then also from Miami to Milan, and have them definitely miss the first and likely the first TWO games. Oh, and also leave one of our coaches behind to act as their chaperone in case they DO get to come to Italy. Yeah, you’re right, why am I asking? Of COURSE we bring them to Miami in case it works out, because even if it doesn’t they can then take easy trips back to their homes to spend time with family or friends instead of sitting in CU all by themselves.”
This.
I think people are putting too much blame on the DIA for "not knowing they needed a Visa" or whatever other things have been said without any knowledge of the process. They likely have been working on the Visas for a while and the guys flew to Miami in case they got approved last minute.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Seriously. If we could just stop talking about the visas and talk about the actual Italy trip, I think most people would appreciate that. We get it, it stinks, but we know literally 0 information and it's beating a dead horse at this point.
Richey touched on it in his chat...agreed, move on, spilled milk, let it go....
We have World Class "dead horse beaters" on this board. It's what they do.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
There are at least 7 players who will be able to put up 20+ on any given night (Not including Kofi until he proves he can do that), so worrying if DW will be able to score is probably misplaced concern. However, it is a positive sign that there are not a lot of other issues to discuss right now. I can't wait for this season!
alaaji
- Morocco
I don't post much because I'd rather just read the comments but I'll tell you that getting visas is not always easy. I studied at a French language school for a year. My family and I had six months to get visas and I missed the first week of classes because I was at the mercy of the French consulate. Sometimes things don't work out the way that you want them to. My supervisor said that every consulate is like its own little kingdom and someone's makes its rules.
skyIdub
"I can't tell you. Secret."
Complaining about Da’Monte not scoring more seems like complaining that Jack Ingram wasn’t more assertive. This year’s team isn’t the 04-05 squad, but we currently do have some high level scorers so Da’Monte doesn’t have to be a consistent threat. Tracy and Chester were liabilities in the past because we needed them to score, we just need Da’Monte to be a leader and glue guy.
Also, I’m a pretty huge UIUC homer, but the DIA certainly made some mistake with the visas. Whether the mistake was not understanding the process or poorly communicating to the media/fans what the challenges might be, it was still a mistake. You really want to limit distractions and highlight the positive things in a program and that was not done well regarding the visa situation.
Also, I’m a pretty huge UIUC homer, but the DIA certainly made some mistake with the visas. Whether the mistake was not understanding the process or poorly communicating to the media/fans what the challenges might be, it was still a mistake. You really want to limit distractions and highlight the positive things in a program and that was not done well regarding the visa situation.
Deleted member 746479
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- Averages through 2 games.
Griffin 18-26 7-10 8.5 2.5 2.5 .5 1 22.5
Dosunmo 11-24 7-11 2.5 4.5 1.5 1 1 21.5
Frazier 12-21 4-9 1.5 4.5 1.5 0 1 16.5
Giorgi B. 14-22 0-0 7.5 1 2 0 1 14.5
Jones 9-18 5-9 6.5 1 2 0 1 11.5
Nichols 8-13 1-3 6 1.5 2.5 .5 1.5 9.5
Williams 3-9 0-1 7.5 5 2.5 0 3 3.0
Griffith 4-8 0-0 4.5 0 .5 .5 1 6
Underwood 4-6 3-5 2 2.5 2 0 1 5.5
Olodmeji 4-5 1-2 4.5 1 .5 0 .5 4.5
I tried but format came out bad. I will try to fix it later, sorry.
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It is almost certain that no one ever thought about visas to Shengen countries in Europe for Kofi (Jamaica) or Andre (Dominican Republic) before they tried to get on the plane in Miami. This is royal "f----up", and it is difficult to understand why no one thought of the visa problem in advance. Nevertheless. as a traveler who has resided in Europe for 40 years, I would like to know if someone really made every effort to get them to Europe after the plane left. While there is normally a waiting period for a Shengen visa, exceptions are not ruled out. First you select a well situated small country that has a very high visa acceptance rate (Luxembourg rarely rejects an application). Second, you book a changeable flight (Tuesday overnight) to and a hotel in Luxembourg for ( Wednesday ). Third, you make an appointment at the Washington DC Embassy for as late as possible on Monday, where they can bring completed Shengen visa application forms (downloaded) and passport photos. Third, you pick up the visas on the next day (with some help from the Embassy staff). The purpose will be tourism in Europe (which is the case since they are at best able to play in only two games). While Italy will be the principle place of visit, Luxembourg will be the "port of entry" and therefore can well issue the visa. They get their visas stamped on entry in Luxembourg , and even if exhausted, they can go on the city tour, eat a few good meals, go early to bed in Luxembourg and fly to Florence on Thursday morning.
Once you are in a Shengen country and fly to another, there is no passport or visa control and, if they have valid passports and visas for the USA,
they can return to Champagne with the rest of the team.
Once you are in a Shengen country and fly to another, there is no passport or visa control and, if they have valid passports and visas for the USA,
they can return to Champagne with the rest of the team.
foby
- Bonnaroo Land
Do you have experience with the process? It is not as cut and dry as one would hope, and then you are dealing with 2 countries to get it done. Some can continue to blame it on the DIA, but without all the facts and knowing the challenges of the process, I choose to keep blame out of it.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Giorgi's brother is with them now. Does that mean he drops like 50 points in the next game? We will see.
Deleted member 643761
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If Groce had offered Tyler Ullis none of this would have been a problem
Deleted member 29907
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After watching the game I thought Tevian had a very nice game - pretty much MSG type confidence and hunting for his shot.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
I believe we did have a secret scrimmage against West Virginia last foreign trip. Maybe I am wrong and that was just a regular secret game. It would be cool to do that again.
All Nebraska has scheduled for Friday is a trip to the leaning tower of Pisa, which is like 45 minutes away from Florence and a 2 hour trip at best. Perfect for a night time scrimmage. And yes I looked up their itinerary.
Good memory on the WVU scrimmage, 2011 and played at NATO Aviano Air base in Italy. Weber was still coach.
I had to look this all up.
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KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Those were my prime Krush years. I'm happy to know my esoteric knowledge of 2011 Illinois basketball is finally coming into use.Good memory on the WVU scrimmage, 2011 and played at NATO Aviano Air base in Italy. Weber was still coach.
I had to look this all up.
I believe that was the year Krush had super fans who got to run out on the court with the team and break them down in the middle of the court and pump up the crowd and for a brief moment when I did it everyone in the stands thought Illinois had secretly adopted a cow as their mascot overnight. Good times.
Hence the 2nd part of my statement about communication. Since it is a complex problem, then at least mention the possibility that some players won't make the trip if things don't work out. That way there is at least the some semblance of competence; some communication is almost always better than no/late communication.
In reality its a small thing, but often times those small things can be part of a larger picture that leads to donors to not support organizations.
I get your point but bringing them to Miami in the hope that within a day their visas will be cleared is a joke. Bad PR and if you were going to fly them home just do that from the beginning. Multiple people dropped the ball. I'll let this rest now.
- Status