John Groce at Illinois

IlliiniLegacy · Jan 11, 2016

IllinoisFan733 said:
This thread is a lot less active today. Where did all of the negative posts go?

The freshmen are growing by leaps and bounds every game. Remember, this is about the time when Hill/Nunn got inserted into the starting line-up their first year. Defense is the one thing that takes a while for young players to learn during the first year... it's night and day difference from high school.

Really excited to see where JFG & Co. take this team the rest of the season. Schedule lightens up a bit.

I wish we could stop demonizing those that are worried or negative about the state of Illinois Basketball. Great win last night, and we're all enjoying it, however, it doesn't mean that everything's fine with Illini BB. I'm a huge fan, and loyal, but I'm also really worried about mediocrity. If we don't "haul in" a great class with 2017, we'll be in the basement of the Big Ten. IMO

FeelYourPaign · Jan 11, 2016

ILL in IA said:
That 1 point loss on a floater by Tracy was really the last meaningful game he played. Sure we had a few NIT games after it, but man does that seem like a long time ago.

Wow, you're right, that does seem like forever ago. Tough for Tracy.

Cubby Blue · Jan 11, 2016

IlliiniLegacy said:
I wish we could stop demonizing those that are worried or negative about the state of Illinois Basketball. Great win last night, and we're all enjoying it, however, it doesn't mean that everything's fine with Illini BB. I'm a huge fan, and loyal, but I'm also really worried about mediocrity. If we don't "haul in" a great class with 2017, we'll be in the basement of the Big Ten. IMO

I wish we would stop over exagerating the bad side too. With this freshman class and a good point guard coming, do you really think we will "be in the basement" ?

schnaurt · Jan 11, 2016

Cubby Blue said:
I wish we would stop over exagerating the bad side too. With this freshman class and a good point guard coming, do you really think we will "be in the basement" ?

Leron Black is going to be a good player for us as well. This team should be getting quite a bit better over the next couple years

Cubby Blue · Jan 11, 2016

schnaurt said:
Leron Black is going to be a good player for us as well. This team should be getting quite a bit better over the next couple years

yeah, if he redshirts this year, he will fall back in the freshmen class that has Finke, DJ, JCL, and Jordan. Nice class. Not basement material at all. Let alone "back in the basement" material where we haven't been in a long time.

Ryllini · Jan 11, 2016

schnaurt said:
Leron Black is going to be a good player for us as well. This team should be getting quite a bit better over the next couple years

Assume everyone stays and we get blessed with some health, we can be really good. With a bunch of moving parts, this has been the best offensive team we have had under JFG. We are adding a capable PG to the core next year, who should be a threat offensively when playing which should make our numbers on that side of the ball better.

Based on the natural order of things, we should improve defensively next year. Again, if we get blessed with some health and we add another big, it will allow us to cover some stuff inside and I would like to think that our current freshman are fearless workers and know the key to playing time is defense. As talented as 3 of the 4 are offensively, the game will start to slow down for them on defense.

zpfled · Jan 11, 2016

IlliiniLegacy said:
I wish we could stop demonizing those that are worried or negative about the state of Illinois Basketball. Great win last night, and we're all enjoying it, however, it doesn't mean that everything's fine with Illini BB. I'm a huge fan, and loyal, but I'm also really worried about mediocrity. If we don't "haul in" a great class with 2017, we'll be in the basement of the Big Ten. IMO

When the negative nancies stop "demonizing" my team (and that includes the coach), I'll support a ceasefire.

Until then, forget it. It's easy to be a critic when things go badly, and it's easy to predict more bad things. You can just go with the flow of negativity, and then when we start winning and proving that the negative hype was overblown, you can say "C'mon, let's just enjoy the wins instead of pointing fingers and saying "I told you so""

When we barely beat Chi State and people were freaking out, and some idiot was saying "Malcolm Hill isn't even that good", I predicted that we were going to be a solid team and upset some good teams by February. It's been in my signature ever since.

I'm sick of people kicking my team when it's down, and I will continue to call out the stupid things they say when things get good, despite their dire predictions.

bleedsorangenblue · Jan 11, 2016

Good post ^^^^^ :thumb:

I guess what I have a problem with is the fact that the people who are negative seem to have made foregone conclusions about things that have not happened. Many seem to have written this season off altogether despite a lot of games still left to play. I see a lot of posts bemoaning the fact that recruiting has been deficient when most of the recruited players either have a ways to go or aren't playing due to injuries. Then there are those already denigrating recruits that aren't even here yet. Don't even get me going on those that think we are going to fall flat in recruiting 2017.

Deleted member 11241 · Jan 11, 2016

zpfled said:
When the negative nancies stop "demonizing" my team (and that includes the coach), I'll support a ceasefire.

Until then, forget it. It's easy to be a critic when things go badly, and it's easy to predict more bad things. You can just go with the flow of negativity, and then when we start winning and proving that the negative hype was overblown, you can say "C'mon, let's just enjoy the wins instead of pointing fingers and saying "I told you so""

When we barely beat Chi State and people were freaking out, and some idiot was saying "Malcolm Hill isn't even that good", I predicted that we were going to be a solid team and upset some good teams by February. It's been in my signature ever since.

I'm sick of people kicking my team when it's down, and I will continue to call out the stupid things they say when things get good, despite their dire predictions.

+1

illinitiger · Jan 11, 2016

zpfled said:
When the negative nancies stop "demonizing" my team (and that includes the coach), I'll support a ceasefire.

Until then, forget it. It's easy to be a critic when things go badly, and it's easy to predict more bad things. You can just go with the flow of negativity, and then when we start winning and proving that the negative hype was overblown, you can say "C'mon, let's just enjoy the wins instead of pointing fingers and saying "I told you so""

When we barely beat Chi State and people were freaking out, and some idiot was saying "Malcolm Hill isn't even that good", I predicted that we were going to be a solid team and upset some good teams by February. It's been in my signature ever since.

I'm sick of people kicking my team when it's down, and I will continue to call out the stupid things they say when things get good, despite their dire predictions.

+1 Nailed the sentiment of many!

Deleted member 11241 · Jan 11, 2016

It's getting old hearing all the negativity all the time. There is still a lot of basketball left to play. This team seems to be getting better defensively and they already have the offense. Favorable schedule coming up. I think we are gonna have a well seasoned team come postseason time. A team that could play spoiler in the BTT and punch that ticket to the dance. It's also getting old hearing that Groce can't develop players. So your saying that 2 years ago you expected Nunn and Hill to be one of the top scoring duos in the nation and that Groce had nothing to do with it. Every one of Groce recruits has gotten better during their time here.

frozenrope9190 · Jan 11, 2016

zpfled said:
When the negative nancies stop "demonizing" my team (and that includes the coach), I'll support a ceasefire.

Until then, forget it. It's easy to be a critic when things go badly, and it's easy to predict more bad things. You can just go with the flow of negativity, and then when we start winning and proving that the negative hype was overblown, you can say "C'mon, let's just enjoy the wins instead of pointing fingers and saying "I told you so""

When we barely beat Chi State and people were freaking out, and some idiot was saying "Malcolm Hill isn't even that good", I predicted that we were going to be a solid team and upset some good teams by February. It's been in my signature ever since.

I'm sick of people kicking my team when it's down, and I will continue to call out the stupid things they say when things get good, despite their dire predictions.

I like you.

illini67 · Jan 11, 2016

We have several games coming up that we should win. I
hope this thread disappears.

Ryllini · Jan 11, 2016

zpfled said:
When the negative nancies stop "demonizing" my team (and that includes the coach), I'll support a ceasefire.

Until then, forget it. It's easy to be a critic when things go badly, and it's easy to predict more bad things. You can just go with the flow of negativity, and then when we start winning and proving that the negative hype was overblown, you can say "C'mon, let's just enjoy the wins instead of pointing fingers and saying "I told you so""

When we barely beat Chi State and people were freaking out, and some idiot was saying "Malcolm Hill isn't even that good", I predicted that we were going to be a solid team and upset some good teams by February. It's been in my signature ever since.

I'm sick of people kicking my team when it's down, and I will continue to call out the stupid things they say when things get good, despite their dire predictions.

:clappy:

zpfled · Jan 11, 2016

bleedsorangenblue said:
Good post ^^^^^ :thumb:

IlliniGman said:
+1

illinitiger said:
+1 Nailed the sentiment of many!

frozenrope9190 said:
I like you.

Ryllini said:
:clappy:

Aww c'mon guys, you're making me feel like this kid:

illini809 · Jan 12, 2016

Kinda random, but would Josh Pastner ever consider Illinois, should we write a large check? Surely Illinois is a better sell to recruits than Memphis, right? The guy known to be a tireless recruiter and I think someone like that would excel in Chicago.

IlliiniLegacy · Jan 12, 2016

Cubby Blue said:
I wish we would stop over exagerating the bad side too. With this freshman class and a good point guard coming, do you really think we will "be in the basement" ?

I'm not one of those that is always negative, as I was one that also predicted a win and this game would be the "turning around" point for us. I think winning is what turns opinions around on this board.

illinitrav · Jan 12, 2016

illini809 said:
Kinda random, but would Josh Pastner ever consider Illinois, should we write a large check? Surely Illinois is a better sell to recruits than Memphis, right? The guy known to be a tireless recruiter and I think someone like that would excel in Chicago.

We have our tireless recruiter. Say what you will about this staff, but no one out works them on the recruiting trail.

roger murdock · Jan 12, 2016

illinitrav said:
We have our tireless recruiter. Say what you will about this staff, but no one out works them on the recruiting trail.

I have been hearing this about every staff (with Lon himself an exception) since Lou's days.

WesterveltVictoryCigar · Jan 12, 2016

illini809 said:
Kinda random, but would Josh Pastner ever consider Illinois, should we write a large check? Surely Illinois is a better sell to recruits than Memphis, right? The guy known to be a tireless recruiter and I think someone like that would excel in Chicago.

I'd hope we would tell him "thanks, but no thanks".

sacraig · Jan 12, 2016

roger murdock said:
I have been hearing this about every staff (with Lon himself an exception) since Lou's days.

You heard that about Weber? I never heard anything much beyond how he really didn't care for recruiting.

Cubby Blue · Jan 12, 2016

sacraig said:
You heard that about Weber? I never heard anything much beyond how he really didn't care for recruiting.

Nobody really cares for recruiting. It pretty much sucks. But, when Weber was here, he was tirelessly on the recruiting trail. He didn't sleep a lot. No coach does.

Klondike · Jan 12, 2016

I'll never be accused of being Groce's biggest fan, but count me out on Pastner.

Pastner can recruit with zero concern for academics and also has certain other advantages in recruiting he wouldn't have here. The Memphis administration is much more lenient than the Illinois administration. Furthermore, what has Pastner done? He's had one pretty good year, and besides that not much, in a conference that's stocked with freebie wins every year. His teams are a perennial disappointment, and the Memphis fans would be thrilled if we took him off their hands.

Pastner and Groce are probably similar recruiters, and Groce is a better coach, as little as that may be saying.

bleedsorangenblue · Jan 12, 2016

themudflap said:
This was one game in which our two best players were stupid hot. There are still many questions with this team and they have a big hole. Injuries are a factor and getting Thorne back would help a ton. Next years team should be much better, but we are relying on a true frosh pg, a guy that hasn't played in two years, and a guy that cannot shoot a lick. Nobody guards that one. Nobody. He let two pg's go that are both offensively better than he is. Center is still a question mark, though I think Mav has a senior year that people will remember. He is improving slowly, but consistently.

I will feel much better about JG if he grabs Froling or something similar as then he would have filled the two biggest needs with solid players. If this team had a solid pg, doesn't have to be a superstar, just solid, think how good this team would be. That is on JG. Add in a young center that is just asked to play defense and rebound and we would be a tourney team. That is on JG. He went for the quick fixes when he should have built the team from the ground up. I suspect you see less of the transfer thing and more H.S. kids.

You cannot blame one coach for mistakes made and give JG a free pass for making similar mistakes. Hell, TB was fired despite he had his team trending up. Funny thing about that he was fired for playing injured players and the pregame hype yesterday was whether Clemson was going to play their injured superstar DE. But, all of this is on JG and if this season does tank, what makes anyone think he will hit a home run in 2017?

What mistakes are you talking about? JG has both a center and and experienced point guard. They just both happen to be injured right now. There have been some recruiting misses but I would not call them mistakes. It is much more a reflection of where the program is and lack of a winning history than it has been mistakes on Groce's part. Hate to tell you but it takes time to develop a program. JG's recruits have not completed their playing cycles and have not yet seen their full potential. There are some good pieces coming in, including that point guard that everyone has been clamoring about. I have confidence that Mav will continue to progress and either Thorne will play yet this year or be back next. If he is not back, I can't imagine that Groce will leave the program high and dry. You are seeing mistakes. I am seeing lack of patience on your part.

dak117 · Jan 12, 2016

The biggest complaint that I have heard about Groce is that he isn't a great X and O's coach. In the few Memphis games I have seen over the past few years it seems like Pastner would be a huge downgrade in that area. His system seems like a roll the ball out and let them play kind of system.

John Groce at Illinois

IlliiniLegacy

FeelYourPaign

Cubby Blue

schnaurt

Cubby Blue

Ryllini

zpfled

bleedsorangenblue

Deleted member 11241

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illinitiger

Deleted member 11241

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frozenrope9190

illini67

Ryllini

zpfled

illini809

IlliiniLegacy

illinitrav

roger murdock

WesterveltVictoryCigar

sacraig

Cubby Blue

Klondike

bleedsorangenblue

dak117