Pregame: Illinois vs UT Rio Grande Valley, Friday, November 26th, 7:00pm CT, B1G+
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No idea who has the PG skills with both Bello and Trent potentially out. But, do know with these two Hutch and Kofi out somewhere along the way Coach was forced to try combinations of others. Should help in the longer run
Hope we get some good tick for RJ Melendez, I see flashes in him that I don't see in others.
Hawkins and Hutcherson is my pick to handle the ball
Well I hope Hutchinson gets the major of the minutes......Hawkins hasn't shown he's capable of the bulk of the ball handling responsibilities to this point
Well, neither has Hutcherson. Neither has played the position enough to know.
Hawkins? Really???
Better than Williams.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
We ought to be able to beat UTRGV, but we're in pretty enormous trouble if we're without Curbelo and Frazier for any length of time.
Curbelo practiced today he will be fine
Yes as a 4th option, I trust his basketball IQ and the 6'10" match up issues he causes.
If you value protecting ball...which we should...the players who do best so far, with 30 min or more of playing time are Podz, Hutch and Damonte (based on per 40 TOV stats, coutesy Sports Ref)...
btw, worst are AC and Omar.
I've watched every game...when has Podz got minutes against 1st string players?
Not sure how reliable this data is. Game seems a little fast and physical for him right now, but think he will adjust to it.
Whitmans Sampler
- Eastern Iowa
Agreed, Podz will get acclimated in due time. To me it looks like lateral quickness on defense is the biggest thing holding him back. With his work ethic, a summer with Fletch will do wonders.
I don’t know why, but Podz is the one I’m most looking forward this season and in the future.
He just seems to have a swagger and confidence that you need on the floor. Like he isn’t ashamed to toe the line and bring others with him like Ayo did.
Just my observations from his personality and what seems like a great work ethic. Once the game slows down, look out.
He just seems to have a swagger and confidence that you need on the floor. Like he isn’t ashamed to toe the line and bring others with him like Ayo did.
Just my observations from his personality and what seems like a great work ethic. Once the game slows down, look out.
MustangWally
- Mayfield
Did Podz dad change his screen name?
I’d like to see Podz get some real time behind AC in this game. If there is a chance we’re going to need him going forward, get him some time (15-20 minutes, some of it with starters) in a game we should easily win.
Ha! I have a 4 and 2 year old so you better believe I’ll be hyping them up if they play D1 anything.
But no, I’m not Podz Dad.
And I’m not saying Podz will be the next Ayo, just that I like his attitude. Remember after the Iowa game pre-Covid and Ayo said something about how the two teams just hate each other? I think he also wasn’t afraid to talk a little smack about UM as well. He didn’t care if it motivated other players, he wanted their best effort because he was a competitor.
It wasn’t really personal either, just that he was confident enough to talk some smack and then WANTED the chance to prove it on the court. He loved being an Alpha.
That’s what I feel like I’ve seen from Podz as a Frosh (In limited clips/videos/quotes). It might be a couple years before he gets to display his mentality/attitude on the court, but he doesn’t seem to shy away from being the Alpha.
Man 15-20 min is a lot to ask out of a freshman. For reference, Kipper Nichols averaged 13min his final year. Giorgi averaged 15min his final year.
Get what you are saying, but I think he is saying to get him 15-20 minutes specifically in this game. Only because Belo may be limited and Frazier out. And this game is against slightly lesser competition.
As rtbritt mentions, I said in first sentence of my post “in this game.” I expect to see Hutch as the main backup at PG while Frazier is out, but if TF has an extended absence I wouldn’t be surprised if we need Podz for at least a few minutes in some games. I’d feel more comfortable should we need Podz for 5 minutes or more during a tough game because of foul trouble if he had 15-20 minutes against Rio Grande as a foundation. For what it is worth, I’d be surprised if Podz gets even 10 minutes against Rio Grande.
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