Thank You

#27      

Illini in Indiana

I
Indiana
Illini in Indiana
Thanks for a great year. The ending sucked, but the journey was a blast. This is still a top 5 team in the nation, and they should be very proud of all they did accomplish. Thanks for bringing Basketball back to Illinois. BTW IMO, we'd beat Loyola's team 80% of the time. But today was just the 20%.
 
#31      

LostinNebraska

L
LostinNebraska
Butters said:
The fact that the team had such a great season in what was, for me, the worst winter of my life, will make them always hold a special place for me. Cannot express my gratitude enough for that.
Click to expand...
Same here. My heart is broken for the seniors not getting the ring they deserved, but only because they gave everything to this fanbase through thick and thin, not because the season ended in a loss.
This winter put me in a deep dark place and their achievements in persevering through these last few months in particular... They gave me a reason to feel joy and anticipation of the next day.
So, to the every day guys that are moving on, and the ones with more college games ahead of them...
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.
 
#32      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
Thanks to the '21 Illini for the most exciting season in years, plus a nice addition to the trophy case. And thank you to everyone who joined us here to live thru the season's glory & heartbreak. Go Illini
 
#33      

Illini B-Ball Fan

Illini B-Ball Fan
Illini B-Ball Fan
Nice ride after so many drought years, thank you, it was a breath of fresh air and fun to watch. Congratulations, team and coaches, for bringing Illini basketball back to prominence, don't hang your heads. May the success continue for many years to come!
 
#34      

POWURR

POWURR
From Downtown
POWURR
I’m gonna spend my Monday liking every thank you posts ad nauseam. 👍🏻

Thank U GIF by GIPHY Studios Originals
 
#35      

victorology

V
victorology
I would also like to thank this year (and last year's) team. I believe this team has put the Illinois basketball program on track to become perennial Big Ten title contenders. The future is bright.
 
#36      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
This season, for me, was a life saver as far as bringing me so much joy in the face of a cultural changing pandemic affecting our everyday life , limiting my contact with people I love and friends , in general.

My dad is 92 and in a nursing home 200 miles away...my mom is 90 and living in an assisted living facility in the same town as my dad....Quarantined and isolated from them both, the Fighting Illini BB program and this site brought me a sense of connection that really stabilized my life in a way that quelled in me what could have been frightening loneliness and a feeling of disconnect from society and it's normal interactions...

I really want to thank the staff and coach and all my friends here for an "AMAZING " season full of excitement and now ultimate heartbreak...but , as stated above, we have so much to be thankful for....And with the , hopefully, end of the virus and it's effects on all of us , I look forward to a new awakening of the Illini FB team and the continued success of the BB team....

I finally have great hope and excitement for all things Illini and a return to daily living free of worry about 6' apart and everything else connected to this virus...

2020-21 will go down in my memory banks full of joy and sorrow, but I'm still alive and kicking, at age 69, and I fully intend to being here on earth and enjoying the illini and Loyalty for many, many more years.....

thanks again bros..................

d99309f5-600b-4610-9349-a30fe582cb40.gif
 
#38      

the juiceman cometh

T
the juiceman cometh
The thing about this year's team I loved the most was how they were with each other. You really got the sense these guys all became a family, and it carried through to how they played and carried themselves on the court. I hope that mentality sticks around for years to come, though I think it probably has a lot to do with the particular circumstances of this season. Anyway, thanks to the players, coaches, and even my fellow Loyalty posters for an amazing season!
 
#39      

kyillinifan

K
kyillinifan
I hope in 10 years 15 years this team will be together as great friends. They deserve a long hand clap. No posit COVID test since August is amazing. Let’s hope the football team can have great run in the fall. I believe we have two coaches leading basketball and football. Excitement back in Champaign, I’ll. iLL
 
#41      

IlliniKat91

IlliniKat91
Chicago, IL
IlliniKat91
the juiceman cometh said:
The thing about this year's team I loved the most was how they were with each other. You really got the sense these guys all became a family, and it carried through to how they played and carried themselves on the court. I hope that mentality sticks around for years to come, though I think it probably has a lot to do with the particular circumstances of this season.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I think it's something that can trickle down, too. That's the benefit to having guys that stick around more than one year. They can pass down the way things are done and how the team should care about each other. That's invaluable.

This season wasn't a blip. We'll be back for years to come.
 
#42      

Rap73

R
Rap73
This was a wonderful season for the fans and for the team. I am proud to be a fan of this group of young men. They have essentially been away from their families for a year and a half. The genuine closeness they have shown for each other is awsome.
 
#44      

LvilleILL

LvilleILL
LvilleILL
Man it still hurt just as much waking up today. I really do believe that this could drive a lot of our team, especially the freshman, to come back stronger next year. Something special is starting to happen and we are a Kofi decision away from having a shot to win it all next year. This team this year will always be remembered as the one who got everything going. We will be back, and we will be contending for titles in the coming years. Thanks everyone on the board and on the team for making this an incredible season. I think we all needed the distraction in one way or another the last few months, and this team provided that for us. We came up short, but we all know that we had the team to win it all this year. Can't wait to see us contending again next years and the years to come and maybe we can just win the big ten outright next year ;)
 
#46      

Tacomallini

T
Washington State
Tacomallini
Thanks to Andres Feliz and Kipper Nichols - two players that should've gotten a chance to play in an NCAA tournament game. Thanks to Loyalty for the laughs, recruiting news and conspiracies, and insight into the game. Thanks to this year's team for making the COVID year less sucky for the rest of us.
 
#48      

Tacomallini

T
Washington State
Tacomallini
Oops...one more. Thank you 2020-21 team for the thorough beatdown of scUM in Ann Arbor on 3/2/21, especially given all the circumstances and drama surrounding the game. I can easily see myself sipping a cold one 20 or 30 years from now reflecting back on that day. And one more for Loyalty - thanks for all the hot takes! Keep 'em coming.
 
#49      

IlliniRunIn07

IlliniRunIn07
Tampa, FL
IlliniRunIn07
Not going to lie, it hurts more today than it did yesterday. And if it hurts this bad for me, I can only imagine what the players on this team are feeling, especially those that won't be returning. This year has been flat out awful for a lot of us (outside of sports). It has been filled with uncertainty, fear, and inconveniences in every aspect of our lives. And at a time when we needed distractions the most, they just weren't there. There were no concerts, no movies, no weddings, no events, nothing. As pandemic fatigue started to really come on strong, this team became the wonderful distraction that we all needed. Instead of spending my time looking up how many people passed away from covid, how many vaccines were distributed, and how people wanted to politicize a global health crisis, I was able to spend my days watching highlights from the previous night's game, scouting our next B1G opponent, watching interviews with the team. And it wasn't about beating some 'middle of the pack' B1G team to maybe be the last 4 in on Lundardi's bracket, it was about us being a legitimate top 5 team in the country. This season was so much fun, and once yesterday's wound isn't as fresh, I know I will always be grateful for that. Thank you to everyone on the team, the coaching staff, Dan, Underwood, and Whitman for being the highlight of the past year for me and for a lot of others. For once, I have a ton of faith in the people at the top. Maybe we won't be top 5 next year or in the next few. I don't think we're going to experience another tournament drought of 8 years again. I have complete faith in Underwood, and I cannot wait to see what he can do with this program in the coming years.
 
#50      

OskeeWowWow2012

O
OskeeWowWow2012
Thank you to the amazing young men of this team and to the entire coaching staff and athletic department that put their heart and soul into this season. I will forever fiercely defend the power of this team and the character of its players. Even if we win the national title next year (fingers crossed!), this team will always be my favorite for getting Illini nation through a cold, dark and lonely winter while making huge personal sacrifices and having fun while doing it.
You were an absolute JOY to watch and while I can't believe it's over, I'm looking forward to what the future brings.

(also HUGE shout out to Dan and thank you for everything you do! I may or may not have read quite a few big ten forums this year and none of them hold a candle to Illinois Loyalty)