At a time when Michigan State is losing to Grand Valley State and Ohio State is dropping one to Findlay (no, not the high school on the shores of beautiful Lake Shelbyville), I guess there’s something to be said for simply winning one of these supposedly harmless exhibition basketball games.
So Illinois’ 76-39 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan Tuesday night at least avoided that kind of an embarrassment.
It was not a game like Illinois’ first exhibition game, when it beat Quincy. No players stood out the way Mike Davis and Bill Cole did that night. This was a 15-0 start with a lineup that included Brian Randle, Trent Meacham, Davis, Mike Tisdale and Chester Frazier. Meacham ended up leading the scoring with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Randle was 4-for-4 and had eight points. And Tisdale, Cole and Chris Hicks had seven each.
Weber admitted the redshirt question is still uncertain and he said he may not redshirt anyone at all. My guess is he’ll start out keeping a couple players on the bench and if something happens during the first couple weeks (someone plays very poorly or an injury), he’ll press them into action.
He’ll be talking with players and parents over the next few days and explaining the consequences of playing, then realizing there are not enough minutes to go around.
He also said he may have to change his normal coaching philosophy. Instead of using a nine-man rotation, he may expand beyond that and play more players fewer minutes. He sounded like he’s honestly considering that, trying to take advantage of what appears to be this team’s greatest strength, its depth.
After playing three quarters of its two exhibition games without Shaun Pruitt or Calvin Brock, both finally played in the second half. Pruitt showed he’s doing one of the things Weber has been emphasized; when he’s double-teamed, Weber wants him to find an open man. That Pruitt picked up three assists in just nine minutes shows he understands it and he’s doing it right. In fact, he looks like a very capable passer. He also was cheered loudly while making 3 out of 4 free throws. Shaun says he has a new free throw routine and it looks compact and simple: two dribbles, pause with the ball over his head, then shoot. I like it.
Everyone played and all but Brian Carlwell scored. I hate to say it, but Carlwell looks kind of lost out there. He’s coming back from a tough injury, so we want to be patient, but at this point, he looks least capable of helping. Maybe by the time Big Ten play begins, his big body will come in handy. Who knows?
Two other notes: One, the “Today Show” piece with Michael Jordan, Jeffrey Jordan and Bruce Weber is tentatively to be shown Friday morning. No word yet from NBC on the time the piece will air, but we should have word today (Wednesday). It would be worth recording.
Also, Sports Illustrated was in town for a photo shoot. They are doing five different regional covers for its college basketball edition and they’re focusing on great rivalries. One of the five focuses on Illinois vs. Indiana and the cover shot is of Shaun Pruitt and D.J. White (shot independently, then reworked digitally). Should be out on Nov. 19, I’m told.
November 7th, 2007 at 9:46 am
As long as the players & their families understand that there will be fewer minutes to go around if noone redshirts, I say play them all. It would make things more competitive at practice & would allow IL. to apply more full court pressure once in a while. I like the combined FT% of our bigs who had attempts last night. Alexander was 2-2, Cole was 2-3, Tiz was 4-4, Pruitt was 3-4, & Carlwell was 0-2. That comes to 73% on 11-15 & would be 84% on 11-13 if you throw out Carlwell’s attempts. This could always be better, but it seems somewhat encouraging after last year. It’s good to hear that SP is kicking the ball out when double-teamed, but is it just now sinking in that he needs to do this? Surely this was emphasized in the past by BAM & his staff. The game with Northeastern Sunday is on ESPN360. I have no idea what that is…..any help? It will obviously be good exposure for the Illini on the “Today Show” & in Sports Illustrated.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:20 am
I was there at the game last night and for what it’s worth, here is my assessment (please keep in mind, that no one should think they know what this team is yet after two exhibition games. I doubt it Weber does.)
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Tisdale / Cole - Both are capable of playing this year. Cole is the more heady player but both are high energy, dive for loose balls, good shooters, get rebounds, fundamentally sound players. Are they young? Yes. but IMHO play them both. One add to this. I watch MSU with their high recruit Herzog which is a similar player to Cole and Tisdale. Both look better than Herzog to me from what I have seen so far.
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Meacham/Brock/Randal - It is obvious that all three have worked hard in the off season and are very comfortable in what Coach Weber wants to do. This is the biggest difference between them and the freshman coming in. When Meacham and Randal are in the game, they are very much in sync and know where to look for each other and are both showing some leadership with this young team. That is very important to a Bruce Weber team. The leadership from this team seems to come from these three and Frazier.
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Alexander/Davis - both very athletic and agressive. Alexander is ahead of Davis in understanding the motion game Coach Weber wants them to play. But in terms of getting to the rim, both are very strong.
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Frazier, McCamey - Demetri is a very good ball handler, still trying to find the right passes in the motion offense. I am very comfortable with him offensively at the point. Defensively, Frazier is well ahead of him. Frazier is very good hawking the ball and making the opposing guards life difficult in running the offense. McCamey needs to (and will) improve his defense. Frazier is pure hustle when he is on the floor and that is contagious.
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Semrau/Carlwell - Rich played poorly v. Quincy and very well against Kentucky Wes. I think the latter is what he is capable of he could be a very important part of this team. I am a huge Carlwell fan, but have to agree with Mark. He is not getting to the spots he needs to be in. He did last year. The one thing that Brian can really help with is rebounding but I am not seeing it yet this year. You gotta pull for the guy. He is a great kid.
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Pruitt - I noticed the assists as well, he will be double teamed a lot this year and last night he found the open player (usually near the basket) instantly and got him the ball. He will be a force but he is going to need help inside. Who will it be? I think that will be much more clear after Maui.
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Chris Hicks - yes, Chris Hicks. Coach Weber before last nights game listed all the guys roles on the board and he wants leadership from Hicks. Hicks was interviewed on radio after the game and even though he doesnt get the playing time, no one on this team understands what Coach Weber wants out this team more than Hicks. Great kid!
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OK guys, rip away. I know that so many of you know so much more than I do so tell me where I am wrong. Just trying to help out you guys who havent yet seen this team this year (Dish Network Basic Package = Big 10 network)
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I know this is long - I apologize - I believe that brevity is important on blogs but had to go a little long to talk about all the guys. It wont happen again. If you skipped over it, thats cool. I usually dont read the long rants either.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Play them all!!! With the injuries this team has had over the past few years, it would be nice to finally have some depth. We always seem to need it. Hopefully Weber hasn’t forgotten not having enough guys to even practice last year. Competition makes everyone better. Weber and Howard have shown that they can recruit so replacing graduating players shouldn’t be a problem. Every freshman in the country is considered too skinny or not quite ready to play. Playing against better talent only makes you better.
Nice to see Ohio State go down. Maybe MSU and Ohio State aren’t as good as everyone thinks they will be. Go Illini
November 7th, 2007 at 11:07 am
This team should be really fun to watch develop. They seem to play well together, no matter what the lineup. I hope BAM loosens his reigns a little and lets them all play. WIth the future looking so bright in recruiting, why tie up a scholorship for the future. Also, if some of these guys turn out to be as good as we hope, aka Tisdale, he will not be around for a fifth year anyway.
November 7th, 2007 at 11:51 am
reference the belief Tisdale/ Cole/ and Davis are too skinny–lots of pros are still skinny [Tayshaun Prince]and doing fine in the show. Go Illini!
November 7th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Bart…thanks for your opinion, not even close to a rant. Agree that all should stay active. Injuries, different strengths, future schollies, competition are great reasons to go this route. Hope to see leadership continue to emerge and spread along with confidence as the competition gets better. Peace brothers.
November 7th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
…. sorry left off Jordan/Holdren. I like Jeff’s energy but there is a lot of work to do. That being said, no one seems to be working harder to improve than Jeff Jordan so I give him tons of credit for not living off his name and really working hard. This kid is a hustler and I know Weber loves that. Holdren is a good shooter and also is a Lucas Johnson type player unfortunately without the size. But he is a better outside shooter.
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People who run down Holdren and Meacham because they are not highly recruited, will never be convinced, but I love having these guys on the team.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Bart- Great analysis. No ripping from me. It’s nice to hear some first hand observations. I love having guys like Holdren and Meachem too, but if they are starters, we are in trouble. You want those guys as role players.Meachem played well in non-conference last year, but couldn’t get a shot off against the taller, Big Ten guards. Maybe that will change this year. Unfortunately, he didn’t grow 3 inches over the summer. haha. I did see Herzog play. Agree with you, Cole and Tis look alot better. Glad to hear Semerau played better because he looked awful in the first game. We need him.
Can’t wait to get my SI with Pruitt on the cover. Go Illini!
November 7th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Your in depth assessment was greatly appreciated by me, Bart, since I haven’t been able to see them play yet. No need to apologize for its’ length. I’m not expecting a deal between the BTN & the cable company any time soon, so I’ve now started going through the schedule to see which games will be carried nationally. It looks like I’ll get to see about 1/3 of the games.
November 7th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Bart, thanks for the great update.
KYM, you’re so vague i have trouble even responding. “we have 1″? 1 what? A straight to the NBA prospect? Richmond? The team that beat illinois? 2005 UNC? They only had 1 frosh, Marvin. Tiz won’t play the euro 3. He’ll be like cook. Nail open 3s a few times a game. FYI, I type 99% of my posts with my right thumb on a blackberry, so don’t expect them to be proofed by a secretary. I’m actually at O’Hare right now on my way to Dallas. I won’t be staying in your territory long though as its pure bizness.
November 7th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Anybody have info on Ryan Hare out of Marshall? He backed out from his commitment to Oregon State, and says he’s opening the recruiting back up..
November 7th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Jake - You just went on a weepy, nostalgic jaunt about how building a team long term got us ONE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER UP BANNER. I demonstrate that a Fab Five conglomeration has THREE OF THOSE! (you know runner up banners that you said they didn’t have more than the Illini!) What is so hard to follow? For God’s sake read your response to me before you read mine. I’m tryin to have a back and forth but you gotta know what you are saying! If your moniker is being stolen say so. If you thought you typed that under Magoo then pay closer attention. Seriously, I will debate people who think I’m great, a moron, evil whatever, but someone who can’t remember what they said four posts earlier is either suffering from a personality disorder or is purposely being a tool. I’m giving you one last shot to stay in this thing. Seriously, my man focus!
Bart - Pretty closed minded to assume we would rip you. I think no one redshirts just to avoid the inevitable “Freshman lapse”. You know right about the start of the Big Ten season when every freshman takes a swan dive because they have already practiced more than an entire high school season. This group will be inconsistent, tire easy (weight gain reasons). Keep them fresher, play the hot hand, and play a ton of combos.
Interesting note: Kentucky held some schmuck team to 20% shooting last night. Gillespies quote: (Paraphrasing) “I’m not really happy with our defense. It was more about what they didn’t so than what we did to them. We have pretty high standards around here” I think the perfect storm is brewing in the Blugrass state. And I think we may be screwed!
Come on guys give the hypothetical a try. I really have no agenda. Just curious!
November 7th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Arter - I was actually saying yer. You know the southern slang style. I don’t type it that way because people think I’m some Appalachian whisky maker as it is (yes I know that is a preposition, or is it a dangling participle?. Poor wasn’t a typo. Glad you fine tooth comb my post though. Makes me feel good to know you care!
Brooks& Marlin - Isn’t that a great one? Sport talk show here in Dallas has a comedic genius that does those constantly. That one just drives me crazy. Yet you start to rationalize, “Well maybe we were cheating, Maybe he’s just a stand up guy trying to feed his family” Ah the whoring I would do for a title!
Seriously, nobody wants to see a Weber/Gordon cover, Weber/Sampson? Neither would do it but that would be cool. DJ White? Who cares!
November 7th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Who’s BAM?
November 7th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Bart, that was a great summary. I was able to go to the Quincy game but with my work schedule I could not go to last nights game but I agree pretty much what you said about all the players, especially the freshman and Alexander.
The free throw shooting was a sore point last year and so far it looks tons better. I hope it continues to stay that way.
Barring injuries, I think rotating as many guys as possible will be an asset as the season wears on. If we can play tough D and be an outside shooting threat to loosen up the pressure on Pruitt, watch out!
Man, we have a tough schedule going to Hawaii. I was stationed in Hawaii for 6 years and they always were competitive and I loved going to their games in Riley Wallace’s heyday. So the first game against the UH Rainbow Warriors probably won’t be easy. Then the Maui classic, you know that won’t be easy. Then Arizona, Maryland…….glad its a tough schedule. By the time the Big Ten season starts, I think the coaching staff will have a lot of things figured out on who can do what.
I have said before, by the time the season winds down, this team can be really good and a much better finish in the standings than what the media had them at 6th. You know, you just never know. You know?
November 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I was at the game last night, and watched carlwell very closely. I am concerned that he is not quite healty yet. He looked lost on both ends of the court. He was pushed around by Kentucky Wes’s smaller players and was consistently out of position on offense and was out rebounded by smaller players. He just looked like he was confused. Unfortunately none of the players looked very good last night, they seemed to lack energy and focus except for a few minutes at at time. On the bright side, Lou Henson was there and he looked pretty good. He was 6 seats to my left and talked energetically to the many visitors that he had throughout the game.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:27 am
KYM, I hope your “perfect storm” at Kentucky was a reference to them getting submerged by a small-time team.
“Just busting your chops”.
You think ole Billy boy gets to witness his first “For Sale” sign on his yard tonight? Oh what fun it must be to coach in the ole Bluegrass state.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I guess Jimmy Chitwood is referring to Kent. getting beat last night by Gardner-Webb 84-68. FYI-The Today Show piece on NBC with conversations with the Jordans & Bruce Weber will air just past 8:30 a.m., Friday.(Central Time) Bill - BAM stands for Bruce Al-Mighty.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Thanks for clarifying, Mikey. From now on when you make a spelling or grammatical error, we’ll know you are just trying to sound colloquial.
November 8th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Micki, if that GW pounding of Kentucky and your boy Gillespie doesn’t stop your terrible posts, I don’t know what will! Go BAM! Go Zookers! Go Illini!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Hedgehog- Weber never had much interest in Hare. He plays SF, but is only 6′4. More of a guard’s size. With the group coming in, we only need a solid PG. But you never know with Weber, never saw Watkins or Davis coming either.
Wow, Kentucky goes down. Welcome Tracey Webster. It’s going to be a crazy year. Here’s hoping Juice makes a fool out of me. Throws for 351 yards, 3 TD’s, in a 31-28 Illini win. A boy can dream, can’t he?
November 8th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Bart-If you really believe no one should be writing a blog on what this team is about (after 2 exhibition games), then why would you write a dissertation about it?
November 8th, 2007 at 10:40 am
Brooks-I’m sure weber hasn’t forgotten not having enough players “to even practice” last year, because if he reads this blog, YOU WON’T LET HIM!!!!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Bill-Damn, KyM just got over perseverating and now you say he’s colloquial, too? Hope he’s got decent health care coverage.
FYI all-MSU only beat Michigan Tech by six lst night at home. Either Izzy is playing his bench people all night or they really aren’t that good.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Marlin,
The answer to your question was in the post. “Just trying to help out you guys who havent yet seen this team this year.” I had, so I thought I would pass on what I saw. What I claimed that no one should think they know what this team will be like after just two exhibition games. I dont think you will find that kind of conjecture in my post; but you will find it later in some other posts on the topic, not mine. But they are the experts.
Hey, if dont agree, it’s cool. Lets have your assessment. I promise to read it.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Marlin,
I just reread your post. I hope you didnt take it that I thought Tupper wasnt qualified to assess the team. Heck, why do you think I read him almost daily? I think he probably knows this program as well as anybody. I was just offering my assessment. All just my opinion. I stated that up front.
November 8th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
BAM is Bruce ALMIGHTLY!
November 8th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Who is this Juco player Daniel Payne that Weber is after?
November 8th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Marlin- That’s what I am here for. That’s why i think his best coaching job was last year. A team that struggled offensively and then he can’t even practice 5 on 5 to help them get better? All that and we still make the tourney. That’s what I like about Weber. He can coach. Give Self last year’s team to coach and we probably don’t even make the NIT. Now that the recruiting is coming around, I expect big things over the next few years. We will struggle early this year. Tough schedule. Young team. But no one is going to want to play us by March. That is, as long as everyone stays healthy and half the team isn’t red shirting.
November 8th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I still can’t get over MSU, Ohio St, and Kentucky losing to D-II schools. Even playing there bench, they should win by 30. Glad we are playing our young guys and still winning big.
Anyone see the article on Samscum in this week’s SI? It’s a great read. I hope the NCAA bans them from the tourney this year. Samscum should be banned from basketball. He’s on the ethic’s committee and under probation. How many more chances does this guy get? Think Gordon is regretting his desicion yet?
November 8th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Surely the potential IU recruits would be having doubts about going there since they’ve been caught cheating again. I hope they’re banned from the tourney too, Brooks. If they don’t get some kind of punishment from the NCAA, I would consider it preferential treatment. I would also guess that there is more going on than just some excessive phone calls. I’d better go out & buy SI right now.
November 8th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
BrooksTaylor - I agree with you about being in trouble if Meacham is a starter. Although his shooting was on against KW, he didn’t look good running the motion offense. He has very little court vision, which is needed for either guard position. I think he would be an excellent role player - sort of like Steve Kerr was for the championship Bulls’ Team. Come in off the bench and hit the occasional jumper. I really hope BAM isn’t banking on him to help run the offense.
November 8th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Brooks and Arter: since they may be looking for work, any chance we can get all the anti-chief people to redirect their efforts toward Samson? Start mailing propaganda to their potential recruits…just a thought.
November 8th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/08/455312.aspx
Jordan and Jordan interview
Samscum??? I like it Brooks.
Samscum
Coach Sanctions.
The Orange Crush should have a field day. crk
November 8th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Doug - Apparently you have gotten past Webers reaming at the hands of that elite Penn Sate squad so I too will make it through life. I won’t mention Zooks early attempts at the Lions either. (Zookers? You guys dating?)
Jimmy - What I hear they are laying this at Tubby’s feet. But yes, there will be a for sale sign in his yard. Did you see the white kid shooting layups off the shot clock and still making them? I mean he did it four times if he did it once. It would have been awesome to sit in those stands and hear the comments. Billy took all the blame afterwards. Like a great coach does! Personally I think he’s loving that game. Word is he let them twist out there. No screaming, no theatrics, just let them get drilled. From what I’ve read he’s having trouble with the star guard about getting on board (sound familiar?). Coaches would never admit it publicly, but I bet they see losses like these as the perfect hammer. Even the dumbest player gotta say to themselves, “Well I can fight him and lose to these clowns , or I can get on board and win some games”. Plus he gets to run them big time today. Always a blast!
Brooks - These early loses are bad for hoops in general. Now coaches will trumpet every win because a few names (from previous years) got beat. All may have legitimate reasons for losing, but now coaches will cry about the “dangerous waters”. As long as they keep it to the team fine. Just don’t try to sell me on a win against east directional state tech.
Marlin - Must be the season! I kind a wondered what you wondered. “Nobody likes me, they will just rip me, it’s not even fact, but I’ll post anyway to “help” you. Beautiful mix of arrogance and humility. For heavens sake man just post, sign your name and move on!
Arter - Sorry, got to use Arter since we also have a Bill R. Don’t count on meaningful snctions this year. I think the NCAA wants us all to see Gordon in the tourney.
Question: While I’m sure many would fear death, could you not sue the NCAA for unbalanced punishment? Seriously, if they get nothing more than the popular admonishment shouldn’t somebody sue? Heck you might get a free pass on your next infraction since you could scream that they are after you.
November 8th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
KYM,
“Come on guys give the hypothetical a try.”
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Here’s my hypothetical - Let’s say Gardner-Webb beats Kentucky…… handily ……
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Perfect storm huh? Couldnt resist buddy. Just yankin your chain.
November 8th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Todd- Great idea! I love it. It’s sad that Samscum can be a part of the NCAA, but the Chief can’t be? What a sad, yet wonderful country we live in.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Hey Mark, did ya use my post on your last blog for an article about red grange?
nice choice. i liked your insight. But as for this blog……REDSHIRT TISDALE!!
November 9th, 2007 at 8:12 am
KYM, Your math is as bad as your written communication. Just because you can find 3 runnerup teams lead by freshmen doesn’t mean that it happens three times as often as mature teams. Especially since you had to reach back 18 years to accumulate that many.
Hypothetical: I’m not old enough to hold a grudge against Bruce Pearl. I’d support him if he was at Illinois.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:20 am
KyM-I recommend penicillin and plenty of rest. You’ll be as good as new in about a week. Perseverating is a lot like the common cold. Being colloquial can sometimes aggravate the condition, but the long term effects are not permanent. Hang in there Buddy, I look forward to your next post.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Isn’t Brand (former IU President) still the head dog at the NCAA? Sorry, guys, but I’m not holding my breath for any kind of major punishment for the Whoosiers!! It still amazes me, however, that the NCAA can get all worked up over a symbol (which in the end means nothing to anyone except the school), and will, by silence, condone cheating which discredits the entire organization and all of its members. What a bunch of hypocrites!!!!
November 9th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Good idea, Todd, although I don’t see it happening. I think you are right, Mikey, about any possible sanctions against IU this year. Lawsuits? They are too long & costly & probably wouldn’t do much good. Just saw the piece on the Today Show…..loved it! J. Jordan seems like a well-spoken young man who has a great perspective on his situation as the son of MJ & what people’s expectations are of him. Great exposure for Illinois!
November 9th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Bart-Will you ever quit crying about the lack of a 5 on 5 scrimmage for Illinois last year? What do you do, just copy and paste it on almost every entry here? Sorry, just seems like it. You know, I don’t think Hickory High School (Hoosiers) had 10 players on the roster, but they won a state title. Good coaches get around the problem. And I will continue to maintain that beating up on patsies to get to 20 wins does not a season make. Especially when you go .500 against the rest and 0-for against ranked teams. Wainwright (DePaul) also pointed out on the same SCORE show that verbals mean nothing anymore. That tells me we won’t have anything until these kids sign, and Brooks, anything can happen! It’s a very tenuous position for Weber to be in. He is committed, but they aren’t. If Samscum comes along with a better deal….
November 9th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Brooks-I do like your prediction for tomorrow’s game. I think it will be close, and I give the Illini a good chance of pulling the upset. Go Zookies!! Outback Bowl, mate?
November 9th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Jake- “Hypothetical: I’m not old enough to hold a grudge against Bruce Pearl. I’d support him if he was at Illinois”
Turn in your orange and blue. You can’t honestly say that and be an Illini fan. No way. Pearl tried to bring down our program just to make a name for himself. He’s a piece of Hoosier. Just a half step below Samscum.
Marlin- I think you meant to address me, not Bart, on the 5 on 5 comments. Tell me one other team that didn’t have enough guys to practice New year. New problems. Glad we finally have a deep bench. Play them all.
Did you see the West Virginia final touchdown last night? That’s how I envision McGee. Drop back, safeties covering deep because he can actually throw deep, scrambles 46 yards for the winning td. We have to win the turnover battle if we are to win tomorrow. Go Illini!
Marlin- I’ll take the Outback, but we should have been smelling Roses.
November 9th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Marlin
I have to disagree with you. If you run a simple offense or a “give the ball to me and I’ll shoot” offense you can practice game skills in 3 on3. The motion requires anticipation, timing, and reading the defense. I don’t see any effective way to practice this without 5 on 5. I think that is why extensive time was spent on defense because that can be practiced in smaller groups. Our defense was superb last year but the offense never looked like Webers’s system. Missing shots was only part of it. We couldn’t get guys open and that is because we never developed the offense.
November 9th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Marlin,
I think you are addressing the wrong guy. I havent ever posted anything on here about the lack of 5 on 5 scrimmage…. and the only thing I cut and paste are the words of another poster so I can refer to it and so other readers know what I am talking about (which might have come in handy here). You can quote me any time, but please make sure it was me that said it.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Brooks, i agree with you! No matter how old you are you should not ever support Bruce Pearl and be an Illini fan. He is and always will be hated by the orange and blue. Here is my list of top three most hated coaches. 1. Sampson, 2. Pearl, and 3. Huggins.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
All right you knuckleheads! All of our focus should now be on the ESPN upset watch game Illini v. Buckeyes. A win here could nail down an excellent season and a really “rose”y outlook to the future. Let’s get ‘em fired up and ready for the 2:30 kickoff on ABC national television.
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Hey, you young talented Illini, ALL OF YOU, you want to make a statement? This is your chance. The stage is yours….
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WHO DO YOU PLAY FOR?!!!!!…….
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ILLINOIS!!!!
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I-L-L!
November 9th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Bart, sorry - intended for Brooks.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Namber-What do you practice with our offense? I still see no point to it. When shooters get the ball they are moving away from the basket - very difficult to impossible to shoot effectively. Why do you think we constantly run the shot clock down? And we did this even with the 04-05 team. Tell me another team that runs Weber’s motion offense. I know - lots of teams run a “motion offense”, but none like ours!! So 5 on 5 doesn’t make it better.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Brooks-I agree on the olfactory preference!! When it comes to football, I’ll smell roses over steaks any day!!
November 9th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Brooks-Thanks for setting Jake straight re. Bruce Pearl. NEVER AT ILLINOIS!! (or anywhere else for that matter) I don’t care if he is a better coach than
God. And Sampson should be selling used cars somewhere.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Marlin. I think most agree that last year’s schedule wasn’t the toughest, nor the easiset. I believe most try to schedule based on their anticipated strength, scheduling nonconference to challenge yet develop. Not an easy task. Most major conference teams schedule this way. Michigan State had too challenging of schedule a few years back and it broke the teams’ confidence for the year as they underperformed. I remember Indiana’s brutal schedule when the AD was trying to get rid of Davis. A few teams that look to challenge for the national title up the competition in that year to get ready. Otherwise, most teams do what we do.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Brooks. How about turning the tables on the bowl projections, i.e. “Rose” that you continue to endorse was there for the taking. I submit that the only reasonable way to come to that conclusion is if our opponents that we lost to played a perfect game. You point out our opportunities and mistakes. Well, by golly, the other team made mistakes too. Maybe the only reason we were even close to winning is because of said mistakes. It goes both ways. Penn State and Wisconsin could be making your argument against us. If they hadn’t made this mistake or played this guy, they would be smelling roses. Not a valid way of looking at things IMHO. Peace brother.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Marlin
I don’t get your point. Look at an inbounds play under your own basket. Frequently the clock runs to one second before the inbound pass because the players are moving and setting picks to get the open layup or short shot. Those movements have to be practiced. You also have to practice the offense against different defenses. Some fight through picks others shift. To run the offense you must practice against these options. I totally disagree with your argument. How can you question the 04-05 team? They were masters at doing what Weber wants. Just because you don’t get the open shot in the first 15 seconds means nothing. Last year we couldn’t get frequent open shots period. Further, we threw up hail Marys because we couldn’t set up good shots. You have to practice this offense 5 on 5.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Pearl helped is clean up our program. All the ethical illinois fans should thank him. Like his enthusiasmand how he relates to the kids. And the sweat stains. Just awesome.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Jake - You gotta bail water faster than that! P.S. Since I only care about Illini National Championships ratios to other programs mean diddle. Our only unique quality is that we are the only team in the top ten all time win column that DOES NOT HAVE a National hoops Title!
Bart - I hope you didn’t think I was predicting a perfect storm WIN against Gardner Webb. Like most midwest snow storms the longer it takes the worst the dumping (Does central Illinois even get snow anymore?) It was an alarming loss. But anytime you have a great coach, with the ability to get any player he wants, it may not end well for the Illini. Of course Gillespie could be the kind of coach that doesn’t do well with super talent. I just think the guy is Pitino reencarnate (have no idea how to spell that). You had to be there to feel the power of the groundwork he was laying. It also becomes clear if you were there how big of an “bleep” up it was to leave. This O.State game should be fun. We will get an idea if we are going to be looking at their tailpipe for the next some odd years.
Marlin - I was disappointed that my twinkie reference didn’t get more laughs. For a guy they think is a moron they sure try to force feed me some words! You don’t have faith in Brand? Kinda like Bud Selig running baseball (this is the thing that angers me most about out current President. Remove Selig! The guys a clown!)
Jack Frost - No Knight?
Brooks - Can you believe Jake and his Bambi like response to the Pearl hypo? Somebody tell the poor fool. If you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything! I feel dirty even responding to an “Illini Fan” that would even think of accepting that turd!
November 9th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Jake,
Look up the despicable in the dictionary and you will see Bruce Pearl’s picture there. No, you will not support him as coach of the Illini basketball team. It would never happen in a million years. I won’t say anything else about the man because I have more self respect and dignity for that.
I hope the Illini give OSU a bloody battle tomorrow. Odds are stacked against us in every way. But you know, you never know.
November 9th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Okay I’ll bring it up since no one else will. Sure would have been nice to have Rose practicing with this team. So far two very nice games for a top ten quality team. Would Weber have really been lying if he told Rose he would start? Plus, you can start Kentucky Mike for 15 seconds then play anyone else for the remaining 39 minutes. Is that really a starter? Rose shows you what you get in highly rated guys. Consistency! McCamy may give you a 17 point game but the bottom will be a 2 point five foul kinda display. I really think Weber blew this one (same with Ramar, and Beverly but that’s in the past)
Shouldn’t Zook run a few trick plays tomorrow. I don’t remember one the whole year. Since there is no tape I say DO IT!
Arter - I’m not saying a lawsuit to the death. Maybe rumors of filing, maybe file, scour the documents, leak em all then withdraw. Just let them know they are being watched and exposed for the frauds they are!
November 10th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Bruce Pearl…..BAH. Moot topic that would never happen, like Bill R said, in a million years. I will also not use the adjectives I can come up with to describe him. Good luck to the Illini today against OSU. They are giving up only 43yds/game rushing in B10 play & gave up only 12yds rushing last week to Wisky on 37 tries.(Thanks for the stats, Tupps) Surely we can do better than that. Here’s hoping Juice and/or McGee can come up with some timly passing & we can beat the #1team. Go Illini!
November 10th, 2007 at 11:48 am
A little motivation for the Illini today from Bum Phillips:
“Last year we knocked on the door…this year we’re gonna kick the son of a ‘gun’ in.”
Go Illini!
November 10th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Yes, I do believe BAM tried to recruit Rose. He didn’t stop recruiting Rose because he got McCamey. They were going to be played at the same time, not in lieu of each other. There is NO way Rose made his decision because he couldn’t get guaranteed playing time at Illinois. He knows how good he is. What a stupid assertion. He obviously went to Memphis so he could go 28-2 and be out of the tournament by the second week, so he have time to prepare for the NBA camps.
November 10th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
There is a nice article on the Yahoo website concerning Michael’s support of Jeffrey’s decision to walk-on at Illinois. Should be positive publicity.
Who does Illinois go after now (Crandall Head, McCarney’s brother, Marcus Jordan, Anthony Johnson, Diamond Taylor, Daniel Payne)? Are they all going to fit in the scholarship situation?
Link
November 10th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
How bout Marques Wilkins’ TD catch!!!!. .
November 10th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
WOOHOOOO!!!! How about that all of you Juice doubters. I guess you don’t know more then the coaches. 4 TD throws and no turnovers against the #1 defense in the land. That will go down as one of the finest performances in Illini history. Go Illini!
November 10th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Hey KYM and Brooksy,
Do you still think that McGee gives us the best chance to win?? I think Juice just proved both of you wrong. His completion percent wasn’t great, but 4 TD’s??!?! That should put your arguments to rest. He’s just proven that he has the touch, the arm and the decision making ability to put any questions about who the starting QB to rest. I’d also like to note that he had 4 or 5 dropped passes that hit receivers squarely in the hands, with the right amount of velocity and the receivers literally “dropped the ball”.
Did I mention that he ran the option perfectly today and picked up key first down after key first down? End result: OSU has the ball for under 1:30 minutes in the fourth quarter! Simply fantastic!
What a great win for your program!! Here’s to ending the season in the top 25, a major bowl bid and a huge building block for next season! Go Illini!!!
November 10th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
A few months after Illinois made the NY Times sports page with a negative article about Zook “recruiting”, we made it this time on a positive note.
Link
November 10th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
You know what is best about that win today? Wasn’t even close to a great offensive performance. Late play calling (seemed like we ran the plays that worked a quarter after they would have worked) horrific punting, still alot of drops and missed throws. With all that we really kicked them in the teeth at their place. No penalties?, 8 minute drives? Two fourth down go fors? It was cool to watch us not overreact to great plays ( you know like we expected to do it!) Congrats to Zook. (You can tell he has his heart in this. Of course I have also seen the future of him going for it again in a big game and it will backfire mightily, I’ll worry about that later). I thought Juice ran the option horribly for three quarters and that makes me happy!!!! He does have room for improvement and I finally believe he can (more play action pass please!!!) I promise not to think about the three losses too long (how did we lose to Michigan?) but what a season this could have been!
Worst comment of the game - “I think Illinois is the most improved team in the Big Ten” Bob Griese; No BLEEP Chet No BLEEP!!!!
Hey, does this win mean that bad coaching CAN win big games (you Zook bashers/Weber homers had that chop buster coming!)
Jake - Actually you made that assertion moons ago. Look it up! You Pearl lover!