Illini Basketball 2024-2025

#51      

Illini IndyCar Fan

Illini IndyCar Fan
Illini IndyCar Fan
BalloonsTheElephant said:
My son was at the camp right after that one. He said he did a spin move and scored on Dra and that he tried the same thing on Ty and got rejected. Hopefully DGL can pick up his defense if 4'6" 8yr olds are scoring on him. He won't get off the bench.
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So today we learned the increasing scale of willingness to swat young kid’s shots into rafters, we have DGL -> Ty -> Dainja
 
#55      

Chad Fleck

Chad Fleck
Eureka, IL
Chad Fleck
I kind of hate how I high I am on the depth of this team. It just can't be right, but it sure seems like it is.😃
 
#56      

lstewart53x3

lstewart53x3
Scottsdale, Arizona
lstewart53x3
All-Talent lineup:

KJ
DGL
Riley
Booth
Morez

All-Experience lineup:

Boswell
Tre
Ty
Hummer
Tomi
 
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#57      

PepeSilvia

P
PepeSilvia
OrangeKrush1981 said:
Ty could be a critical foundational part of next season's team. He has the experience, the attitude, the toughness and the energy to do it. If he blossoms, with a bit of a jumper (or somehow more), this team will be much, much stronger for that.

1500 shots/day is a very good start. Hitting a shot every day during scrimmages is another big step. Let's hope he makes this happen, with shots falling when needed. He has the personality and toughness ...
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Honestly just hitting 30% on like 2 attempts per game would be huge for floor spacing and forcing guys to closeout on him and allow him an easier path to the basket.
 
#59      

The Galloping Ghost

The Galloping Ghost
Washington, DC
The Galloping Ghost
Joel Goodson said:
8 part thread:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1805358798699130968
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KJ has a ton of things to love, but this right here is pretty big (5/8). Defensively, he's able to move his feet, fight overtop of the screen, stay with his man, and then backstep into the passing lane for the steal. He knows where to be and has the ability and desire to get there. That's huge from a kid with this much offensive firepower.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1805358806706086195
If he was doing this on the AAU circuit, he'd be a 5-star. It feels like we got a steal here.
 
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#60      

Illinifrank67

Illinifrank67
Illinifrank67
alaskaillini said:
Anyone that thinks Purdue is set apart at the top of the B1G is on some serious drugs. Smith and Loyer and the rest of the team for that matter are not going to have near the wide open 3pt shots as last year. Not sure how strong their schedule is early and the carryover of a winning culture is strong, but I expect them to have difficulty adjusting to Edeylessness.
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100% agree. Edey is a point guards dream. He sets perfect screens, rolls hard to the basket, and worst case scenario you get in trouble you throw it high and he's going to be there. I'm thinking Smith looks pretty pedestrian in the post Edey era.
 
#61      

Loyalillini10

L
Urbana, IL
Loyalillini10
Dan said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1805560223093936467
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Well There It Is Jurassic Park GIF
 
#64      

OrangeKrush1981

OrangeKrush1981
OrangeKrush1981
The Galloping Ghost said:
KJ has a ton of things to love, but this right here is pretty big (5/8). Defensively, he's able to move his feet, fight overtop of the screen, stay with his man, and then backstep into the passing lane for the steal. He knows where to be and has the ability and desire to get there. That's huge from a kid with this much offensive firepower.
...
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I agree with this perspective. In general, playing time is going to depend on the ability to defend as well as score or facilitate (and rebound) and as has been said so many times by lots of people here over the years, not being physically strong enough or not having been taught how to defend in HS (relied almost soley on sheer athletic superiority) keeps most freshmen on the bench.

I wonder if our returnees (Ty, Dra) will have an advantage in regard to their defensive abilities. I wonder if Kylan's reported loss of 20 lbs will help his speed and agility on defense in a critical way.
 
#65      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
The Galloping Ghost said:
KJ has a ton of things to love, but this right here is pretty big (5/8). Defensively, he's able to move his feet, fight overtop of the screen, stay with his man, and then backstep into the passing lane for the steal. He knows where to be and has the ability and desire to get there. That's huge from a kid with this much offensive firepower.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1805358806706086195
If he was doing this on the AAU circuit, he'd be a 5-star. It feels like we got a steal here.
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I adore this kid's game. Swag for days, the maestro of everything that's happening on the court. Cannot wait to watch him in O&B.

lstewart53x3 said:
All-Experience lineup:

Boswell
Tre
Ty
Hummer
Tomi
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Years of D1 basketball: 2, 2, 2, 1, 0. Years playing for Underwood: 0, 0, 2, 0, 0

Whereas last year it was 4, 4, 2, 4, 3, Years playing for Underwood: 0, 1, 2, 1, 3 (swapping Ty in for Guerrier)
 
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#66      

Champaignheat

C
Champaignheat
Will this be our tallest team ever? (Forgive me if I have some heights incorrect).

Boswell - 6'2"
DGL - 6'2"
KJ - 6'5"
Davis - 6'6"
Rodgers - 6'6"
White - 6'7"
Riley - 6'8"
Johnson - 6'8"
Humrichous - 6'9"
Booth - 6'10"
Jakstys - 6'11"
Ivisic - 7'1"
 
#67      

SkyysNotFalling

SkyysNotFalling
SkyysNotFalling
Champaignheat said:
Will this be our tallest team ever? (Forgive me if I have some heights incorrect).

Boswell - 6'2"
DGL - 6'2"
KJ - 6'5"
Davis - 6'6"
Rodgers - 6'6"
White - 6'7"
Riley - 6'8"
Johnson - 6'8"
Humrichous - 6'9"
Booth - 6'10"
Jakstys - 6'11"
Ivisic - 7'1"
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Ty 6”6
Riley 6”8
Humrichous 6”9
Booth 6”10
Ivisic 7”1

Realistically there can be times where this is the 5 on the floor. That’s crazy.
 
#68      

Loyalillini10

L
Urbana, IL
Loyalillini10
Champaignheat said:
Will this be our tallest team ever? (Forgive me if I have some heights incorrect).

Boswell - 6'2"
DGL - 6'2"
KJ - 6'5"
Davis - 6'6"
Rodgers - 6'6"
White - 6'7"
Riley - 6'8"
Johnson - 6'8"
Humrichous - 6'9"
Booth - 6'10"
Jakstys - 6'11"
Ivisic - 7'1"
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Morez is a legit 6'9.
 
#69      

Captain Bubbles

Captain Bubbles
Fairfield, IL
Captain Bubbles
The more depth and talent a team has, the better. Gotta give Brad and his staff an A for their work this offseason. Winning takes care of everything, even in recruiting where it's fluid.

We can theorize and post projected starting lineups, but at the end of the day, it all depends on matchups. There are interchangeable parts that Brad can utilize. The versatility the players have will pay off in spades.
 
#71      

hooraybeer

hooraybeer
Pittsburgh, PA
hooraybeer
Captain Bubbles said:
The more depth and talent a team has, the better. Gotta give Brad and his staff an A for their work this offseason. Winning takes care of everything, even in recruiting where it's fluid.

We can theorize and post projected starting lineups, but at the end of the day, it all depends on matchups. There are interchangeable parts that Brad can utilize. The versatility the players have will pay off in spades.
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i think they are up to the task but in the transfer era i think the most difficult thing for the staff could just be managing all the egos when we have 10-11 players that could start on most D1 teams
 
#73      

Fighting I 95

Fighting I 95
Fighting I 95
hooraybeer said:
i think they are up to the task but in the transfer era i think the most difficult thing for the staff could just be managing all the egos when we have 10-11 players that could start on most D1 teams
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Brad mentioned this exact thing in his presser and mentioned how much work they put into personalities and getting the right guys to fit. Brad learned a lot from the sky, epps season.