Illini Basketball 2024-2025
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Chucky Nuggz is right. Continuity raises a team's ceiling and decreases some of its variability. If we go deep in the tournament this year, we'll be the exception to the rule. But there ARE exceptions.
Final Four teams of the last five tournaments to return less than 40% of their minutes.
2024 Alabama: 26% of minutes returned
2023 UConn: 34% of minutes returned
2019 Texas Tech: 33% of minutes returned
For reference...
2025 Illinois: 14% of minutes returning
This was a very good listen. Tulip is solid and seems to know his stuff. Tulip believes Elite will have a chance to compete for the Big Ten title, in addition to having a very high ceiling. Rough schedule early on will benefit team because Elite (early on) will know what they have against top competition. Let's do this!
I’ve watched all of Kasparas’s games in the tournament so far, here is my scout on him
Strengths:
-Really good player, a leader on the court
-High IQ, sees things before they happen to set up teammates - almost like good Curbelo
-Great pick and roll game, makes the right decision
-Unselfish, you rarely see him taking bad shots
-Good shooter and can create his own shot
-Uses his size well to get to the rim and finish
-Draws fouls and Good free throw shooter
-Anticipates well on defense to close down passing lanes, better team defender than on ball
Weaknesses:
-Turnover prone when pressed in the backcourt- can make a lazy pass occasionally and lacks the quickness to get away from pressing defenders
-not a great on ball defender, uses size to funnel a guard one way but lacks lateral quickness to guard quicker point guards
- doesn’t take over games down the stretch as much as he should, defers too much when the game is in the line
- has missed some clutch free throws in close games despite being a really good free throw shooter, just something to keep an eye on
All in all- I’m very excited to see him this year- I think it’s good we have Kylan to be the primary ball handler , because I think KJ is better suited for being the SG that can play pick and roll and shoot open looks and being an off ball defender. I trust Brad to leverage his strengths this year and he will thrive
Strengths:
-Really good player, a leader on the court
-High IQ, sees things before they happen to set up teammates - almost like good Curbelo
-Great pick and roll game, makes the right decision
-Unselfish, you rarely see him taking bad shots
-Good shooter and can create his own shot
-Uses his size well to get to the rim and finish
-Draws fouls and Good free throw shooter
-Anticipates well on defense to close down passing lanes, better team defender than on ball
Weaknesses:
-Turnover prone when pressed in the backcourt- can make a lazy pass occasionally and lacks the quickness to get away from pressing defenders
-not a great on ball defender, uses size to funnel a guard one way but lacks lateral quickness to guard quicker point guards
- doesn’t take over games down the stretch as much as he should, defers too much when the game is in the line
- has missed some clutch free throws in close games despite being a really good free throw shooter, just something to keep an eye on
All in all- I’m very excited to see him this year- I think it’s good we have Kylan to be the primary ball handler , because I think KJ is better suited for being the SG that can play pick and roll and shoot open looks and being an off ball defender. I trust Brad to leverage his strengths this year and he will thrive
It's spelled humrichous
I don't think the two stories are "completely independent" of each other. They both rely on BU to coach the teams to overcome a perceived weakness. I was still a bit skeptical before last season as to whether he was a good, or really, really good coach. The job he did last year clinched it for me, and I have confidence that he might amaze us again.
Returning only 14% of last year's minutes is not applicable to every other team in college basketball.
Losing an All American and a lottery pick talent from last year's team is also not applicable to every other team in college basketball.
It's good to be optimistic, but it's also ok to let reality sink in and understand that total roster overhauls generally isn't a recipe for success in the immediate short term.
Watched a lot of those Chesty games on WCIA. We didn't have a TV, so I was usually at a friend's house. You might have seen Paul Judson from Hebron who was a consensus all-american. I got to watch several games at Huff with my dad.
Germany Lithuania U18
Kasparas is on the struggle bus right now against Germany. The weaknesses you've outlined have really reared their heads against the quick, athletic guards that this Germany team has.
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