Illini Basketball 2024-2025

#128      
skyIdub
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Won't be the starting five, but any chance we see this at some point - KJ, Will, Ben, Booth, Morez?

Just thinking about craziest possible lineups. You go 6"6, 6"9, 6"9, 6"9, 6"9? And you stay true to everyone's skill sets?
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Solid vibes.

women-vibrator-racing.gif
 
#130      
Bucktown
Illini4Christ said:
KJ moved to Spain as a 12-year-old from Lithuania in 2018 and he averaged 21.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals right off the bat and he kept rising in their system and undoubtedly would be playing with the Barcelona’s A team this season if not moving to the U of I.

Basketball is what he has dedicated his entire life to and so he is a special talent.

He isn’t a freshman nor a sophomore.
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That explains why he has trepidations about the winter weather. I was thinking doesn't Lithuania have much colder winters than Champaign?
 
#131      
ChiefGritty
Illini4Christ said:
KJ moved to Spain as a 12-year-old from Lithuania in 2018 and he averaged 21.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.9 steals right off the bat and he kept rising in their system and undoubtedly would be playing with the Barcelona’s A team this season if not moving to the U of I.

Basketball is what he has dedicated his entire life to and so he is a special talent.

He isn’t a freshman nor a sophomore.
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He's certainly been developed in a world class environment, which will have included practicing with the senior team and a lot more exposure to that level of athleticism and sophistication than American players get (and it shows).

That said, unlike Ivisic, KJ has basically zero experience playing actual games against college-aged or older players, nor in the kinds of crowd environments college basketball provides.

He is a freshman. And he's gonna be an amazing one.

(Also, just to add, moving all over a continent from a very young age with the sole purpose of pursuing professionalized basketball training becomes a more and more common backstory of our American recruits.)
 
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#133      
RollChief
Bbuck21 said:
Pre-season polls are just not worth the time looking at. In basketball it generally works out by the end of the season. Much of the subjectivity dissolves as teams play the season, conference tournaments, and THE tournament (even though there are always some hot teams at the end). In football, it is completely ridiculous. True fans of a sport only use the polls as a barometer of what could be a good game. After watching, you get a pretty good idea which are the "good" teams and how our team matches up. People that are obsessed with the polls are typically the casual fan. Present company excluded. We are simply pointing out the flaws.

Last year was great example. So many of my Illini alum friends comented that, "Looks like the Illini have a good basketball team this year". This was when they were inside the top 25 (not top ten). And I thought to myself, "You have no idea how good".
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Largely agree with your post but would rephrase it to not worth taking stock in.

I think the reason that preseason polls get so much engagement is because of how excited fans are about the anticipation of the season and starved for continued information about their teams, along with the sport's landscape overall going into the new season. It's the same reason I scroll this forum multiple times a day.

It's been 199 days since I've watched Illinois basketball and 192 days since college basketball in general, anecdotally I'm locked in on every piece of information that comes out, even if it's a poll that doesn't mean much by early December. Maybe that makes me a casual and I'm not betting the ranch on Illinois finishing 23rd, but it sure is heck lets me do some daydreaming on how much further they can climb down the polls.
 
#135      
ptgrd23
We have all the key elements but can Brad have them playing together like a team in just 1 season

ball handling passing - KJ, Kylan, DGL
Height - Tomas 7'1", Carey 6'10" , Ben 6'9", Morez 6'8"
Shooting - Will, Ben, KJ, Kylan
Rebounding - Morez, Ty, Tre and Tomas

Question marks
- Defense
- Chemistry
 
#145      
alexander58
Illini in Indiana said:
Thank you! They are entertaining and fun to watch.

I still feel That Ty will have a lot to say about how this team goes. He won't have huge stats, but I think he'll lead in other ways.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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He’s certainly one player you don’t have to worry about on defense.
 
#150      
illini0440
Illini in Indiana said:
Thank you! They are entertaining and fun to watch.

I still feel That Ty will have a lot to say about how this team goes. He won't have huge stats, but I think he'll lead in other ways.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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Ty is without a doubt one of the leaders hence his trip to media days with Brad and Kylan. But this team is filled with winners….take Will Riley’s comments in his last interview….guys our highest ranked recruit ever and he starts it by saying he just wants to do whatever coach asks of him to help the team win.
 
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