Nebraska post/Chief of the game thread!!

[Big Phil]

I'm somewhere in between this squad is on the cusp of being great, and here we come NIT. 

Bert is the chief no two ways and I would like to convey mad props to Player25!  He called Bert as the come from nowhere recruit from that class from the get go!   

he did all along, no doubt. Not sure JB was out of nowhere but he was definitely the least likely of that class no doubt.

I am thinking Player 25 for :

1) Recruiting coordinator for hoops at U of I
2) Bears GM

 

[player25]

I'm somewhere in between this squad is on the cusp of being great, and here we come NIT. 

Bert is the chief no two ways and I would like to convey mad props to Player25!  He called Bert as the come from nowhere recruit from that class from the get go!   

he did all along, no doubt. Not sure JB was out of nowhere but he was definitely the least likely of that class no doubt.

I am thinking Player 25 for :

1) Recruiting coordinator for hoops at U of I
2) Bears GM

 

OMG !!!!!


I would be in HEAVEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     

Aren't enough icons for my DREAM come true!   

[Thanos]

I kept in unanimous!  Excellent game from JBERT!  ...Good job young fella!!

[Thanos]

Didn't see the game - listened on Nebraska radio. Same warts keep showing up every game. No improvement whatsoever. Offense needs to be scrapped and start over. Find something they can do. Without Bertrand we are toast.

WTF happened to our FT shooting?

Nebraska crew said Sadler's plan was to frustrate Leonard. Sounded to me like it worked - almost well enough.

Nebraska radio crew also complained a lot about the refs. Said we got some big breaks, especially in the last minute and a half.  Especially didn't like counting Bert's bucket before the offensive foul, the charge call on them, and the intentional foul call. How did it look from the Illini perspective?

Just wondering what O you'd recommend?  Seriously!  This team has issues consistently screening and using screens... the guards have weak handles and can't drive consistently (even JBert scares me when he drives)... and even when they do, our 4 & 5 don't seal block well either.  I think these would be big problems for whatever O your running... but then again, I'm probably wrong! 

I think part of this is youth, part is team chemistry, part of it is recruiting, and part of it is coaching!  I hope they show more improvement by the end of the year... but I'm becoming more "blue" with every game! 

[Thanos]

DJ is going to struggle offensively, or should I say jump shooting, until the wrist heals.  That being said he took it to the hoop a couple times very strongly in 2nd half, and we are going to need his defense.   He will have to learn to slash more and if he can't Myke will get most of the minutes.

It will be interesting to see if he even gets his shot back this year.  Last year when he got the high ankle sprain, he was never the same.  That said, perhaps the silver lining in this injury (if you can find one in an injury) is MAYBE DJ will gain some confidence driving and slashing and be the better player for it in the end.  DJ would be a stone cold killer if teams had to worry about defending him off the drive as well as defending the arc.   

[Thanos]

JB for COTG.

JB is the perfect example of why you must play to learn. He has practiced for two years (1 a rs) and still was seeing no PT. Got in, would shoot a 3 ball and was benched. BW said for two year JB strengh was slash and pop. He finally listen to Weber and now may be the best dang player on the team (if his D gets better). Funny he developed with out playing much just exploded in front of our eyes. We have seen this a number of times, once the kids start to listen they become better. Ya, Ya play gives them the knowledge that they can do it, but when they try to do things that is not in thier best interest and fail at it, how does that help them develop. Myke H. is playing more because he is listening more, same with TA (be a point gaurd and defense first, scorer second). Munson our 4's played 38 minutes and look at thier stat line, just sick. Maybe ML should be the four & Nnana the five, something to try, because ML does not even have a clue of what to do in the post.

I agree... I've been thinking that since the Missou game! 

[Thanos]

The pressure is gonna mount to play Leonard at the 4 and Egwu at the 5.  Leonard IS a natural 4 who MIGHT be able to develop into an All-American 5 by the end of next year.  Unlike Nanna, he doesn't like to bang but does LOVE his jumpshoot ops

I don't know if he's a natural 4, but I could see him playing the 4 position.  I often think that he could be a Dirk Nowitzki type of player once he gets a little more strength in the lane.  It would also help if we could get some consistent mid-range game off of the 3 and 4 positions... that way it would be harder to double him down low. 

This team is DEVELOPING nicely!  They are on the right side of the bubble - barely.  Next project ... Shaw or Iggy? 

Is Shaw in BW's doghouse or something?  I thought for sure he'd see more than 3 minutes against Nebraska.  Hmmm...