Spotlight on Basketball Recruiting - Illinois Commit Morez Johnson Checks In
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
December 25, 2021
Illinois' top basketball recruit in the class of 2024 is 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward Morez Johnson of St. Rita High School in Chicago.
Spotlight on Te Rah Edwards
By Steve Sturm -- IlliniGuys Football Analyst
December 24, 2021
Illinois added some a much-needed player to its depth chart on the defensive line the day before signing day with Te Rah Edwards, a defensive tackle who decided to transfer from Northwestern. Edwards only entered five contests for Northwestern and totaled two tackles in that time, but he's going to be a very valuable addition to an Illini team that needed another big body in the middle of the defense in 2022 and beyond.
What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?
Coleman Hawkins Coming Off The Bench Appears Long-Term Plan
Coleman Hawkins must now learn to love the energy role off the bench after an inconsistent start to the 2021-22 season.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
December 24, 2021
ST. LOUIS -- Coleman Hawkins might have to get used to being the first guy to check in off the bench instead hearing his name called out as a starter.
Kofi Slam: Cockburn Enjoys First Braggin’ Rights Win
Illinois junior center Kofi Cockburn thoroughly enjoys a dominant performance in 88-63 win over Missouri in rivalry win.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys
December 23, 2021
LOUIS -- If this was the final Braggin’ Rights matchup for Kofi Cockburn, it’s safe to say the Illinois center thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
APR Score Allows Rutgers to Obtain Gator Bowl Replacement Spot
Illinois will not be headed to the postseason this […]
Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Making Christmas Merry Again
Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy December 23, 2021 The Illini demolished […]
Illini Swagger Dominates in Braggin' Rights Game with Rout of Mizzou
IlliniGuys Staff December 22, 2021 ST. LOUIS, Mo. - […]
Early-Season Adversity Has Led To Mid-Season Confidence For Illini
By W. Elijah Smith -- IlliniGuys Contributor December 22, […]
Illini Basketball Preview - Illini vs Missouri
Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer December 22, 2021 The […]
Fly on the Wall - Part 3 - Good Morning, State Farm Center!
The wake up call at the hotel was 5:45AM […]
Fly on the Wall - Part 2 - Personnel
By Brad Sturdy -- Illini Guys Insider/Analyst
It’s Friday afternoon, and we are between sessions for the Illinois men’s basketball team. So, where are they? They’re at Ubben. Hanging out together. Getting more shots up. For the freshmen, they get a second lift in with Coach Fletcher before they head back over to the State Farm Center for a look at the personnel for St. Francis, and a quiz.
So much has changed when it comes to scouting personnel. Now, Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Tim Anderson is in charge of the personnel aspect, but it wasn't always this way. In fact, Brad Underwood credits the pandemic for the change.
‘Last season, we couldn’t go out and recruit, so we changed the way we do things,’ Underwood said. ‘Gent (Former Assistant Coach Stephen Gentry) and Geoff were in charge of the offense, and O (Orlando Antigua) and Chin (Ronald Coleman) were in charge of the defense. Instead of one guy scouting the entire team, now we get everyone’s eyes on a team and I just feel like we can be much more thorough.’
Spotlight on Isaiah Adams
Steve Sturm, IlliniGuys Football Analyst
December 17, 2021
I decided to start my week of signing day spotlights with Isaiah Adams because I believe he's the one guy on this list that Illini nation is going to have to know about first.
Fly on the Wall Part 1 - Meet St. Francis
December 20, 2021
It’s a 2-day scout and game prep for Illinois basketball in today’s day and age of analytics and video, and our insider Brad Sturdy was able to be a fly on the wall for two days of prep and scouting before the St. Francis game last weekend. In the first of this 3-part series, we look at the last full practice prior to the game.
9AM Friday
At 8:30AM, the 3 Freshmen, RJ Melendez, Luke Goode and Brandin Podziemski are getting shots up in the State Farm Center. I’m told that one of the biggest (pleasant) surprises has been the time spent in the gym by these 3. Although they have had their issues at times, they are beginning to ‘get it’. Underwood said the last week of practice and these 3 games over break will be important for them if they want to be in the mix in Big Ten play.
‘Film Room’ is called out repeatedly as the timer on the State Farm Center basket ticks down, and the players, coaches and staff head to the ‘Ready Room’.
The Ready Room in the State Farm Center is the multi-media room, there are about 25 seats in 3 rows where the players sit in the first two rows and they watch film and clips. The session starts with Underwood going over COVID and the situation right now, with all of the shutdowns in college basketball, but quickly turns to the film session. This is actually the second film session on St. Francis. The players received their personnel packets and St. Francis team sheets on Thursday.
Beat Writer Q&A: Matt Stevens Answers IlliniGuys Questions
IlliniGuys.com beat writer Matt Stevens answers subscriber questions related […]
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