Illinitalk

We're in for a heck of a basketball season!

Bruce Weber and his boys headed to New York for the finals of their pre-season tournament. This year it was the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in Madison Square Garden. This was the first serious test of the very young season. And although the Illini came away 1-1, they proved that the high expectations are well founded.

Thursday night against Texas, the Illini played fast and furious, despite slow starts to each period. If OT was a bit longer, they probably would have tied or taken the lead again. This was a not a bad loss, though. The Longhorns look pretty good.

Friday night, the Illini executed well with a more patient style of play, and despite failing to ice the game at the free throw line, they came away with a good win.

So, now that we've gotten a bit better look at the 2010-11 Fighting Illini, there's a lot to like. But there's plenty of room for improvement, too. Here are a few suggestions for the boys to work on before the Tar Heels come to town:

• Ball security. McCamey is zipping great passes to everyone, but a few people aren't holding on to the ball to convert. The Illini have height. But they should secure the ball on rebounds, rather than tipping it.
• Hustle. At times, the Illini are down the floor quickly, but they get beat more than needed. And lose balls seem to bounce around a bit too long. They need to go after the ball with authority.
• Free throws. Make them. Last season they did quite well from the line. No need to return to the poor form of a few seasons ago, where putting the Illini on the line was a the best way to come from behind to beat them.
• Cleaner play. The refs are emphasizing clean play down low. The Illini need to adjust their style of play to clean up the foul trouble issues before their reputation for fouls causes them to get more whistles than then deserve.
  
• Experience. The freshmen are talented. But they are freshmen. They need a bit more intensity. They need to finish plays. Then need to learn to handle McCamey's passes.

But there is so much to like. This team will be fun to watch for many reasons:

• Demetri McCamey. He's passing, scoring, directing traffic, finding open guys and being the leader we expect him to be as a senior. This is his team. And he is poised to take them a long ways.
• Open shots. The beauty of Weber-style basketball is crisp passes to the open guy. And often the open guy finds the even-more-open guy. Egos don't appear to be a big issue, and assists seem to be valued on the stat sheet. So the Illini can take good, open, high-percentage shots.
  
• Three-point shooting. Although the Illini can rely too much on the 3-point shot, they can make it look pretty. D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, McCamey, Mike Tisdale, Tyler Griffey, Bill Cole, almost the entire team can sink a 3. This makes them hard to guard.
• Soft touch inside. The Illini are tall. 7'1" Mike Tisdale in foul trouble? Bring in freshman 7" Meyers Leonard. And Mike Davis has a wingspan and jump so that he seems even taller than his listed 6'9". But all these guys, plus Cole, have great mid-range games with a soft touch that earns points.
• Experience. The seniors, McCamey, Davis, Tisdale and Cole, know the routine and how to handle each situation. They are smart, patient, seasoned and ready to win. And a year of experience at the college level has helped Richardson, Paul and Griffey improve.
  
• Freshman. These boys are good. Jereme Richmond brings energy and does lots of good stuff, but he needs to learn to finish strong and better decisions. Meyers Leonard looks good too, although he needs to gain some strength. Crandall Head looks to be as sharp and talented as Illini fans would hope, and with a bit of experience, he will be able to build an Illinois legacy much like his big brother's. You can tell these guys are young, but they have lots of potential.
  
• Athleticism. The Illini can run and jump and dunk and block. They are strong and quick and able to just plain play.

It looks to be an exciting season. Go Illini!

Labels: Illini basketball