Like so many of life’s great pleasures, it was sloppy but fun.
Illinois routed Division Directional Missouri Southern Friday night 95–67. Yes, you read that right. The Illini not only scored more points than they have since America still liked George Bush, they also gave up more points than they have since America LOVED George Bush.
Much excitement came from the youth movement. Not only are the freshmen young, but they can move! including to the hole. Dietrich Richardson and Brandon Paul spent more time finger-rolling than we’ve since since … Frank? … Rennie Clemons??!?
Much ado was made of Brandon’s 10 free-throw attempts. That’s more than some recent Illini managed in a season. (Also, he made seven of them!)
At left: Old-timer Mike Davis had 10 & 5 in 18 minutes of play. Not too shabby for an old guy.
But before rumors of Five Fab Freshmen overtake reality, I should point out that many of Friday’s 15 (!) first-half turnovers, though credited to upperclassmen, stemmed from the younguns. Dominique Keller, Bill Cole and Alex Legion found themselves with unaccustomed (and challenging) backcourt ball-handling duties when abandoned beneath the opponent’s basket, left to face a full-court run and jump press.
The young guards were downcourt, where their superior dribbling skills weren’t needed. Consequently, Legion threw away a pass trying to beat the ten-second clock, and Keller violated the 8th Commandment of Basketball
Below: Assistant Coach Jerrance Howard assures Dominique Keller that one should never save the ball under the opponents basket, even if freshmen guards don’t know what the fuck they’re doing yet.
Afterward, Keller and Coach Bruce Weber attributed the guards’ positioning problems to inexperience. And that’s exactly the reason that we have exhibition games: to learn from stupid mistakes.
Of the other three freshmen, Tyler Griffey responded well (and quickly) to shifts on offense and defense. He’s known to be a fast runner for his size, but he also benefits from soft hands, court vision and fluid lateral movement. Unless he hits The Freshman Wall, you should expect to see him playing a lot.
Joseph Bertrand’s knee continues to swell after every significant stretch of activity. He really doesn’t want to redshirt, and fans and teammates were impressed by his ball-handling. He showed more instinct for the point position (coming to the ball, not panicking, dribbling without consequence, not picking up cheap fouls on defense) than the other two freshmen. So it’s day-to-day about his status.
The fifth freshman is Stan Simpson. He’s the Stuart Sutcliffe of the band. And he didn’t play at all tonight because he’s not “taking care of business” which Bruce Weber spoke about at length during the presser. “Mr. Guenther” expects Weber’s kids to show up to class, he said. That’s why the graduation rate and APR numbers are so good here, Bruce added.
Keep an eye on this story. Weber had special praise for Richard Semrau at the Big Ten Media Day, Thursday. Maybe Simpson is now the guy who’ll be thrown under the bus when Illinois’ scholarship allotment (14 implied, 13 to give) becomes an issue next fall.
Above: You might think, reading the box score, that the regulars are doomed to irregularity. But this was just a scrimmage. They had a good time watching.
The official attendance was 14,454. A few of those stayed home, poisoning fun-sized candy bars. But the turnout was not bad, considering the hurricane that blew through town for most of Friday. A notable attendee was Champaign Central’s 6’7″ Jay Simpson, who can no longer ignore affection from the Illini staff, but has not yet committed to wearing their colors.
Also in attendance, this cowgirl. Her ensemble proves Tom Robbins right; even cowgirls get the Oranges.
