Illini Zip

I didn’t think it was possible, but there are fewer people here today.

Tribble.

But I will be back tomorrow at 1:30.

That is what I witnessed. The key word out of all of that is “soft”.

He was left all alone behind the arc. They were daring him to shoot.

Yes, quite empty.

Let’s take this thing. Go Zips!!

Akron Zips come on down!! I'm excited to watch them in person on Monday.

I agree with the notion that Mitchell, Johnson and Kalle are good redshirt candidates. Please let me know if any of them are officially designated.

Zips add Ryan Prather Jr.

I want to see the Zips play the strongest schedule possible as well, but allow me to play devil's advocate. This is not about racking up wins. Not this year. It's actually not about the opponent at all during this non-conference schedule. This is about developing a new core group of guys and getting them ready for conference play. Even the guys who have been on the team now have expanded roles and obligations. It's my opinion that Groce figured this is not the year the Zips win an at-large bid. If we advance to the NCAA Tourney it will be by winning the MAC Tourney. So there were learning experiences gained by facing adversity from the big boys. And I think Groce has to be geeked-up that we took highly ranked Ohio State to the wire. Yes, we are all disappointed with the loss to Ohio State and rightfully so, but I honestly just wanted our guys to hang tough and avoid embarrassment. Maybe the Zips of 2 years ago could challenge Ohio State, but not this squad without LCJ. (Edit: So I thought.) Bottomline, these cupcake games and all of the non-conference are just extended practice time. Focus on the road through Cleveland. Next year we return all but 2 players (according to yesterday's commitment) and I expect a schedule that will be demanding as always in terms of playing different styles, but also one that is worthy of an at-large bid. That is my hope anyway. I too was surprised we didn't go deeper into the bench yesterday, but then again we all know that playing time is earned in practice. Go Zips!!

True. But I already have that factored in.

Where do we put him? Does the staff already know that someone will not be back next year? Hmmmm.

Sexy? Aroused? Don’t let me interrupt anything, but I am hoping they keep the gold alternate jersey.

I am personally a big fan of the script Akron on the jerseys. To me it's classic and should be the staple for any retro-type event. That said, people like a little variety now and then. Let's hope they hit the mark with something fresh and new.

I was on the road in the Spring when we picked up Xavier Castaneda so I missed much of the conversation. I just watched his final game as a USF Bull and honestly he strikes me more like a shorter Channel Banks than a pure point guard. And even though I didn't read the mentioned Beacon Journal article (behind a paywall), this post really got me thinking. It will be very interesting to see who emerges as our lead guard this year, if anyone. I could see multiple PGs playing together and roles evolving throughout the season. Maybe PG by committee. Regardless, the LCJ days are sadly over and we are going to experience a much different flow to our offense. If you can stomach commentator, Dan Dakich you might want to watch some of this game. Xavier Castaneda is #1 in green. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rb_D_MxQVU

Since I paid for Prep Hoops/Illinois let's see what kind of fun Coach Groce & Company has been having in my backyard regarding the 2023 class. The following six prospects from Illinois already have offers from Akron. Posted On: 09/19/21 Davius Loury (Kenwood) 6-7 PF Current Ranking: #5 Loury is a power forward from Kenwood that sometimes gets caught in Javonte Taylor's (#1 Prospect) shadow, but he is a high-major prospect in his own right. When he is at his best Loury is playing with a high motor making plays as an inside/outside threat. Capable of knocking down shots, winning on drives, pounding opponents in the post, and rebounding. Miles Rubin (Simeon) 6-8 PF Current Ranking: #9 Rubin is making the move over from HF for his junior year. The lefty four man is so quick around the hoop getting on the glass, swatting shots, and throwing down dunks. Excellent getting on the offensive glass for second chance points. One of the higher ceiling posts in the class. Wesley Rubin (Simeon) 6-8 PF Current Ranking: #17 The other Rubin twin is another D1 prospect. He is a righty, thicker build, and more offensively skilled. High level passer that slices up defenses with his distributing skills out of the post. Touch around the hoop and can put it on the deck. Daniel Johnson (Whitney Young) 6-6 G/SF Current Ranking: #8 The three and D wing is all the rage and that is exactly what this Whitney Young small forward brings to the table. Multi positional defender that uses his length and lateral quickness to lock down on the perimeter. On the other end is among the top snipers in the class with his free and ease release off the catch. Sam Lewis (OPRF) 6-5 G/SF Current Ranking: #10 Lewis is another top notch shot maker which is where he makes his money. Was outstanding this summer as a spot up shooter draining threes in bunches game after game. Quick and concise release with consistent accuracy. Ty Pence (St. Joseph Ogden) 6-6 G/SF Current Ranking: #11 Pence is among the better prospects from central Illinois in the 2023 class. The two guard showed well when we saw him in late June. Better athlete than given credit as he can get up for an alley-oop and showed some burst off the dribble. Effective scoring off both movement and with the ball in his hands. Kudos to Scott Burgess/Prep Hoops. Go Zips!!

I am not finding a whole lot of video of Tavari Johnson so far. It makes sense if he is a late bloomer. There are a couple short compilation videos on his twitter account. Hopefully going forward into his senior year he will post more similar content. https://twitter.com/Tavarijohnson5?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1435811852445962241|twgr^|twcon^s2_&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fzipsnation.org%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3Fapp%3Dcoremodule%3Dsystemcontroller%3Dembedurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FCokesSunday%2Fstatus%2F1435811852445962241 Wanting to learn more I spent the monthly dues to get the Tavari Johnson notes from Scott Burgess of Prep Hoops. Burgess has proven to be a solid high school talent evaluator in Illinois. Here are the most recent write-ups after camps and tournaments where Tavari is mentioned. I will simply copy and past below. Much of the content is redundant, but to me hearing repetition reinforces his profile. It appears it's his height/slight frame that has him limited to the mid-major conversation because he has all the tools. Currently he is the 6th best 2022 prospect out of Illinois, third best PG. The number one prospect just committed to Duke, the next two are getting high-major offers and then I don't see much difference in the fourth and fifth rated prospects and Tavari in terms of offers. Prospects four and five are both point guards as well. Scott Burgess of Prep Hoops notes on Tavari Johnson ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted On: 07/6/21 7:43 PM Tavari Johnson (6’ 2022 PG, Young & Reckless)- Not sure I’ve ever seen Tavari play a bad game, as he’s constantly finding ways to produce. His feel for the game and basketball IQ is extremely high, and that’s evident with how he handles the ball in pick & roll situations. He finds ways to react to defenders in a variety of ways to make plays, whether it be hitting a pull up jumper, lobbing a pass over the top, splitting defenders to attack, or threading the needle with an accurate bounce pass. No matter what the defense throws at him he’s able to remain calm under pressure. Against a talented Wisconsin PGC team that went undefeated on the weekend, Tavari had a strong outing scoring at all three levels and dishing out a handful of assists. Posted On: 07/14/21 10:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless/Authentic Basketball 17U) One of the more underappreciated point guards in the Midwest once again showed why. He led his team to a strong weekend including beating EYBL squad LivOn on a floater at the buzzer. His ability to get in the teeth of a defense and pick them apart with his passing and runner game is tremendous. Electric around ball screen situations slicing the defense up over and over again. Some will be scared off because of height, but he is a mid-major prospect all the way. Posted On: 07/20/21 8:00 PM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless/Authentic Basketball 17U) Anyone who reads what I write or follows me on twitter is very well aware of my fondness for this point guard. He is the kind of mid-major guard that wins games in March in upset games. Electric passer that reads the floor like a college veteran already. Pick and roll savant. Changes gears, burst with the ball, and finishes in the lane with floaters over bigs despite his slight frame. Effective shooter off the bounce. (emphasis is mine) Posted On: 07/27/21 5:00 PM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless/Authentic Basketball 17U) Johnson is making a case for himself to continue to move up the board in 2022. He is a PH favorite with the way he operates in ball screen situations and his advanced IQ for the game. Makes some absolutely incredible passes. What impressed college coaches most was his ability to knock down shots at as high of a rate as he did off the bounce. Elite mid-major lead guard. Posted On: 08/12/21 6:00 AM - by Steve Parham Tavari Johnson (Lyons Township) 2022 Tavari was clearly one of the most consistent lead guards on the Prep Hoops Circuit this year. He has a knack to make the right decision majority of the time. Johnson would flourish in the pick and roll game and with shooters spaced out all around him, Tavari would have high assists numbers. And when defenders would take away his passing options look to Johnson to also score from all three levels. A dangerous weapon that Illinois could unleash. Posted On: 08/18/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Lyons) Johnson is a high level point guard that runs a team, hits shots, and makes everyone around him better. He has lined up four visits: August 25-26 Akron, September 10-12 UW-Milwaukee, September 17-19 Bowling Green, and September 24-26 Toledo. Posted On: 08/19/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless) Johnson is a high IQ point guard with the ball on a string. He understands how to run a team and is an absolute ball screen savant. Makes excellent reads in that area along with being able to find teammates picking/popping or getting to the rim himself and even pulling up from mid-range for jumpers. With his play for Y&R/Authentic he became a coveted mid-major target. Posted On: 08/28/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless) Johnson is such a complete point guard which includes being able to shoot the rock at a high level especially pulling up. Posted On: 08/31/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless) One of the more electric guards in the senior class with the ball in his hands he weaves in and out of traffic for scores in the paint. Posted On: 09/2/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Young & Reckless) Johnson is the most electric passer in the state. Has eyes in the back of his head and is elite in pick/roll or pick/pop situations. Posted On: 09/8/21 6:00 AM Tavari Johnson (Lyons) Current Ranking: #6 Johnson is a PH favorite. The Lyons Township point guard is an elite ball screen player that makes decisions with such ease. High level passer that sees the floor like a college upperclassmen. Plus shooter that can knock down shots pulling up off the dribble or spot up threes. Despite being smaller he is a very pesky defender. Posted On: 09/13/21 3:00 PM Tavari Johnson (Lyons) Johnson leads a nice list of point guard commitments this week. The LT floor general is a ball screen savant with the way he operates getting himself and teammates the looks they want. Narrowed it down to four and ultimately decided he would commit to Akron. Go Zips!!!

Covid adjusted chart based on GoZips website.

What do we know about Pat Mayfield? Walk on? I see a 6'-5" shooting guard from a D3 school. Also, according to the GoZips website the following players appear to be taking advantage of the free year due to Covid; Tribble, Trimble, Bandaogo, Dawson, Ali and Wilson (walk on). Can anyone confirm that before I go back in and make a lot of changes?

Zips add Tavari Johnson.

I am making changes assuming that is the case. I am willing to go back again if we add someone new.

Is anyone able to confirm that Freeman is using up the final "athletic" scholarship? My chart shows one available?

I'm here @Blue & Gold and on the job. Sorry to keep you all hanging. I see we picked up PG Tavari Johnson. Any other changes I need to make?