Illini Zip

Hustle 1 with a much needed 3pter.

Clark and Blue & Gold make real good points, but I just feel the need to believe today. Good Vibes Tuesday.

This has to be our first road win, right here. I am feeling it. Go Zips!!

I'm looking at the same things. I really worry about Cotton. He has shown that he has the talent, but he is lacking somewhere; focus, motor, leadership, discipline...something. Hopefully it's just a maturity thing he can overcome. You showed us that Groce offered another true shooting guard. Perhaps Groce thinks after watching Hester for a year he can run the offense. I have a good feeling about Christian Jackson after watching a bit of his game film at Long Beach State, but we need another, bigger PG option next year. I predict in time, Toles will run the point periodically as well. All just speculation. Edit: Name change, thanks Hilltopper.

That's a nice observation. It took me a while to pick up on that and it is built into the design of the defense. Often the guards will end up with more rebounds then the bigs for this very reason. So don't let it drive you crazy.

I think this is one of those times Groce would say he had good reason to pull Parish for Smith, but now knowing the end result of that decision he would choose differently. Fans at Illinois would get angry at Groce all the time when he would pull the hot hand out of the game. The thing is a guy might be hitting his shots, but is showing real signs of fatigue on defense so Groce will get him a rest. Parish was back in the game pretty fast if I'm not mistaken, but damage was done no doubt. What's funny is when a player is sucking wind and dying for a breather and Groce pretends not to see him because he needs his production. So that actually goes both ways. Why the guards are not even looking at K-lac when he rolls to the rim is beyond me.

Just wait, watching Loren Jackson caught on a switch with a 7 footer will be even better.

I'm thinking the Big Ten needs a second team from Ohio! Who is with me?! No need to rehash on my account.

I understand and respect this concern, but I really don't think Groce will be so eager to leave Akron. At least I hope not. And I do believe he will succeed and will eventually have some tempting offers. While his ego might want to swing big again, he learned a lot about the nasty nature of P5 recruiting in those 5 years. As long as Akron is able and willing to grow right along with him (new or renovated stadium, etc.) I believe he is wise to stay put and build up his reputation/brand. If anything, I would advise jumping Akron to a larger conference when warranted. There is also the possibility if Groce did leave, his assistant Ford who knows the system, conference and NE Ohio could move up. Ford, unfortunately doesn't have a reputation as a great recruiter. Let's hope for success and see where it leads.

What, President Wilson is interviewing at Central Florida?! He can't leave, he hugged Cotton after a win and has his own Akron bobblehead!! Ahhh, I'm bummed.

I'm glad Illinois is doing something right this year.

Groce talks about recruiting "basketball players" which means he is looking for guys of a certain personality profile and athleticism with the potential of mastering all the skill sets. It's really more about a system and less about recruiting for a specific position, the exceptions I would argue are the roles Loren and K-lac play. The fact that K-lac is even on the team says to me that Groce believes he has the potential to develop and mature into a well-rounded player which also means being capable of running the court. I believe K-lac's role is special because he is more than just the biggest player or club in the coach's golf bag, his job is to be the last line of defense against the big boys in the paint. Even though the whole team will develop and use post-up skills, K-lac must master the traditional center position. Similarly for Loren Jackson, when all else fails he needs to be the reliable option for breaking down opposing defenses off the dribble. On one end of the roster you have reliable speed and quickness and on the other end you have reliable size and strength, but throughout the players are as versatile and interchangeable as possible. You might not think of size and strength alone as a specialty, but I can tell you of one Big Ten team who would love to have a senior version of K-lac right about now. Illinois is the Lucas Smith of the conference. Anyway, K-lac needed a true redshirt year with a D-1 program to develop his body. No offense to IMG. K-lac shouldn't even be on the court right now so he should be thrilled with this opportunity. If only he would stop fouling. Actually, all of these freshmen are playing minutes they have not earned, but the process has to start somewhere. Maybe in the end K-lac is too slow and doesn't cut it, but he looks like a kid who cares a lot and is willing to put in the work. So I'm bullish on K-lac long-term. I wish you could attend practices, because you would likely see K-lac doing a whole lot more than he is allowed to do in games. Then again, you would likely see a lot of rookie mistakes as well. In time as K-lac proves himself in practice, Groce will expand his role in games. I hope this helps, Skip. It's my best answer. I imagine you wish Coach Dambrot was still at Akron. Well, I wish Groce was still at Illinois. If you figure out how we can turn back time I am all ears. But until then, it looks like I'm the biggest Zips fan alive with absolutely no ties to the school. Go Zips!!

Skip, is there a question in here for me? All I see is snark.

See, I need more "likes". Does anybody have extra "likes" they want to sell?

I agree with your apples to oranges assessment. And sometimes the pay off of speed vs. size works in your favor. I personally prefer watching small ball when you can get away with it on defense which is why I enjoy Groce's system. The problem I remember from the second half was Moses catching the ball at will away from the rim and then using his size to easily back down Smith into the paint. Moses would not be able to move K-lac out of the way like that. I think the guy most likely to optimize that size vs. speed dynamic and start for Akron at center is Sayles, but he needs to develop his outside shot and learn to set picks as well.

I had so much fun responding to everyone last night that I'm all out of "likes". And that's a bummer because I agree with so many of the observations pertaining to K-lac. I will just add that I think it's possible that in a couple of years K-lac could play smarter, faster, and under control. He could become a rebounding machine. He could develop an outside shot forcing the opposing bigs to follow him out of the paint. He could get efficient in the offense and set perfect picks for his teammates and he could be the only guy you know who is 6'-11" that is eager to dive on the floor for a loose ball. It's possible that all of these improvements happen in time and yet K-lac will rarely ever start for Akron due to match-ups. I don't golf personally, but I know that there are a bunch of clubs that are used on a regular basis and some that you carry for that specific situation. I look at the basketball roster in a similar manner. K-lac and Loren Jackson find themselves on the opposite ends of the roster spectrum, but both are specialists. Loren brings elite speed, ball-handling and shiftiness. K-lac as they say, you can't coach size. They will train to be the best, most versatile players they can be, but K-lac is the one guy on this team who will only be a center and Loren Jackson will likewise only be a point guard. Everyone else will eventually learn between 2 and 4 positions. I call K-lac an earth-mover because it's his job to move mountains and avoid what Ball State did to our poor Lucas Smith. K-lac is the driver in Akron's golf bag, but most of the time we will be best served with a 2-Iron at the 5 position. How was that for a non-golfer?

I completely missed that the first time around. Nice!

Oh, I think he's trying.

Now that foul call on Smith was brutal.

Freshmen...

Parrish fouled with 1.4 left, but who inbounded the ball?

Well, that got away from us fast.

Peters is having a great first half for Akron.

Hustle 1 and Hustle 2 are both in the game before Cotton. Can somebody please tell me which is which? Is Smith Hustle 1 and Gbadebo Hustle 2?