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Post by trimster on Oct 26, 2019 8:31:27 GMT -5
Yeah it's too bad he had to play good teams, who were also traditional rivals, but you can't get to postseason play by just beating up on the sisters of the poor. To make matters worse 10 of the 15 end of season losses were at home. If you wanted a coach who was great at funny one liners then Jack was your guy but if you wanted to win big games you better look elsewhere. I watched a few of those 10 as a kid sitting in the back row of the Little Theatre seats. Had to scrunch down to see the far hoop due to the overhead curtain obstructing the view. What a thrill it was. Saw some of Cousy's teams at BC and PC's Walker drop 48 on us.
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Post by possum on Oct 26, 2019 8:45:48 GMT -5
Yes the Auditorium was a very challenging venue to watch a basketball game.
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Post by efg72 on Oct 26, 2019 8:57:16 GMT -5
I always liked Jack. He was a personable guy, a good coach, and a great speaker. However, he did have some flaws (as we all do), and his late season failures were among those. While we had plenty of talent, those season ending loses often were to the teams with a bit more talent/depth. About 30 years ago I had long talks with Jack Kvancz about northeast hoops in the 60s and 70s, and we both thought teams were very close in talent and some of the smaller things made a big difference-but the rivalries were great
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Post by timholycross on Oct 26, 2019 9:22:14 GMT -5
In the years I was at HC (69-70 through 72-73), St. John's was clearly a rung above HC and Providence was as well (at least the last two years of the 4). We did take one game from the Johnnies (in 1971-2), but no others against those pair.
BC, however, was beatable (many klutzy guys masquerading as basketball players) but we were 3-5 against them. Should have been more like 6-2...and 6-2 would have gotten us in the NIT once or twice.
Any team that had good guards and got the lead gave Jack fits (especially w/no shot clock); and BC fit that bill (Jim O'Brien comes to mind).
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Post by longsuffering on Oct 26, 2019 11:31:38 GMT -5
In the JD and Blaney era we played Stonehill and Assumption. Would George and Jack's records against D-1 competition put them behind Willard's? Ralph's D-1 record would get a boost as he lost to Williams.
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Post by longsuffering on Oct 26, 2019 11:41:20 GMT -5
Just thinking. We played an overall stronger slate of opponents back in the day. Today's D-1 Lafayette may not be as strong as Assumption in the sixties. Any comparison has to have a ton of asterisks. St. John's is not walking through the Hart Center door anytime soon.
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Post by hchoops on Oct 26, 2019 11:57:57 GMT -5
In the years I was at HC (69-70 through 72-73), St. John's was clearly a rung above HC and Providence was as well (at least the last two years of the 4). We did take one game from the Johnnies (in 1971-2), but no others against those pair. BC, however, was beatable (many klutzy guys masquerading as basketball players) but we were 3-5 against them. Should have been more like 6-2...and 6-2 would have gotten us in the NIT once or twice. Any team that had good guards and got the lead gave Jack fits (especially w/no shot clock); and BC fit that bill (Jim O'Brien comes to mind). [ Three of those BC teams had Driscoll and Evans . We could. Not match either, esp Evans
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Post by trimster on Oct 26, 2019 15:06:09 GMT -5
I always liked Jack. He was a personable guy, a good coach, and a great speaker. However, he did have some flaws (as we all do), and his late season failures were among those. While we had plenty of talent, those season ending loses often were to the teams with a bit more talent/depth. About 30 years ago I had long talks with Jack Kvancz about northeast hoops in the 60s and 70s, and we both thought teams were very close in talent and some of the smaller things made a big difference-but the rivalries were great The lack of intense rivalries since well, you know when, has been a disaster for interest in the hoops program.
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Post by possum on Oct 26, 2019 15:13:51 GMT -5
Yes the opponents were better back in the day but the level of player we were recruiting was better also. Those Assumption teams in the late 60's early 70's were very good, think they beat the 18-8 team Stacom was on handily at their place. After that I dont think we ever stepped foot in their building again.
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Post by hc87 on Oct 26, 2019 15:41:14 GMT -5
Assumption was very good in that era...played and beat a lot of D1 teams beside HC then....they were good enough to be invited to the PC/Civic Center XMas tournament one year I remember going to as a kid....8 teams, remember those?
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Post by trimster on Oct 27, 2019 14:35:09 GMT -5
Assumption was very good in that era...played and beat a lot of D1 teams beside HC then....they were good enough to be invited to the PC/Civic Center XMas tournament one year I remember going to as a kid....8 teams, remember those? I remember it well. It was a coming out party of sorts for HC. Lost by a point to PC when a driving layup by HC bounced out at the buzzer. Crushed Assumption and I believe Brown to “win” the Consolation Round. HC may have already beaten UMass at the Cage in Amherst but almost beating the Friars in Providence opened a lot of eyes.
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Post by Ignutz on Oct 27, 2019 16:15:04 GMT -5
Assumption was very good in that era...played and beat a lot of D1 teams beside HC then....they were good enough to be invited to the PC/Civic Center XMas tournament one year I remember going to as a kid....8 teams, remember those? I remember it well. It was a coming out party of sorts for HC. Lost by a point to PC when a driving layup by HC bounced out at the buzzer. Crushed Assumption and I believe Brown to “win” the Consolation Round. HC may have already beaten UMass at the Cage in Amherst but almost beating the Friars in Providence opened a lot of eyes. Joe Carballeira denied on that VERY DIFFICULT “driving layup”.
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Post by trimster on Oct 27, 2019 18:09:22 GMT -5
Joe was 11-11 from the field before missing the final shot.
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Post by cmo on Apr 7, 2020 18:07:22 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Apr 8, 2020 9:50:07 GMT -5
They say it is better to be lucky than good. Maybe Grandy will end up being both.
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Post by rgs318 on Apr 8, 2020 10:25:09 GMT -5
You mean that Grandison in now on a team where key players bailed out and he is trying to help pick up the pieces? Imagine that.
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Post by cmo on Nov 24, 2020 15:49:28 GMT -5
We are one day away from the start of the college basketball season, which will amazingly tip off at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday. The primary storyline ahead of the season is very similar to what we saw prior to the start of college football: uncertainty due to COVID-19 complications. We’ve already seen games canceled, and I expect to see many more throughout this unprecedented season. It’s a lot easier for a football team to play once a week outdoors without a handful of guys than it is for a college basketball team.
That said, I think continuity may end up being extremely valuable. Teams like Kentucky and Duke, which reload with five-star freshmen each season, not only had an interrupted offseason but will also start later than usual and won’t have as many live games leading up to March in order to build chemistry and gain invaluable experience.
With so much uncertainty surrounding this season and whether or not we will even finish the season (fingers crossed), I don’t want to tie up too much money in the college basketball futures market, so I decided to roll with just three teams for a total of two units. That doesn’t mean I won’t add during the season — and if I do, you all will be the first to know.
As always, please make sure you shop around for the best futures price as they can differ (sometimes significantly) depending on the book.
The Primary Horse Illinois 16-1 (PointsBet)
Total risked: 1.25 units
I think I’m higher on the Illini than just about everybody heading into the season. It all obviously starts with the inside-out duo of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, who each decided to pull out of the NBA Draft to come back for this season. Dosunmu is one of the best point guards in all of college basketball, and Cockburn is an absolute monster down low whose overall game has continued to progress over time. That’s as good of a duo as you will find in college basketball this year.
The continuity and experience should also be there as Illinois returns three other additional contributors in addition to Ayo and Kofi.
Senior Da’Monte Williams is your ideal role player who really does a little bit of everything. Plus, he actually started to make some outside jumpers toward the end of last season. And outside shooting was the primary weakness of the Illini in 2019. They shot just 30.3% from beyond the arc, which ranked outside the top 300 nationally.
Senior Trent Frazier returns for his fourth year as a starter. He struggled at times with his outside shot and finding where he fits with Dosunmu, but we know the 3-point shooting is there. If Frazier can duplicate the 40% clip we saw in 2018-19, that will provide an enormous boost to this Illini offense. Junior Giorgi Bezhanishvili is also back in the mix. He has started 56 games over the past two seasons but will likely come off the bench this year, which I think is a perfect role for the high-energy Georgian. He also couldn’t have played any worse offensively last year. I lost count of the amount of missed open layups, so expect an increase in production for the big man who shot 42.9% from the floor just one year after finishing at 54.2%. ncaa-college basketball-futures James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Kofi Cockburn (21) and Ayo Dosunmu (11)
Those are three upperclassmen who had down years offensively last season as they tried to figure out where they fit offensively with Dosunmu and Cockburn dominating the touches. I expect better performances from each this year for an Illini team that also seemed to figure out late last year that its offense worked best when it went smaller around Cockburn to open up space.
Illinois also has three promising additions who could contribute right away this year and address their primary need of outside shooting:
Adam Miller is a top-50 recruit who brings a smooth lefty jumper, which is exactly what the Illinois offense needs on the perimeter, especially if Frazier and Williams can’t find their range. And from a chemistry standpoint, Miller and Dosunmu were ex-high school teammates who won a state championship together in 2018.
Austin Hutcherson transfers in from D3 Wesleyan University. He also adds much-needed shooting. Plus, he’s versatile and athletic enough for a D3 player to not cause any concerns on the defensive end. If he can stay healthy (dealing with some back issues), he could be the missing piece on offense.
Brad Underwood will have another promising transfer in Jacob Grandison, who came in from Holy Cross after leading the Crusaders in scoring two seasons ago. The junior guard can do a little bit of everything and has the ability to help stretch the floor.
Andre Curbelo is another top-50 recruit, who could provide nice depth at point guard.
Bottom line, I love this team. I have the Illini as a top-10 preseason team with many of the intangibles that could make all of the difference in 2020, especially since many of the other top teams have questions when it comes to experience and continuity.
In a year when there’s no elite team head-and-shoulders above the rest, Illinois can cut down the nets. It has two top-25 players who will play at the next level with the necessary other pieces.
I think this team can make a run to the Final Four for the third time in the past 50 years. Its previous two trips came in 1989 and then 16 years later in 2005. Let’s hope 16 is the lucky number in Champaign and we can toast to another come March 2021.
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Post by purplehaze on Nov 24, 2020 17:21:39 GMT -5
Why did you find it necessary to give us the whole thing ? Maybe just pull out Jacob info next time to spare us
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Post by cmo on Nov 24, 2020 17:28:43 GMT -5
I thought I had bolded the JG part. Will fix.
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Nov 24, 2020 18:12:46 GMT -5
Fairfield v. Providence, tomorrow at 2PM on FS1, 1208 if you get Comcast.
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Post by sonsofspitler on Nov 26, 2020 8:10:35 GMT -5
Jacob played 18 minutes off the bench in a rout. 10 pts , 8 rebounds. He will play a role off the bench this year, unsurprisingly. Illini look good.
Making me feel EXTREMELY old, the Illini have a freshman ... Edgar Padilla, Jr..
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Post by rgs318 on Nov 26, 2020 9:31:56 GMT -5
Providence trailed early, but came back to thump Fairfield 97-56. Caleb Green had 8 pts, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. He looked a bit rusty out there, but it was said several times he was a Holy Cross transfer...for those who believe that any publicity is good.
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Post by sader1970 on Nov 26, 2020 9:45:00 GMT -5
Both teams looked to be playing poorly and disorganized but PC started to gel in the 2nd half. When I first tuned in Caleb had missed 3 running lay-ups in a row and looked to be totally out of sync. He then got a very nice bounce pass assist, would have gotten another except the Stag shooter missed a lay-up and was fouled (believe he missed both free throws). Caleb got a shooting foul and missed both FTs but the banner said he had 8 points by that point.
Wonder how we'll look in our first game of the season? If there ever is a first game.
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Post by Tom on Nov 26, 2020 9:57:19 GMT -5
Providence trailed early, but came back to thump Fairfield 97-56. Caleb Green had 8 pts, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. He looked a bit rusty out there, but it was said several times he was a Holy Cross transfer...for those who believe that any publicity is good. On a downside 5 turnovers too. Caleb sat for the last 3 minutes of this blow out and still had 34 minutes. He is going to see a lot of floor time this season. Announcers were very high on Caleb. Most from talking to the coaching staff, but apparently the coaches talk about him more than most of the other players.
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Post by trimster on Nov 26, 2020 10:52:43 GMT -5
Providence trailed early, but came back to thump Fairfield 97-56. Caleb Green had 8 pts, 4 assists and 3 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. He looked a bit rusty out there, but it was said several times he was a Holy Cross transfer...for those who believe that any publicity is good. On a downside 5 turnovers too. Caleb sat for the last 3 minutes of this blow out and still had 34 minutes. He is going to see a lot of floor time this season. Announcers were very high on Caleb. Most from talking to the coaching staff, but apparently the coaches talk about him more than most of the other players. Tough times for 'Sader Nation when all we have to talk about right now are how our former players are doing at their new school.
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