Tate & Turpin chat: 11 a.m. Monday
Monday, December 1, 2008 - 11:00am
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Hi, everybody. It's a busy day. We'll have to cut this short at 11:15 a.m. because of the 11:30 press conference deal with Don Hardin's retirement as volleyball coach, and the Bruce Weber presser. Loren and Jim
Loren - Any truth to the rumor that Stan Wienke may be in the mix to take over at your and my alma mater Monticello? I would love to see him or Marshall Schacht an assistant at SJO at the helm of Monticello football.
Jon, I'd love to see Stan at Monticello, but my "inside source" tells me that isn't likely to happen. I'm told Stan is definitely coming back to the area. Loren
It seemed during the Northwestern game that Juice had time to throw, and could not find a receiver. Is the problem that no one was open or Juice cannot find the open receiver?
Bill: I believe it was a combination of both. Juice sometimes has trouble finding the secondary receiver, and he was wild high at times. There was also occasions, as with the previous two games, where blitzes put him under pressure. Illinois was caught behind the line too many times. Jim
I've always liked the 5-6 yd pass on 1st or 3rd down, especially the roll-out by the QB. Were the Illini too predictable by running on the 1st down, especially after a "made" 1st down?
Ken: Everybody has opinions on how to call plays in a football game. If they succeed, it's great. If they don't, the offensive coordinator is stupid. That is too general a question to know the real answer. I'm sure the UI staff keeps records on that sort of thing. Loren and Jim
WHERE, and what are the facilities on South Padre? What is the local town?
Mebbe this will help draw a crown at THE Hall.
Ray Carlson in Ft. Myers
Ray: The dateline, I was told, was South Padre Island. There is no town. It is an island 34 miles long, basically undeveloped on the north, and connected on the south by a long bridge. At it's widest, it is a half mile, and water on both sides. The convention center handles 2,000, and was never half full. It was renovated after being partially destroyed in a July hurricane. The court was brand new. Many of the hotels and condos and restaurants had to be rebuilt. Loren
whatever became of Quenton Watkins? Sorry if I misspelled his name.
Bill: The last we heard he was going to San Diego. Don't know how he is doing. Jim and Loren
First I would like to wish you and your family a happy holidays. My question is what do you think is the biggest factor in the Illini getting off to an 6-0 start?
Shane: The biggest factor in the 6-0 start is the team chemistry. They work together, run the motion offense better than last year, and appear to have more confidence in the late stages of close games. Their shooting is much improved, including free throws where they hit 21 straight at one point. Jim
So far it seems like the BB team has a certain "flow/chemistry." Where do you see the minutes coming from when Legion is elegible?
Illini1973: Illinois needs more depth at guard. Legion will basically replace Jordan, and cut into the playing time of Meacham and Frazier. Legion will need a breakin time so don't expect too much too soon. But we saw when Frazier appeared to be doubtful that Illinois needed another guard. Legion gives Illinois another outside shooter who, as far as we can tell in practice, is better at getting his shot than Meacham. But he'll have to show better defense than he has demonstrated so far. Loren and Jim
What would it take for the NCAA to step in and regulate some of the non-cong scheduling in some sports? It seems there are some very tough smaller/non conf BCS schools that have programs that can't field schedules cause the BCS schools are afraid to play them...thus hurting them. At what point does the NCAA step in on this.
ILFAN: Why should the BCS schools be required to play smaller schools? Can't they get enough games among themselves, and don't they only play the bigger schools for the money? Just asking. Loren
Bob Asmussen's article, "Anatomy of a Season Gone Wrong" in Sunday's N-G was an eye-opener. In your many years of covering Illini football, can you remember a year when 4 different team captains (Benn, Juice, McGee, Miller) had brushes with the law? And why were Juice's and Miller's incidents not reported until Sunday?
Iceman: It is doubtful that team captains had brushes with the law in one year, although the number of incidents is probably not unusual. Iowa and Penn State had more incidents and of far greater significance, and it didn't seem to hurt their 2008 season.
Unless the police are involved, these incidents aren't likely to be reported to the press. You would have to ask Bob where he got the information. Jim and Loren
Al, Stoughton, Wi.
I've observed the lack of use of a hook shot over recent years. Tisdale uses it some, but it appears he could use it much more. This would eliminate his shots getting blocked. Your observation on this & is Tisdale or any other players encouraged in this type of shot? I'm thinking of an Alcindor/Jabbar domination by Tisdale. Give him some film clips for a role model. Thank you.
Allan: Yes, Weber encourages his big men to shoot hooks, but they need to be close hooks, not those long hooks that John Kerr used to take. The hook shot has, generally speaking, gone the same way as the two-handed set shot. Tisdale is a lot more accurate face-up from 15 feet unless he gets a real close hook.
He will be tougher to defend if he develops all these shots, including the use of his left hand. Jim and Loren
Thanks, gang. We have to run. See you next Monday. Jim and Loren