Tate & Turpin chat: 11 a.m. Monday
Monday, March 22, 2010 - 11:00am
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Dear Loren: In recent years I have noticed that when a free throw is being shot, the defending team's rebounders are not utilizing the lane slots closest to the hoop. The advantage is obvious, but when and why did this rule change? It was an honor to meet you in Indy. Thank you for the photo and book!
Darrin, when you've been around as long as I have, it is easy to lose track of time. I know the lane rule for free throws was changed some years ago but I don't know exactly when it happened. Enjoy the book. Loren
Guys,
is Colangelo involved with the Suns anymore? I know he isnt involved with the D-Backs anymore. I didnt think he was still involved with the Suns anymore either though.
Drew, to the best of our knowledge, Colangelo isn't involved with the Suns anymore. Jim and Loren
Good Morning Mr. Elite Tate: I read Saturday that Ron Turner is now the new receiver Coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Did he land a Coaching Gem job! Do you think it was right to let Stanford down after they gave him a job? I know it's business as usual, but where is the loyalty/credibility factor when Standford gave him a job opportunity? Loren and Jim= Babe Ruth and Lou GEHRIG...Koufax/Drysdale. Good Job!
2010 -- Abbott and Costello ... don't forget them ... and Lonzo and Oscar ... best guess is that any chance he had to stay in the NFL would be better, for him, than recruiting and the college game. But we don't know any of the circumstances, so it is difficult for us to comment. It doesn't sound good though, does it? Jim and Loren
Did you get a chance to watch St. Mary's take down Villanova ? That was some good old fashioned team basketball with some great passing. We could take some lessons on their entry passes to the center position. It was like the Australian junior team. Three of the starters were from down under.
FloridaIllini, it would be a tremendous advantage for our team if the players could pass and catch. St. Marys is one many teams to catch our eye at tournament time. It's all about who's hot at the right time ... Cornell, Northern Iowa, Ohio ... it's a crap shoot. Jim and Loren
Guys,
is Brown going to stay with basketball as well as add football? Or will someone else take over basketball next season?
Ken, Kent Brown is not involved in basketball other than to lend support to the basketball SID, Derrick Burson. And Kent is the overall boss. Most bosses in this business handle football, so this is not unusual. Jim and Loren
So Gents, Do you suppose all these Illini "Fans" that think making the Final Four every year is a reasonable measure of a successful season might, have realized after the recent carnage of last weekend that it's NOT THAT EASY?
It not only takes a great deal of talent,but some good breaks as well!
So what happened to The Mighty Big East?
Maybe not that mighty?
Bruce, we agree, it's not that easy. Some coaches like Keady and Stewart never got to the Final Four. There are others. Some make it only once. It takes a perfect storm ... good luck (no injuries), extreme talent, and being able to get hot when the time is right. Jim and Loren
I think you missed the mark with your article on Bruce. Weber is too rigid and has not adjusted his coaching to suit his players' personalities and strengths. This is not the 2005 team, but Bruce is coaching the same way. It took until the second to last regular season game (Minn) for Bruce to realize that his team was athletic enough to effectively employ the full court press. It worked magnificently against Minnesota and got Illinois back in that game. But Bruce stopped pressing once Illinois got close, and we know the results. It took Bruce until the last regular season game to realize that Illinois always shoots less FT than its opponents because the motion offense does not encourage driving. DJR, BP, and DM have the ability to drive. In the second half against Wisconsin at C-U, Bruce finally had Paul and McCamey drive the lane for about 8 possessions in a row. The result was a rare free throw advantage for Illinois and foul trouble for Wisconsin. These are examples of Bruce being a rigid coach, which limits his players and himself. Bruce is a good coach, but won't be a great one until he can adjust strategy to suit his players' strengths, instead of always blaming the players when his one coaching philosophy does not fit all.
Here is my question. You have access to Weber and the players. Do you think my point is correct?
Jeremy, what makes you think "Bruce finally had Paul and McCamey drive the lane. He ALWAYS wants them to drive the lane. They did because they could.
Bruce is not quick to change and not likely to do anything different because he believes in the things that got him to this point. It doesn't make it right, but a lot of coaches are like that. Jim and Loren
Will there be any turnover in assistant coaches for the b-ball team after the tourney whether for a HC gig elsewhere or as an AC? Thanks
Ron, we don't anticipate any changes, but we really don't know what might develop. Jim and Loren
Hi,
I'm wondering if you know anything about Meyers Leonard's teammate, Ben Jones?
He's a 6-foot shooting guard, but looked like he could handle the ball pretty well in the State Tournament. He seems like a tough, good shooting player.
Any indication that the Illini might have an interest in him?
Dave, he is a good player. We don't have any idea where he might go. But we do not believe that Illinois is recruiting him. Jim and Loren
Any news on how the new coaches are doing on recruiting the next class
James, we have no idea what success the new coaches are having. It is much too early. Their only commitment so far is a Canton lineman who played for a winless team. Jim and Loren
NIT or Dancing With The Stars...
No contest.
Perhaps I'll tune in for the "Whining Illini" post-game call-in show though! ALWAYS some good drama / entertainment!
I-L-L !
SO-AM-I !
I have not heard an update recently on Crandall Head's progress. Is he on target to be fully healthy and at full speed in time for next year?
DJ, yes Head is progressing very well and should be healthy by next season. He was two months slow in getting surgery, suffered more atrophy than he should have, and is slower than would have been preferred. And we don't know how the setback will impact his freshman season, but it will obviously put him behind. He hasn't played basketball for a long time. Jim and Loren
Jim and Loren,
you get to start over with the sweet 16. can you each give us your new final fours and national championships picks?
Willie, sorry we don't make predictions, but it we did, our brackets would be as screwed up as everybody else. Jim and Loren
Hello gentlemen! Q. regarding recruiting: I noticed on rivals.com that of the 3 signed recruits comining next year, the recruiter is listed as Jerrance Howard and one was Jay Price. I don't doubt that BW works very hard in this area, but I'm just wondering who decides who we go after, who decides to make an offer, timing of the offer, etc? It got me to thinking if Jerrence Howard, in particular, got an job offer and left UI, we might be in trouble! Your thoughts. Go Illini- FLATTEN the FLASHES!
Laurie, Weber makes all the decisions, and the major part of the recruiting on everybody. He was recruiting all three days over the weekend, hitting both state tournaments in Peoria and Indianapolis. All the freshmen were coming before Howard got here, and Richmond committed to Weber way back, and the Head recruitment is obviously a connection with his brother, and the Leonard case was Bruce getting the jump on everybody. It's OK if you don't like Bruce, but he is the driving force in everything Illinois does, from recruiting to coaching. That said, the assistants have assignments to maintain contact on the recruiting, and do their jobs too. But this is a Bruce operation from start to finish. Jim and Loren
Will the N-G acknowledge it was wrong about the Big Ten being "down" this season? And yes, Wisconsin fell hard to Cornell. We get it. But three Big Ten teams are in the Sweet Sixteen.
Respert: Why do we forever rate the quality of a conference based on a few close games in the tournament, and pretend like the other 30 games don't count? We recognize that the top three teams are good -- they're co-champions -- and would be even better if injuries didn't slow them down. But a lot of Big Ten teams didn't quite meet expectations. Jim and Loren
I read where coach talked about the possibility of playing Myers and Tis at the same time next year and maybe going to a zone. Will Brue really consider playing a zone for any length of time? What's next not playing a motion offense?
Adam, Weber didn't bring it up. He was asked, and his response was that, if he played them together, he'd need to play a zone. But it didn't sound like he intended to play them together. Jim and Loren
Even if missing the NCAA is a disappointment,do you think winning the NIT will help heal wounds and help the Illini play better throughout the regular season next year?
IllinifanfromIN, this is Loren: Whatever happens this postseason has nothing to do with next season. It won't hurt and it won't help (as we saw with Penn State, and Ohio State the year before). We won't even remember what happened. Yes, it will help everybody's mental state if Illinois wins, but the emphasis will soon turn to June when the incoming freshmen get here and they start preparing for next season. Loren
Thanks, guys, for taking it easy on us. We'll see you at Madison Square Garden, or the Philo Tavern. Jim and Loren