Previewing the 2013-14 Fighting Illini: Present Is Bright, Future is Brighter

The Orange & Blue game was Thursday at the Assembly Hall (I'm sorry, State Farm Center) in Champaign, and exhibitions games are set to get underway this week. The 2013-14 Illinois Fighting Illini are going to have a drastically different look after a surprising 2012-13 campaign.

My view of the Indiana upset

The 2012-13 Illini featured four seniors that were the heart and soul of the team that made the 2nd round (technically, it was the 3rd round) of the NCAA tournament and pulled off several big upsets along the way. Ohio State and Indiana certainly stand out to everybody.

Because of the loss of excellent guard play by left behind by DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul, along with the big, versatile bodies of Tyler Griffey and Sam McLaurin, this year's edition of the Illinois Fighting Illini have a lot of voids, holes, leadership, you name it, they most likely have to find a replacement for it.

This year's squad features two key juniors that move into the upper-classman ranks and will be heavily relied upon as the leaders of this unit, both on and off the court. Highly touted recruits from the Chicago area dating back to the Bruce Weber era, Tracy Abrams and Nnanna Egwu now become go to guys for the Illini. One of just two seniors on this team, Jo Bertrand will have to undoubtedly step up and shoulder a lot of the load as well.

Did I mention seven, count em, seven, new faces Coach John Groce will try to flawlessly implement into his system.

(It's actually ten if you include transfers Darius Paul, Brandon Paul's younger brother, who transferred from Western Michigan, Ahmad Starks, a Chicago native who had a hardship waiver denied by the NCAA to be allowed to play right away after transferring from Oregon State, and Aaron Cosby, a transfer from Seton Hall, all of whom have to sit out for a year because of NCAA transfer guidelines)

So all that said, like I pointed out at the top, this is going to be a very different looking Fighting Illini group.



What I like about this team is the underwhelming amount of experience. That can be taken two different ways, but the direction I'll turn is to the experience they return. Joseph Bertrand, Nnanna Egwu, and Tracy Abrams are hands down the most experienced players this team has. But I like each and every one of these kids and I without a doubt think they could keep Illinois in the upper tier of the Big Ten Conference.

If you've picked up on anything about John Groce to this point in his time at Illinois, one thing that to me stands out the most is he is an unbelievably positive person. You would be hard pressed to find a quote from him where he doesn't put a positive spin on things, be it a loss, injury, bad bounce of luck, anything.

Listening to him talk about the progress off Abrams and Egwu should give Illini fans a ton of hope as we head into what looks to be a very uncertain 2013-14 campaign. Give a listen from his press conference at media day for Illinois recently.

John Groce On Physical Progress of Nnanna Egwu by Seth Laurence

I'll get to why I think this team will be successful because of the coach in a little bit, but Nnanna Egwu isn't the only player that has made strides. As I mentioned, Tracy Abrams is another guy Groce speaks very highly of when it comes to his leadership. As the point guard of the team, he's basically the general on the floor, always having to know the situation, what he's going to do with the ball each time he gets, and directing the players around him and putting them in positions to be successful. Because of that, a point guard must have the trust and respect of his teammates, and I don't think Abrams never had the trust and respect of his peers, but Coach Groce talks about him going above and beyond to better connect with them off the floor, which makes his connection on the floor with them stronger. Have a listen.

Coach Groce on Tracy Abrams Leadership by Seth Laurence

This next guy I think is the key to the Illini's success this year. When you think about good Illinois teams, you think about a guy that can put the team on his back. You saw it last year in at Gonzaga, Brandon Paul put the team on his shoulders. The Indiana game, DJ Richardson carried the team down the stretch with big time plays offensively and defensively. I think Joseph Bertrand is the guy that is going to have to step up and put the team on his shoulders. Listening to Groce talk about Bertrand, he's the seasoned veteran of the group. To me, he's primed for a big time senior season.

Coach Groce Discuss On Joseph Bertrand by Seth Laurence

One guy I think Illini fans will be pleasantly surprised by will be Rayvonte Rice. Rice is a transfer from Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference, and is a Champaign native. Rice was already a very versatile player upon his transfer, but of all the players Coach Groce talks about, this guy he sings the highest praises for. Groce says Rice can be a four position player on both offense and defense. There are not many athletes like that at any level. John Groce is really setting the bar high for this kid, I'm very excited and curious to see if he can live up to it.

Coach Groce Sings the Praises of Rayvonte Rice by Seth Laurence

Kendrick Nunn At Chicago Simeon

I mentioned there will be a lot of uncertainty to this upcoming year, and that's where the second part of the underwhelming amount of experience comes in. Freshman Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn, Jaylon Tate, Maverick Morgan, and Austin Colbert are the freshman newcomers. Add to that Jon Ekey, a graduate transfer (same situation as McLaurin last year) from Illinois State. The experience of this team is very limited, which means its likely Groce will have to maintain at least one or two of his experienced veterans on the floor at the same time, which may not give them a lot of rest.

When you talk about depth, the Illini like last year lack depth with their big men. Egwu gaining 30 pounds is great, but I very much wonder if his body can handle playing better than 25 or 30 minutes a night, especially when you're talking about a grueling Big Ten schedule. This is where Ekey is going to have step up big.

Jon Ekey For ISU

When I first read Ekey was headed over to Champaign from Bloomington/Normal, I was pretty stoked. Ekey was a straight stud at ISU last year. It really helped him he played next to the Missouri Valley's top big man in Jackie Carmichael. Well at the U of I, Ekey is going to have an even better big man playing alongside him in Egwu. And that is taking absolutely nothing away from Carmichael, because he was a tremendous player and rightfully making his way through the NBA circuit at this point. I look for Ekey to have a sneaky good year. A good comparison I think for Ekey is Tyler Griffey with maybe a little less versatility.

Now for the freshman: Kendrick Nunn comes with plenty of hype, and for good reason. The lefty played alongside one of the nation's top basketball prospects in Jabarri Parker and the two led Chicago Simeon to four straight IHSA Class 4A State Titles.

Jaylon Tate At Simeon

Not to mention, the final two years of Simeon's dominance, they were regarded as one of the top high school basketball teams in the entire country. The kid knows how to play on the big stage. His teammate Jaylon Tate was also a part of those four teams, and while he comes with far fewer accolades, I expect Tate to learn quickly from the seasoned veteran Abrams and really make big strides in the Illini system.

With Coach Groce signing some very intriguing players for his 2014 class, I really think this '13 class is not getting enough credit. They are a very green group, but the raw talent is there for them to meet, if not exceed, their expectation. One guy that is the epitome of this is Malcolm Hill.

Malcolm Hill

He's a 6-6 lanky guard out of the St. Louis area. Coach Groce says he's a very versatile player, but he needs some seasoning. Just like almost every freshman coming in this year. What I like is Hill, along with Nunn and Tate should get to see plenty of floor time in their rookie campaigns.

Another guy that really fits that mold is Maverick Morgan. At 6-10, lanky and long, I am going to really make some Illini fans queasy with this comparison, but I think it's accurate: Mike Tisdale. I know, I know, there's a lot disdained towards Tisdale, but deserved or not, it's about what Morgan looks like right now.

Maverick Morgan

I say right now because I think John Groce can make him into a post player that has the ability, but is not reliant, to step back and knock down perimeter jumpers. Before he's ready to bang with the Cody Zellers or Jared Sullingers, he's going to need experience and to get bigger and stronger. I could be dead wrong, but I don't know that he's going to have that great of a year. I do think, as he gets experience, he will get a lot better.

Austin Colbert

One last guy I think could be sneaky good, again like Morgan and Hill, will be Austin Colbert. At 6-9, and just like Mike Davis, he profiles to be a very athletic kid who needs to learn to put all his skills together. I don't think Davis ever did, but I think Coach Groce is going to be able to get nothing short of Colbert's very best, in terms of effort and ability.

So that is a brief synopsis of what this year's Fighting Illini team looks like personnel wise. As much as I want this group to be a surprise 20+ win team, I just don't see. The Big Ten is going to be as good as it's ever been. Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan State are all going to be tough as nails. Iowa is going to be a sleeper. Minnesota is always tough. Northwestern is going to be very solid. The conference really doesn't have a "weakest link". Each team is  going to be very good. Of course while I forgot to mention them, that always seems to be what happens, Wisconsin gets left out, and then they scrap n claw their way into the top 25 and manage to play their best basketball in February and March. So really, you look at the Big Ten, and while I don't think they will, Illinois could easily slide into the lower third of the Conference standings.

Now that said, let's talk about John Groce, because it was after the Bruce Weber firing, the rejections from Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens, were well documented and really put Illini fans in the dumps. Then all of a sudden, they hire this tall, bald guy from Ohio. He's got energy, he doesn't have a lot of name power, but everything you hear about him is positive. OK, so let's wait and see.

Chicago Prospect Cliff Alexander
#2 High School Sr In America

Meanwhile, John Groce is killing it everywhere he goes. First thing he does, he makes a B-Line to Chicago and sits down with some of the nation’s top Jr. and Sr. talent. He's real with them. They like him, and immediately Illinois shoots towards the top of their lists.

He talks to the guys that were already committed, Jaylon Tate, Kendrick Nunn, and Malcolm Hill. He managed to keep those guys, who I'm sure, had plenty of vultures trying to nab them after Bruce left. So he gets a late start, but he's getting it done on the recruiting trail.

Meanwhile, he's changing the atmosphere with the guys he's got. He's high energy. He's positive. He has them believing they can compete with the Big Ten's best. He has them working on their game in the summer.

Brandon Paul at Gonzaga

I think the turning point when everybody started believing in this guy was when they went to Maui, Hawaii, and blasted Butler in the championship game of that tournament. Still, and rightfully so, there were a few doubters. Then around Christmas time, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Illinois does their annual thing with Gonzaga. And the Illini go to the opposite side of the country and blast Gonzaga. Everybody loved Gonzaga and didn't give the Illini a shot, and they killed Gonzaga. We saw Brandon Paul become the player we all knew he could be. That was when John Groce won over all of Illini nation. We all know what happened then. They went into the Big Ten schedule no longer under the radar. They did well, losing some tough games, winning some improbable games. Ohio State and Indiana certainly stick out to us all.

Now, Groce has a very similar situation. I believe Illinois was picked 7th in the conference. I think, certainly a fair ranking, but, Coach Groce is definitely going to sell the "no respect" line. A lot of people say Illinois doesn't have as much talent as last. While fair, I don't think it's quite accurate. I think Illinois is talented in a different way. Last year, Illinois had a lot of developed talent that was ready to explode, and they did. I look at the Abrams, Egwu, and Bertrand combination as being your key three, and Groce is going to have to find those role players that can have an impact on the game. As easily as I could see Illinois falling into the lower tier of the conference standings by the end of the year, I could easily see them surprising people and finishing in the area of fifth to seventh with maybe another 8-10 or 10-8 Big Ten record.

All that said, I really don't know what to expect because it really comes down to what are the experienced guys going to do? Are they going to step up and lead the charge both from a leadership standpoint and statistical standpoint? Are they going to be more role players and hope the other guys fill in the gap?

Coach Groce with his son after Illini upset of Indiana

Like I said in the outset, this season, to me, really the success of this team relies on Joseph Bertrand. Coach Groce says it will take everybody, and that's certainly true, but Bertrand needs to be last year's Brandon Paul, where the team would need someone to step up, and he'd get the ball, and make the big shot. Bertrand has the ability to be that guy for the Illini. Another question: Will he do it?

Like I said, Groce is setting up Rayvonte Rice for big things. I hope he's not putting too much on him. If Rice can be that guy that can play four positions and guard four positions, Illinois has a great chance to be a good team because he can fill in a hole while someone gets a breather. If he can be a 12-15 points, maybe 5-7 boards a game guy, Groce will have really found something there.

Final thought as you gear up for what should be a stellar year of college basketball....

I-L-L I-N-I