A Few Notes from McCaffery Teleconference this Morning
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Good to hear that Jok is doing well.....
I could see inserting Kriener into the starting lineup, but not Baer. Nicholas is simply great coming off the bench. That is something we might not want to mess with. Moss should remain as a starter, in my opinion.....
Could be no change, but perhaps Cordell would be better off the bench right now, as a temporary move. Take some of the pressure off starting on the road in the BIg. Give him a chance to settle back into shape.....
Probably the only one who is encouraged by the news that Dom is ready to play. We certainly need his experience the remainder of the season. He was starting to get into the groove before his injury.....
I am starting to pity the Illini.....
I could see inserting Kriener into the starting lineup, but not Baer. Nicholas is simply great coming off the bench. That is something we might not want to mess with. Moss should remain as a starter, in my opinion.....
Could be no change, but perhaps Cordell would be better off the bench right now, as a temporary move. Take some of the pressure off starting on the road in the BIg. Give him a chance to settle back into shape.....
Probably the only one who is encouraged by the news that Dom is ready to play. We certainly need his experience the remainder of the season. He was starting to get into the groove before his injury.....
I am starting to pity the Illini.....
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
Wagner for Pemsl makes the most sense to me...especially if Wagner has been practicing as well as he played against Maryland. I also think Uhl returning is a positive.
Good to hear that Jok is doing well.....
I could see inserting Kriener into the starting lineup, but not Baer. Nicholas is simply great coming off the bench. That is something we might not want to mess with. Moss should remain as a starter, in my opinion.....
Could be no change, but perhaps Cordell would be better off the bench right now, as a temporary move. Take some of the pressure off starting on the road in the BIg. Give him a chance to settle back into shape.....
Probably the only one who is encouraged by the news that Dom is ready to play. We certainly need his experience the remainder of the season. He was starting to get into the groove before his injury.....
I am starting to pity the Illini.....
Baer is arguably our second our third best player right now. I have no problem with him starting
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
It is very hard to rank players. Team elements change a lot.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Illinois is falling apart. Groce's days are numbered. Tracy Abrams is not going to reach his old self. I would guess the knee injuries have taken a toll. Big game for the Hawks. Defend Hill and this game is the Hawks. Defend?
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Don't know how I missed Ahmad. He certainly deserves a starting spot. He was simply awesome in the Maryland game, second half.....
Love him taking it to the basket.....
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Baer is definitely one of our better players. Top three for certain in my opinion. I do like the boost he gives us coming off the bench. But I wouldn't mind seeing him in the starting lineup.....
NikeHawk21
Well-Known Member
I'm fine with Baer starting, just don't think it should be at the expense of Moss.
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
I think Pemsl sits. It's obvious, at this point in their careers anyway, that both Cook and Pemsl at the same time isn't working all that well. They're both low block players and there just isn't enough room in today's game to have two of them at the same time. I'd put Baer in for Pemsl and then have Pemsl and Wagner as the first two bigs off the bench for Cook and Baer, respectively....
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
It was also nice to see him and Cook make some free throws. If those two start making free throws it will make a huge difference moving forward.Don't know how I missed Ahmad. He certainly deserves a starting spot. He was simply awesome in the Maryland game, second half.....
Love him taking it to the basket.....
RobHowe
Administrator
Pemsl and Cook are lacking defensively right now. With them out there together, we're getting eaten alive at the rim.
Baer, Uhl and Wagner all are better defenders right now. With Jok and Bohannon not being especially good at on-ball defenders, we need to have guys up front that can defend.
I'm not suggesting to take both Pemsl and Cook out because we lose too much offense. Pemsl makes sense. I think he has the make-up to be better off the bench than does Cook.
Baer, Uhl and Wagner all are better defenders right now. With Jok and Bohannon not being especially good at on-ball defenders, we need to have guys up front that can defend.
I'm not suggesting to take both Pemsl and Cook out because we lose too much offense. Pemsl makes sense. I think he has the make-up to be better off the bench than does Cook.
ibahawkeye
Well-Known Member
Cooks gonna start but I'm not sure we didn't play some of our best ball without him.
I think he's a fan favorite because of his explosiveness but for every exciting rim rocking moment he provides, there seems to be a bad moment that matches.
I'd like to see this lineup get a shot:
JBo
Jok
Moss
Baer
Kriener
I think he's a fan favorite because of his explosiveness but for every exciting rim rocking moment he provides, there seems to be a bad moment that matches.
I'd like to see this lineup get a shot:
JBo
Jok
Moss
Baer
Kriener
BigD
Well-Known Member
I would be ok with that for the most part except you need another BIG besides Kriener to defend the post. Three guards is ok but four is too many. I would put Wagner in there instead of Baer.
ibahawkeye
Well-Known Member
Baer probably leads the team in blocked shots. I don't view Baer as a guard. I think he is a stretch 4.
ChosenChildren
Well-Known Member
Wagner should play more. He is a beast
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Ahmad is indeed a fierce beast. Looks like a wide receiver driving for the goal line.....
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Cook, Pemsl and Ahmad Wagner making free throws was one of the key factors that kept us in the game against the terps.....
This is a huge upside if it continues......
Should continue now. The Lads know, for certain, that they can make them and confidence is one of the keys.....
Of course, we all know the Key is shooting with eyes wide shut.....
Robowe
Well-Known Member
I think this is one of the toughest parts of the job for a coach - managing players who are not consistently performing at this point of their career. One game, Uhl has 5 blocks as he protects the rim (then gets injured), then Kreiner starts hitting shots and making plays while getting more minutes, and then Wagner has a great game off the bench with his energy. Who he decides to play and for how long will ebb and flow as the season continues.
