BlacknGold19
Well-Known Member
Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere. I see he has decided to forego his last season of eligibility and begin his pro career. Well that makes Penn State a lot less likely to be a surprise success next year.
Jermaine Marshall leaving PSU
- Thread starter BlacknGold19
- Start date
BlacknGold19
Well-Known Member
Apparently his 1 year old son is the main reason. Makes sense. He will be headed overseas. Mark that away game at PSU a W
HawkeyeShane
Well-Known Member
Why doesn't he just switch sports and play football in the SEC? It's closer to home and the pay's better...
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
This is came out of nowhere. I now have to pull Penn State as an upset winner over Pitt in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge...putting the ACC at 7-5. I also have to drop Penn State down to 9th or lower in the projected conference standings for next year.
Frazier,Newbill,Marshall and Travis would have given them a decent core....now? Not so much. Marshall was one of the better athletes in the league,and could actually create his own shot. If Frazier is not as good as he was, this puts a ton of pressure on Newbill.
Minny is losing Joe Coleman,transferring, so I have Minny 12th now,with PSU right there with them and Nebby. NW joins them at the bottom....those 4 will battle for 9th.
Minny is losing Joe Coleman,transferring, so I have Minny 12th now,with PSU right there with them and Nebby. NW joins them at the bottom....those 4 will battle for 9th.
1hawkeye1
Well-Known Member
Hadn't heard Coleman. Where is he going?
volhawk50
Well-Known Member
What about Illinois? Seems to me that if you finish 8th and then lose 7 players, you're not likely to finish as high as 8th the next year.
Illinois could fall below the mendoza line,and into that bottom tier...no doubt.
But, I think they will be competitive with Abrams,Bertrand,Egwu and a very good recruiting class coming in,along with at least two transfers who are 5th year...Ekey,and Starks. Groce will keep them close to the middle I think.
But, I think they will be competitive with Abrams,Bertrand,Egwu and a very good recruiting class coming in,along with at least two transfers who are 5th year...Ekey,and Starks. Groce will keep them close to the middle I think.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
Don't forget about Ravonte Rice from Drake. He has 2 years of playing experience and a year of practice under Groce. He's a Big 10 caliber player IMO and will help immensely/immediately. He also has the Big 10 body. Now if they are going to ask him to chuck 3s then his value drops. I still think Illinois is going to have enough to stay out of the bottom 4.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
More on Rice - It’s easy to forget about Rayvonte Rice. The Champaign native is usually seen wearing street clothes on the end of the Illinois bench as he sits out this season after transferring from Drake after a couple of productive seasons.
He’s a regular on the practice floor, though, and he’s been working on his game while preparing to be a major contributor with his two remaining years of eligibility.
“There’s days where he’s really dominant. He’s really talented, physically strong,” Groce said. “He can pass, dribble and defend and rebound. He’s really a good player.”
Rice was a second-team All-Missouri Valley pick as a sophomore and is 17 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career. He was third in the league in scoring (16.8 points per game), and averaged 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals.
“There’s days where you’d like for him to be a little more consistent,” Groce said. “He’s been more consistent here second semester than he was first semester, so that’s progress. He’s working at it, getting extra lifting, extra shots because he’s not playing. He’s definitely gotten better, that’s for sure.”
The biggest difference with Rice has been transforming his body. He says his weight was in the high 260s at Drake. Groce says he’s at about 235 pounds now.
The Illinois conditioning program, headed by Mike Basgier, has been a major part of Rice’s body transformation. But so has his diet.
“I used to eat a lot of my mom’s home cooking. I’m not going to say I cut that all the way out, but eating a lot less of that,” the former News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year from Centennial said. “She just said she was going to have to stop cooking so much.”
Rice has been working to perfect his outside shot. He shot 27 percent from beyond the three-point line in two seasons at Drake.
“It’s coming along. Coach challenged me to make 15,000 three-pointers while they’re gone during the season,” Rice said. “I can see it getting better and better. I’m just trying my best to do what I can do every day. I’m trying to make Brandon (PAUL) and D.J. (RICHARDSON) better players — those are the guys I guard in practice. I try to challenge them, put pressure on them like they’re going to get in the games.”
He’s a regular on the practice floor, though, and he’s been working on his game while preparing to be a major contributor with his two remaining years of eligibility.
“There’s days where he’s really dominant. He’s really talented, physically strong,” Groce said. “He can pass, dribble and defend and rebound. He’s really a good player.”
Rice was a second-team All-Missouri Valley pick as a sophomore and is 17 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career. He was third in the league in scoring (16.8 points per game), and averaged 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals.
“There’s days where you’d like for him to be a little more consistent,” Groce said. “He’s been more consistent here second semester than he was first semester, so that’s progress. He’s working at it, getting extra lifting, extra shots because he’s not playing. He’s definitely gotten better, that’s for sure.”
The biggest difference with Rice has been transforming his body. He says his weight was in the high 260s at Drake. Groce says he’s at about 235 pounds now.
The Illinois conditioning program, headed by Mike Basgier, has been a major part of Rice’s body transformation. But so has his diet.
“I used to eat a lot of my mom’s home cooking. I’m not going to say I cut that all the way out, but eating a lot less of that,” the former News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year from Centennial said. “She just said she was going to have to stop cooking so much.”
Rice has been working to perfect his outside shot. He shot 27 percent from beyond the three-point line in two seasons at Drake.
“It’s coming along. Coach challenged me to make 15,000 three-pointers while they’re gone during the season,” Rice said. “I can see it getting better and better. I’m just trying my best to do what I can do every day. I’m trying to make Brandon (PAUL) and D.J. (RICHARDSON) better players — those are the guys I guard in practice. I try to challenge them, put pressure on them like they’re going to get in the games.”
GoHawks24
Well-Known Member
Gotcha. Thanks for the info. It's too bad that he can't finish out his education and get his degree for a fallback, or maybe he still plans to.
