By: Jay Price, Asst. Coach - Illinois
It has been a while since I have been able to write, but hope to update everyone on what has been happening with Illinois basketball after a rough non-conference season. We started off 4-0 in the Big Ten and currently sit at 6-3 and tied for second place. We have put ourselves in a good position for the second half of the conference season. While it is a very difficult schedule, we need to get some good quality wins.
On Saturday January 30th, we played a very hard fought game against a very good and determined Indiana team. We were able to prevail 72-70 thanks to last minute heroics by junior Demetri McCamey who hit a runner as time ran out. However, the most interesting item of the game may have been our uniforms. We were approached by Nike to be one of only 4 schools across the country to wear pink uniforms, pink shoes, and use a special ball to bring awareness to the Jimmy V/Kay Yow foundation. It also was the NABC weekend for suits and sneakers to promote cancer awareness. I think that our players enjoyed the opportunity to do something special.
On this Saturday February 6th, ESPN College GameDay comes to Champaign. We are very excited to have this opportunity to showcase our team and our fans in the battle with Michigan State at 8 pm. Having GameDay on campus will really help promote our university, our team and the greatest fans in the country. We want to break the record for the number of people at eh Saturday morning taping. If you live in the area please be sure to attend. Here is some more information: Click here.
Lastly, for the Bruce Weber show, we did a behind the scenes look at getting prepared for a game. The game was the Penn State game away. A lot of work goes into each every scout. As coaches we divide the scouts up equally and then we put in hours and hours of time to get prepared for the game. Its an excellent look into the preparation necessary at this level. (The link will be published here at College Chalktalk soon)
We are looking forward to the second half of the Big Ten play. We really need to defend well and rebound better. Offensively, we need to continue to take good shots and make smart decisions. It will take a lot of leadership by our two captains, Demetri McCamey and Billy Cole, but we need a strong finish to the Big Ten season. The schedule is very tough and it will challenge us, but we need to step up and meet the challenge.
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