Hope for Whitman lies in breakout hoops season
CHAMPAIGN – It’s the kind of anecdote that entertains folks, if the snickers from one end of the conference table to the other tipped off the hunger for more good news Tuesday.
Illini athletic director Josh Whitman was glad to put his name on a request order for the purchase of an extra basketball standard to go into the Ubben Basketball Complex, where the Illini practice almost 12 months out of the year.
It was a just-in-case move, because the Illini are excited about the arrival of Kofi Cockburn, a massive man who has already drawn comparison by coach Brad Underwood to Shaquille O’Neal. Just in case Cockburn smashes a basketball goal, the Illini will have one ready to wheel into place.
“I ordered a new standard and backboard, just to have in the wings in case one of the standards in Ubben doesn’t make it through the summer,’’ Whitman said during the annual State of the Illini media gathering earlier this week.
The smiles lit up.
“I think it would be kind of cool if we need it,’’ Whitman said.
The Illini could always use a feel-good story in these desperate times, when the football and basketball teams have left fans suffering through years of agony. As Whitman heads into another fiscal year of leadership of the intercollegiate program at his alma mater, he looks for movement by one of the premier programs.
It’s always nice to see Mike Small and his band of recruits bring the heat from northern golf, and Dan Hartleb has done a solid job over the last half of the decade. Volleyball’s run to the Final Four was entertaining. But these non-revenue sports do more for the Champaign-Urbana community than the entire Illini Nation.
The guy who brought you #WeWillWin a few years ago is now going with #JoinTheFight. Whitman made the splashy hire with Lovie Smith in the first days of his tenure, then doubled down by extending Lovie’s contract last winter. Whitman is a football guy, and he bet big on Lovie.
But as Whitman looks for some help in providing wins, energy and money, the breakout will more likely come from a basketball program that just last season set a school record with 21 losses in a single season. With the Illini on the rise and so many other teams in the Big Ten Conference is some kind of transition, there’s a good chance for the Illini to make a move and create the momentum Whitman’s athletic department truly needs.
In the car biz, it’s called fake it ‘til you make it. In college athletics, the talk about hope only has so much of a shelf life, and Whitman would benefit from a spark ignited by a basketball program that serves as the school’s flagship uniform. Football has more seats, but basketball has more expectations and relatively recent success.
Ayo Dosunmu made the wise choice and turned down a chance to jump for the cash of professional basketball. With Trent Frazier back, the Illini like their chances of getting those playing well together. Giorgi Benzhanishvili developed into the surprise of the Big Ten last winter, and Cockburn is the eye-catching recruit who drew remarkable parallels from Underwood.
“Give coach Underwood a lot of credit,’’ Whitman said. “They continue to bring pretty special players to Champaign, I’m excited to see Kofi on campus. Even by Big Ten standards, he’s a big man.’’
Regarded by most folks as a sleeper in the Big Ten who will be expected to finish from fifth to eighth in the league standings, the Illini look like they’re on the way up, as long as there are no stumbles with the NCAA sheriff (remember the tight relationship Underwood had with Lamont Evans, a former assistant who was sentenced to prison in the NCAA basketball probe by the FBI), academics or any unexpected defections.
After chancellor Robert Jones gave his vote of confidence in April concerning the investigation that cleared Underwood of allegations involving abusive treatment of players stemming from the 2017-18 season, Whitman was also confident Underwood’s coaching style wasn’t a concern.
Whitman addressed any questions with Underwood during meetings between the two.
“A part of my job is trying to help coaches look for ways to connect with student-athletes, be more communicative and win more games,’’ Whitman said. “To Brad’s credit, he’s a self-reflective guy. He cares about his performance, the team and the student-athletes. He was very receptive to feedback. We’ve not had to have another conversation about it.’’
Football struggled for decades to move the needle, especially when talking about more than a one- or two-year spike. But Illini basketball is the program to resuscitate Illini fans, pump life into a fan base that’s dwindling as you travel away from the Champaign-Urbana hub and perhaps help Whitman raise the money required to battle the heavyweights by continually upgrading some aging facilities.
While Lovie has some intriguing transfers and highly rated freshmen who may lift the Illini this fall, the rebuild still seems a work in progress in Memorial Stadium. There are great questions with a defense that played so poorly last season, and Lovie must show us his system works in college football. The Illini ran the ball effectively last fall, but they might rely upon late arriving transfers for much of a boost in the passing game.
A weak non-conference schedule only goes so far.
Whitman needs to starting winning in one of the two sports that really matter to the bulk of the Illini crowd. If something’s going to happen in the coming school year, let’s put the expectations on a basketball program ready to jump up.
Whitman could use a boost and some good news, not to mention a few we-will-wins.