Advertisement
Premium content
PREMIUM CONTENT
Published Jan 16, 2020
Illini hoops mailbag: Recruiting updates, team analysis & more
circle avatar
Brad Sturdy  •  OrangeandBlueNews
Basketball Analyst
Twitter
@sturdy32

Orange and Blue News Illinois basketball analyst Brad Sturdy answers questions about the Illini from subscribers in the latest mailbag.

Brad has analysis of the No 24 ranked Illini, updates on two top recruiting targets, and more.

NOT YET A PREMIUM MEMBER? SIGN UP NOW AND GET A 3-DAY FREE TRIAL. CLICK ON THE BANNER BELOW TO GET STARTED. ENTER PROMO CODE ILLINI30

Name one easy fix that would make Illinois a better team moving forward.

Defensively they have found an identity, so the biggest change will need to be on the offensive end. I would like to see Illinois more screens away from the ball to shake Trent Frazier free and possibly occupy defenders and create more driving lanes and post up opportunities.

With all of the new additions to the roster, do you think we will see an 8-man rotation again next year or will we be back to the 10-man rotation of Underwood's first two seasons?

Illinois will likely play 10 guys next season. Of course, which 10 is still to be decided. Underwood will play the guys that he has confidence in and if that is 8 guys, then it will be 8. If it is 10 or even 11, then he will use that many providing they are healthy.

Who do you have starting next year as it stands now and who is in our 8 to 10-man rotation?

Determining the rotation and starters right now is almost impossible. I expect Ayo to go to the professional ranks. Frazier, Kofi and Giorgi would then start. Then I expect that Curbelo will start and either Alan Griffin or Adam Miller will start in the fifth slot. Off the bench, I expect Grandison, Hutcherson, Da’Monte Williams and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk to be in the rotation. That’s 10 guys. Coleman Hawkins is going to be really good, but he is strength away from big minutes and Jermaine Hamlin should see spot minutes backing up the frontcourt. Tevian Jones? Who knows?

Subscribe to read more.
Unlock Premium news from the largest network of experts.
Say your piece in exclusive fan communities.
Dominate with stats, athlete data, Rivals250 rankings, and more.
Go Big. Get Premium.Log In