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Demetri McCamey led the way with 22 points, and Mike Davis chipped
in 13 points and nine rebounds. Two other seniors got into the act
as Mike Tisdale tallied nine points and nine rebounds and Bill Cole
had six points and three assists. Speaking of our seniors...
Salute to the seniors
The Illini senior class is a group that consists of Bill Cole,
Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale. They have been one of
the most maligned groups in recent memory. But my question is, why?
Like I have reported in the past, these guys have been pretty much
as advertised and what I expected them to be. They weren't going to
make you forget the 2004-05 squad. But is what they are all that
bad?
Cole was able to fine-tune his shot enough to be the
second-leading 3-point shooter in the league his junior year and won
the Matto award for leading in the hustle statistics.
Tisdale has scored on average double figures for three
consecutive seasons and ranked 28th in Illini history with 1,205
points going into Saturday's game. He was third in blocked shots
with 170 and needed only seven more for the record. Keep in mind
that this was a Class A player from Riverton... I know... I'm just
saying.
Davis was a late get by the Illini, and he's the active career
rebounding leader in the Big Ten (that means No. 1, he's in first
place). He's led Illinois on the boards the last three seasons and
is second in Illini history with 877 caroms... not bad for a late
get.
McCamey is just the second player in Big Ten history to amass
1,600 points and 700 assists (that means since the beginning of
mankind). His 710 assists put him in second place on the Illini
history charts and in fourth place on the Big Ten list. He's seventh
on the all-time scoring chart and has led the team in scoring for
three straight years and is only the third player in the last 47
years to accomplish that feat.
Cole and Tisdale are on pace to graduate in May, while Davis and
McCamey are on pace for an August completion date.
Yes, I know that there has been some disappointment and letdown.
Yes, I know we didn't win league titles and finish in the top 25
lists. Yes, I know that fans have been frustrated with what they
felt were weak or underperforming outcomes. Yes, I know it is all
Ron Guenther's and Bruce Weber's fault (though one of the geniuses
is going to have to explain to me what Guenther has to do with it.
They also need to explain to me why when a coach puts players and
his team in a position to succeed time after time and they don't
execute, why is it always his fault? Since I don't get it according
to these geniuses, I'm part of the problem. Then, so be it... I'm
part of the problem.)
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Silly me... I was operating under the premise that players and
coaches have the responsibility to give what they have to give and
let the chips fall where they may.
In 20 years of coaching, I learned that sometimes players and
teams disappoint you. I learned that it's easy to forget in a league
as hard as ours that 10 other teams are trying to climb the same
mountain we are every single season. I learned that even though I
have huge, major concerns about the competency of the officiating at
times, the fact that they hold so many games in the balance is just
a distraction and can't really be factored into the final equation.
I learned that kids have lives too, and sometimes Illini basketball
is not the highest priority on their plate. I learned that Illini
basketball is way too high a priority on my plate (my wife wanted
that interjected here).
I was also operating under the premise that these are our guys
and I'm always going to support them. And yes, it is easier to
support them when they're winning league titles and advancing
through the big dance brackets. We've definitely had a rough stretch
the last couple of seasons. And I think our guys are trying to
improve and make a final run.
When all of that and more is factored in, I can only come up with
one conclusion about this 2010-11 Illini basketball team and
especially the senior class... I salute them! They have been a
respectable bunch on and off the court. Watching them sign
autographs and interact with my son and his friends when grown men
are screaming at them for not living up to their expectations just
made me appreciate our seniors that much more. They are a great
bunch of guys, and I enjoyed interacting and covering them. In fact,
it was an honor!
I'll leave you with this parting shot... In Illinois' 72-48 win
over Indiana the Illini senior class accounted for 50 of the team's
72 points. Where is that scoring going to come from next year?
At any rate, Lincoln Daily News salutes our senior class: Bill
Cole, Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale. Thank you for
coming to Illinois and for wearing the ORANGE so proudly. Best
wishes and good luck in all your future endeavors, and may God
richly bless your lives! (I still think you have a few more wins in
you, but that's another article for another day...)
[By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jmayfield@ctitech.com.
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