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'This is a special team and a very special season' — Jeff Mayfield

[FEB. 16, 2001]  For Fighting Illini sports fans, the last few weeks have been some of the best we’ve ever enjoyed. For so many years we’ve been like the Cubs: Wait until next year. Then all of a sudden, along comes a pretty good team that spends most of the season teasing us. We battle for a league title and then are unceremoniously dumped in the first or second round of the NCAA tournament. Wouldn’t it be nice if that nightmare could stop this year? Is one national championship that much to ask? This present group of Illini apparently thinks that’s it not, because they’re chasing the prize as if they were possessed. However, it has been no easy ride. And in addition to a difficult schedule, there have been a lot of eerie, weird and otherwise strange things that have accompanied this storied season. This week the LDN peers into other dimensions and wonders if the spirits are speaking to Illini fans…

I don’t know…maybe it’s just me, but I think that the Illini have been visited by the voice of Christmas past. And of course Illini past would have to appear in the form of Fred Hoppin. Can you imagine how crazy Fred would be going over this edition of the Illinois hoopsters? After the ’89 version, he dreamed of a dynasty. I dreamed along with him, and it can’t get here soon enough as far as we’re concerned. Who knows…maybe Fred is orchestrating this whole magical season? If he is…nice going with that last-second Griff shot the other night, Hop…that was a real nice touch (but on the other hand, for future use…could you just work it so we drill teams by 25 or more…it’s a lot easier on our tickers that way).

Seriously, Fred Hoppin was one of the greatest men that I ever met. He also just happened to be one of the greatest Illini fans that I ever met…there’s probably a correlation! I used to stop by his office on my to lunch or on my way back to work to get a daily dose of Illini optimism. No one wanted Illinois to win more than Fred…except for me, Greg Taylor and Lou Henson! I miss Fred. However, if he is visiting us as the ghost of Illini past, I say…more power to him! Keep the good karma coming our way, would you, Fred? And don’t forget to douse a little of that voodoo on those lousy Hoosiers…just in case we need it come Saturday.

The ghost of Illini present is a little harder to identify. Having the huge responsibility of not letting our loyal LDN readers down motivated me to dig deep for this one. Upon entering the hallowed ground of Assembly Hall last Tuesday night, I immediately spotted a coach in a red sweater sitting behind the Wisconsin bench. And, no…it wasn’t the big fat guy that you’re thinking of. It was the nice guy — none other than former Badger head coach Dick Bennett.

Bennett came into the conference a few years ago and from the outset had our number. I don’t miss him! They battered us with their screens. Guys like Duany Duany would have careers against us. Their defense looked impregnable and oftentimes threw out a mirage that we were playing 5-on-8. However, I should point out that our dear old Illini learned a very valuable lesson from our good friend Dick. If you want to win in the Big Ten, then you’re going to have to play smash-mouth football…on the basketball court.

For years the Illini have been described as finesse oriented. But I’d rather look ugly and win than be a pretty loser! Thanks to the voice of Illini present, Illinois has finally learned that lesson: case in point, the Michigan State and Wisconsin games. We’re not going to take it anymore! When push comes to shove…we’re shoving back! And with the emergence of Robert Archibald and Damir Krupalia, coupled with the stellar play of Marcus Griffin and Brian Cook, we now can give at least 20 fouls in the post. I believe that if we come to play, we can send every D-I team in the country home a loser! Thank you, coach Bennett, for teaching us such a valuable lesson.

[to top of second column in this article]

Most Illini fans had no idea that the voice of Illini future was hovering over the Hall last Tuesday night. Lost on most spectators was the fact that former Illini head coach Lon Kruger was in Illinois as his Atlanta Hawks were a sacrificial lamb to the Chicago Bulls while we were duking it out with the Badgers. What most fans don’t know is that Kruger had to give up his game in order for the Illini to win. I have no evidence to support my claim, but it does look good on paper! Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but it should be!

Regardless, you have to give coach Kruger some credit for both our present situation and for our future condition as well. After all, wasn’t it Lon that all the so-called experts bashed when our recruits were announced? They said the guys he signed couldn’t play a lick and that no one’s ever heard of them. I have a little phrase that the LDN would like to share with all of those experts at this time…Have you heard of them, now? I would never place the LDN in jeopardy by saying to those clowns that I told you so, but…I TOLD YOU SO!

I miss Lon. I wish he were taking this ride with us. For four years I tried to tell you jokers that Mr. Kruger knew what he was doing, but so many became doubters. He’s starting to look smarter every game. The way Arch has come on really validates the upside the Lon said he had. Lucas Johnson doesn’t bring the stability that his older brother Brian brought, but he does bring the team energy — the crowd loves him! At times Krupalia has been huge, and Bradford and Cook are not chopped liver either. If you give coach Judson credit for bringing in the holy trinity from Peoria, then you have to give credit to Lon once again. He was the guy who cleverly lured Judson away from Bradley and his good friend coach Jim Molinari!

The Illini seem to have a great future in front of them — that is, IF everyone stays healthy and IF everyone continues to do well in the classroom and IF nobody jumps to the NBA.

The ghost of Illini future was so good to all of us through the years that most of us did not realize what we had until he went away! Some of us did. Thanks, coach K (Lon is the true coach K in my book) for the many gifts you left behind. If we win the national championship, the LDN will vote you a ring!

Finally, I have concluded one certainty. Either we have been visited by the ghosts of Christmas/Illini past or…I’ve got to stop eating cold pizza when I’m giving Payne his late-night feedings!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[FEB. 14, 2001]  Former Lincoln College standout Marcus Griffin hit a short jumper with just two seconds remaining as No. 4 Illinois overcame a superior effort by No. 19 Wisconsin and beat the Badgers 68-67. Wisconsin led for over 35 game minutes (out of a total of 40) and built 13-point leads on three occasions, including the halftime margin (35-22). Illinois made just 3-of-14 3-point baskets on the night, and just one in the first half (a game-opening 3-point basket by Lincoln’s Brian Cook). Wisconsin, on the other hand, made nine 3-point baskets on the evening, including six in the first half on 67 percent shooting from behind the arc.

One of the greatest streaks in college basketball history came to an end Tuesday night, as junior Cory Bradford failed to connect on a 3-point basket. His consecutive game streak ends at 88 games, a record which should stand for years to come. Bradford had ample opportunities to extend the streak, but missed all six 3-point attempts and finished with just two points in 33 minutes of action. However, after the game, Bradford was nothing but a class act, stating "the win is much more important than the streak."

For a while Tuesday night, it looked like both the Bradford streak and Illinois’ 15-game home winning streak would come crashing to a halt. However, from the nine-minute mark of the second half, Illinois began to chip away at the double-digit Badger lead. In a sloppy foul-fest, 30 fouls were called in the second half alone, and Illinois found themselves attacking the Wisconsin lead from the free-throw line. Illinois shot an excellent 76 percent from the line in the second half and 75 percent from the line for the game.

Lincoln’s duo of Griffin and Cook both had strong performances. Cook scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in 33 minutes of action. Griffin scored 18 points and grabbed six boards, including five huge offensive rebounds. On the night, Illinois outrebounded the Badgers 30-20 and limited Wisconsin to just three offensive rebounds. Peoria native Frank Williams led the Illini in scoring with 22 points, but probably had the biggest play of the game by setting the pick on Griffin’s defender, which allowed his former high school teammate to play the part of hero. Again, much credit should go to coach Bill Self. After the game, Self was asked if it was Williams who would normally throw in the lob pass to Griffin. Self responded, "Normally he (Frank) has that responsibility, but I really wanted Frankie to be able to set the pick and free Grif." Can you say Big Ten coach of the year?

Several potential troubling signs were in plain view Tuesday night. Among them:

• Bradford appears to once again be in shooting funk.
  Answer: Illinois really struggles when Bradford is not in stride.

• Wisconsin was able to take away the 3-point attempt.
  Answer: Illinois must hit the "3" to win against good teams.

• Illinois’ bench gave very little.
  Answer: Illinois needs Archibald to be a factor (one point and one rebound in seven minutes), Harrington to make shots (only one attempt in 17 minutes), and Johnson to make his free throws (just 1-of-3, including a missed 1-and-1).

• Big Ten officials are trying to clean up the game, but inconsistency reigns.
  Answer: Fans have this discussion every year. After the game, no one from either team appeared pleased with the officials.

However, we can highlight three positives on this night:

• First, Frank Williams can and will take over a game as needed. Williams had just four points in the first half, and erupted for 18 in the second to finish with 22.
• Second, fellow sophomore Brian Cook is Illinois’ best inside player and continues to be a phenom on the boards. Cook is a serious candidate for all-Big Ten first team.
• Third, Marcus Griffin appears to be back. Illinois is much better when he is scoring down low.

• Finally, Bill Self is a stud! The heat Lon Kruger takes is unfair, but Self continues to show why he is one of the best young coaches in the game.

Illinois returns to action Saturday with a road game against their rivals from the east, the Indiana Hoosiers. While Wisconsin used three guards throughout the game, Indiana starts a front line of 6-9, 6-9 and 6-10, and features the one-two punch of all-conference center Kirk Haston and the best freshman in the Big Ten, Jared Jeffries. Game time is 3:30 p.m. and the action can be seen on WCIA-TV.

[Greg Taylor]

[to top of second column in this article]

Photos by Ed Bacon

Wisconsin vs. Illinois box score

http://fightingillini.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/021301aaa.html 

[FEB. 13, 2001]  Every year a national argument is waged over which conference in America can claim to be the best. Most years, the Big Ten conference is able to argue fairly effectively about the merits of their conference of 11. One thing that cannot be argued, however, is the solid track record for great head coaches throughout the history of the Big Ten. In the last two decades alone, men like Lute Olsen, Bobby Knight, Bill Frieder, Gene Keady, Lou Henson, Dick Bennett and Lon Kruger have set themselves apart as excellent (in most cases) leaders of their respective teams. Today, the LDN looks at the current state of coaches in the Big Ten and assesses which coaches are in trouble, which ones are keepers and which leaders are probably headed for bigger (and maybe better) programs.

Coaches on the bubble and/or in trouble (have your resume ready)

1. Brian Ellerbe, University of Michigan

Insiders say Michigan never wanted Ellerbe for more than an interim period. However, his ’97-’98 team won the first ever Big Ten tourney, and Wolverine players lobbied hard for Ellerbe to stay. Many of those very players (Robert Trailor) never played another game for Michigan, and the Wolverines are just plain bad — they are light years behind rival MSU and might not even be the second best D-1 team in the state. Ellerbe is probably gone at the end of the year, and look for Michigan to hire one of two available legends: NBA failure Rick Pitino or former IU coach Bob Knight, with the former having the ability and willpower to come in and clean up a program which looks awful dirty on the outside. As an Illini fan, however, I sure hope Michigan locks up Ellerbe and signs him to another five-year contract!

2. Brad Soberberg, University of Wisconsin (interim)

Placed in a really bad spot early this season, Soderberg stepped in when Dick Bennett retired suddenly, and the Badgers have not missed a beat. The bruisers from Madison are still one of the two toughest teams in the Big Ten, and Soderberg appears to have continued the Wisconsin system without much trouble. If Soderberg does not get the job on a full-time basis, the next coach will have the problem of inheriting a team of blue-collar, hard workers who might not fit in a system that emphasizes athleticism. At this point, it appears any decision has not been made, but the LDN feels good about the possibility of Soderberg staying.

3. Mike Davis, Indiana University (interim)

Illinois plays at IU Saturday and something will be missing — big Bob Knight. When IU dismissed the man in the big red sweater on Sept. 10, very few thought Davis would have much of a shot of keeping the job past this season. The Hoosiers have been up and down throughout the year, losing to Indiana State (really bad loss), while handing Michigan State their first loss of the season (great win!). Davis appears to have the respect of the current players, but don’t be surprised to see a more established coach roaming the sidelines in southern Indiana next season (can anyone say Tim Floyd?). Again, from the view of an Illini fan, I would love to see Davis stay as head coach for many years to come.

Too early to tell

1. Dan Monson, Minnesota University

In just his second season, Monson inherited a program in serious trouble from the Clem Haskins era and has done a great job building respect and dignity in Minneapolis. This year’s version of the Golden Gophers has been decimated by injuries and will not win many more games this season. However, Monson looks like a keeper (only time will tell) and could be just what the doctor ordered for Minnesota in light of past moral and ethical problems.

2. Bill Carmody, Northwestern University

In his first season at NU, Carmody came this year from Princeton and installed a system which could prove to be a gold mine for the Wildcat program. Never able to compete with other Big Ten schools for high-profile athletes, Carmody looks like the man to create a "Princeton of the Midwest" — a team which will never beat you by 25 but could knock off anyone in the conference as a result of their discipline, ball control and unselfish play. Already, signs exist Northwestern has found a coach who is a keeper in more ways than one.

Hard to read

1. Jerry Dunn, Penn State University

Here is an idea: Try to build a basketball power in the back yard of one of the most storied football programs in the country. Penn State has been just about average during Dunn’s six seasons, but average may be good enough for Penn State basketball. Anyway, Penn State gets almost no serious press coverage, and unless a major scandal hits the basketball program, the LDN does not see Dunn leaving the program anytime soon.

[to top of second column in this article]

Coaches who are in great shape

1. Gene Keady, Purdue University

Keady is in his 21^st season in West Lafayette and will probably stay as long as he desires — more than likely until he retires. The coach who led the Boilers to three straight Big Ten conference titles in the ’90s (’94, ’95 and ’96), Keady has always kept Purdue in the mix of the conference race, and Mackey arena is usually one of the toughest places to win in the Big Ten. While Keady will not be confused with a Boy Scout anytime soon, he has a proven track record and appears set to stay at Purdue for the rest of his career.

2. Jim O’Brien, Ohio State University

O’Brien came to Ohio State when the Buckeyes were in sad shape and proceeded to lead the Buckeyes to the final four in just his second year. In addition, this year’s team was not expected to finish higher than seventh, yet is currently tied for third place, holds victories over Michigan State, Iowa and Wisconsin, and lost by just one point to No. 6 Kansas in December. O’Brien appears to like Columbus, and the natives in Ohio like him a whole lot more than John Cooper (although I’m not sure that is much of a compliment). Look for O’Brien to stay quite a while.

Coaches who could stay forever, but probably/maybe will not

1. Tom Izzo, Michigan State University

Izzo almost left for the NBA in May after leading MSU to the national title, but instead returned for his sixth year in East Lansing. All Izzo has accomplished in five seasons is this: three Big Ten titles, two final four appearances and a national title. Not bad for a coach from the upper peninsula of Michigan who many thought was not up to the job. MSU is the premier program in the Big Ten today, and they absolutely own of the state of Michigan when it comes to recruiting. Izzo was able to say no to the Atlanta Hawks, but will he be able to resist a premier college program (like Kentucky or UCLA) or a good NBA situation (maybe Detroit)? Our guess is Izzo stays for a while, but we don’t see him at MSU forever.

2. Steve Alford, Iowa University

Everyone in America (for the most part) thinks Alford will eventually end up in Bloomington, Ind. However, the Hawkeyes would love to lock him up and keep their conference rival from stealing their fair-haired boy. Alford says he plans to stay in Iowa forever, but — herein lies the program — we are talking about Iowa (ouch!). While the Hawkeye fans love their team, can Alford be happy long-term in Iowa City? (We don’t think so.) And what happens when one of the premier programs in America comes calling? We say Steve says, "See ya!"

3. Bill Self, University of Illinois

This one breaks my heart. I absolutely love Self and hope he stays in Champaign for 25 years. But the bottom line is this: Self is one of the rising stars in college coaching, and I could see him stick in Illini land just long enough to acquire a job like Kentucky, Kansas or UCLA. I do think Illinois A.D. Ron Guenther will do whatever he can to keep Self, and I don’t see him jumping ship to the NBA (like Lon Kruger), but I think eventually one of two things will happen: One, Self will build Illinois into one of the best five programs in America and stay forever (probably will not happen — but we sure would love it!). Or, number two, one of the top five programs in America will come calling and Self will be gone. Only time will tell, but right now, Self seems like a great fit in Illini-land.

Oh, by the way, what are the top five programs in the land, you may ask? From where I am looking, they would appear to be (in no particular order):

Duke

Kansas

Kentucky

North Carolina

UCLA

(Michigan State is knocking on the door)

We would love to hear what you think! E-mail us with your top five programs and/or any comments or predictions about Big Ten coaches.

[Greg Taylor]

[FEB. 12, 2001]  Led by Lincoln’s Brian Cook, Illinois beat Purdue for the first time in over four seasons — a streak which spanned nine games. Cook scored 17 points on the afternoon, including 10 during a decisive 21-9 Illinois run which allowed the visitors to expand a small four-point lead to 16 points and effectively end any hopes for a 10th straight Purdue victory. The partisan crowd seemed stunned as Illinois led from the opening tip and seemed to be in control most of the game. The Illini victory was the largest margin of victory ever for an opponent at Mackey Arena and was Purdue’s worst loss at home since 1954. Junior Lucas Johnson put the victory in perspective: "This was the first victory against Purdue for anyone in the program since Coach Judson played back in the early ’50s … and you can tell him I said so" (Judson actually played in the late ’70s).

However, in spite of the large margin of victory, 82-61, Illinois played far from a perfect game. Illinois missed 13 layups or shots from within five feet and allowed the Boilermakers to hang around for the first 25 minutes of the game. Despite a solid first half, Illinois led by just six points at the half and didn’t appear to be playing with the same urgency seen Tuesday night in the victory over Michigan State. Purdue’s lone senior, 6-1 guard Carson Cunningham, played as if Saturday’s game was his last, scoring a game-high 25 points. Purdue, which lost both 6-11 center John Allison and 6-7 forward Rodney Smith to broken feet this week, found themselves at a severe height disadvantage for most of the afternoon. Illinois made the most of the opportunity, as Cook, Marcus Griffin, Robert Archibald and Damir Krupalija combined to outscore the Purdue big men 43-5. Illinois out-rebounded the Boilermakers 36-22 on the afternoon.

Illinois had a very balanced effort, as six players scored at least eight points and no one played more than 30 minutes. Archibald again was a solid force down low. One unnamed Illini coach confirmed Archibald has passed senior Marcus Griffin in many ways and makes a nice inside-outside threat when combined with Cook.

Self was especially pleased with the development of Lincoln’s favorite son, stating, "Brian in the past has been like the Dow Jones, up and down, but he is really starting to come into his own. His confidence is sky high right now." Cook made all three of his 3-point attempts and both of his free throws, as well as three other layup/dunk opportunities to finish with a team-high 17 points in just 26 minutes.

Junior Cory Bradford made another two 3-point attempts to extend his streak of games with a made 3-point basket to 88 games.

Illinois shot an amazing 20 free throws in the first half alone, making 15, and finished the game shooting 82 percent from the free-throw line.

To Illinois it appeared that they were going to play most of the game against a team without their head coach. Purdue’s Gene Keady, known for his animation (among other things) on the sideline, received a technical foul just 1:12 into the game and appeared to come close to receiving a second technical (which would have resulted in disqualification) three other times during the first half. Keady was especially unhappy with veteran official Ed Hightower, who rewarded Keady with the technical foul.

[to top of second column in this article]

This game marked the second contest of a torrid six-game stretch which will decide the Big Ten title. Illinois is 9-2 in the conference and stands one full game ahead of Michigan State and 2½ games ahead of Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa and Indiana. Self noted after the game, "We control our own destiny."

Illinois returns to the Assembly Hall Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. ESPN game against No. 18 Wisconsin, a team which lost at Ohio State on Saturday.

Illinois should jump up to No. 4 in both the AP (writers) and ESPN (coaches) polls on Sunday. Most of the media pool agreed Saturday that if the season were to end today, Illinois would be in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Self, however, refused to comment, stating, "All I care about is winning the next game." Coach Self, we are with you on that — now let’s go get the Badgers!

• Both Illinois and Purdue made eight 3-point baskets.

• Illinois attempted 27 free throws, making 22, including all seven attempts in the second half.

• Illinois out-rebounded Purdue 36-22.

• Illinois committed the first five fouls of the second half.

• Illinois shot 44 percent from the field for the game.

• Illinois shot 44 percent from the 3-point line for the game.

• Illinois recorded 17 assists, a marked improvement from previous road games.

• Saturday’s game was a sellout.

• Purdue alum and current NBA player Brian Cardinal was in attendance.

• Damir Krupalija played strong once again, scoring seven points and recording three steals in just 11 minutes of action.

• Sean Harrington played 23 strong minutes, made two 3-point baskets and had no turnovers while playing point guard much of the game.

• Illinois committed just 10 turnovers, their lowest road game total of the year.

• Illinois’ last victory over Purdue was on 1/20/96 at Purdue (71-67 victory).

• Previous coach Lon Kruger never beat Purdue (in eight attempts).

[Greg Taylor]

Illinois vs. Purdue box score

http://fightingillini.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/021001aaa.html 

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