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 As I glanced at the schedule with one game to play I noticed that
Wisconsin was in the driver’s seat to win the Big Ten conference
championship outright. In order to do that they would have to beat
the league’s last place team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, at home. I
figured our title hopes were dashed. All Bucky had to do was beat
the Huskers in the Kohl Center. They didn’t! Talk about opening the
door.
Then I fully panicked. I then realized the Illini would have to beat
the hottest team in the league, the Iowa Hawkeyes winners of 8 of
their last 9 games, to get a share of the conference crown. I didn’t
feel like we were playing all that great and I was skeptical about
our chances. Boy do I love being wrong about this one!
On top of all that, it was Senior Night-Illinois would have to win
perhaps it’s toughest game of the campaign, against the league’s
hottest team, while trying to say good-bye to 5 players who’ve meant
so much to this program. I never saw it coming-but a title, a
championship, in the nation’s toughest conference is just so sweet!
Congrats to Lincoln’s own Illini Assistant Coach Geoff Alexander,
who I spoke with before the game, and just let him know prior to the
contest, that win or lose it has been an awesome season and that we
are all proud of him, and this Illini contingent!
Three Stars
[FIRST a disclaimer-tonight this is almost impossible. Every person
who has anything to do with Illini Athletics, including those who
cover it, are one of the stars! Our fans have mostly been incredible
all season long-they are one of the stars. But as for just narrowing
down this game to 3 stars-I don’t think I’m skilled enough to do
that]
#1- I’m going to go out on a limb for our number one-star tonight.
Before the game those around me felt that rebounding start to finish
would be the critical deciding factor and they may have been right.
That’s why we’re choosing Coleman Hawkins as the #1 star who
finished the night just 1-point shy of a double-double. But some of
the rebounds he pulled down at the time he grabbed those caroms, was
a critical factor in the Illini win and championship! Hawkins
finished the night with 9 points and 11 rebounds! For a player who
was figuratively left for dead a few weeks ago and banished to the
bench, to display the mental toughness that he showed tonight was an
incredible sight to behold.
#2 - I can sometimes be critical of our #2 star tonight. I just feel
that he can do so many things and I want him to do them all, at the
same time, all game long. My son patiently reminds me on the drive
home, but Dad-you expect too much-all Kofi did was have another
double-double. And that’s exactly what he did to take the Hawkeyes
down. Kofi Cockburn’s stat line last night was 21 points, 14
rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocked shots. He is a load and a force
and we don’t win without him! I’m almost talking myself into making
him our #1 star!
#3 - Our 3rd star tonight is an enigma wrapped in a mystery [credit
to Alan Loy for the quote]. I’ve not seen a player loved, then
hated, then loved again all in the same game-since Bryant Notree
[other than Brian Cook-my next favorite all-time Illini player]. He
can do some dumb stuff and can literally just throw the ball away on
an unforced error, but then he can hit some shots, pull down a
rebound in crunch time, and make his free throws, and just make you
explode out of your seat! His final stat line on Championship Sunday
Night-14 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds; and oh yah, Andre Curbelol was 5-for-5
from the free throw line in a squeaker where we needed every point
[well I guess we had a huge margin of…1-point! As exasperating as he
can be at times-he came up huge in the final critical moments to
somehow help the Illini find the Big Ten title victory [I don’t know
IF you can tell, but I love saying that]!
#3 - This is not a misprint. Tonight, we’re going to have two #3
stars [it’s our article, so we get to make-up the rules]. But this
guy was not just amazing tonight-he’s been tremendous all season. [to top of second column] |
I don’t know who in the Illini program, whether it was Head Coach
Brad Underwood, or somebody else, discovered that Alfonso Plummer
was willing to go East [to leave the Utah Utes program after a
fabulous career there]; but whoever it was-that person should get a
hefty bonus. When I first heard it was a possibility-I just dusted
it off saying that one of the top 3-point shooters in the country is
not coming to Illinois. But when he did, I thought-how good can he
really be? Darn good!
That’s how good he can be. He’s as good a long-range shooter as
we’ve ever had and we’ve had some pretty good ones. But bear in my
mind, there is no Big Ten Championship banner without Alfonso
Plummer. I can only thank him for coming. Again, I don’t know how or
why it happened, how or why He came, I’m just so glad he did. He has
been an absolute to joy to watch-he is truly poetry in motion! He
contributed 15 big points including a great fake that fooled an Iowa
player into landing on him-then went to the charity stripe and
cashed in all 3 free throws-maybe the difference in the ball game!
I would also put our coaching staff on the stars’ list too. They
were unheralded coming into the season especially after Steven
Gentry went back to Gonzaga, and Orlando Antiqua and Chin Coleman
moved on to Kentucky. I don’t think very many people thought that
Geoff Alexander, Chester Frazier, and Tim Anderson would get up to
speed in year one…but they did! And now they are Big Ten Champs!
My last star of the night=is the fans! Shutout from attending last
year-it was such a comfort and a joy when they were allowed back
into the building. But seeing how they cheered this team all season
long, through suspensions, concussions, Covid, mitigations, and
weird junk that seems to happen in the Big Ten-nothing could
dissuade our fans from cheering on the Orange & Blue over the finish
line; and now they are Big Ten Champions too! [I don’t think I’m
ever going to get tired of saying that]!
The Illini will enter next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis
as the #1 seed and will play the winner of Indiana-Michigan.
However, don’t fret Illini fans IF the Illini don’t win the tourney
again this year [although I won’t complain if they do]. I’ve got my
eye on a bigger trophy…the one that will be presented Monday night
April 4th down on the bayou [are you with me]?
One last thing…five years ago, long-time Lincoln resident Craig
Zastrow and I were at the Final Four in Phoenix, AZ. Brad Underwood
had just been named our new coach and we were really excited. We got
to meet him at one of the vendor booth’s outside the Glendale
Stadium. There we heard that he would be speaking for the Phoenix
Area Illini the next day at lunch. As far as I know-I was the only
media member there. I think I have some video of that event and I
don’t remember everything Coach Underwood said that day, but I
remember one thing he said. Something along the lines that I will
make it my goal and my mission to compete for titles and
championships or die trying. Well coach, you’ve navigated an
extraordinary season and you succeeded. But you didn’t just compete
for a title-YOU’re the coach of the Big Ten Champions!
Congratulations! AND YOU’RE LDN’s vote and choice for Coach of the
Year!
Big Ten Champions! I’m quite sure, I’ll never get tired of saying
that! [By JEFF MAYFIELD]
Respond to the writer at
jeffqmay@gmail.com.
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