NCDS: Jay Price: Asst. Coach - Illinois
By: Jay Price, Asst. Coach - Illinois
Photo Credit: University of Illinois Athletic Public
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This is an exciting time for Illinois basketball. There have been high expectations placed on our team this year, and that is something that we relish. We have a nice mix of veterans and newcomers. It will be interesting to see how they will all blend together as the season progresses. As a coach, this is a great situation. Having older players to help teach and mentor the younger ones. Taking different players and putting them in different places that allows them to be the most successful that they can and the team can be. It should be fun!
The upperclassmen will be the key to our team. They are the players that have been battle tested. They have played in hostile arenas. They have been in close games where one play is the difference in winning or losing. Dominique Keller, a senior, is a player that is very athletic and versatile. He will be important to us with leadership and energy. Bubba Chisholm, a senior walk-on, is our heart and soul. He does not get to play much, but brings it every day in practice. Every team needs a player like Bubba to win games!
Our junior class is our largest class and most experienced. There are three returning starters in Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale. These three will need to bring leadership, scoring, and defense to our team. They have played a lot of minutes and need to be ready to step up their games a notch. Billy Cole and Alex Legion are our team's best shooters. They can make shots in bunches. Richard Semrau is a big body player that can bang around the basket. Jeff Jordan gives us another point guard that can really push the ball and can be a lock down defender. These guys will be vital to our team reaching our goals.
Our underclassmen are all very exciting and fun to coach. They are like sponges. They take everything in. Redshirt freshman Stan Simpson is a big body that can run the floor and block shots. Our true freshmen are Joseph Bertrand, who has been slowed by a hurt knee, but is very athletic and can play multiple positions. Brandon Paul, a guard who has a real knack for scoring the basketball. DJ Richardson, a guard who is long and athletic and gets to the basket as well as anyone. Tyler Griffey, a forward with a great shooting touch and the ability to bang. It will be exciting to watch the progression of these underclassmen.
Wednesday November 11th was not only Veteran's Day, where we should all take time to thank the Veterans, but also National Letter of Intent signing day. It is a nerve wracking day for all coaches. All of the letters came in between 10 and 11 AM, but it is funny to see all the coaches hanging around the fax machine waiting for it to ring. It is like watching a pot in hopes that it will boil!!! Once it rings everyone jumps to attention and waits for the letter to pop out, checks the signatures, and then high fives all around!!! We did not have our press conference on Wednesday because all the high schools were out of school and we felt that the schools should have their day in the sun because we are very grateful to them for all of their help. We waited until Thursday to "officially" welcome Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head, and Meyers Leonard to the Illini family. We are very excited about what these three young men can bring to our team.
We opened our season against SIU-Edwardsville. It is always exciting to open a season, but also nerve wracking. We played well and won 96-69, but the best part of the entire game was the crowd! There was a sense of excitement and a great atmosphere for our first game of the year. There was a buzz in the air, and our team did not disappoint. I felt that we played with a lot of energy on every possession and played with a lot of passion. We need to keep the Hall buzzing all year. The team feeds off of it!!!
I am looking forward to writing this blog. Look for one every month around the 19th. Please feel free to suggest ideas that you would like to know more about for future blogs. In the meantime, for more information on Illinois Basketball, for suggestions, or for other ideas for the blog follow me on twitter at coachjayprice!
