Saturday Hoops

I love basketball--it is a beautiful game combining speed, strength, skill, flow and creativity. It has blessed my entire life, but especially the past 15 years, as I have coached and watched in person some truly great players. As Rick Majerus used to say, basketball is my mistress...

I have a big day of hoops on tap today. First, the Illini square off against Auburn at the UC at 1:15. I am increasingly eager to watch them play, and curious to see how they weather the upcoming part of their schedule as they enter into conference play. The early returns on John Groce are obviously good--Illinois is off to a great start, and they are playing with a sense of freewheeling confidence on offense. I say this having been a fan of Bruce Weber--I appreciated the steady climb he made in securing a Big Ten job and was a fan of his candor when it came to assessing his team. I have a little different philosophy regarding basketball strategy in that I think basketball is best when it is fast and fun to watch--the Coach Groce way is closer to that than the Coach Weber way. So I am enjoying this Illini team, knowing that they started off great under Weber last year and fizzled under the rigors of Big Ten play. We'll see...

Then this evening, I get to check out Illinois College at home against North Park. I have such a close attachment to the Blueboys, having coached there and recruited several of the players--I try to watch and not coach from the stands, but that's a tough task. Tonight would be a good win leading into the New Year and the bulk of the Midwest Conference schedule. I think they have a talented roster with some guys who are finding their stride the last couple of games, so I am excited to see if they can hang a win on the board. Game time is 6:00--if you have never been, you would really enjoy going. They have a beautiful home court, and the level of play is awesome. Great way to spend a Saturday evening.