Spencer
- Thread starter NJCat
- Start date
A lot of guys on the roster who could have been slotted in so it's at least a good sign that Spencer started after, what, three weeks of practice (the stat line doesn't mean much).
There's a clip of him playing, really nice pass and two handed dunk. Looks like he's played before. So there's that.
I think Collins wants to get him bball ready. If Collins thinks he can't contribute, Spencer will sit.
Nobody should ever read anything, good or bad, into the results of these preseason overseas exhibitions. They are beyond meaningless. As long as the team accomplished its goals and nobody got hurt, that's all that matters.
The first game is typically against the weakest team, with the final game against the best. Having said that, Ayo was the leading scorer for the Illini in their first gsme and overall in their Italy trip, so this may be a sign that our lacrosse player may indeed be more than a benchwarmer...
More importantly this foreign trip gave us 10 extra practices, which is extremely important for a team with few veterans.
More importantly this foreign trip gave us 10 extra practices, which is extremely important for a team with few veterans.
And, if Spencer is a potential contributor (which starting seems to indicate), the 10 practices are like giving him two summers.
Beran looks like he has some physical skills.
Watching the video clip of the guys going to the Eiffel Tower this morning Paris time, yawning, and you know that jet lag kicked in today. I always found day 2 in Europe was the hardest to adjust to.....day 1 adrenaline kept me going, but the 7 hour time difference from Chi town to Paris makes getting up day 2 pretty tough.
Here is a Dally article with the rest of the schedule. Actually playing three pro teams the rest of the way, so a bit harder overall than the Illini schedule (the Illini played two club teams a lower-tier pro team and a National B-Team), culminating with our toughest game at the end
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2019/...ll-in-france-and-italy-what-you-need-to-know/
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2019/...ll-in-france-and-italy-what-you-need-to-know/
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I'm playing the same game with an attempt at some type of handicapping.
So can we hope those stats will be twice the averages of Nance, Spencer, Beran and Kopp? Please!!
Tell me you wouldn't take Gaines + 11 ppg, 10, 8 and 7 in conference play. That would be a nice foundational start. Not great, but I might take it for a freshman and two sophomores.
OK, OK, back to reality.
the eye-test on Nance...granted, it was seconds of film, not even minutes...excited more than the stat line
he looked confident, aggressive and a bit filled out....not the young, jumpy colt he was last year
He looks like he could push around a few guys in conference play. If he could credibly play the 5, and CC could slot Kopp and Beran at the forwards, that frontcourt would make things interesting ... or at least watchable from a developmental standpoint.
Build confidence and bond the team together. If Spencer can be the leader this year and produce, that will be huge. Spencer has been there and done that at a high level in another sport. Leadership skills and transfer across sports.