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Deon Thomas talks Illini Basketball
84 Plays11 months ago
Deon and I talk about the Bobby Knight, Fighting Illini Season, recruiting and Illinois I fund. Recorded 11/8/2023
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Transcript
Introduction to the Show and Guest
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, how you doing? Come on up. This is where I sit and talk sports. Up here, my spot on the bleachers. We're gonna have a good show for you today. I got Mr. Dion Thomas coming in. We're gonna talk some of the lineup basketball and a little bit of the I fund. It's a whatever comes up to our minds. So sit back and enjoy yourself. Grab yourself your koozie, your favorite beverage or seat cushion. Come on up here, sit down. We're gonna talk some sports.
Gateway City Sports Overview
00:00:27
Speaker
You've got to get it done! This is Gateway City Sports. The rumors are true. This is Talking Sports on the Bleachers with John Glenn. A confident young man. A superb athlete. A look at the sports issues of the day. Grab a seat, pop a cold one, and let's talk some sports. See, that sounds kind of interesting.
00:01:00
Speaker
Gentlemen, Carter and Dunn! Romo on the shotgun, here's the snap, Romo looking, dumps it off right to that. Interspecific! Interspecific! The goal line by Woodson! And there is your Gallagher!
00:01:31
Speaker
Cruel, with a wide spread stance, arms out over the place. Bifford from the threat. The 1-10 pitch. A play, and there it goes! Redfield, 3-0! That 4-0! It's a 3-run homer! That is it, $6.99 and $700 at Dodger Stadium on September 23rd, 2023.
00:02:01
Speaker
Playoffs? Don't talk about it. Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying in baseball! You don't understand, I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody.
00:02:37
Speaker
Holy cow! Hey, Dad? You wanna have a catch? I'd like that.
Tribute to Bobby Knight
00:03:10
Speaker
Welcome back to the show and I have with me a friend of the show frequent guest, especially when I want to talk a lot of basketball. I'm talking about none other than Dion Thomas. How are you doing, my friend? Don, I'm doing well. Thanks for having me, man. Well, I'm glad you could come on, man. First thing, I would be very remiss if I didn't we didn't start the show off by talking about the passing of Bobby Knight.
00:03:38
Speaker
I can't say that I was actually shocked, but it always sits because he was getting up there, but some guys you just think are larger than life. They're always going to be there. What's your thoughts on Bobby? I know you played against some of his teams. You had the great pleasure doing that. What's your recollections of Bobby Knight? Well, I'll tell you, I've always had a healthy respect
00:04:08
Speaker
Um, for coach night, any of the players, when you watch his guys, they play together, they get out there and they have a mission and they were all, um, working towards said mission. It didn't really matter who asked the big name person was, you know, it was always about playing Indiana basketball and about winning.
00:04:29
Speaker
One of the most important things I also appreciated and respected about him is he graduated his players. He understood what college sports is about. You're a student athlete first. So it was always a pleasure, you know, especially once I left Illinois, watching him work and doing the things that he's done.
00:04:51
Speaker
And, you know, I happened to when I went into coaching, happened to work with a couple of guys that played for him. Stu Robinson at Indiana, he was he was starting point guard. He graduated the year before the undefeated national championship team. And then Jeremy and Jeremy played for coach at Texas Tech.
00:05:13
Speaker
And, you know, they both had nothing but great things to say about coach. I mean, so that'll show you and not just him, even the other players that I know and have.
00:05:24
Speaker
relationships with seal to this day have nothing but positive things to say about him. Yes, he was tough. Yes. He was one that would push his guys to the brink. And you know, like I know reports have been out there. I had even gotten a little physical at points with kids, but I think coach nights toughness was always about making his boy, making boys into men and making his players and his team best as they could be. So.
00:05:52
Speaker
Always had a healthy respect for him, not the kind of coaching I would have responded to, but I understand what he was doing. So, you know, he's going to be missed. He's an icon. Oh yeah. Not college basketball, but in college sports as a whole.
00:06:08
Speaker
Yeah, that's for sure. I mean, I've been listening to a few different news interviews with different players. I think I listened to one with Steven Barto and he kind of echoed your same sentiment, you know, had the greatest amount of respect, but wasn't a guy he would have played for, even though his brother did play for him for a year at Indiana, which I thought I'd never knew that.
00:06:32
Speaker
You know, when you think back on, on, on, on not just Bobby Knight, but the big 10 in general, especially back in your guys's era, when you guys played, uh, you know, you had a lot of really, I mean, coaches that went on to do, I mean, Lou Dolson and Katie and, uh, uh, Judd Heathcote and guys like that. And it's, and it's carried on the day with Izzo and Matt Painter. And of course you played for one of the best Lou Henson.
00:07:00
Speaker
But has there ever been a coach in the Big 10 that was more, how do I want to put it, had more of an impact on the Big 10 than Bob Knight? That's a great question. And, you know, if you think back on that, I mean, of course, there may have been some before me, but I can say during my time, no.
00:07:29
Speaker
I do not believe so. I think Bobby Knight and what he did in Indiana and for USA basketball is I don't think there's any more. Any other culture has been as influential as he has been for the Big 10. And like I said, for basketball is a whole. I mean, at some point he and I don't know if he has been, but if he hasn't been, he will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
00:07:55
Speaker
Oh, he should be for sure. He wasn't just a great college basketball coach. He was a coach's coach. Yeah. Uh, okay. Well, we'll, you know, uh, you know, as a condolences to the Knight family and college basketball and everything on that as well, because like you said, it's just something that's.
00:08:13
Speaker
He's going to be missed for sure.
Illinois Basketball Preseason Games
00:08:15
Speaker
So let's get to Illinois now. I saw the two first preseason games. Of course, Ottawa was what you expected that game to be. I mean, nothing against Ottawa. I'm sure they're a fine basketball program for their division, but playing a division five or division division one power five, they just weren't in the right league for that game. So I'm not sure what you can take of that. But the Kansas game.
00:08:43
Speaker
Um, there was a couple of, you know, similarities in that Shannon was your, your main go-to guy as he was in the Ottawa game. Uh, but you didn't see as much as the younger guys, uh, which I thought I was kind of hoping I'd see him more again, more of Hansberry. Um, because I, I, I really liked the way that kid plays. He's, I, I, I said it in the Ottawa game, he was a, uh, a quiet beast.
00:09:11
Speaker
Because you didn't see, he wasn't flashy, he wasn't all over. He was just there when he needed to be. He got the rebound when he needed. He put the bucket back in when he needed it. I was impressed with Damask. I think he's going to, he's going to be probably of the transfers. I think he's probably the biggest, going to be the biggest help in terms of shooting and just overall play. I, I.
00:09:35
Speaker
I didn't think much of Gary A in the Ottawa game, but he really showed me something on that Kansas game. What was your take on those two games? Well, as you mentioned, I mean, the Ottawa game was what the Ottawa game was supposed to be. But I was looking at, you know, I didn't really care about the score, of course, unless we lost.
00:09:57
Speaker
I mean, because the team of that caliber, you're supposed to beat them. No, he did. But I look and see the connectivity between the players out on the court. I wanted to see how they responded and reacted to one another on the court. I mean, I wanted to see if they were having fun.
00:10:17
Speaker
You know, and this is an easy game. That was an easy game to have fun in, but you still want to look to see how they gel because I think that was a big thing. Yes, wanted to see how the freshman came in. How you know when you have so many new players come in and I have. I had only an opportunity to see them practice a couple of times so to see them in some real game action.
00:10:40
Speaker
I was just really looking to see how they would react, how they would play. I mean, especially with, you know, we had almost a full house that night for an exhibition game. And they performed exactly the way I thought they would against Ottawa. Going from Ottawa, Kansas, I wanted to see if all
00:11:00
Speaker
of that carried over. And I have to say, I was very impressed, um, by the way they played, um, the continuity they played with against a very good, as you know, preseason number one, Kansas team. And I thought Illinois was in control of that entire game. And, you know, I know it swayed back and forth there, you know, we'd get close, but every
00:11:24
Speaker
basket or situation where you thought Kansas was going to make a run or take a jump. Illinois had a counter to what they did and not just a counter. They would counter and then explode. You know, so I was really impressed with them, that Kansas game and how they played. And then, of course, moving into the season, they played, you know, they opened up the other night against Eastern Illinois.
00:11:51
Speaker
And which I was also looking, so we, you know, Brian Barnhart and I do what's called the keys of the game. And, you know, I give two or three, you know, touch points on where I think would help them be successful. And my first touch point was I wanted to see their energy. I wanted to see how they would react after beating Kansas.
00:12:14
Speaker
You know, like I know championship caliber teams play to their expectations. Doesn't matter what the name is on the front of the journey, Jersey of the team that they were playing against, but cause they set a level and an expectation for themselves. Um, and I think coach would agree with me on this because he said it in the post game, they kind of, I wasn't pleased and nor was he.
00:12:40
Speaker
Cause you could hear his reaction, you know, the first 10 minutes of the first half, you know, we had one offensive rebound. You, you, you can't have that against a team that you're clearly better than longer than more athletic and, you know, in a team that is far less that's, that's inferior to you. You know, again, I'm looking at Eastern Illinois. Now they're a better team than Ottawa, but.
00:13:07
Speaker
I guess the odds makers had them winning by 28. We
Team Dynamics and Season Expectations
00:13:13
Speaker
won by 28, but I think we should have won by 35 or 40. So that was the one thing that I was looking at to see and that was the only, I'll say failing grade that I will give them because the other three fourths of the game,
00:13:31
Speaker
they played the way they were supposed to. And they came out and they played really hard. So it was more so the mental prep and figuring out that, hey, we have to play at this level all the time, because that's what championship teams do. I mean, that very night, Purdue played against a team that was far inferior to them. They still a mid major on that same level as, say, an Eastern Illinois. And they went out there and they beat them by 50.
00:14:01
Speaker
That's what you're supposed to do, right? I want to see us get to. But this team, I really like them. As you mentioned, you know, Marcus, don't ask. I think he is going to be a huge part of our success this year. Really, you know, of course, Taryn Shannon Jr. is who he is. I'd love to see more consistency.
00:14:24
Speaker
as I did in that Kansas game from Coleman Hawkins. I mean, I've called him the X Factor for four years. I mean, he's so talented, but he has to stop thinking and just play and play hard all the time because he's just so talented. But Quincy Gear, the newcomers that have come in, and that's including the freshman Hans Berry and Gibbs Lawson. I mean, that kid right there is going to be a star. I mean, he has started
00:14:53
Speaker
be ridden all over him and a humble star. He doesn't go out there and brag and boast. He just goes out and plays hard and does his thing. And I was really impressed with him, but Dane Danger, and I'm sure he'll get more reps as we move through the season, but he's looked great for the time that he's been out there. I think Armani is really, Hans Berry is holding his own as a freshman and learning along the way.
00:15:21
Speaker
Um, Nico Moretti, I mean, coming off the bench at the point guard position has also looked really good. So this is, you know, this team can go 10 deep and not really skip a beat. You know, as long as they, they, they connected, they keep working together. Oh, and how do I forget?
00:15:39
Speaker
You know, Ty Rogers, how is he going to be at the point guard? This is this, you know, and I always thought that Ty would be great. I've told people he will be fine at that point guard position. No, he's not a great shooter, but he does so many other things on the court that, you know, and he showed it in the Kansas game, you know, he.
00:15:59
Speaker
but it take the smaller guards to the basket, but yet he was able to defend them on their end of the court. So really impressed with this Illinois team, just looking for continued growth, more mental growth than anything else. Like I said, understanding that they have to play to their level and not to the level of the opponent. Yeah, now we've got some tough games. I mean, not not right now. The next game is Oakland. I mean, that's not going to be super tough, but that's a great job over there.
00:16:28
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's one that's not gonna, you know, it's not gonna be one that people are thinking to test us, but it might, it'll give us a little bit of, if we're not careful, we could actually, you know, that could be a rude awakening. But you look up what we got coming down the road in Marquette and Tennessee and Florida Atlantic and, you know,
00:16:52
Speaker
This is probably one of the roughest early schedules I think I've ever seen an Illinois team take on. No, and it is and coach Underwood said that he was like, Hey, this is an opportunity for us to show who we are and what we have.
00:17:08
Speaker
and what we got. And I agree with him a hundred percent. If you want to be a champion, you have to play champion level teams. You know, Marquette's really good this year. FAU, of course, being ranked in the top 10 after a final four run last year and having all of those guys back. I mean, Illinois is going to has a tough road ahead. But if they go and do what they're supposed to do, you know, they're going to turn some heads and they're going to it's quickly.
00:17:37
Speaker
I want to touch, you're talking about going 10 deep and all the players. I'm going to start off by saying, I think it probably may have been, or maybe, I won't say necessarily his best decision, because I still think he had some value for this year. But I think for him, the sincere Harris deciding to redshirt
00:17:59
Speaker
I think that speaks
Sincere Harris' Redshirt Decision
00:18:01
Speaker
more of him and what he knows this, what he knows he can be for this team as opposing to him, what he can be for himself. Cause I think he knows this team is going to be fine without him this year, but he needs to improve to be there next year. Do you get the same feeling? Well, I don't disagree with that. Uh, knowing sincere the way I do, um,
00:18:28
Speaker
He's a thinker and and he understands one. You know it's going to be some test sledding for minutes out there because these freshmen are really good and and they're really good in their guys that could shoot the ball better than he can right now.
00:18:43
Speaker
I mean, there are guys that are more physically developed than he is right now, which was his statement behind wanting to redshirt was really to be able to build his body and get himself from a skill level and from a physicality level ready and better for Big 10 basketball. So, you know, kudos to coach and to sincere for understanding that these are things that he needs.
00:19:12
Speaker
One, for him personally, if he wants to be successful and have an opportunity to be able to play after college, those are things that he's going to need. But, you know, yeah, we will be fine. And that's the joy of the transport portal. As much as I am not a huge fan of it, it allows you to plug holes quickly, especially in basketball. And that's what Coach did. He did a great job of bringing in players that I believe
00:19:41
Speaker
You know our programmatic guys and you know, I meant didn't mention Justin Harmon. I mean, I love Justin Harmon as a player and what he brings and to be able to have older guys. You know we put a team out on the floor that were 50 year seniors and 1 4th year senior in Coleman Hawkins. Now that's some experience and that's what you want. That's what you need and especially in the Big 10 and in order to move forward in the NCAA tournament. I think coach did a great job of that.
00:20:10
Speaker
I think sincere recognize what we have, which gave him the opportunity to make the decision to get himself better.
00:20:18
Speaker
Yeah, and I will say, you know, you mentioned that the fifth year senior and the plan and the older guy, the old guys, as so to speak, reminds me of the teams that we got beat by early last year. When you talk about Missouri and Penn State, you know, who's the other one? Maryland. Yeah. It was a lot of older, older guys. And, you know,
00:20:43
Speaker
I think that can't be understated when you've got that kind of experience on the team. We're going to get more here with Dion after we hear this up from Fifth Street Motors. Don Glenn here from Talking Sports on the Bleachers at Gateway City Sports. Coaches and athletes are under a lot of stress. The pressure to win can be daunting. I can relate that almost to buying a car. And we all know how stressful buying a car can be, but there is one place that's trying to change that.
00:21:13
Speaker
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00:21:42
Speaker
573-259-1306. Tell them Don Glenn from Talking Sports on the bleachers sent you. All right. We're back with Dion Thomas. We've talked a little bit about Illinois and what they've done so far and the sensor Harris and a couple of players. I'm going to give you mentioned him earlier and that's a nickel. I'm already, um, you know, when he came in what mid season last year and of course never played.
00:22:13
Speaker
Or maybe you got in one game. I can't remember. Uh, but anyway, you know, I didn't think much. Uh, but when I saw him in the Ottawa game, uh, you know, coming in and just, he took over the floor.
00:22:27
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, he did what he was supposed to. He came in. So, okay. I'm the point guard. Everybody, everybody pay attention to me. Here's what's going on. And he ran the, and he ran the game. Uh, I was very impressed by that. Uh, and I think Gibbs, uh, law horn, the same thing, although I think he had a little tentative starting out, but by the end of that audible game, man, he looked good. So I think you're right on that. Uh,
00:22:50
Speaker
Do you see those guys? I mean, then we're going to talk recruits here in a little bit with possible other recruits coming. You know, can those guys stand stand up? I mean, like you said, I think Gibbs is going to be a stud no matter what you look at. Oh, yeah. But what do you what do you see, Meredi? What do you see both of their roles on this team? I mean, is it primarily the backup or is it the takeover when you need to?
00:23:19
Speaker
Let's start with Moretti. Nikki, I love him. I love his game.
00:23:25
Speaker
My question was, when he came in, of course, he was very slight. He's definitely gained and working with body by fletch, as we call the mad scientist. He's definitely put on some weight. He's gotten stronger. I mean, but we look at Nico, and Nikki is a coach's kid. He understands the game. He knows what his role is. He reads the game extremely well. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes.
00:23:53
Speaker
He's an excellent shooter, excellent passer, really good in ball screen actions. So he'll be that that type of point guard that can run the show and really get everyone else involved, knock down shots when necessary. How much time he'll get this year? I mean, because, you know, of course, coaches are going to have to start to whittle down some of that time as we get into Big 10 conference and so on.
00:24:21
Speaker
And he's the kind of kid that will keep himself ready and keep himself sharp and will continue to get better throughout the year. As I missed him with Gibbs Lawhorn, I mean, Lawhorn, that kid's a star. I mean, he's a star, but he just has to continue to grow and get better. I think he could and possibly will at times be that third star on the court because he can score in so many different ways. He shoots it extremely well.
00:24:50
Speaker
hit the body that he has been able to put on himself since the summer. I mean, you can see he's a lot bigger. He's super athletic. So he can go to the basket, play through contact. He gets out and is so quick in transition. So I expect him to have a, I mean, being a running for freshmen, I mean, all freshmen team.
00:25:12
Speaker
by the end of this season. He's going to be really good. Hansberry, you know, speaking of the freshmen and the young players has a way to go. You know, but big guys are always the ones that have a way to go. But what I do love about him is he is a rebounding machine. He has a nose for the ball. He understands how to lock and seal on the weak side rebounds. He does a
00:25:40
Speaker
phenomenal job playing with a very high motor. And I think that will be kind of his role this year. He'll spare Dane danger. He'll spare, um, uh, Coleman Hawkins, whenever he's playing at that five, come in there and give you, I believe 10 to 15 really hard minutes and he'll get you seven, eight rebounds during that time he's in there. So I look at nothing but positive.
00:26:07
Speaker
momentum for all three of these guys moving through the season. Yeah. Now, we go back to the old guys here for a second. You mentioned Coleman Hawkins getting some consistency. What I saw in because I didn't get to see the the Eastern Illinois game, I was I had prior engagement, wasn't able to watch it. But what I saw in that Kansas game from Coleman Hawkins, you know, it was like this is what we've been waiting on.
00:26:37
Speaker
Yes. You know, knowing when to pass, knowing when to shoot, knowing where he was on the court at all times, you know? And like you said, I wish I could see more of that. Well, Coleman, I think because he is so skilled, because he can do so many things, he overthinks the game.
00:27:00
Speaker
You know, last year we were complaining because there were times he pumped fake and take and not take shots when he was wide open. That's thinking. You know, even in that Kansas game that he continued to try to take Hunter off the dribble, but it wasn't a direct penetration. It's playing here, playing here, trying to go this way this way, but then he simplified it towards the end. You know, in the second half he was downhill to the basket, got a couple of layups, was able to make a couple.
00:27:29
Speaker
uh uh little jump shots and then you know little floaters rather and then he was able to knock down his three not thinking playing and that's Coleman Coleman is Coleman's biggest issue he he need to get out of his head and just play basketball so because he's a great player um very skilled and just does so many things and so you're right it's that consistency we need to see more of what we saw in the Kansas game and a whole lot less of what we saw against Eastern Illinois
00:27:59
Speaker
Yeah. We mentioned Damascus and some of the other guys. One guy we haven't mentioned yet is Luke Goody. Well, you know, Luke is Luke, baby. I mean, he's just steady. I mean, he's going to not. He's he's probably better. No, not probably. He's our best shooter on the court.
00:28:21
Speaker
Plays again, really smart, high motor, offensive rebounding, the last game against Eastern Illinois was phenomenal. He's going to be able to continue to do that in the big 10. You know, as long as he, and he's, I want him shooting. If he's open, I want him shooting. I don't care if he's missing, if he misses 10 in a row, I want him shooting because that's how much confidence I have in him shooting the basketball. Luke Goody is a heck of a player and he's going to be really, really good for us.
00:28:51
Speaker
And then him and him and don't mask on the floor together. Oh my God. That spreads the floor. They get, you know, um, and that gives Terrence Shannon opportunity to get downhill. That's going to give, uh, Gibbs lay horn opportunities to get downhill. I mean, it's going to open up so many things and not just those who Justin Harmon is a great shooter as well. So we, we, we're, we're, we're really.
00:29:16
Speaker
in a better position than we were last year with guys on the on the exterior. So I really like this team.
00:29:24
Speaker
Yeah, I you mentioned you you actually were you're about a step ahead of me on that one there I was gonna say something about the mosque and and Luke at the same because when you look at him on the court at least from a distance that it's almost a similar body type and Both of them play at least from what I've seen with such confidence that you don't mind them
00:29:47
Speaker
rising up and taking that shot because they don't look like they're flustered at all. They're not rushing it. It's like it's there in the flow. But then you stop and think, they're like two years apart. One's a fifth year senior, the other one's a junior. It's like, okay, wait a minute. These guys, twins separated at birth or what?
00:30:10
Speaker
I mean, their game is so similar in that respect, but I think the mosque does have a little bit more, if I want to say it, nose for the ball. I noticed, especially like in the Ottawa game and the Kansas game as well. I mean, if that ball was on the floor, he was within five feet of it somehow.
00:30:30
Speaker
Even if you had to come all the way across the court, he was he was around that ball. I think they both understand their role and rebounding is going to be key for both of them. I do believe that don't mask has a little bit more to his game as far as an offensive flow. He has the mid range game. He could shoot it from outside. He does have the ability. He's not a blazer by any.
00:30:56
Speaker
But he has an understanding of how to use his body and get to his spots on the floor. But that comes with maturity. And this is why having going from one of the youngest teams in the country last year to one of the eldest teams in the country this year is a positive for Illinois.
00:31:18
Speaker
We can go down down the line with, you know, the fifth year seniors and Coleman and all of them understanding, you know, what it takes to be successful and understanding how it is to practice and really prepare for a game. I mean, those things are huge when you don't have to teach freshmen how to do that. Exactly. Exactly. Hey, we'll, uh, we'll continue on with, uh, Dion in just a minute. Uh, after we hear a little bit about liquid IV.
00:31:47
Speaker
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00:32:05
Speaker
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00:32:34
Speaker
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00:32:52
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:33:49
Speaker
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00:34:16
Speaker
at zen.ai slash talking sports on the bleachers. All one word, get 20% off anything you buy. So check out hydration multiplication at liquidiv.com. Don't forget the promo code GCS at checkout. All right. And we're back with Dionne. Okay. We've talked about Illinois, what they're doing now, guys.
Upcoming Illinois Recruits
00:34:41
Speaker
I want to talk a little bit about what's coming up, what we, what we're looking at and the recruiting end of it. A lot is being made. And I was listening to a show today, um, and, uh, it was a Lante and Derek Piper. I was listening to them today. And, uh, they were talking about more as Johnson, uh, coming in, you know, and sign and, uh, the couple of the kids that they've signed and, uh, Jason Jack, this Jax, Jax to psych. I can't out of pronounce that name.
00:35:08
Speaker
I wait on Brian Barnhart to get the pronunciation. Okay, okay. Let me know when he gets it to you so I can pronounce it right. And then Jace Butler, and they're talking about Jeremiah fears, because one, somebody brought up the point that if they don't get fears with this, having Johnson basically been committed for two years, he committed verbally as a sophomore,
00:35:32
Speaker
Is that kind of a letdown in recruiting class with the other two guys? Because Butler is an unranked three star, or at least was an unranked three star at the time. And Jackass is kind of a slight kid project into work, so to speak.
00:35:50
Speaker
I don't know. Let me let me say that first and for no. Let me answer the question. Now, I really like Jeremiah feels fears this game. I think he'd be great for us. I believe he's leaning towards us, but you know you never know because there's a lot of other other programs in the picture.
00:36:08
Speaker
but more tests I love I think he is going to be well hopefully we can keep him around here long enough in the NBA doesn't come calling too quickly we can we can keep some NIL money here keep them in school because that kids gonna be lights out he's gonna be really good butler I think people are sleeping on Butler
00:36:29
Speaker
You got a six five guard that can play the one, the two or the three, and he shoots it lights out from outside. I mean, he reminds me physically of a Darren Williams, but he can really shoot the basketball boy. And I think that's going to be huge for him. I mean, he's a player that I know will have around at least two to three years unless, you know, again, the transfer portal or whatever may take place.
00:36:58
Speaker
Because he's a little bit more of a project as far as getting him getting the baby fat off of him, getting him stronger, more athletic. But as far as his basketball IQ, his skill level, I think this is why I don't like the whole national rankings and stars and all of that stuff. I think they're way off on this kid and Big Jack.
00:37:25
Speaker
You know, the only way I would say he is a project is because he's going to have the grand weight, get stronger at 611. But this is a 611. You can't, one, you can't teach 611. He has really good feet.
00:37:43
Speaker
you know he i've watched some video on him i met him uh when he was on his visit on campus so i had an opportunity to go home and watch some video of his feet are really good he can put the ball on the floor going left or right from the top of the key
00:37:59
Speaker
He has the ability to step out and knock down a three point shot. He's really he's a prototypical player of what the NBA is looking for. He's a big that can step out and shoot. He's a good athlete. So, yeah, I don't think it's a disappointment if we don't get fears. But boy, is it a skyrocket if we do. I was going to ask you also about recruiting and because, you know, most of us, you know, never been recruited by anybody.
00:38:27
Speaker
When you're looking at it, when the kids are looking at a school and I'm going to try and relate this little bit to the football, how does the other sports play into it? Because I know this big win that only just had against, uh, uh, Minnesota at the last minute for football team, you know, and I know we didn't have anybody there, but.
00:38:45
Speaker
at the Wisconsin game, you've got recruits that you're bringing in for basketball that are watching the game. Does the aura or the, the, the way, I mean, not sort of the team plays, but is it, does, how does that work with the fans? I mean, do you look at the fans and say, okay, if they're hyped up for football, just think what they're going to be for basketball or vice versa. I mean, as a recruit, do you look at how they react to other sports or just how they react to the basketball team?
00:39:11
Speaker
Well, your first thought is how is it going to be in the state farm center? Right. The state's farm center, when you go there and it's rocking, that's what you want to see. Illinois, I think, is a little different. I mean, when you look at Illinois, most people look at Illinois as a basketball school and not necessarily a football school. So when you can get big wins, you know, and big crowds at Memorial Stadium,
00:39:39
Speaker
That's an added bonus to what you're going to get from a recruit. I mean, in the eyes of a recruit, because you're looking to see if there's 15,000 sitting in the state farm center seats and it's packed every night. I mean, we've had four sellouts already with the exhibition games. So as a kid coming in, you're looking at the facilities, you're looking at the gear, you're looking at the fan support.
00:40:06
Speaker
You're looking at your relationship with the coaches, both assistant coaches and head coaches, and the style of play. Brad Underwood plays a style that would be enjoyable for anyone coming out of high school. They want to get up and down the court. They want to move.
00:40:23
Speaker
Brad wants a shot in under seven seconds if he can get it or Relatively good shot if he can't get it. So he's gonna play fast. He's gonna pay You know be athletic and long because it's just a good brand of basketball especially for today They do a great job of developing guys and helping them get better and then being able to move on to the next level which is another thing that kids are gonna look at and they Illinois does an excellent job at that and so, you know
00:40:53
Speaker
when you're being recruited, you know, it's a very attractive place. Unfortunately today, not so many people are talking to the whole academics the way they should, but you're also getting into great education for however long you're at the University of Illinois, you get one of the top educations, not just in the country, but in the world. So there's a lot of benefits all the way around. So yes, to answer your questions, do they look at football? Yes, but that's not the, or the other sports, but that's not the main thing.
00:41:21
Speaker
Another quick thing about recruiting, how has it, I mean, obviously with, with NIL it's, it's, and then the transfer portal, it's kind of moved around a lot, a little bit, but you know, what are some of the biggest, I mean, outside of those two, what are some of the biggest things you've seen change in the way recruiting has gone? I mean, those are the begin all to end all right now.
00:41:43
Speaker
when it comes to recruiting. Most of these kids now have some kind of agent, whether it's marketing agents or this or that. So it's really NIL dollars. If there's a university that's not in the NIL game,
00:42:00
Speaker
then they're not getting any clears. And that's just the bottom line. I mean, for us at Illinois, you know, I work in fundraising for Illinois Athletics. Now, we can't really we can't necessarily be a part of the NIL, but there's always a question in the conversation. And we're fortunate enough that we have a robust NIL program with our collective icon icon for Illinois.
00:42:27
Speaker
So from that standpoint, we're doing really well, but it's always something that has to be grow, you know, you have to grow it, you have to continue to increase, it has to be, you have to educate people on it. So they're not thinking that it's this negative. And that's one of the positives of how our program, our collective runs because
00:42:49
Speaker
Yes, our kids are making money off their name, image and likeness, but they're also being productive in the community because most of the deals are not deals where we're just, you know, kids are going to take pictures or things of that nature. They're actually serving in the community. I mean, we just came off of 15 football players.
00:43:10
Speaker
just came off of a big food drive for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank. And, you know, it was the largest gifts and donations that the Eastern Food Bank has ever gotten, has ever had, has ever made. So there are a lot of positives to how our program runs, as opposed to how some of the others are conducted around the country. But you're talking about the two biggest things in college sports, NIL and the Transport Report.
00:43:39
Speaker
How does that affect international guys like Moretti and guys like that? Is it the same with them or is there an extra hurdle because of the international status? Because of the international status. Unfortunately, they are not allowed to make NIL, which I think is pretty sad. And I hope that that's corrected at some point, but because of their visas,
00:44:06
Speaker
You know, they're not on their student visas, so they're not necessarily allowed to work here in the United States. So that kind of limits what they can do. You know, the Brown brothers kind of went through that same thing last year. But for example, if I'm not mistaken and I don't want to speak out of turn, if they're back on their home soil.
00:44:27
Speaker
then they're able to earn. Like when the Brown brothers in Canada, they were able to do some NIL things. Maybe the same thing, if legislation hasn't changed, NICO can do the same thing back in Italy.
00:44:41
Speaker
Um, but his dad was a great player. He may not need an IO money. One of the best teams in Europe. So I don't know if he necessarily is in need. Like maybe not, maybe not. Maybe not. Brad's been here now seven. This is seventh season. I think, um, as you've seen him and how he's recruited and how he's used the transfer portal.
00:45:08
Speaker
You mentioned it earlier, to plug the holes, knowing like he had to get old, so he went to their transfer portal. How much of that, how important is how he does it? I mean, is there, obviously there's no real elaborate science to it, but there is a science behind what he does. How do you see him as a recruiter and how he plays the recruiting game?
00:45:34
Speaker
Well, I think Brad's a great recruiter. I think that's one of the things that he does best. From the time he was at Western Illinois to his JUCO days. His JUCO days probably serve him even better now today with the transfer portal because you understand early
00:45:52
Speaker
what you need, how you're going to need to do it, how you need to move around. I'll give you a little story. At the end of last season, when we lost in the tournament, I was talking to the coach in the hotel, and the very first thing he said was, Deion, with the portal being so new, as it was last year, he was like, I have to do things different.
00:46:10
Speaker
I need to bring in guys that are more programmatic and not just get the best players that I can get out of the portal but guys that fit what we want to do and you know and fit my everyday guy moniker and that's what he did you know so you ask if there's a science yeah there's a science to it you better bring in people
00:46:31
Speaker
that fit what it is that you want to do. And that can live up to your style of coaching and of the demands that you put on them. So it doesn't, you can't have any prima donnas that don't understand that they got to come in here and work because that's the kind of guy that Brad is. I mean, he knows working. And so he's expecting guys to, you know, recruiting guys that, that are the same way and I have the same mental mindset.
00:46:59
Speaker
Um, so he did a great job this year as he has in the past. Bring, you know, getting in IO, getting in Kofi, um, Tara Shannon Jr. here, even Matt Meyer, who, who, you know, had his, his flaws, but you know, Matt's a great player to what he has done now with this recruiting class. You know, he's done an excellent job. I think he's one of the best in the country. Um, and that's not just me. That's according to a lot of his peers.
00:47:25
Speaker
Well, I mean, it definitely shows he's definitely being shown a level of respect around the country. That's for sure. I mean, you can hear it. You heard it when during the game, I loved watching that Kansas game on TV because they had the coaches miked up every once in a while. And, you know, you could just hear the respect that Bill Self had for Brad Underwood. And, you know, and like you said, I don't think that that's that's my accident meant to be. And he's earned that right.
00:47:55
Speaker
Uh, we're going to do some final minutes with the nine after we hear from the Sean Wiley group. Hello, this is Don Glenn from talking sports on the bleachers at gateway city sports. We all know how important it is to stay protected. Just like a quarterback stays protected in the pocket. You need to have the things in your life protected because we all know sometimes life throws you a curve and that's why you need all states.
00:48:20
Speaker
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00:48:36
Speaker
and your assets are properly protected. They also have great rates and savings. So give Sean and his team a call today. 636-764-6294. Again, that's 636-764-6294. They'll help you with an insurance quote right over the phone. I mean, that's how they roll folks.
00:48:58
Speaker
even give him a call if he just want to talk sports. Maybe I should have him on the show someday. With work and kids and social functions, we all have busy lives.
Contact Information for Sean Wylie
00:49:07
Speaker
So you can also email Sean at Sean Wylie at Allstate.com. That's S-E-A-N-W-I-L-E-Y at Allstate.com. Talk to him about your coverage options and remember, you're in good hands with Allstate
00:49:26
Speaker
Okay. Deon, I want to get back to, I know you're, you're, we've talked a lot of basketball, but I want to talk about, uh, is something that you, you're, and you mentioned in our last segment that you're kind of passionate with. And that's the iPhone. How's the iPhone doing? Thank God we're doing well. You know, Don, I mean,
00:49:45
Speaker
Because it is one of those things that's extremely important. But I find it pays for scholarships, pays for our student athlete development. And if there are any building projects on campus, we have to raise money for that as well. Our athletic department is self-sustaining. So we basically have to raise every dollar for everything that we bring in.
00:50:09
Speaker
And we're fortunate that we have some very generous alumni and who have been giving well for us. And so the iPhone is strong and still going forward. But of course, like everything else, inflation goes up. That's what me and my counterparts
00:50:31
Speaker
I get that, I get that for sure. Now, I think we've talked about this a little bit before, but it's not just the high profile scholarship athletes that benefit from the I fund. It's a lot of the other ones on campus as well. Can you speak to that a little bit? No, sure. I mean, when I talk about earning raising money for scholarships, that's everyone. That's all of our athletes.
00:50:57
Speaker
because every sport is receiving, you know, whether it's their, their budget or whether it's the scholarships, this is all dollars that we raise. So for baseball, for golf, for tennis, you know, gymnastics, all of these dollars are also come through the, the, you know,
00:51:17
Speaker
the iFund through our donors that make it possible. I mean, we have the new facilities. We actually have a new wrestling facility that's going up. It should be opening up after January. So we have a lot of things that are going on on campus. Everything, not just benefits baseball, basketball, volleyball, although so-called headcount sports. We raise and do for every sport on campus.
00:51:41
Speaker
So the iPhone is taking care of all of those, as people call them, non revenue sports. We make sure that they are all top notch programs as well and what you have to be. So the University of Illinois and our athletic department have done a great job with every program on campus. Great, great, that's fantastic. One of the final quick thing I just had to think of, because I just heard it today and it just crossed my mind, just remembered it.
00:52:09
Speaker
And this kind of relates a little bit. Shawna Green just signed, I guess, a five star recruit for the women's basketball team for next season. I want to go through how good has Josh Whitman been in assembling the coaches he has for the for the athletic department? Hey, you know, you're only as good as your leadership. And I think our athletic department is
00:52:37
Speaker
you know, and it's such a great position. You know, I know Brett Bill my is kind of, you know, having a little bit of a down year, but he's able to put two wins in a row. We still have a possibility to bowl game, but he came in and had the right to ship of some things that were, you know, not going very well.
00:52:56
Speaker
But what does he do? He comes in, you know, year two, put six guys in the NFL, including two going on day one and day two. He's going to do the same thing this coming draft. You know, we'll have several guys that are going day one, day two. So the football football program is great.
00:53:19
Speaker
Brad has been excellent for a long time now. Yeah. Do we got to get past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament? Yes. He knows that he understands that that's a passion for him. And I believe we will with this year's team. This is the first time last year was the first time we had, uh, well, we were one of 16 university, sorry, that had the men's basketball, women's basketball, and the football team all planned in the postseason.
00:53:45
Speaker
one of sixteen in the country. There's three hundred some division one programs and we were one of sixteen that had all three of our major sports there this year. We're one, you know, we haven't had our men and women's basketball program both ranked in the top twenty five since nineteen ninety nine ninety eight ninety nine or something like that. So I'll tell you the coaches that we have. We're not even talk about Mike, you know, Mike Smallwood golf. Oh, well,
00:54:13
Speaker
Well, consecutive Big 10 championships, you know, so our coaching across the board is top notch. If not the best in the Big 10 one, you know, one is definitely by one of the better programs in the Big 10 and in the country. And I mean, athletic sports overall. So all of that happens through Josh.
00:54:33
Speaker
recognizing talent, being able to get them here, getting them to understand the Illini way and how great this institution is. I take my hat off to Josh and hey and actually he brought me over you know I was working in government
00:54:51
Speaker
mind you, you know, I was a community relations for all three schools in the system for the University of Illinois system. And Josh came to me was like, Hey, this is the plan for the Chicago office. I need you to come back and I need you to do these things. So he's not only recruiting coaches, he recruited development officers as well. So Josh gets it, you know, his passion, as he said, when he took the job, it's not a job for him. It's personal.
00:55:17
Speaker
You know, former football player, you know, that has gone gold tablet has done all of the great things he did at Illinois and then to come back. I mean, that just shows you, you know, he has a passion for it and I think he's recruiting and bringing that recruiting. He's hiring and bringing in people that have been shared that same passion for Illinois.
00:55:36
Speaker
Well, Dion, it has been great having you on again. I love having you on. It's just such fun. And we'll definitely get together soon again, for sure. And I hope to get to a couple more games this year. And if not, I'd definitely be keeping an eye on the TV side of it, if I can. Listen to you and Brian when I get the opportunity, because I think you guys do such a great job calling the game. I really...
00:56:04
Speaker
Uh, Brian is a great, uh, play by play. And I think you give some of the best animal analyzing of what goes on on the court, uh, you know, um, all burger may think he does, but I think you're, I think you're above all burger thing, you know. Well, thank you, my friend. I appreciate that. Hey, no problem, buddy. Hey, uh, so tell people what they feel if they want to get a nurse in the iPhone, tell them where they go.
00:56:29
Speaker
Hey, go to join the iFun.com. It's on our university website. It's really easy to go on there, or you can call me. My email address is dionn at illinois.edu. It's d-e-o-n at illinois.edu. I hope you can answer any questions that you may have. You can also call my office, which is 312.
00:56:57
Speaker
Uh-oh. 585-9002. That's 312-585-9002. You can tell I don't call myself very often.
00:57:08
Speaker
I hear that. All right. Well, Dion, uh, thank you again. Thank you so much for coming on. And, uh, we look, I look forward to having you back again. Uh, we'll probably talk maybe one more time during the season and then right. Obviously when the tournament time rolls around, uh, we'll, we'll get together. So, uh, thanks a lot, Dion. And you have, you have a great day. I will see you later, my friend. That was good, big guy. Appreciate you as always. Go Alina. Go Alina.
00:57:40
Speaker
Well, that's going to do it for us today. Thank you to Dion Thomas for stopping by and talking some line. I hoops. You can find this show as a proud part of gateway city sports at gateway city sports. We provide articles and content on any mini sports in and around the city of St. Louis. You have articles by Brian Swope, Jean bonds, Russ Robinson, Tito Rivera. You can find me there too. You can also find out the podcast, the team of rivals with Ron Nuttle, Pete Geddes and Elliott Dewey.
00:58:09
Speaker
You can find the two for three with the Mighty Moose, Mike Stevenson, and then returning to the airwaves, the ever popular Derek King show with the ever popular Derek King. So check us out at gateway city sports.com. Find out what we got. You might just be surprised. If you want to hit up the show, you can find me on X slash Twitter or whatever you want to call it.
00:58:33
Speaker
at T-S-O-T-B-G-C-S or you can email the show T-S-O-T-B dot G-C-S at gmail dot com. So again, thank you to Dion Thomas and this is Don Glenn telling you to have fun, stay safe, and see you again when we are talking sports on the bleachers. Good night everybody.