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Post by illinifan818 on Feb 23, 2020 13:13:21 GMT -5
Interesting that Hinton, Collins & Swanson are listed as sophomores when its the second semester freshman year. I know Hinton started early but the others didnt It's simply a clerical thing. Eske and Chi are listed as sophomores as well. Brown and Bruna got bumped up too. This way people won't think that Hinton, Swanson, etc are the same class as Whittington and the other freshman this fall.
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Post by redcard on Feb 25, 2020 17:59:50 GMT -5
Next season will be interesting for Illinois. With so much production having graduated the positions seem wide open for anyone to step up. They also will need a leader to help get them over .500 in the B1G. Losing Prince in that role will be tough to replace. Seems like every spot is up for grabs. Should be an interesting season in 2020.
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Post by oldmanvb on Feb 25, 2020 22:23:05 GMT -5
Not quite every position. Cooney will be starting, although I guess we don't know if she will be on the left or right. Kuper probably and Brown more likely than not, but even they will be competing. Maybe Collins. It would have to be a pretty high level transfer to be handed a starting position. Coach Tamas will earn his paycheck.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Feb 27, 2020 5:56:34 GMT -5
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Post by vbkahuna on Feb 27, 2020 12:15:42 GMT -5
Sharping is a very interesting choice. The characterizationn provided by Tamas is very apt, and it wouldn't surprise me if Eli was selected over other higher profile applicants. This choice strikes me as one likely driven by focus on chemistry (coaching staff and team) and quiet but effective competence in specific areas. Worth watching. Time will tell.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Feb 27, 2020 14:42:52 GMT -5
Sharping is a very interesting choice. The characterizationn provided by Tamas is very apt, and it wouldn't surprise me if Eli was selected over other higher profile applicants. This choice strikes me as one likely driven by focus on chemistry (coaching staff and team) and quiet but effective competence in specific areas. Worth watching. Time will tell. I was told by someone close to the program that there were many applicants. I believe your assessment about chemistry is spot on.
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Post by ilalum92 on Feb 28, 2020 14:49:53 GMT -5
Anyone have any eyes or insight into spring practice? How people look?
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Post by scot19 on Feb 28, 2020 23:35:06 GMT -5
Sharping is a very interesting choice. The characterizationn provided by Tamas is very apt, and it wouldn't surprise me if Eli was selected over other higher profile applicants. This choice strikes me as one likely driven by focus on chemistry (coaching staff and team) and quiet but effective competence in specific areas. Worth watching. Time will tell. I was told by someone close to the program that there were many applicants. I believe your assessment about chemistry is spot on. There is much to like and admire about how Tamas appears to lead and run the program. Respect.
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Post by exit237a on Mar 2, 2020 12:04:12 GMT -5
Looking forward to seeing Kennedy potentially in a elevated role this season! Have to imagine there's a lot of competition in the gym between Rylee, Kyla, Maddie, and her at middle this offseason. Can't wait for those spring games to get a glimpse at those lineups.
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Post by jgoodson on Mar 3, 2020 13:17:51 GMT -5
This is the latest on the status of the hockey rink and the vball team. www.news-gazette.com/news/illini-ad-on-hockey-we-re-in-the-red-zone/article_4af78fd9-85b4-5733-aab7-cda2077de269.htmlSome excerpts. Josh Whitman said he hopes to have “good news in the not-too-distant future” about adding Division I hockey to the lineup of sports at Illinois. “What I’ve learned is that hockey is a big deal in the state of Illinois — up in Chicago in particular and down in the St. Louis region,” he said. “We have the sixth-highest youth hockey participation rate of any state in the country. And it’s not just quantity, it’s quality. “We have the fourth-most Division I hockey players coming out of the state of Illinois of any state in the country but we have zero Division I hockey players. So we think there’s a great opportunity there for us to fill that void.” Whitman also touted the advantages of having a new, multi-purpose downtown Champaign arena — for four existing Illini teams (volleyball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics), for UI students, for the local economy and for parents of youngsters — like him. “As the father of two young kids,” he said, “the idea of them growing up in and around the ice arena, learning how to skate and learning how to play hockey ... would be pretty exciting.” I have never seen where Whitman said with any specifics on how playing in a hockey rink would be good for vball. My cynical old self thinks the reason he does not go into specifics is that the specifics would not support his narrative about the move being good for vball. The disparate size of the playing surfaces bodes ill for vball. He sure likes his hockey though. I noticed that in the above two paragraphs that although vball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics are mentioned along with hockey, what Whitman talks enthusiastically about is hockey. This (below) seems appropriate. Hope things do not turn out as bad for vball as I suspect. Unfortunately, I have seen this movie before and it did not have a happy ending for vball. Sword of Damocles- If you say that someone has the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head, you mean that they are in a situation in which something very bad could happen to them at any time.
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Post by jgoodson on Mar 3, 2020 13:22:24 GMT -5
This is from an ESPN hockey guy, John Buccigross, dated 2/27/20 about Illinois adding a hockey team.
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Post by illinifan818 on Mar 3, 2020 14:52:34 GMT -5
This is the latest on the status of the hockey rink and the vball team. www.news-gazette.com/news/illini-ad-on-hockey-we-re-in-the-red-zone/article_4af78fd9-85b4-5733-aab7-cda2077de269.htmlSome excerpts. Josh Whitman said he hopes to have “good news in the not-too-distant future” about adding Division I hockey to the lineup of sports at Illinois. “What I’ve learned is that hockey is a big deal in the state of Illinois — up in Chicago in particular and down in the St. Louis region,” he said. “We have the sixth-highest youth hockey participation rate of any state in the country. And it’s not just quantity, it’s quality. “We have the fourth-most Division I hockey players coming out of the state of Illinois of any state in the country but we have zero Division I hockey players. So we think there’s a great opportunity there for us to fill that void.” Whitman also touted the advantages of having a new, multi-purpose downtown Champaign arena — for four existing Illini teams (volleyball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics), for UI students, for the local economy and for parents of youngsters — like him. “As the father of two young kids,” he said, “the idea of them growing up in and around the ice arena, learning how to skate and learning how to play hockey ... would be pretty exciting.” I have never seen where Whitman said with any specifics on how playing in a hockey rink would be good for vball. My cynical old self thinks the reason he does not go into specifics is that the specifics would not support his narrative about the move being good for vball. The disparate size of the playing surfaces bodes ill for vball. He sure likes his hockey though. I noticed that in the above two paragraphs that although vball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics are mentioned along with hockey, what Whitman talks enthusiastically about is hockey. This (below) seems appropriate. Hope things do not turn out as bad for vball as I suspect. Unfortunately, I have seen this movie before and it did not have a happy ending for vball. Sword of Damocles- If you say that someone has the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head, you mean that they are in a situation in which something very bad could happen to them at any time. I mean the interview was about hockey so that's probably why he doesn't mention the other sports as often...
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Post by Friday on Mar 3, 2020 15:29:14 GMT -5
Also Whitman and his wife are at almost all volleyball games and seem to enjoy it and are engaged.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2020 15:42:25 GMT -5
This is the latest on the status of the hockey rink and the vball team. www.news-gazette.com/news/illini-ad-on-hockey-we-re-in-the-red-zone/article_4af78fd9-85b4-5733-aab7-cda2077de269.htmlSome excerpts. Josh Whitman said he hopes to have “good news in the not-too-distant future” about adding Division I hockey to the lineup of sports at Illinois. “What I’ve learned is that hockey is a big deal in the state of Illinois — up in Chicago in particular and down in the St. Louis region,” he said. “We have the sixth-highest youth hockey participation rate of any state in the country. And it’s not just quantity, it’s quality. “We have the fourth-most Division I hockey players coming out of the state of Illinois of any state in the country but we have zero Division I hockey players. So we think there’s a great opportunity there for us to fill that void.” Whitman also touted the advantages of having a new, multi-purpose downtown Champaign arena — for four existing Illini teams (volleyball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics), for UI students, for the local economy and for parents of youngsters — like him. “As the father of two young kids,” he said, “the idea of them growing up in and around the ice arena, learning how to skate and learning how to play hockey ... would be pretty exciting.” I have never seen where Whitman said with any specifics on how playing in a hockey rink would be good for vball. My cynical old self thinks the reason he does not go into specifics is that the specifics would not support his narrative about the move being good for vball. The disparate size of the playing surfaces bodes ill for vball. He sure likes his hockey though. I noticed that in the above two paragraphs that although vball, wrestling, men’s and women’s gymnastics are mentioned along with hockey, what Whitman talks enthusiastically about is hockey. This (below) seems appropriate. Hope things do not turn out as bad for vball as I suspect. Unfortunately, I have seen this movie before and it did not have a happy ending for vball. Sword of Damocles- If you say that someone has the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head, you mean that they are in a situation in which something very bad could happen to them at any time. A co-facility with hockey, vball and gymnastics seems interesting. I am trying to picture it. I know Minnesota plays in an old hockey arena, but I am not sure of any that play in a facility that houses both. For hockey schools, some have shared facilities with hockey and basketball. In the B1G, we're talking Ohio State and Wisconsin who do that. Minnesota, PSU, MSU, Michigan have separate hockey and hoops facilities. While volleyball has a smaller court, most of the places I see have large playing surfaces that are about the size of a basketball floor anyway. I don't think there being ice under the surface is a huge deal. Arenas have been dealing with that forever. Only thing that would be of a concern is seating layout for vball in a hockey facility. Volleyball is so much more fun in a more compact kind of arena where fans don't feel like they're three miles from the floor.
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Post by jgoodson on Mar 3, 2020 17:18:43 GMT -5
The hockey effort goes back at least two years. The link below is dated 3/8/18. I have been following the hockey news since and started with an open mind. www.news-gazette.com/news/ui-hockey-feasibility-study-recommends-downtown-facility/article_403d003f-1cb7-5988-aa63-eb12d78c2868.html I read that the new hockey arena would be a boon for volleyball. After looking at the dimensions for a hockey rink and a vball court my question was- how could that be? I kept waiting for some sort of artist rendition of what it would look like for vball. I found one for the hockey rink. Nothing for vball. It is possible I have missed that. It seems likely that such an image has existed for some time because there would have to be some sort of design to estimate cost. I have lived in cities where new stadium efforts have been undertaken. Making views of the potential stadium available to the public has been part of the sales effort. Once again, my cynical old self says that if such an image is not being made available it is because the powers that be do not want you to see it because it would be evident that the move would not be good for vball. If you take a look at the hockey rink planned for Iowa (which is also the future home to the Iowa vball team), it is hard to see how that would be a good place to watch volleyball (vball at 30 sec mark in video, link below). Note how far from the playing surface the hockey seats are, especially compared to how close the seats are at Huff Hall. Boon for vball, hardly. www.coralville.org/765/Xtream-ArenaAt no time in the past two years have I read of Whitman saying anything other than the hockey rink would be good for vball. His detail conversation has been all about hockey. Everything that Whitman is saying about hockey players being produced in Illinois could also be said about vball players. And it is not like the economics of hockey are a slam dunk . The University of Illinois-Chicago had a hockey team that was terminated in 1996 after losing $600,000 the year before (link below). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UIC_Flames_men%27s_ice_hockeyThere was a recent posting about vball being the 3rd highest rated sport on the Big Ten Network (behind basketball and football). And there are a lot more vball players produced annually than hockey players as a future TV audience. Hockey is not a growth sport. To me, the future long term economics of a hockey team may not be better or even as good as the potential for the Illinois vball team if given equivalent support. In such a situation, why raise many millions for a new men’s hockey team and relegate the women’s vball team (the highest profile women’s team on campus)to 2nd class status. And to me, a vball team playing in a hockey rink is 2nd class status. I hope I am wrong about what playing in a hockey rink means for the vball team. And maybe there is a design that works for vball. That would be great. It appears that we may not have much longer to wait. Eventually reality matters. And we will learn if what Josh Whitman has been telling us matches reality. My reference point is the post Mike Hebert departure to Minnesota downturn in vball. I hope that the vball move to a hockey arena does not trigger another such downturn. It will be interesting to compare what Whitman has planned for the vball team to what Indiana and Ohio State did for their vball teams (new on campus vball arenas). The answer to that question will say a lot about the future competitive position of the Illinois vball team in the Big Ten trending up or down.
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