Since Tuesday you heard the Tracy Abrams rumors. Yesterday afternoon you got the devastating news. No need for The Sports Bank to re-hash the details, the type of people who will click on this post are already up to speed.
So where does Illini basketball Coach John Groce go from here?
Obviously, Abrams has some limitations on both ends of the floor. He’s okay, but not great defensively. Offensively, he’s very streaky. In terms of overall value as a player, he’s about on par with a Chester Frazier or Kevin Turner.
Abrams is a bit of a polarizing figure within Illini nation, and I’ve pinpointed the reasons why. Also, I’ve shot down the “reasons” why some Illini fans dislike him.
1. He’s not a legit secondary or tertiary scoring option
True. However, you can’t blame Tracy for that. It’s not his fault the team was devoid of shooters and wing scoring.
2. He hasn’t lived up to expectations
Maybe. Maybe not. Recruiting rankings are often subjective, arbitrary, and often pointless.
3. He never says anything of value in interviews, press conferences
The same can be said of almost every high profile athlete. They say nothing but the same five or six cliches over and over again because that’s what they are coached to do so.
Athlon predicted the Illini to finish 6th in Big Ten, Bleacher Report had them ninth, before the injury news broke. The Illini do have guards for days, so they can adjust to this. I wouldn’t slot the Illini more than one or two spots lower than you originally had them, in the wake of this news. Still, Tracy Abrams IS a very significant loss for the Illini and here’s why:
Flash back to December 3rd when the then junior guard scored 12 of his season-high 15 points in the second half as the Illini eked out a very ugly win over the Low-Major IPFW Mastodons. Abrams started Illinois’ 17-5 run that helped erase the 11-point deficit with a three-point play with 2.7 seconds remaining in the first half. He also added a season-high four steals.
That night, more than any other conveyed how much Groce loves the Mt. Carmel product. He loves him more than…think about how much Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly loved Tommy Rees while he was at Notre Dame. Now take that level of admiration and square or cube it.
Groce spent a huge portion of that postgame press conference praising Tracy Abrams. “Dude’s a winner,” Groce said.
“Without Tracy Abrams we probably don’t get it done. He willed us to a win. He’s a big part of what we do.”
“He’s an extension of what I want said and echoed, and tonight he did it at the highest level I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It’s just his mindset, he’s a tough kid. he’s getting other guys, he’s pulling them with him. that’s a sign of how he’s growing in the leadership area.”
During the disaster that was Bruce Weber’s final season (in which it was pretty obvious many of the players had quit at times) Abrams was given the team MVP award as a freshman. This honor despite the fact that he produced very unimpressive statistics. That speaks volumes how his leadership abilities– being voted team Most Valuable Player despite minimal production.
“Where he’s come from, to where he is now Jimminy Christmas, his ability to keep this team together has been outstanding,” Groce said of Tracy Abrams that night.
So indeed he will be missed.
Senior transfer from Oregon State Ahmad Starks will likely now be the one in the starting lineup. Starks is Oregon State’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals (185). During his junior season at OSU he started 27 of 32 games and averaged 10.4 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Remember he is listed at 5-9 though. Which means he’s even shorter than that. However, Starks provides outside shooting; something the ’13-’14 Illini were severely deficient in.
Jaylon Tate is a fine distributor and passer, but his shot is as ugly as Chester Frazier’s was. Or former Michigan State star Travis Walton. Tate will be the back-up point guard, and hopefully he can build on the couple of decent games he had versus the Low-Majors in the preconference. Tate was pretty absent during the conference season.
Tertiary option is Aaron Cosby. He’s a two guard, but he can play some point if needs be. He also has lots of starting experience in the Big East; so that counts for something. Overall, I thought the Illini were a 6th-9th place team with Tracy Abrams. This loss is a huge deal, but I still have them somewhere 6th-9th.
It goes without saying that Quentin Snider would have been a great asset right now. However, that’s how the recruiting game is played. And yet another example of why the world would be a much better place without recruiting websites, recruit rankings, national signing day, stupid hat picking ceremonies et al.
Getting back to topics that actually matter, Groce’s teams always persevere and overachieve. This year’s group will do the same. Tracy Abrams means a great deal to Illini basketball, but his loss certainly does not extinguish 2015 NCAA Tournament hopes.
Paul M. Banks owns, edits and manages The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)