It is not the fault of Illini basketball Coach John Groce that senior point guard Tracy Abrams has sort of become the Big Ten version of Derrick Rose. (Or maybe an Illinois version of Robbie Hummel; when it comes to being snake bit by injuries, but not in terms of talent).
It is the fault of John Groce that he has no other options beyond Abrams.
Yesterday’s news is devastating for Abrams, the Illini basketball program, and those connected to the program. Abrams appears to be an all round good guy, on and off the court, and his valuable presence will truly be missed.
Last year when he got hurt, we did our “Abrams is out for the year” article, covering just how much he means to Illini basketball.
It remains to be seen if Abrams will ever be the same player he once was if/when returns in 2016-17. Look no further than former Northwestern QB Dan Persa or ex-Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas to see what can happen to a star Big Ten athlete once his Achilles gives out on him. Whether or not Tracy Abrams regains his full explosiveness and mobility, he wasn’t first team all-conference to begin with.
Yet he’s been one of Illinois’ most important players these past few years, and he was expected to be to fill a primary role again this season. Likewise for 2016-17 . Abrams is a lot of things, but if he’s the secondary or tertiary scoring option, you probably have a bad team.
Again that’s the fault of Groce, not Abrams.
The point guard situation this season, as well as for 2016-17, is extremely bleak. Jaylon Tate is a pure point guard, in terms of his skill set and makeup, but he’s not a starting point guard on a decent team. Tate redefines the cliche “can’t shoot it into the ocean.” Look at his field goal percentage during his first two seasons at Illinois. Then, if you’re truly feeling brave, look at his three point field goal percentage.
After Tate, the other two options are two true freshmen who play other positions. Jalen Coleman-Lands and D.J. Williams are two highly rated recruits but the former is a shooting guard and the latter is a small forward. Illini basketball is still a program with a bunch of 3s and some 2s, but nothing to write home about at the 5, 4 and 1.
And as bleak as 2015-16 could be, 2016-17 doesn’t look much better. You have to find/develop a legitimate point guard eventually. You also need an actual big man who can contribute at both ends of the floor at some point. Illinois has neither, and won’t for a couple of years yet.
This was going to be a make-or-break year for Groce, but now it remains to be seen how much leeway he’ll be given due to circumstances outside his control. Yes, what happened to Abrams is freakishly bad luck, but if Groce could close the deal on his recruiting targets, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
As I, and a few others said on Signing Day 2013, Quentin Snider deciding to pull an Eric Gordon on the Illini will prove to be a lot more devastating than losing Cliff Alexander.
That truth is undeniable today.
Tomorrow is the first of two Big Ten Football Media Days. Illinois is universally projected to finish 5th or 6th (out of 7) in the Big Ten West. Most Big Ten power rankings have the Illini slotted 11th to 13th in the 14 team league. That’s depressing enough as it is, but Illini basketball headlines somehow ended up even darker than football headlines this week.
Maybe Illini basketball and Illini football are truly snake-bitten? How do you explain the Mikey Dudek injury several months before the season starts, and then the hoops equivalent happens with Abrams a few months later? As bad as Athletic Director Mike Thomas is at his job, and as awful as his hires have proven to be, you can’t blame Thomas for rotten luck.
Illini basketball looked like a 8th-10th place in the Big Ten team with Abrams. Now without him, it feels more like 10th-12th. The only bright spot in that is Illinois will finally move out of that #8 vs #9 game in the Big Ten Tournament. That storyline is to Illini basketball what STD and binge drinking jokes are to an Amy Schumer sketch.
There’s only so much you can hear the same exact bit over and over and over and over and over and over.
It’s going to be a very long basketball season, and 2016-17 doesn’t look much better at this point. A lot can change between now and then, but until Groce can find a legitimate point guard, there’s no reason for optimism. The losing will come, and when it does, Groce post game press conferences will become even more pure in their composition of pointless concentrated coachspeak.
If you are subjected to a Groce postgame press conference the best way to survive is by doing this:
How to survive this season (and seemingly the next) as an Illini basketball fan?
“Like the tree said to the lumberjack, I’m stumped.” –Ned Flanders.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country.
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