We are back with our latest edition of The Opposing Bench. This week we talked to Anthony Zilis from the Daily Illini, the newspaper of the University of Illinois. Sunday the Hoosiers take on Illinois at home with tip set for 12:30p.m.
Before we start the Q and A, Anthony shared some fun facts about Illinois coach Jolette Law
She was the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters and appeared in MC Hammer's "Too Legit to Quit" music video.
Here is the Q and A
Above the Rim: What were the expectations like for this team going into the season?
Anthony: Like most teams, the Illini had an optimistic expectation of how good they would be. They were picked to finish in the middle of the pack by both the media and the coaches, but when I asked Jenna Smith about the prediction, she said they laughed at it. She said they viewed themselves at the top of the Big Ten. But with only three players returning from last year's team, that was hardly expected by most. They weren't expected to perform quite as poorly as they have, though.
Above the Rim: How tough was it for the team loosing the 10 games in a row? What were the players and coaches saying about that?
Anthony: I'll give you a scenario. After Illinois was beaten by Wisconsin in Madison, I went to the press room with all of the other reporters. We sat and waited about 15 minutes for Lisa Stone and a few Wisconsin players, who held their press conference. We waited about 20 more minutes, and Law still hadn't shown up to the press conference. Pretty soon, the Wisconsin Sports Information Director came out and told us that if we wanted to speak to Law, we could go down and wait outside the locker room.
I was the only one to go.
I waited about 20 more minutes for Law to get done with her post-game speech which, let's just say, I could hear from outside the locker room. Pretty soon she came out and we had a chat about the state of the team. She wasn't happy with their defense or effort, and she wasn't afraid to say it.But soon after that, I talked to her about practice, which she had changed to 6:30 in the morning. She said that you wouldn't be able to tell if the team had lost 10 in a row or won 10 in a row. The effort seemed to be there, and the players seemed to be motivated. There doesn't seem to be any dissent towards Law or teammates by any players, which seems difficult on a losing team. Pretty soon they won two games in a row, which was a very big deal for them.
Above the Rim: What would you attribute some of those losses too?
Anthony: The losses seem to come from an inability to shoot from the outside and a young team that has a lot of growing up to do.
Above the Rim: Who are the key players on the team (other than Jenna Smith)?
Anthony: Lacey Simpson is a probably as overlooked as any player in the Big Ten. She is a 6-foot "athlete" who can dunk a tennis ball and, pretty much, play any position. She's a player who fills up the stat sheet, and leads the Big Ten in steals. Beyond those two, though, the Illini have been looking for a third offensive option beyond those two all season. Illinois' only senior and defensive stopper, guard Chelsea Gordon, just tore her ACL and is out for the season.
Freshman guard Macie Blinn has shown she can be a really good player. She can hit the three and drive to the basket, but beyond that seems just to be a smart basketball player when she's playing well. But she's just been so inconsistent this year that she's been difficult to depend on. Beyond that, the Illini are a very thin team. With Gordon out, they only have eight players and only five average above 7.3 minutes per game. In the last two games, each starter has played at least 35 minutes.
Above the Rim: Talk a little about Jenna and how she came to UI and why she is so tough to defend?
Anthony: She's very big, agile player who gets great post position and has nice touch inside. She has huge shoulders, and gets a lot of offensive rebounds just by being big around the basket. She also runs the court very well.
Above the Rim: Talk about Jolette Law and her coaching style and what she brings to the team?
Anthony: Coach Law can be very tough on her players, especially her freshman. But she seems to have enough respect from her players that her players can benefit from it. She wants to take her players to the next level. I really wouldn't blame this poor season on her. Anyone who sits down and talks to Law knows what an engaging person she is. She is very charismatic, and seems to show that she really wants the best and believes in her players. She's coached under the best and was brought in as a top recruiter. With next year's class coming in along with everybody from this team coming back, Illinois will actually be a very dangerous team this year.
Above the Rim: How was she in only her second year able to land such a good recruiting class for next year (ranked 13 by All-Star Girls Report)?
Anthony: The class is actually ranked third by ESPN's Hoopgurlz and has been as high as fourth by Blue Star Basketball. Kelsey Bone, who is Blue Star's top ranked senior, still has Illinois in her top four.Law coached under Vivian Stringer at Rutgers, where she helped recruit teams that went to two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and three Sweet Sixteen appearances. When she came to Illinois, she promised that Illinois will play in a national championship while she is coach.
Above the Rim: What is your prediction for the game Sunday against IU?
Anthony: I'm going to have to go with a 52-44 Indiana victory. Illinois most likely just isn't deep enough or good enough right now to upset Indiana again. I really wouldn't be shocked if this game went down to the final few minutes, though.
