Saturday, February 28, 2009

We guard, we prepare, every possession means something

This week, after critics complained about the "meager offense" of Big Ten teams this season, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said he'd had enough.

"I’m sick of hearing it, to be honest. We guard, we prepare, we play our butts off and play in hostile environments. It’s style of play. I’ve always said we prepare. We guard. Every possession means something, whether it’s right or wrong. This goes back to coach (Gene) Keady, coach (Bobby) Knight, coach (Jud) Heathcoat. It’s just how it is within our league."

[As a sidebar, I came across an interesting note about how Illinois sophomore forward Mike Davis' "poor body language" was hindering his play. According to Davis, "A psychiatrist called Coach and told him about my body language that I put my head down and would get down on myself. He said I can’t do that. It’s a weakness of mine. I have to stop. The other team can tell when I put my head down that I’m out of the game, so I have to stay positive the whole game."]