Illinois: Young But Not Immature

Groce's energy reverberates throughout his program

With a big win over B1G conference foe Penn State, Illinois moves to a 13-2 record and a 2-0 record in B1G play. And while scoring was obviously the most notable aspect of the game (Illinois won 75-55), the change in the culture of the program was not hard to see. Throughout the mid-2000s, Bruce Weber suffered through underachieving seasons simply because his teams lacked discipline down the stretch and did not always show mental toughness. Even the veteran "leaders" like Mike Davis, Brian Randle, and Rich McBride (it hurts me to even call them leaders) were immature both on and off the court.

Yet what we have seen now with John Groce in charge is a change in how the Fighting Illini approach the game. There is a toughness aspect to how they play and it is exemplified on both sides of the ball. Guys like John Ekey, Rayvonte Rice, Tracy Abrams, Joseph Bertrand, and Nnanna Egwu are the veterans on the team and have proved that they are capable of running the show as well as anyone else in the conference and it is their maturity that has now established Illinois as a soon-to-be Top 25 team.

At the beginning of the game today, Illinois jumped out to a 9-0 lead which gradually shrunk to a 28-26 lead at the half. The game was physical and offenses on both sides seemed to stall at times which is something that Illinois fans have gotten so used to seeing. And while slow or ineffective offense is sure to come at some point for any team, the Bruce Weber era was one that could never find its way OUT of those little funks. Teams used to collapse under the pressure, players would take ill-advised shots too early in the shot clock, guys would become selfish and stop running the offense, or the team as a whole would just shut down and no longer compete. It made for many long winters and constant questions as to how Illinois could plummet so far after the 2005 Final Four team.

That is exactly what makes John Groce a God-send for Illinois' program. He has instituted a competitive label to this team that is slowly making its way into the national spotlight. It began with a tough road win against UNLV and was enhanced by big late-game execution that led to wins over rivals Missouri and Indiana. The Fighting Illini played hard-nosed but smart basketball down the stretch in all three games and today was no different. Penn State continually chipped away at the Illinois lead yet it never seemed like the Fighting Illini ever changed their approach. Body language was never poor and faces never appeared scared.

Frustration was all too familiar to Weber at Illinois

But more than the maturity being shown through the game of basketball is the maturity being shown in personality and character. The game was physical and two particular instances proved that this team, though young, is ready to handle just about any controversy. In the second half, Illinois freshman Malcolm Hill was tossed to the ground on a rebound and while emotions ran high momentarily, Hill never retaliated. It took some guidance from Nnanna Egwu, but Hill walked away from the scuffle. Later in the same half, freshman Kendrick Nunn drove the lane for a lay-up and made contact with Penn State's D.J. Newbill on his way down the floor. Taking exception to the contact, Newbill shoved Nunn in the back of the head which prompted Nunn to get in the face of Newbill. There is nothing wrong with defending yourself which is why there was nothing negative about Nunn's reaction, but once again his teammates came in and separated the two players and Nunn walked away. No retaliation. No punches thrown. And while Nunn and Hill are both 18 year olds, it speaks volumes that the two freshman carried themselves so well in a high-intensity game such as today's. Credit the young men on the team for keeping composure, but also credit John Groce for coaching his team to be disciplined.

Bruce Weber was and is not a bad coach. He is currently coaching an above-average Kansas State team and did lead Illinois to a couple successful seasons. Yet Weber seemed to lose control towards the end of his time at Illinois and now John Groce has stepped in and made Illinois a competitive program once again. While Groce does have a good amount of veterans, there is no question that the maturity and ability of his freshman will soon prove to be something special. Illinois still has numerous tests to face in conference play with teams such as Ohio State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, but if this kind of play continues, Illinois just may find themselves in the top half of the B1G at season's end. Groce has done everything right in reconstructing this program. The future is bright for Illinois.

Armstrong Next in Long Line of Fallen Heroes

On Thursday morning when America turns on Oprah they will hear the sad and disappointing news come from Lance Armstrong's mouth that he used PEDs during his magical, yet now fraudulent, domination of seven straight Tour de France titles. Though the news is disappointing, is it really that surprising? Can we as fans really be surprised by this news? To me, Armstrong is the next superstar in a long line who have let us down. Heroes who we held on a pedestal constantly let us down with their actions off the field or their actions of cheating. It's a disturbing cycle in American sports today.

How does a man who has apparently been doping for years vehemently deny it to the media over and over again? Sure, Armstrong is still a hero and an inspiration, but he is also a fraud, a liar, a cheater and a snake. He flat out lied for years and he led us on a trail of glory only to run us into a dead end like so many others we idolized.

Who can we trust in today's sports world? The baseball Hall of Fame voting was marred by the discussions of steroids and players we once held up as heroes such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens were left out because of their PED use. Sosa and Mark McGwire took us on a journey during the summer of '98 that was unlike any other. Nothing was more fun than watching those two bash home runs unfathomable distances day after day, but now we look back on that summer in disgust and view it as one big lie.

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were two of the main Idiots on the loveable 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series team and they helped the team beat the Curse of the Bambino. The two terrorized opposing pitching staffs with clutch home runs, but like McGwire and Sosa, that all seems like a fraud now. It's another positive memory that has been made negative by the findings later on.

It's not just cheating that turns us away. Tiger Woods let us down perhaps more than any other athlete when his life came crashing down on Thanksgiving weekend a few years ago. While athletes are free to do what they want with their personal lives, we love those who hold themselves to a higher moral standard. We thought that was Tiger Woods. The clean-cut, well-spoken, family man who collected major championships like a 10-year-old collects baseball cards no longer was the model athlete. He was a man with a dark, hidden private life and he became tabloid fodder. Again, we suddenly couldn't look back on those clutch putts with the same joy we once did. There was something different.

Let us not overlook the wrongdoings and downfall of the Penn State football program and Joe Paterno as well. The model program in State College went down in shambles when the news broke of Jerry Sandusky's child abuse scandal. Paterno was the perfect coach, but even he could not escape the blame and the scandal led to his firing and his records have vanished. Are those glory years at Penn State still viewed the same? It would be hard to ignore the once covered up sins.

And we look at all these examples of athletes letting us down and it makes you wonder why we choose to attack a guy like LeBron James. On this very blog we have criticized the man, but in the grand scheme of things what has he done wrong? If anything, LeBron is a ray of hope. He has no off-the-court incidents and we would love to keep that way. The same can be said for guys like Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Kevin Durant and Aaron Rodgers. They are our heroes who have never let us down.

So when Armstrong admits to years of doping he will just be the next man in a long line of athletes who have disappointed us with their actions. Is he still a symbol of hope and inspiration? Sure he is, but something tells me we won't look back on those Tour de France titles the same way we once did. Something tells me we won't ever look at the Livestrong brand the same way. But most importantly, something tells me he won't be the last of our heroes to let us down.

Paterno Shouldn't Be Main Figure in Penn State Scandal

Emotions are running high in State College, PA after the immediate firing of legendary football coach Joe Paterno amid the sex scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The Penn State board of trustees voted unanimously to fire Paterno, effective immediately, and that prompted students to flock towards the Old Main administration building to express their anger over JoePa's firing. It has been one of the wildest few days in collegiate sports history and in this short amount of time JoePa and Penn State went from celebrating the coach's all-time wins record to pure chaos due to the scandal. Paterno is under fire and is the biggest face in this story and that has him under fire by many who can't believe he didn't do more to help those boys that were assaulted by Sandusky. We are running on a lot of emotion right now and I think that can cloud our minds. Who should we really focus on in this scandal? I'll give you a few names and none of them are Joe Paterno.



Penn State students took to the streets to protest JoePa's firing...



Why not Paterno? Because he followed protocol and told the higher-ups about the issue. Now, did he do any follow up or confront Sandusky about the manner? No, and obviously he should have. But the main things is, JoePa heard what happened and immediately notified the AD (Tim Curley) and the vice president (Gary Schultz). Schultz then notified the university president, Graham Spanier, and those three never notified the authorities. Put yourself in JoePa's shoes for a second. You are at home and a student manager comes in and tells you this horrific news. Obviously you are shocked and disgusted but at the same time it's one kid telling you what he saw. It's highly unlikely someone is going to call 911 right away and notify them. I'm not trying to clear Paterno's name completely but I am saying that he did his main job and that was to let the higher-ups know what had happened. They dropped the ball completely by doing nothing and they should get the jail time they deserve.

...and made complete idiots of
themselves by vandalizing a
media van and other property

Paterno's role in this scandal is a little one when it comes down to it. Instead of posting on Facebook about how Joe Paterno should be fired, instead of rioting to protest JoePa's firing, instead of tweeting how bad this decision is to let the legend go why don't we all stop and think about who should be blamed and who should be grieved for. I haven't heard or seen a word, not ONE word, about Jerry Sandusky these past few days. There are people expressing serious hate for JoePa and demanding he is fired. Oh yeah? Well what about Jerry Sandusky, the guy who actually raped young boys?? Why is no one hating on him, calling for him to be thrown in jail? It's absurd. Where do our priorities lie? This is about so much more than a legend being able to coach his last football game. This is about 8-10 young men who's lives are ruined because of one sick, nasty and disgusting individual. Sandusky is getting off pretty easy in the public view because most people are focused on JoePa. That's so wrong. It's not about him or his football program. This is more than a game.



I can't imagine what those young men are feeling right now, nor do I want to. However, I grieve for them and pray for them. They are the ones we should be concerned about, but instead we are worrying about, and rioting about, whether Joe Paterno gets to stay for a few more games. Give me a break. These young men have been violated in the worst way and hardly anyone gives them a thought. Jerry Sandusky has hardly been mentioned. I don't know, it just seems so wrong to me. Our priorities aren't straight right now. Stop arguing over the Paterno issue and focus about the big picture here. Sandusky is the villain, not JoePa. The anger and fury should be directed at Sandusky and we should grieve for those who were victims. It's a sad story and emotions are high. Just remember that this scandal isn't about football, a legend or a firing. It's about one sick, old man who has committed one of the worst crimes. Don't let that be forgotten.