When Brandon Paul stole the ball and flipped it to DJ for the breakaway dunk, bringing Assembly Hall to Wake Forest-y decibel levels and sending me running around my living room looking for someone to chest bump (fortunately for her, my wife was asleep – yes, asleep – on the couch), something felt vaguely familiar.  It was fun.

Last year was kind of fun, overachieving and whatnot.  Chester Frazier remains my favorite Illini player this decade, and watching his defensive intensity will us to victories was ugly, yet moderately fun.

But watching Demetri McCamey go from “will it ever fully click?” to “will he be back next year?” in 20 games has been fun.  Hiding behind a door frame with one eye on the television, hoping DJ’s free throws go in is fun.  BP3 breakaway dunk + McCamey 3-pointer + DJ breakaway dunk is FUN. I could get used to this (again).

I don’t want to make too much out of this game, but so many things seemed to fall into place tonight.  Starting with the rotation.  From the boxscore, here’s the minutes played tonight.  I think this would be damn near perfect for the rotation the rest of the season:

McCamey – 39 minutes
Tisdale – 34 minutes
Richardson – 32 minutes
Davis – 29 minutes
Paul – 21 minutes
Cole – 19 minutes
Griffey – 12 minutes
Jordan – 10 minutes
Keller – 4 minutes

McCamey-Richardson-Paul-Davis-Tisdale = our best 5. Cole is 6th man and brings the intangibles while getting close to starter minutes. Griffey is next and gives you a versatile big to sub in. Jordan gives you a defensive sub, Keller gives you energy and an offensive spark. Sounds like a plan.

The path to the tourney now seems fairly clear: Win out at home and win our first round BTT game and we’re in.  20-13 (11-7) is probably enough.  Add a win at Michigan and we’re a lock.  Add a few road upsets and we can start talking seed. That would be fun.

I’m getting ahead of myself.  We start this stretch at Wisconsin on Tuesday, which has to be a loss.  Emotional win at home over a top-5 team and then a quick turn-around to a road game at Wisconsin?  Yeah, that won’t end well.

But after that, I think we can take two of three in the Ohio State/at Purdue/at Michigan stretch.  And then I think we could maybe even take two of three in the Minnesota/at Ohio State/Wisconsin stretch.  We have the hottest player in the Big Ten right now (18.7 ppg and 8.7 apg the last three games), and if he plays like he did tonight, 12 Big Ten wins seems possible, if not likely.

Sounds like fun.

The first official ALE post was a signing day summary a year ago.  Granted, I didn’t post again until the spring game, and then I didn’t start posting regularly until June, and then I didn’t tell anyone about the blog until August.  But the point remains – happy birthday, little blog.

So now, for the first time, there’s precedent for a post.  I present to you my summary of Illini Football Signing Day 2010, in the same format as last year:

IMMEDIATE IMPACT PLAYERS:

Chandler Whitmer (4-star QB, Elite 11 invitee)

For some reason, Whitmer’s pedigree is being lost in all of the negativity directed towards this disappointing recruiting class.  Yes, it’s a poor class.  Leanest of the Zook tenure.  Low on studs, high on projects.

But Chandler Whitmer is good.  Probably really good.  Maybe awesome.

Making the Elite 11 camp (think “McDonald’s All American game for Quarterbacks”) is no small feat. Only one other Illini QB (Juice) has made the camp in its 12 year existence. And when they handed out the awards at the end of the camp, Mr. Whitmer was named “Most Accurate” and finished 3rd in the MVP voting. So it’s strange to peruse all of my Illini bookmarks and not see more Whitmer love. Of course, Bob Weiner loves him, and that’s probably enough for me:

Robert Weiner was out to prove to some of his players that it didn’t take much for him to spot top-shelf talent.

“We were in Champaign at Illinois’ camp and one of my players was joking around with me telling me I couldn’t spot the top players,” said Weiner, the head football coach at Tampa’s Plant High and one of the top prep quarterback coaches in the Southeast. “I told him I could tell in two throws.”

So Weiner watched an undersized quarterback with a gun sling it twice and said “that’s the one, right there.”

Whitmer will have every opportunity to win the starting job as a freshman.  He’s enrolled right now, taking classes and watching film.  I’m really excited to see this kid in spring ball.

Before we move on, a little more press from last summer so you understand that Whitmer is one of the top-5 Illini QB recruits in the last 25 years.  Here’s a blurb from the Orlando Elite 11 regional camp, where he was chosen as MVP over Brion Carnes (Nebraska’s 4-star QB of the future):

Whitmer was a ball boy for the Elite 11 event a year ago, and he held his own against the likes of Aaron Murray, A.J. McCarron and Co. in the 2009 class. He is now a bit taller and has bulked up some. He was polished, nicely groomed and displayed solid footwork, ball speed and arm strength. His natural wrist velocity gave him an edge against the wind and aided in his overall accuracy. At this stage, Illinois, Arizona and Stanford have offered, and he is also receiving interest from Northwestern, Notre Dame and Purdue.

And from the Illinois regional NFTC camp, where Whitmer was chosen as the MVP over players like Robert Bolden (Penn State’s 4-star QB of the future), Devin Gardner (Michigan’s 4-star QB of the future), and Joe Boisture (Michigan State’s 4-star QB of the future):

The quarterback position was the deepest it’s been all tour-long in Champaign, but it was the local pocket passer Whitmer bound for Illinois that emerged as the group’s MVP over a slew of other outstanding prospects. Whitmer was the day’s most consistent passer, showing great accuracy, footwork and coachability. He doesn’t have A-plus arm strength but more than makes up for it with quick decision-making and a hair-trigger release.

This kid is pretty good at throwing the football in the direction of faster athletes who like to catch it and run.

GREAT GETS:

Darius Millines (3-Star WR from Delray Beach, FL)

Watch this Youtube video, and you’ll see why this guy was such a nice pickup late in the recruiting game.  Whitmer and Millines make this class for me, and I’d love to see them get all Kittner-to-Lloyd over the next 4 years.  There are rumors of grade issues, and rumors that Florida and Alabama backed off their offers because of grade issues, and rumors that the grade issues were resolved this fall and he’s good to go.  So believe what you want.  All I know is that the people of the Commonwealth of West Virginia (it’s a commonwealth, right? no?) are very upset he’s not headed their way.  And in a year where not much went our way, it’s nice that someone is jealous.

In ESPN’s class rankings, they put Millines as our best recruit, just missing their ESPN 150 (he’s #162).  If his grade issues are truly resolved, you’ll probably see him in the two-deep this fall.

Earnest Thomas (3-star DB from Orchard Lake, MI)

To show you how thin this recruiting class is (rankings-wise), last year there were seven consensus 4-stars and at least five 3-stars with big-time offer lists.  This year, there’s only one consensus 4-star and only two 3-stars with big-time offer lists.  Guh.

But don’t let that diminish your excitement over Whitmer, Millines, and Earnest Thomas. The latter was a UCLA commit last summer, de-committed, flirted with Penn State, considered Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, and West Virginia, and settled on Illinois.  I know – I don’t know why either.  But I’ll take it.

From watching his film, I think he’s the perfect hybrid.  A lot of safety, a little linebacker, and a little corner.  Groom him as the nickel back and set him loose in 2011.

GUYS I’M EXCITED ABOUT BUT HAVE VERY LITTLE REASONING AS TO WHY:

Ryan Lankford (3-star WR from Jacksonville, FL)

I love guys with solid bloodlines.  And Lankford’s dad spent 10 years in the NFL with the Dolphins.

You don’t have to watch the whole film, but check out the punt return at the 2:25 mark of this video.  Kid is fluid with a nice accelerator.  I’m planning to use a few the-kid-was-under-recruited standbys with him: both “small school kid who was overlooked” AND “football bloodlines in his family”.  All that’s missing is “word is, USC and Alabama coaches just discovered his tape on the internet and were prepared to offer” to complete the trifecta.

Jonathan Brown (3-star LB from Memphis)

It’s been a long, long time since we signed a linebacker that was projected by the scouting services as an inside linebacker.  All of the linebackers in the 2009, 2008, and 2007 classes projected as outside ‘backers.  The last prototypical inside linebacker was Anterio Jackson in 2006 (now an offensive guard).  Before that?  Brit Miller.

When he looks over the defensive recruits he gets to coach, I think Vic Koenning might be most pleased with Jonathan Brown.  It’s nice to have a versatile athlete like Earnest Thomas coming in, but it’s really, really nice to have a guy who you could count on as your run stuffer.  Especially in the Big Ten.

Jay Prosch (2-star fullback, Mobile, AL)

The unsung hero of the 2007 Rose Bowl team? (I mean, besides the most underrated Illini player in the last decade – Antonio Steele.) The offensive unsung hero? Russ Weil. Not only did he enjoy opening holes for Rashard, he enjoyed blowing people up on special teams.

I like guys who like to hit people.  Jay Prosch likes to hit people.  Using a trick I learned in math class:  I like guys who like to hit people. Jay Prosch likes to hit people. = I like Jay Prosch.

Michael Heitz (3-star OL from Vermont, IL)

The Wisconsin Way.  1) Find a big farm boy who sees 6:00 a.m. weightlifting sessions as “getting up late”.  2) Redshirt him, put more weight on him, and teach him how to maul people. 3) Plug him in at offensive tackle and move the chains.

Miles Osei (3-star QB from Mt. Prospect, IL)

I’m getting a Johnny Johnson vibe from him.  In the summer of 1993, I could be heard telling people “between Jeff Hecklinski and Scott Weaver, we are SET at QB for the next few years”.  And then come to find that the unheralded QB recruit was the best of the bunch.

If nothing else, he’s Eddie McGee – a decent backup, and a promising receiver.

GUYS I’M JUST NOT THAT EXCITED ABOUT AND I HAVE NO REASON AS TO WHY:

Brandon Denmark (2/3-star DE/ATH from Tallahassee, FL)

When you see him on film, he kind of reminds you of a young Will Davis.  Big + athletic, played everywhere in high school, ready to rush the QB in college.  But all it took was reading a rumor on some message board somewhere that we had to promise him that we wouldn’t make him a DE if he picked us over Arkansas.  And suddenly, I had Cordale Scott flashbacks and have transferred my hatred for his situation towards Mr. Denmark.  Sorry, Brandon.  Nothing personal.

Simon Cvijanovic (2-star OL from Cleveland, OH)

I’ve never known less about an Illini recruit.  He committed during the Petrino/Koenning/revamp the coaching staff days, so I couldn’t give him my typical video/article search after a player verbals.   And then I forgot.  And then he didn’t waver with his commitment, so there was no message board chatter.  And then his fax came in yesterday, and I was all “oh yeah – totally forgot about him. He any good?” So then I watched his official film on the school website, and one of the highlights showed him continuing to block while a fumble was bouncing around behind him.  I’m now labeling him as someone who “needs more awareness on the field” and placing him here.

Mark Wilson (3-star LB from Tallahassee, FL)

My yearly “man, I should be more excited about him, because he has some pretty solid offers, but I’m just not seeing it when I watch him on tape” recruit.  This should be very, very good news for us, because 3 years ago I said the same thing about Miami Thomas.

He hits hard, which is good, because Koenning needs hitters.  Maybe it’s just that he looks a bit awkward running laterally.  I don’t know.

Trulon Henry (2-star JUCO Safety)

It’s Bo Flowers fault. I was so excited when Flowers chose football after he gave up on minor league baseball. According to me at the time, he was to bring “maturity” and “leadership” to our secondary. And then he just looked like an old guy back there.

So I’m sorry, Trulon, that I have to place you on this part of the list. It’s just that when I hear of your “maturity” and “leadership”, I have this facial tic that kicks in.

GUYS I HAVE VERY LITTLE COMMENT ABOUT BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THEM:

Spencer Harris (2-star WR from Greenwood, AR) – Weakest offer list of any of the recruits, which means, of course, he has the most to prove. Prove away, Spence.
Shawn Afryl (3-star OL from Niles, IL) – It’s pronounced uh-FREEL. That’s all I got.
Ean Days (2-star DB from Kingsland, GA) – Tailback in high school, Zook said in the press conference he will be tried at Safety.
Evan Wilson (3-star TE from Woodstock, GA) – We need tight ends, but he might need 2 or 3 years before he’s ready.
A.J. Williams (2-star TE/WR from Chesapeake, VA) – Big tight end who was recruited as a wideout.
Jake Howe (2-star DL from McHenry, IL) – With Prosch’s commitment, he moves from fullback to the defensive line.
Alex Hill (3-star OL from Slidell, LA) – Could be solid if he loses some weight. Projects as a center.
Austin Teitsma (2-star DL from Glen Ellyn, IL) – Sometimes, these guys work out great. Lower level prospect looking at MAC schools, dying for a Big Ten offer, and after they get it their career is defined by what they told the coach when they got the offer: “I won’t let you down.”

And now, the sad part.  For the most part, 2010 Illini Football recruiting will be known not just for who we didn’t get (Kyle Prater, anyone?), but for who we had and then lost.  4-star C.J. Fiedorowicz left and went to Iowa (eww).  4-star Corey Cooper to Nebraska (sigh).  Dan Foose to Florida State (eek), Daniel Easterly to Missouri (ick), Dexter McDonald to Kansas (yuck), Zach Bolton to Utah (what?), Andy Gallik to Boston College (ok, stop).  Add those seven and shave off some of our backup recruits, and this is a decent-to-good class.  Remove them, and, well, welcome to Zook’s worst class.

With something to prove.

For both of the new readers in the past month:  If you are unfamiliar, we are currently going through a 19 point plan to revitalize Illini football. First 8 points are available here.  Days and days of depression after the end of the season led me to one conclusion: I can fix this.  So for you and the other 7 people still reading, thanks for playing along.  If we ever meet in person, and you feel obliged to say something to me like “hey, loved the 19 Point Plan”, please save the eye roll and the chuckle until after I’ve left the room.  I really think that I’m bringing about change here – to believe otherwise would send me back to that dark place where offensive tackles catch deflected two point conversions.  Must… never… return.

Point #9 would have seemed much more visionary had Paul Petrino not been hired.  On the original list (put together before the coordinator hires), this point is entitled “Build the offense around your stars”, which sounds a heck of a lot like something Paul Petrino said when describing the offense at his press conference: Feed The Studs.

But really, this wasn’t prescient.  I think every Illini fan was asking for this after the season.  This was a year where the most physically gifted wide receiver in the history of our program caught 38 balls for 490 yards and 2 touchdowns.  That’s so depressing to type.  Jeff Moturi at UTEP caught 53 balls for 974 yards and 5 touchdowns.  T.Y. Hilton at Florida International had 57 catches for 623 yards and 5 touchdowns.  And that’s not even mentioning Eric Page at Toledo, who caught 82 balls for 1,159 yards and 7 TD’s.  Dudes named Jock Sanders, Briggs Osborne, and Bert Reed all caught at least 50 passes for at least 500 yards and at least 5 touchdowns.  More than 100 players caught more than 40 balls last season.  Arrelious Benn?  38 catches for 490 yards and 2 touchdowns.  I want to puke.

Paul Petrino has publicly stated that he will fix this problem – he will Feed The Studs.  Well, Mr. Petrino, allow me to introduce you to My Man Mikel.

Mikel and Me go way back.  Last April, after the spring game, I said this:

I’m still liking LeShoure to be our feature tailback this year. He just looks smoother this spring. Hits the hole, makes a move, delivers a devastating blow (on his TD). I’m not trying to go too far with this, but he reminded me of Shonn Greene today. Not nearly as good as Greene was last year, but similar running style. I like.

I then consistently put Mikel at the top of my depth chart, and repeatedly called for him to get more carries throughout the fall. That’s right – I demanded it. But did Mike Schultz and Reggie Mitchell listen? No sir.  We utilized the 3rd grade T-ball “everyone gets to bat” system and My Man Mikel was limited to 108 carries (also known as “two games for Robert Holcombe”). Just think – all it would have taken is Reggie Mitchell stumbling upon this blog last summer, coming to his senses by reading my special brand of crazy, and handing the ball to Mikel 225 times. What could have been.

I won’t let that happen again.  This time, I’ll get specific:

1) Give the ball to Mikel LeShoure 225 times.

2) Watch him gain lots of yards.

In all seriousness, I really hope we gameplan for LeShoure.  It’s not so much his burst or his drive that has me so impressed; it’s his vision.  He’s an instinctual runner who knows when to wait for his blockers and knows when to hit the hole.  Watching the 1990 Colorado game recently (I do this occasionally to boost my spirits), I noticed a similarity between Mikel and Howard Griffith.  HG was thick, but with a surprising burst and great vision.  I think that describes My Man Mikel.  And I want to see more of him.

Most of all, though, I want our offense to be intentional.  I want it to have purpose.  I want it to have an identity.  And with a green quarterback (whoever it is), that identity next fall will need to be a running back who can get you 4 yards on 3rd and 3.  And 31 yards on 2nd and 9.

So I want to see the same counter play practiced 135 times in Rantoul until the offensive linemen know it by heart.  I want the threat of LeShoure to open up the passing game (and play action), not the other way around.  I think he’ll be our best offensive player by quite a large margin – let’s make Big Ten opponents gameplan around him the way they gameplan around John Clay at Wisconsin.  When we have a 28-17 fourth quarter lead next fall , it should be treated the same as 2007 – if you want the ball back, you’re gonna have to stop #5 before he gets to the sticks.

There you have it – feed My Man Mikel.  Spell with Ford, scat with Green, and pound with Fuller every now and then to keep ‘em honest.  But Feed#5.

That sounds better.  Point #9: Feed Five.

On this little piece of paper right here, this point was originally titled “Buy out of the Fresno State game”.  But then, somewhere around Point #5, rumors surfaced that we were buying out of the Fresno State game and scheduling 0-12 Eastern Michigan.  The SID office quickly came out and squashed the rumors, which was a good thing, because had it been, say, Point #4, followed by an actual Fresno buyout, I would have been wholeheartedly convinced that the DIA was 1) checking for updates on The Plan every morning, 2) implementing them, and 3) prepared to offer me a job.  And my son just switched to a new school this year.

Point #8: Stop scheduling like we have something to prove

I have to admit, my view on this issue has changed dramatically in the last 15 years.  Had you been standing around my office’s proverbial water cooler in 1998, I would have given you an earful on Bill Snyder and his scheduling practices at Kansas State.  Vitriol would have been spewed.  The word “namby-pamby” would have been used.  I might have even made a “Sisters of the Poor” crack.  I know, yikes.

But in the 12 years since then, I’ve changed.  And not just because we’ve only been to three bowls in those 12 years.  The change is this: I now understand that no one is asking us to schedule Sisters of the Poor indefinitely.  It’s that we must schedule them until we’ve taken the program up a rung, and then we add in a Southern Miss or a New Mexico State.  And after we move up another rung, we add a Fresno State or a Duke.  The next rung adds Arizona.  The next a home and home with Boston College.  And then (and only then) do we agree to a neutral series with Missouri. (You have no idea how much pain I endure when typing the name of that last team.)

Compare that to this. Tossing out the FCS games (when they added the 12th game, everybody got a freebie), here are the regular season records of our last 6 non-con opponents: 8-4, 12-0, 8-4, 9-3, 6-6, 9-3. Nope, not a misprint. 52-20. We get to choose our opponents, and we choose opponents who went 52-20. Let’s compare that to a few of our Big Ten brethren:

2008 & 2009 FBS non-conference opponent records
Wisconsin: 36-36
Indiana: 32-40
Penn State: 32-40
Iowa: 34-38

And are you ready for this one? Seated?

Northwestern: 16-56

I want to put those two opponents records next to each other, just so no one is confused:

Illinois’ non-conference FBS opponents the last two seasons: 52-20
Northwestern’s non-conference FBS opponents the last two seasons: 16-56

For a little more perspective, let’s stay with those two teams for a bit.  Overall regular season record of all opponents for the last two seasons?

Illinois: 82-50 (2009), 82-50 (2008)
Northwestern: 58-74 (2009), 60-72 (2008)

Um, why, again?

Look at the chart in the sidebar in this article.  Indiana schedules like they’re on the low end of the chart and need to build something.  Northwestern schedules like they’re on the low end of the chart and need to build something.  Why do we schedule like we’re Georgia, again?

So here is my proposal.

1) If at all possible, buy out of the Fresno State game.  Reschedule it for 2012.  Replace Fresno State with a win (Memphis?).  A team like Illinois that is 8-16 over the past two years doesn’t need two bowl teams in their preseason schedule. Missouri will suffice.

2) Push back the Arizona State series (scheduled to start in 2011) to 2014 and 2015.  We’ll build to that.

3) Schedule a Penn State-like non-conference slate for 2011 (8 home games, no BCS opponents in the non-conference).  Then sprinkle in Fresno in 2012.  Then you have the return game with Cincinnati in 2013. Then you add in Arizona State in 2014-15.

4) The rest of the opponents for all of these seasons are scheduled wins.  Sun Belt, CUSA, low-end of the MAC and WAC.  I don’t care if you think it’s namby-pamby. We’re building something here.

Will this be costly?  Probably.  Will it be mocked?  Absolutely.  Do I care?  Not at all.  We’re building something here.

OK, now we’re getting too close to Point #10 (Build a Program).  So I’ll close by saying this.

The current recruiting class is turning out to be pitiful.  This is mostly due to the fact that we went 3-9 this year and 5-7 last year.  And that is partly due to the fact that we played non-conference opponents that were 52-20 the past two seasons.

I want to reverse that.  Let’s play a 20-52 schedule and back our way into a 6-6 season.  And then let’s use that momentum to add a better recruiting class that leads to another bowl.  And then lets add some decent opponents for some decent September games that will sell tickets and boost the program.  And then lets schedule some big-time made-for-national-TV games that will be attractive to big-time recruits.

There I go again, treading on Point #10.  We’ll get to that soon.  For now, Point #8: Schedule like we’re Illinois. We’re not Florida.

Wait, Florida’s non-conference opponents the last 2 years were only 37-35??  Then why are we…

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to have made this statement in November:

To be honest, with the way the non-conference and early Big Ten schedule sets up, anything less than 16-4 in our first 20 games is a disappointment.

And now, 12-8.  With losses to Utah, Bradley, Georgia, and Northwestern.  In December, I propped myself up with “well, Utah did beat Michigan and take Oklahoma to OT, and Bradley looks like they can contend in the Valley”.  Over the holidays, when we were beating Northwestern in overtime at home, I was using “well, Georgia did knock off Georgia Tech and Northwestern looks to have their best team since Evan Eschmeyer…”

Now?  We’re just not good.  We should be, but we’re not.  I mean, we should be, right?  We were ranked as high as 20th in November.  How can a team respected enough in the preseason to be ranked 20th by Week 2 be 12-8 in Week 10?  Especially one that played Iowa, Penn State, Indiana, and Northwestern (twice) in their first seven conference games?  The Michigan State loss and the Purdue loss – fine.  They’re the class of the Big Ten.  Nothing to get too upset about, right?

But that Purdue loss.  Let me tell you – I was not a happy man after the Purdue loss.  I was angry.  And I rarely ever get angry.  Purdue was a struggling team with a headlighted-deer appearance that was sleepwalking through the first half, and we took our foot off the gas so they could sleep better.  And then in the second half, we let their version of Stan Simpson beat us.  Nothing against Stan – it’s just that we let their 13th man come off the bench and score 14 points to turn the game around.  Somewhere in Germany, the lionhearted Illini God that was Chester Frazier broke his laptop in disgust.  (I wish I had started this blog 5 years ago – the “Chester Frazier Is The Only Illini Player In My Lifetime That Truly Cares More About The Illini Winning Than I Do” tag would have been used several dozen times.)

And that’s the problem, isn’t it?  They don’t seem to care.  They have a chance to put Northwestern away when they’re up 49-41, and score 3 points in the next 10 minutes. They have Purdue on the ropes, and they stand around and wait for Demitri to create (again).  The truth hurts – were it not for three double-digit comebacks, we’d be watching a 9-11 basketball team right now.

Given a day to let all of this sink in, I’ve come to one very simple Denny Green explanation: they are who (recruiting gurus) thought they were.

That’s it, isn’t it? (And if it’s not, please don’t tell me. It’s where I’ve found closure, and where I’d like to leave it for the rest of the season.)  We got pretty excited that the sophomore promise shown in McCamey, Davis, and Tisdale, and that, combined with the athletic freshmen guards, gave us hope.  But the truth is painful: Demitri McCamey was the only RSCI Top-100 recruit in the 2006, 2007, and 2008 classes that stuck with the program (Brian Carlwell and Alex Legion are gone), and right now, we’re playing like a team that had only one RSCI Top-100 recruit in the 2006, 2007, and 2008 classes.  Bruce Weber had a 5 year recruiting learning curve, and those results are killing us right now.  Sherron Collins dumping it underneath to Mike Dunigan would not be 12-8.  Iman Shumpert finding Evan Turner on the secondary break would not be 12-8.  We missed on many, many good recruits, and it’s killing us.

What’s that?  There’s serious questions about the coaching staff that need to be answered?  We have a penchant for puckering when he have a 12 point second-half lead?  This team has gotten markedly worse at running the motion from Game 1 to Game 20?  Um, I’m not sure if you heard me before or what, but I asked that you not bring that up.  I’m hunkered down in the “we’ll get better recruits in here and fix this thing” bunker (named, oddly, after Ron Zook), and I’m not coming out until spring.  So keep your “when was the last time we ran an innovative inbounds play under our own basket?” cynicism to yourself.  I’m running with “help will arrive next year and this team will drastically improve” and that’s final.

At least until we lose at Penn State.

Edit: OHAI. I forgot that this was going to be the first post where I quit using the dumb moniker and started using my name.  So no, our budget here at ALE didn’t have room for a new writer with this post being his stunning debut. (Although, re-reading it, I kinda wish I could sell it that way.) Nope, still me.  Same guy.  Hi.