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Let's break down Team John Groce from my fantasy draft of my 30 favorite Illinois men's basketball players of my 30-year fandom!
Team Groce
PG: Trent Frazier (#20 Overall Pick)
SG: Terrence Shannon Jr. (#5 Overall Pick)
SF: Will Riley (#17 Overall Pick)
PF: Tyler Griffey (#29 Overall Pick)
C: Morez Johnson Jr. (#8 Overall Pick)
Team Groce
PG: Trent Frazier (#20 Overall Pick)
SG: Terrence Shannon Jr. (#5 Overall Pick)
SF: Will Riley (#17 Overall Pick)
PF: Tyler Griffey (#29 Overall Pick)
C: Morez Johnson Jr. (#8 Overall Pick)
Draft Recap
John Groce certainly fared better hitting during the draft than on the recruiting trail, beginning with his first round pick of Terrence Shannon Jr., an unstoppable bowling ball going downhill when driving the ball to the basket. Groce surprised everyone in Round Two by adding man child Morez Johnson, a beast down low who entered college with the musculature of a senior. Groce continued to compile talent, nabbing gifted scorer Will Riley in the third round. To add some more toughness to his squad, Groce selected Trent Frazier in the fourth round to be his starting point guard and defensive stopper. With his final pick, Groce added power forward Tyler Griffey to provide some much needed floor spacing and outside shooting.
One-Word Description of This Team: ATHLETIC!
Groce made athleticism a top priority with his top two picks, as Shannon and Johnson are matchup nightmares. Groce couldn't pass up on the gifted scoring of the lanky Riley, a natural-born scorer and killer. Frazier provides this team stability as a ball handler, shooter and defender while Griffey makes up for his lack of athleticism with his basketball IQ. This team should be hard to stop with Shannon attacking from the ring, Riley playing a pick and roll game with the rim-running Johnson, and Frazier able to isolate and crossover into the three ball.
Concerns: A Lot of Mouths to Feed, Ball Dominance, Half Court Offense against Tough Defenses
Griffey will not be getting a lot of looks on this team, and Frazier will definitely have to take a step back on offense as Groce keeps Shannon, Riley and Johnson involved. At times, Shannon and Riley can dominate the ball. How this team fares against defensive-minded clubs that slow down and grind out games will be interesting and could be problematic. This team is best suited playing up tempo and getting quick shots off simplistic offense. Defensively, Riley and Griffey will be where opposing teams attack.
Overall Thoughts
On paper, this is a quite talented team, though I worry if there will be enough offensive structure against stout defenses that muck up and slow down the game. The faster this team plays, the better, especially with Griffey trailing as a three-point shooting big man. Frazier will be the most important player keeping all of this talent together and on the same page. If it clicks, Shannon and Riley could be the most explosive 1-2 punch on any of these teams.
John Groce certainly fared better hitting during the draft than on the recruiting trail, beginning with his first round pick of Terrence Shannon Jr., an unstoppable bowling ball going downhill when driving the ball to the basket. Groce surprised everyone in Round Two by adding man child Morez Johnson, a beast down low who entered college with the musculature of a senior. Groce continued to compile talent, nabbing gifted scorer Will Riley in the third round. To add some more toughness to his squad, Groce selected Trent Frazier in the fourth round to be his starting point guard and defensive stopper. With his final pick, Groce added power forward Tyler Griffey to provide some much needed floor spacing and outside shooting.
One-Word Description of This Team: ATHLETIC!
Groce made athleticism a top priority with his top two picks, as Shannon and Johnson are matchup nightmares. Groce couldn't pass up on the gifted scoring of the lanky Riley, a natural-born scorer and killer. Frazier provides this team stability as a ball handler, shooter and defender while Griffey makes up for his lack of athleticism with his basketball IQ. This team should be hard to stop with Shannon attacking from the ring, Riley playing a pick and roll game with the rim-running Johnson, and Frazier able to isolate and crossover into the three ball.
Concerns: A Lot of Mouths to Feed, Ball Dominance, Half Court Offense against Tough Defenses
Griffey will not be getting a lot of looks on this team, and Frazier will definitely have to take a step back on offense as Groce keeps Shannon, Riley and Johnson involved. At times, Shannon and Riley can dominate the ball. How this team fares against defensive-minded clubs that slow down and grind out games will be interesting and could be problematic. This team is best suited playing up tempo and getting quick shots off simplistic offense. Defensively, Riley and Griffey will be where opposing teams attack.
Overall Thoughts
On paper, this is a quite talented team, though I worry if there will be enough offensive structure against stout defenses that muck up and slow down the game. The faster this team plays, the better, especially with Griffey trailing as a three-point shooting big man. Frazier will be the most important player keeping all of this talent together and on the same page. If it clicks, Shannon and Riley could be the most explosive 1-2 punch on any of these teams.
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