The University of Illinois banquet had some interesting facts about them ? First, it did not have Line backer Martez Wilson attending the ceremony as he seemed to be recovering from a stab wound that he had in a skirmish outside a local bar. And second, when it finally came to announcing the MVP award, everyone including the probable ones for the award seemed shell-shocked!
Brit Miller, the Decatur line backer was poised to win this award on the back of some outstanding games he has been having last season. The Illinois team generally did not have a good season at all, losing more than winning. In such a scenario, Brit's performance stood out like a silver lining in the cloud. As a line backer, he has been one person who has been extremely hard to beat. If only the other players took clue from his performance and did the same, the Illinois team could have won more games.
Coming back to Miller, he was one guy who was seen almost everywhere on the field. His leadership was inspirational, and though he failed to inspire his wards to a victory in most games, the thought itself is worth mentioning. Miller was an awesome player not only in the defense, but also against special teams. And this is where; the ultimate MVP winner Arrelious Benn comes short!
Benn is an offense player and did his bit by scoring touchdowns on many occasions. But against special teams, he was often found guilty of losing control too early. This came as a surprise to many because Benn does have the capability to turn in the goods against special teams. Why he was not able to do that last season could be a reason for introspection? But for now, Arrelius can proudly enjoy the silver ware.
If there is something that warrants some analysis, it has to be the decision in not handing Miller the award. Unconfirmed whispers emanating out from this decision are that the judging panel wished to avoid the possibility of being questioned on the Decatur bias factor. Sounds like an incredulous thought anyways! The most logical reason being given for Miller's loss here is ? As a skipper, he failed to inspire his team to more victories!
The small consolation for Brit Miller was that he was awarded the top line backer's award for his team. Small consolation yes, because for a player of Miller's repute and strength, he definitely was in line for the MVP. Missing out on the MVP title and to settle for something less is something Miller would have to put up with.
Over 25 years back, Derek Harper, a second-team All-America guard preferred the NBA draft over his senior year at Illinois, but he left behind a team which won a share of the Big Ten Conference title in 1984 and reached the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight.
It will be homecoming for Harper and his 25 year old Illini team when Illinois plays host to Indiana. Illinois which is leading the season at 13-2 overall and is 1-1 in the Big Ten will play Indiana, which doesn't have a boastful record of 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten.
Ever since Lou Henson has retired, Harper and Efrem Winters, the star forward on the 1984 team, haven't visited the campus. Lou Henson retired as the Illini coach in 1996. Lou, too will be attending the ceremony at the Assembly hall.
The team of '84 turned the Assembly Hall an electrifying place, with its game. Before Harper, Winters and other luminaries of the memorable team, the Illini had advanced to the NCAAs twice in 40 years, but after the arrival of Harper, Winters and other players, things turned around and Illinois has appeared in the tournament 21 times, since then.
Harper who was picked by the Dallas Mavericks, will be honored, his jersey will be hung above the Illinois court, the same place where the team is reuniting after 25-years. Illini had a fabulous record of 26-5 overall and 13-3 in the Big Ten, in 1984. They lost to host Kentucky in the NCAA regional final after tying Purdue for the Big Ten title.
Harper was very athletic and equally talented. The Illini team had everything that a coach could dream of, they were talented, they were physically formidable and had the ability to score.
Doug Altenberger, Tony Wysinger, Bruce Douglas and Anthony Welch will be accompanying their former team mates Harper and Winters at the function along with their assistant coach Dick Nagy.
The Illini team which reached the Final Four in 1949 will be represented by Van Anderson, Ted Beach and Dick Foley.
With such luminaries attending the match, the pressure will be on the current team to perform. The current team leads on assists percentage, with 72.5 percent. They also rank second in assists per game in the NCAA with 20.1 trailing North Carolina 20.2. It also ranks sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio of plus-1.5.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 48.1 percent, and ranks 25th nationally. The Illini also are second in the conference in scoring margin at plus-13.1 points per game.
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