2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
NIT, First round
Conference Big Ten Conference
2014–15 record 19–14 (9–9 Big Ten)
Head coach John Groce
Assistant coach Dustin Ford
Assistant coach Paris Parham
Assistant coach Jamall Walker
Assistant coach Ryan Pedon
Home arena State Farm Center
2014–15 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#3 Wisconsin 16 2   .889     36 4   .900
#12 Maryland 14 4   .778     28 7   .800
#23 Michigan State 12 6   .667     27 12   .692
Iowa 12 6   .667     22 12   .647
Purdue 12 6   .667     21 13   .618
Ohio State 11 7   .611     24 11   .686
Indiana 9 9   .500     20 14   .588
Illinois 9 9   .500     19 14   .576
Michigan 8 10   .444     16 16   .500
Minnesota 6 12   .333     18 15   .545
Northwestern 6 12   .333     15 17   .469
Nebraska 5 13   .278     13 18   .419
Penn State 4 14   .222     18 16   .529
Rutgers 2 16   .111     10 22   .313
2015 Big Ten Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third year head coach John Groce, the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 19–14, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Alabama.

Pre-season

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Joseph Bertrand 2 SG 6'6" 200 RS Senior Sterling, IL Graduated/Pro for Larochette
Jon Ekey 33 F 6'7" 225 GS Senior Independence, MO Graduated/Pro for Saitama Broncos

2014–15 additions

Leron Black joins the Fighting Illini as the first recruit from the Memphis, Tennessee area since the 1997–98 season when Cory Bradford suited up for the Fighting Illini.[1] Black is the reigning Tennessee Mr. Basketball and is Illinois' highest rated recruit since Portland Trailblazers Forward-center Meyers Leonard.[2]

Michael Finke joins Rayvonte Rice as the second player on the Fighting Illini roster from Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois. Finke also follows the footsteps of his father, Jeff Finke, who lettered in basketball as a forward for the 1986–87 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team and then lettered in football as a tight end for the Fighting Illini from 1988-1990.[3][4]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Leron Black
PF
Memphis, TN White Station (TN) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 1, 2013 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Michael Finke
PF
Champaign, IL Centennial (IL) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Dec 12, 2012 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Walk-ons

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Alex Austin
G
Chicago, IL Mount Carmel / Eastern Illinois 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 1, 2014 
Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:2/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85
Cameron Liss
F
Northbrook, IL Glenbrook North 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 1, 2014 
Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Ryan Schmidt
G
Bloomington, IL Bloomington Central Catholic 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 23, 2015 
Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Tate, JaylonJaylon Tate 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Simeon Chicago, IL
G 3 Starks, AhmadAhmad Starks (C) 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr Whitney Young Chicago, IL
G 10 LaTulip, MikeMike LaTulip 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Prospect Arlington Heights, IL
F 12 Black, LeronLeron Black 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr White Station Memphis, TN
G 13 Abrams, TracyTracy Abrams  (C)  6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Mount Carmel Chicago, IL
G 14 Schmidt, RyanRyan Schmidt (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Bloomington Central Catholic Bloomington, IL
G 21 Hill, MalcolmMalcolm Hill 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Belleville East Belleville, IL
C 22 Morgan, MaverickMaverick Morgan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Springboro Springboro, OH
G 24 Rice, RayvonteRayvonte Rice (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Centennial Champaign, IL
G 25 Nunn, KendrickKendrick Nunn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Simeon Chicago, IL
F 31 Colbert, AustinAustin Colbert 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Gill St. Bernard's Chesapeake, VA
F/C 32 Egwu, NnannaNnanna Egwu (C) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Sr St. Ignatius Chicago, IL
F 43 Finke, MichaelMichael Finke  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Fr Centennial Champaign, IL
G 44 Austin, AlexAlex Austin (W)  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr Mount Carmel Chicago, IL
F 45 Liss, CameronCameron Liss (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Glenbrook North Northbrook, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2015-02-26

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
F/C Nnanna Egwu Maverick Morgan    
F Malcolm Hill Leron Black Austin Colbert Cameron Liss
G Rayvonte Rice      
G Kendrick Nunn Ryan Schmidt    
G Jaylon Tate Ahmad Starks Mike LaTulip  

[5]

Injuries

On September 11, it was announced that senior point guard Tracy Abrams suffered a torn ACL to his right knee during preseason workouts which will cause him to miss the entire 2014-15 season. The injury forced Abrams to use a medical redshirt so he can return for the 2015-16 season.[6] After an 0-2 start to Big Ten Conference play, it was announced on January 6 that redshirt senior guard Rayvonte Rice suffered a broken bone in his left hand during practice and would be sidelined indefinitely. At the time of his injury, Rice was Illinois' leader in scoring, rebounds, and steals.[7] Illinois suffered another injury that was announced prior to their game against Purdue at home on January 21. Redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby suffered a retinal tear after being poked in the eye in his left eye during a home loss to Indiana. Cosby underwent laser surgery to repair the tear, which will sideline him up to two weeks.[8]

Student-manager turned walk-on

On January 23, 2014 head coach John Groce announced the addition of former student-manager Ryan Schmidt to the roster as a walk-on guard after a string of injuries at the position. Schmidt is a senior from Bloomington, Illinois and played high school basketball at Bloomington Central Catholic.[9]

Aaron Cosby

On February 20, 2015 coach Groce announced that he and redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby have mutually decided to part ways. Cosby had not played in over a month since suffering an injury to his left eye against Indiana on January 18. While recovering from his injury, he and Rayvonte Rice were indefinitely suspended from play due to a violation of team rules on January 31. Rice returned from suspension in a home win against Michigan, however Cosby remained suspended. Despite no longer being on the roster, Cosby intends to remain enrolled at Illinois and then transfer to another school after graduating in May. Cosby previously played his first two years for Seton Hall and sat out during the 2013–14 season after transferring to Illinois.[10][11]

2004-05 national runner-up anniversary

On December 5, 2014, Illinois announced they would be releasing commemorative bobbleheads to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the 2004-05 Fighting Illini team.[12] The 2004-05 team finished the season as the 2005 National Runner-up with a 37-2 record, which tied the NCAA record for most wins in a season. During weeknight Big Ten Conference play at home, Illinois will release a bobblehead of the starting lineup of Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, Roger Powell, Jr., and James Augustine.[13]

Schedule

Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
City, State
Exhibition
Nov 7*
7:00 pm
Quincy W 91–62 
 20 – Hill  13 – Egwu  5 – Tied  State Farm Center (14,422)
Champaign, IL
Non-conference season
Nov 14*
8:00 pm, ESPN3
Georgia Southern W 80–71  1–0
 24 – Rice  7 – Hill  3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,626)
Champaign, IL
Nov 16*
5:00 pm
Coppin State W 114–56  2–0
 18 – Tied  9 – Hill  7 – Tate  State Farm Center (12,272)
Champaign, IL
Nov 21*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Austin Peay
Las Vegas Invitational
W 107–66  3–0
 16 – Tied  6 – Tied  5 – Tate  State Farm Center (16,337)
Champaign, IL
Nov 24*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Brown
Las Vegas Invitational
W 89–68  4–0
 17 – Cosby  10 – Rice  4 – Tied  State Farm Center (11,422)
Champaign, IL
Nov 27*
4:00 pm, FS1
vs. Indiana State
Las Vegas Invitational Semifinals
W 88–62  5–0
 21 – Rice  8 – Tied  4 – Cosby  Orleans Arena (N/A)
Paradise, NV
Nov 28*
9:30 pm, FS1
vs. Baylor
Las Vegas Invitational Championship
W 62–54  6–0
 17 – Tied  8 – Egwu  5 – Starks  Orleans Arena (N/A)
Paradise, NV
Dec 2*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
#24 at #15 Miami (FL)
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 61–70  6–1
 22 – Rice  12 – Rice  3 – Hill  BankUnited Center (6,086)
Coral Gables, FL
Dec 6*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
#24 American W 70–55  7–1
 13 – Hill  7 – Egwu  4 – Tate  State Farm Center (13,924)
Champaign, IL
Dec 9*
6:00 pm, ESPN
vs. #7 Villanova
Jimmy V Classic
L 59–73  7–2
 20 – Hill  9 – Egwu  4 – Starks  Madison Square Garden (11,617)
New York City, NY
Dec 13*
6:00 pm, BTN
vs. Oregon L 70–77  7–3
 29 – Rice  7 – Tied  4 – Tied  United Center (13,759)
Chicago, IL
Dec 17*
6:00 pm, ESPNU
Hampton W 73–55  8–3
 16 – Nunn  8 – Black  3 – Tied  State Farm Center (12,564)
Champaign, IL
Dec 20*
1:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Missouri
Braggin' Rights
W 62–59  9–3
 19 – Rice  7 – Tied  3 – Rice  Scottrade Center (20,079)
St. Louis, MO
Dec 27*
8:00 pm, BTN
Kennesaw State W 93–45  10–3
 21 – Rice  9 – Hill  7 – Tate  State Farm Center (16,158)
Champaign, IL
Big Ten Conference season
Dec 30
2:00 pm, ESPN2
at Michigan L 65–73 OT 10–4 (0–1)
 19 – Hill  11 – Rice  6 – Rice  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 3
2:30 pm, ESPN2
at #20 Ohio State L 61–77  10–5 (0–2)
 20 – Rice  7 – Rice  4 – Tied  Value City Arena (16,028)
Columbus, OH
Jan 7
8:00 pm, BTN
#11 Maryland W 64–58  11–5 (1–2)
 28 – Hill  9 – Egwu  4 – Tate  State Farm Center (12,896)
Champaign, IL
Jan 11
7:30 pm, BTN
at Nebraska L 43–53  11–6 (1–3)
 12 – Hill/Nunn  10 – Egwu  2 – Tied  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,514)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 14
8:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern W 72–67  12–6 (2–3)
 25 – Nunn  6 – Hill  4 – Starks  Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,652)
Evanston, IL
Jan 18
12:00 pm, BTN
Indiana L 74–80  12–7 (2–4)
 24 – Nunn  9 – Black  6 – Starks  State Farm Center (17,085)
Champaign, IL
Jan 21
8:00 pm, BTN
Purdue W 66–57  13–7 (3–4)
 18 – Hill  13 – Black  6 – Tate  State Farm Center (12,965)
Champaign, IL
Jan 24
1:15 pm, BTN
at Minnesota L 71–79  13–8 (3–5)
 18 – Tied  9 – Black  9 – Tate  Williams Arena (13,421)
Minneapolis, MN
Jan 31
12:00 pm, BTN
Penn State W 60–58  14–8 (4–5)
 27 – Hill  7 – Black  5 – Tate  State Farm Center (14,597)
Champaign, IL
Feb 3
8:30 pm, BTN
Rutgers W 66–54  15–8 (5–5)
 21 – Nunn  6 – Nunn  6 – Tate  State Farm Center (12,838)
Champaign, IL
Feb 7
11:00 am, ESPN
at Michigan State W 59–54  16–8 (6–5)
 19 – Hill  9 – Egwu  3 – Nunn  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Feb 12
8:00 pm, ESPN
Michigan W 64–52 OT 17–8 (7–5)
 21 – Nunn  12 – Egwu  4 – Starks  State Farm Center (17,087)
Champaign, IL
Feb 15
12:00 pm, CBS
at #5 Wisconsin L 49–68  17–9 (7–6)
 15 – Hill  9 – Egwu  2 – Starks  Kohl Center (17,279)
Madison, WI
Feb 22
6:30 pm, BTN
Michigan State L 53–60  17–10 (7–7)
 17 – Hill  5 – Rice  3 – Rice  State Farm Center (16,108)
Champaign, IL
Feb 25
8:00 pm, BTN
at Iowa L 60–68  17–11 (7–8)
 20 – Rice  9 – Rice  3 – Nunn  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,831)
Iowa City, IA
Feb 28
6:00 pm, BTN
Northwestern W 86–60  18–11 (8–8)
 19 – Rice  8 – Morgan  3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,471)
Champaign, IL
Mar 4
9:00 pm, BTN
Nebraska W 69–57  19–11 (9–8)
 23 – Rice  8 – Egwu  2 – Tied  State Farm Center (17,085)
Champaign, IL
Mar 7
3:30 pm, BTN
at Purdue L 58–63  19–12 (9–9)
 25 – Rice  9 – Egwu  2 – Hill  Mackey Arena (14,846)
West Lafayette, IN
Big Ten Tournament
Mar 12
11:00 am, BTN
vs. Michigan
Second round
L 55–73  19–13
 13 – Hill  9 – Rice  2 – Tate  United Center (16,028)
Chicago, IL
NIT
Mar 17*
8:00 pm, ESPN
(3) at (6) Alabama
First round
L 58–79  19–14
 22 – Hill  8 – Egwu  6 – Hill  Coleman Coliseum (2,348)
Tuscaloosa, AL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Honors and awards

On March 9, 2015, The Big Ten Conference announced most of its conference awards.[14]

Player Honor
Rayvonte Rice All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
Malcolm Hill All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
Nnanna Egwu All-Defensive Team

2015–16 team recruits

On March 5, 2015 Illinois signee Jalen Coleman-Lands was named one of 26 high school seniors who will participate in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 17, 2015, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[15] Coleman-Lands is the second Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown who played for the Red team in 2002.[16]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Coleman-Lands
PG/SG
Indianapolis, IN La Lumiere (IN) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 23, 2014 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Aaron Jordan
SG
Plainfield, IL Plainfield East (IL) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jan 4, 2014 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85
Darius Paul[17]
PF
Gurnee, IL Warren Township HS / Western Michigan /
Lamar State College–Port Arthur
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 12, 2014 
Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
D.J. Williams
SF
Chicago, IL Simeon (IL) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Nov 5, 2013 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11   Rivals: 12  247Sports: 8
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

References

  1. Martin, John (September 1, 2013). "Recruiting Insider: White Station's Leron Black commits to Illinois". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  2. "Class AAA Mr. Basketball Winner: LeRon Black from White Station High School". Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. March 15, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  3. Tupper, Mark (December 13, 2012). "Centenniall's Finke commits to Illinois". Herald & Review. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  4. "Jeff Finke". Sports Reference. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  5. "Game 17 Notes IlliniHoops at Nebraska". Retrieved 2015-01-10.
  6. Parrish, Gary (2014-09-11). "Illinois point guard Tracy Abrams to miss season with torn ACL". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  7. Ryan, Shannon (2015-01-06). "Rayvonte Rice, Illini's leading scorer, out indefinitely". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  8. Johnson, Raphielle (2015-01-21). "Eye injury to sideline Illinois junior guard up to two weeks". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  9. "Ryan Schmidt". Illinois DIA. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  10. "Illinois guard Aaron Cosby will transfer". Sports Illustrated. 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  11. Jackson, Marcus (2015-02-20). "Groce on Cosby: 'I wish him nothing but the best'". News-Gazette. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  12. Johnson, Raphielle (2014-12-05). "Illinois to honor starters on 2004-05 national runner-up squad with commemorative bobbleheads". NBC Sports. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  13. "2004-05 'Starting 5' bobblehead set commemorates 10-year anniversary of historic season". Illinois DIA. 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  14. "2014-15 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team" (PDF). CSTV.com. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  15. Jackson, Marcus (2015-03-05). "Coleman-Lands selected for Jordan game". News-Gazette. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  16. "All-Time Jordan Brand All-Americans". Jordan Brand Classic. 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  17. "LSC-PA Seahawk Paul intends to play for Illini". The Beaumont Enterprise. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
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