Michigan: Player Analysis

January 17, 2008
John Brumbaugh

C Shaun Pruitt – A
Pruitt played one of his better games all season against Michigan. He showed some aggressiveness with the basketball that he had not shown previously this year, and he even made a few different post moves that are not common tools in his repertoire. The especially shocking thing to see from Pruitt on Wednesday night was one play the Illini were running a secondary break and he got the ball about eight feet from the basket, faced up the defender and made a hard move to his left by swinging the ball from the right side of his body to the left for the layup. Another move he made was a spin over his right shoulder to the basket, but he went right into a double team. (The real question here is why was Michigan sending a double team to Pruitt’s right?)

PF Brian Randle – A
Randle had a new haircut (it was about time Brian), and along with it came his best game of the season. Randle was a man possessed in the first half. It was like he singlehandedly would not allow Illinois to lose the basketball game. Throughout the game, Brian just made winning plays for Illinois.

SF Calvin Brock – B
Calvin Brock has really come into his own this season, and has become Illinois’ most consistent player. He is not going to be taking bad shots, and he is going to knock down the shots that he gets. That is just what he did on Wednesday night as he shot 5-for-8 from the floor scoring 11 points.

SG Trent Meacham – C
It is hard to give Trent a higher grade when he shoots 2-for-10 from the floor. Luckily for Illinois, who has struggled when Trent struggled to score, the Illini did not need Meacham’s shooting to win the game. Even when he is no shooting well, Trent is still doing all the right things on the court by taking care of the basketball and making the right pass. A solid performance from him, but it was just dragged down by his shot not falling.

PG Demetri McCamey – B
McCamey has really come into his own as the point guard for Illinois after sitting on the bench behind Chester Frazier for the first half of the season. McCamey has become an adequate floor general, which is what Illinois needs. On Wednesday night, he showed a knack to getting to the lane, but he struggled to finish with his layups. He seemed to try to avoid the contact on the inside, instead of taking the ball strong to the basket (the same thing that plagued him in the Indiana game). If there was one thing I would highlight that I want McCamey to work on that can be significantly improved before the next game it is that, taking the ball strong to the basket. A four word scouting report on him right now would probably read: “Must Improve: Finishing Ability”.

G Chester Frazier – C
Frazier is adjusting well to his new role as the utility man. This role is a little late in coming for him, and he still struggles as Illinois’ point guard when he is in the game by himself. He was the point guard when Illinois 11-3 lead evaporated in the first half when McCamey went out at the sixteen minute mark, and he was the point guard when Illinois’ second half lead evaporated as well. Frazier does well when he is on the wing, and he showed it Wednesday night. He pulled down eight rebounds, and scored two points. He just struggles when he is asked to run the show but it looks like that will be happening less and less now as the season progresses.

C Mike Tisdale – C-
Tisdale continues to show promise in every game, but he also shows that he is still not there yet. He is not a good defender, and right now the Big Ten defenders are too physical for him to get off his shot easily. Due to the stellar play of Pruitt, and what appears to be a tightening of Weber’s rotation, Tisdale just saw seven minutes against Michigan.

The Others – Incomplete
No other player on Wednesday night received more than five minutes of playing time. Mike Davis saw four minutes in the first half during the time when Illinois’ 11-3 lead evaporated, and he pulled down one rebound and committed a turnover. Rodney Alexander played just three minutes, and the most memorable thing of his performance was the fact he seems to be getting tighter and tighter undershirts