Underwood on what's next for Illini: 'A lot of time in the gym'
Mar. 30—CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood remains upbeat and positive about what Illinois accomplished in the 2022-23 season.
It's the same tenor and tone the Illinois men's basketball coach used throughout the season regardless of how much of the team's success waned from night to night.
Entering the last eight days of the regular season not yet eliminated from the Big Ten title hunt remains a touchstone for Underwood relative to the team's success. So does another 20-win season and a third straight NCAA tournament appearance.
The focus for Underwood and his staff has turned toward the transfer portal and another round of offseason roster construction. But there's still been some time to reflect on the season that was. The good and the bad.
Underwood called his team "vastly inconsistent" in the 2022-23 season. It was almost an expectation after Illinois had to rebuild its roster and did so by adding six freshmen before or during the season. Offensive inconsistencies were the most glaring.
"We were not a good shooting team," Underwood said. "We weren't very good in pick-and-rolls. We had a little problem trying to elevate consistently. What I mean by that is making extra passes to make teammates better."
Illinois' shooting woes stood out in stark contrast to any other offensive deficiency. The Illini shot just 30.8 percent from three-point range, making them one of the least efficient teams in the country.
Underwood maintained all season he had good shooters at his disposal. True in theory. Not so much in practice.
Luke Goode was the only Illini to shoot better than 40 percent, and the sophomore guard played in just 10 games. Otherwise, Matthew Mayer's 33 percent shooting was the top mark.
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Contributing to the third-worst three-point shooting season in program history since the shot was introduced full-time to the college game before the 1986-87 season? A team that didn't move the ball that well. Illinois assisted on 46.7 percent of its made shots, which ranks 280th nationally, and had more turnovers (426) than assists (409).
"Part of shooting is you've got to have somebody that can deliver it and be on time with it," Underwood said. "It's a fluidity. I say good offense is like music. It's got a certain beat and rhythm to it. We were off kilter. We just saw things a little bit late. We didn't have that crispness. We'd run a stagger for Matt or (Terrence Shannon Jr.) and they're open right as they come off, but we delivered it a second late. It was just kind of that way."
It wasn't just poor passing, though, that contributed to a woeful shooting season. Missed shots were simply part of Illinois' broader offensive issues in a season where the Illini's adjusted offensive efficiency numbers were their worst since John Groce's last year as coach during the 2016-17 season.
Failure to perform better on the offensive end was a persistent issue.
"The shots RJ (Melendez) made as a freshman, a lot of them were what we call shakes — lifting out of the corner on a pick-and-roll — because somebody had to support on Trent (Frazier) and then they had to tag on Kofi (Cockburn)," Underwood said. "We didn't get a lot of that. We were very ineffective in terms of pick-and-roll basketball this year. Therefore, they didn't get those shots. It manifested itself in a lot of ways."
The work toward improving those offensive metrics has already begun.
Underwood and Co. are also looking to address those offensive shortcomings in recruiting. Incoming freshmen Amani Hansberry and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn are the only current newcomers, but Illinois has been active in the transfer portal. The early potential transfer trends are lead guards and shooters.
The Illini took their NCAA-mandated week off and are now back in the weight room with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher. Basketball workouts will soon resume, and Illinois will have bonus time in the gym this summer thanks to its upcoming trip to Spain.
"A lot of time in the gym," Underwood said. "Good shooters become great shooters because they get their rear ends in the gym and practice them. There's no substitute for the confidence that comes from practice. We've got to do some other things better as well, but we've got a group that likes to work."
