CHAMPAIGN — Classes start at the University of Illinois on Monday for the new school year. The Illini men’s basketball team will have the week to get settled on the academic front. While resuming their work with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher, of course.
That’s a day one undertaking. A return to the practice court at Ubben Basketball Complex will follow. Mostly individual workouts and small groups through September with some full-team days mixed in before official practices begin at the end of the month.
Then it’s a mad dash to the start of the 2024-25 season, which includes an Oct. 27 charity exhibition at Mississippi before the Nov. 4 season opener against Eastern Illinois at State Farm Center.
Just more than two months, all told, for a new-look Illinois team to prepare for a markedly tough schedule in and out of Big Ten play. The foundation for the coming season was set this summer. For the most part.
Pace of play, floor spacing and a defense that could protect the rim better were all emphasized, and Illinois coach Brad Underwood was pleased with his team’s effort. “We’ve spent a lot of the summer playing fast,” Underwood said. “We’ve spent a lot of the summer talking about spacing and having guys in multiple positions so we can throw five guys out there and not worry about, really, who, where and why.
Just put them in the right spots and know we’ve got good basketball players in all those spots. “The basics of what we’re doing (def.