Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Illinois Primer
2/21/2017 1:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Skip Myslenski
NUsports.com Special Contributor
SCATTER SHOTS AS THE 'CATS HEAD TO CHAMPAIGN FOR A TUESDAY REMATCH WITH ILLINOIS, WHO TOPPLED THEM BY SEVEN AT WELSH-RYAN TWO WEEKS AGO. . .
THEY REMEMBER THAT NIGHT. "We know obviously they're a good team, and everything goes out the window in a rivalry game," says Sanjay Lumpkin. "We've got to fight them. We've got to play a solid 40 minutes. We know we dropped one at home against them. That's definitely a motivating factor."
WITH A WIN the 'Cats would not only fatten their resume and improve their chances for an NCAA tourney bid. They would also post their 21st victory, a plateau no other 'Cat team has reached. Asked if setting that record was any kind of motivating factor as well, Chris Collins says, "Anytime you play on the road it's a tough game, and we're playing a team that's won two of its last three. Obviously they beat us a couple weeks ago and deserved to beat us. They made the plays down the stretch to win. We have great respect for who Illinois is. We understand this time of year every game is very important no matter who you're playing, where you're playing 'em."
THAT, IN FACT, HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN TRUE with the 'Cats, who historically have played for nothing but personal pride at this time of the year. But here, this February, their final four games are the climax to the compelling narrative they have written through their first 27, and that makes them very meaningful indeed. "Coach was talking about that the other days," says Lumpkin. "That's why we all came here. That's why all of us are here. Playing games that matter at this time of the year is awesome. In the past, it hasn't always been like that. We were playing for self-respect at times. But to know that every game is the most-important one of our season—that's how we're approaching it—we all want to play in important games, in games that matter. Now's our time to do that."
"Every program, when you want to get to that level where you're in the mix late in the season, you have to deal with that. That's part of the deal," Collins says of the baggage that accompanies meaningful games. "So for us, it's a new experience, but I really want these guys to stay in the present. I've talked about that a lot. I want them to play loose. I want them to play free. I want them to play hungry. I try to deflect as much pressure and stress as I can onto myself so I can take it off of them. We can't play that way. We're not going to be successful if we play with pressure on our backs, or if we play with a burden on us that we have to be perfect, that we have to make plays. We have to play loose. We have to play with confidence.
"You see when this team is good. They play with great energy, they play with enthusiasm, they have fun out there playing with one another. That's our formula to play well. We know every game from here on out is a big game. It just is. We're excited about that. It's what we've earned. We've earned that right by how we've played through the first 27. It's a great time to be playing big games, meaningful games. I know our guys are excited about getting back out there tomorrow."
NO, SAYS COLLINS. He has not seen signs that his 'Cats are feeling the pressure. "I haven't. I just think we have a mature group. We've really stayed together. I think we've tried to take the added attention, the focus that's been on us from a media standpoint, from a national standpoint— we've taken it pretty much in stride. There's a quiet confidence amongst our guys that we are good, and that we belong here, and this is what we expected. I like the leadership of the team and the way they're talking to each other."
"We know all our success will go away if we don't stay focused," says Lumpkin, one of those leaders. "This is an important stretch for us and right now it's not a marathon. It's a sprint. It's about finishing out strong. Staying focused, keeping that mindset, just trying to be a different Northwestern."
THE 'CATS WERE REINFORCED for their stretch run last Saturday with the return of Scottie Lindsey, who had missed their previous four games with mononucleosis. That night, in their win over Rutgers, he logged 24 minutes; went two-of-eight overall and one-of-six on his threes; and finished with six points, one rebound and four assists. "Right now we're playing a little bit catch up on conditioning, on ball skills, shooting, playing a game speed, all those things," Collins says when asked about him. "It's going to take him a little time to get his conditioning back to where it was before he got sick."
"The thing that will get me back to 100 percent is my game legs," says Lindsey himself. "My wind is fine. I'm not really getting that tired in games. But I've just got to get lift on my shots, and I've got to get into a lower stance on defense. Getting my legs back will help."
LINDSEY WAS IDLE FOR THREE WEEKS, not able to do any kind of conditioning while getting healthy. "I really didn't think I had it. It was definitely surprising," he says of his condition. "I've been sicker than I was. I wasn't really that sick. When they diagnosed me and in the weeks that I was out, I wasn't really that sick either. But the risk of me rupturing my spleen was too big for me to keep playing even though I felt pretty good."
HE WAS CLEARED TO RETURN the Monday before that Saturday game with Rutgers, so it was no wonder that he played limited minutes and didn't yet have his legs back. He only had five days to get work in and so, he says, "I just tried to get back into a little bit of shape."
NOW, he says, "I'm feeling awesome. Awesome. It feels great to be back on the court. I missed playing."
BUT BACK THEN, back when he was not allowed on the court, back then he was feeling a whole lot different. "Basketball is something you do constantly, is something you do everyday, is something you spend so many hours doing, and it's something that you truly love, it's just so frustrating, It's hard to sit there and watch, and in my case just sit there and do nothing. They didn't let me do anything," he finally says. "So I was bored, frustrated, mad. I went through everything. Toward the end of it I just looked at it as, I'm getting some rest and my legs are freshened up for the end of the season."
NUsports.com Special Contributor
SCATTER SHOTS AS THE 'CATS HEAD TO CHAMPAIGN FOR A TUESDAY REMATCH WITH ILLINOIS, WHO TOPPLED THEM BY SEVEN AT WELSH-RYAN TWO WEEKS AGO. . .
THEY REMEMBER THAT NIGHT. "We know obviously they're a good team, and everything goes out the window in a rivalry game," says Sanjay Lumpkin. "We've got to fight them. We've got to play a solid 40 minutes. We know we dropped one at home against them. That's definitely a motivating factor."
WITH A WIN the 'Cats would not only fatten their resume and improve their chances for an NCAA tourney bid. They would also post their 21st victory, a plateau no other 'Cat team has reached. Asked if setting that record was any kind of motivating factor as well, Chris Collins says, "Anytime you play on the road it's a tough game, and we're playing a team that's won two of its last three. Obviously they beat us a couple weeks ago and deserved to beat us. They made the plays down the stretch to win. We have great respect for who Illinois is. We understand this time of year every game is very important no matter who you're playing, where you're playing 'em."
THAT, IN FACT, HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN TRUE with the 'Cats, who historically have played for nothing but personal pride at this time of the year. But here, this February, their final four games are the climax to the compelling narrative they have written through their first 27, and that makes them very meaningful indeed. "Coach was talking about that the other days," says Lumpkin. "That's why we all came here. That's why all of us are here. Playing games that matter at this time of the year is awesome. In the past, it hasn't always been like that. We were playing for self-respect at times. But to know that every game is the most-important one of our season—that's how we're approaching it—we all want to play in important games, in games that matter. Now's our time to do that."
"Every program, when you want to get to that level where you're in the mix late in the season, you have to deal with that. That's part of the deal," Collins says of the baggage that accompanies meaningful games. "So for us, it's a new experience, but I really want these guys to stay in the present. I've talked about that a lot. I want them to play loose. I want them to play free. I want them to play hungry. I try to deflect as much pressure and stress as I can onto myself so I can take it off of them. We can't play that way. We're not going to be successful if we play with pressure on our backs, or if we play with a burden on us that we have to be perfect, that we have to make plays. We have to play loose. We have to play with confidence.
"You see when this team is good. They play with great energy, they play with enthusiasm, they have fun out there playing with one another. That's our formula to play well. We know every game from here on out is a big game. It just is. We're excited about that. It's what we've earned. We've earned that right by how we've played through the first 27. It's a great time to be playing big games, meaningful games. I know our guys are excited about getting back out there tomorrow."
NO, SAYS COLLINS. He has not seen signs that his 'Cats are feeling the pressure. "I haven't. I just think we have a mature group. We've really stayed together. I think we've tried to take the added attention, the focus that's been on us from a media standpoint, from a national standpoint— we've taken it pretty much in stride. There's a quiet confidence amongst our guys that we are good, and that we belong here, and this is what we expected. I like the leadership of the team and the way they're talking to each other."
"We know all our success will go away if we don't stay focused," says Lumpkin, one of those leaders. "This is an important stretch for us and right now it's not a marathon. It's a sprint. It's about finishing out strong. Staying focused, keeping that mindset, just trying to be a different Northwestern."
THE 'CATS WERE REINFORCED for their stretch run last Saturday with the return of Scottie Lindsey, who had missed their previous four games with mononucleosis. That night, in their win over Rutgers, he logged 24 minutes; went two-of-eight overall and one-of-six on his threes; and finished with six points, one rebound and four assists. "Right now we're playing a little bit catch up on conditioning, on ball skills, shooting, playing a game speed, all those things," Collins says when asked about him. "It's going to take him a little time to get his conditioning back to where it was before he got sick."
"The thing that will get me back to 100 percent is my game legs," says Lindsey himself. "My wind is fine. I'm not really getting that tired in games. But I've just got to get lift on my shots, and I've got to get into a lower stance on defense. Getting my legs back will help."
LINDSEY WAS IDLE FOR THREE WEEKS, not able to do any kind of conditioning while getting healthy. "I really didn't think I had it. It was definitely surprising," he says of his condition. "I've been sicker than I was. I wasn't really that sick. When they diagnosed me and in the weeks that I was out, I wasn't really that sick either. But the risk of me rupturing my spleen was too big for me to keep playing even though I felt pretty good."
HE WAS CLEARED TO RETURN the Monday before that Saturday game with Rutgers, so it was no wonder that he played limited minutes and didn't yet have his legs back. He only had five days to get work in and so, he says, "I just tried to get back into a little bit of shape."
NOW, he says, "I'm feeling awesome. Awesome. It feels great to be back on the court. I missed playing."
BUT BACK THEN, back when he was not allowed on the court, back then he was feeling a whole lot different. "Basketball is something you do constantly, is something you do everyday, is something you spend so many hours doing, and it's something that you truly love, it's just so frustrating, It's hard to sit there and watch, and in my case just sit there and do nothing. They didn't let me do anything," he finally says. "So I was bored, frustrated, mad. I went through everything. Toward the end of it I just looked at it as, I'm getting some rest and my legs are freshened up for the end of the season."
••••••
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