Illinois Basketball: Michael Finke past, present and future
One of the most fun players to watch in the last few decades on the Illinois basketball team has been Michael Finke. He will continue being an important piece for this program the next two seasons.
Past
Both Leron Black and Michael Finke were in the same class of 2014 for the Illini. Finke seemed to have been slightly overlooked because Black was the top 100 recruit. But, Illinois actually snagged a very underrated and skilled big man with the addition of Finke.
At the time, Finke was only 6-foot-9, 210-pounds. He was rated as a three-star recruit who was the No. 185 player in the class and the No. 48 power forward in the nation. There were some impressive programs that saw some value in his game, though. Illinois beat out teams like Iowa, Kansas State, Wisconsin and Purdue for his services.
Finke was immediately looked to for minutes underneath the basket. The previous coaching regime didn’t recruit a traditional big or they were trying to do the graduate transfer thing and it just didn’t work out. In year one, Finke logged 20.3 minutes per game and in that time averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. Last season, Finke was averaging 19.8 minutes, 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Present
New head coach Brad Underwood is left with the mess from the previous coaching staff. He doesn’t have many options with Finke besides for playing him down low. I would really have liked to see Finke at the No. 4 spot too because there would be bigger mismatches there. But, he will likely play a lot of the No. 5 this season.
The best part about Finke – besides the #manbun – is his ability to run the court. He is extremely athletic for a 6-foot-10 big man. That will benefit him in Underwood’s offense and will likely make him a starter for the next two seasons in Champaign.
I see Finke getting around 21-24 minutes per game this season. Underwood will rely a lot on him to become a big-time rebounder and an athletic mismatch when he runs the court against opposing big men.
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Future
Finke will have one more season after this year in the Orange and Blue. I see him being a starter this season and then starting his senior campaign as well. This won’t be a liability for the Illini whatsoever.
I am glad we have Finke on the team because he gives Underwood a cushion to find a big man, potentially in the class of 2019. That is the year a few big-time big men are coming out of high school in the state of Illinois.
Finke will continue seeing about 21-24 minutes per game his senior season as well. He might actually have an increase but only time will tell. I see him averaging somewhere in the ballpark of 9 points and 8 rebounds per game. I would be extremely happy with that production.