Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Ottawa

3. The offseason has been good to Ty Rodgers

Each season, you see the transformation of players in the offseason. When strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher gets his hands on you, you transform into a better all-around athlete.

I remember the transformation of Ayo Dosunmu from freshman to sophomore season. It was incredible. He went from a lanky kid to someone who had muscle tone and strength in an offseason. In the first exhibition game against Ottawa, I noticed the same thing happened with Ty Rodgers.

Last season as a true freshman, Rodgers was a great player who just come out of high school. He still had his high school body and hadn’t had proper college training yet. This past offseason did wonders for the talented Swiss Army Knife, though.

Rodgers started against Ottawa, and he looked like a different person. While he still checks in at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, according to the school’s website, Rodgers looks different. He clearly had toned up and lost the high school body that he entered Illinois with. The training that Fletcher put in place for Rodgers is paying big-time dividends.

I would imagine the training plan was focused on getting Rodgers ready to be more of a point guard role than someone who bangs around in the paint. When I watched him on Friday night, I immediately thought he looked quicker on the court too.

It is exciting to see Rodgers not only develop as a player but also develop as an athlete. This kid has all of the talent in the world, and Illinois is setting him up for great success.