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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Sad news for Illini fans

The Illinois basketball community mourned the loss of former Illini assistant coach Wayne McClain, who died Wednesday at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Ill..

McClain, who was 60 according to Williams Memorial Services in Champaign, had been hospitalized with pneumonia, according to reports.

McClain joined Illinois for the 2001-02 season as an assistant to former Illini coach Bill Self. After Self left for Kansas in 2003, McClain served under coach Bruce Weber through 2011-12 and joined Weber at Kansas State for the next season.

“Man life just isn't fair sometimes. My heart hurts to hear of Coach McClain passing away. What a great man he was. Thoughts and prayers.”- Tweet from Meyers Leonard

“I don’t know if I have ever been around a better man, whether it was with his family or with his players,” Weber said in a statement. “He had such a huge heart and cared for so many people. He touched so many people’s lives from here (at Kansas State) to Illinois to Peoria (Illinois).

“To me, he goes down as an icon for basketball in the state of Illinois whether it is in high school … or helping Illinois win (three) Big Ten championships and advance to the Final Four.”

Former Illinois guard Brandon Paul said on Twitter: “Sad day for the Illini Family. … Great Coach, Father, Husband & much more! Blessed to have been coached by him!”

McClain was a longtime boys basketball coach at Peoria Manual, where he won three consecutive Illinois state titles from 1995-97. He returned to the high school ranks last year as head coach at Champaign Central.

“We only (worked) with him for one year, but he had a big influence on the entire high school and community,” Champaign Central athletic director John Woods said. “He impacted everybody and changed our culture and raised our expectations. He supported the kids and they loved him.

“A lot of people asked me, ‘Why did he come to Champaign Central High School?’ I asked him that point-blank. He said in college he would influence 15 kids, but in high school you can influence an entire community.”

He is survived by his wife Robin, two children and a grandson. His son, Sergio McClain, was a four-year letter winner on the Illini basketball team from 1998-2001. His daughter Brindeshie earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Illinois.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

This is the year Dr.K

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

I hope you're right. Care to elaborate on that?

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

I don't think so.

But it sounds like they're going to have an awesome offense and shitty defense which is a pleasant change of pace.

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You know me like that.

Why is Zaidman doing the Illini game for ESPN?

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You know me like that.

I thought the same thing Dr. Ken. Not sure who the ginger-headed dumbass is doing the game with

I don't know who that other guy is either.

They need to stop that Orange Hush crap. Every year they piss around for 6 minutes trying to score 10 points.

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You know me like that.

The other guy might be Homer Drew.

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You know me like that.

It's Homer Drew, Dr. Ken. He is making his ESPN debut.

ZZ doesn't reserve his weird tidbits just for the Bears.

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You know me like that.

Thank God only 4 people in America are capable of seeing this game.

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You know me like that.

This team looks to be continuing the grand tradition of horrible rebounding squads.

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You know me like that.

Leron Black is a big dude for a Freshman.

May be another Snake Norman in a couple years.

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You know me like that.

I couldn't find either game this weekend. I see the offense got moving pretty nicely over the weekend.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Friday's game was on WatchESPN. I watched it on the kid's Xbox.

Yesterday's game was on BTN Plus which requires a $10/month subscription to which I say, "Fuck you, Sir." I'm a huge fan and there's no way I'm paying to watch them play Coppin State. I don't know who came up with that marketing angle.

I think the game against American is on WatchESPN also. Something like 7 of the first 10 games are behind a BTN pay wall. Hot garbage.

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You know me like that.

Ugh. My cable bill is already up to a ridiculous level. I am not paying for BTN+. I figured that satellite the Euros
put on the comet was what you were using to get the games from Champaign.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

How is Egwu this bad of a rebounder. He rebounds worse than Eddy Curry.

I haven't seen a game yet this season but it is tough to get a lot of rebounds when you are hanging out
around the 3 point stripe. That is where he hung out a lot last season. I wish the Illini could get a wide
bodied rebound monster.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I agree with you Dr. Ken about BTNPlus. I think it's stupid that we have to pay when we are live in the Big Ten area.

On a separate note. Looks like Zach Zaidman is the play-by-play announcer for the Illini. I think this is his third game doing the Illini. He's back with Homer Drew.

Through 5 minutes, the Illini on pace to score 160 points.

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You know me like that.

Indiana St. sucks.

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You know me like that.

I think Bird could start for them now. At least I can watch this game. You know, there is no excuse for the games to not be on tv in the university hometown.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

That's what you get for living in the Hardcore American South.

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You know me like that.

Illinois played 5 great minutes and have looked like a tire fire ever since.

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You know me like that.

Just a couple guys giving thanks on this wonderful day

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Up yours, Yank.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Up yours, Spank.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer