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#AskTCR: Ice Cream and Quarterbacks

YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS. THOUGH NOT ALL ANSWERS MAY BE TO THE QUESTIONS YOU WERE ASKING.

By Brad Repplinger
Purdue v Illinois Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Anyone still buzzing over last night’s win against Northwestern? I sure am...

There are two ways to ask The Champaign Room your questions. You can tweet them at us on Twitter using the hashtag #AskTCR -- it just makes it easier to keep track -- or you can email them to us at repplin1@gmail.com. And if you've got a personal question and you're worried about your privacy, just tell us. We'll change your name to Tom Crean when we publish it on the site. And remember, you can ask us ANYTHING. It doesn't have to be about Illinois or even sports.

Great to hear from you Mike.

Next year’s bowl chances have gotta be Cookie Dough. A heaping helping of bland vanilla with little surprise chunks of goodness hidden in-between.

So I’m sitting in the office one day over summer a few seasons ago, when a good friend sends me a text. Our conversation went something like this...

“I just ran into John Groce at Starbucks.”

“DUDE! That’s awesome, did you talk to him?”

“Yeah man. He walked in, the barista said ‘We have your order ready coach’ and I asked him what he was a coach of. We chit chatted for a block or so before parting ways. Had a lot of nice things to say about the band and how they create a good home court atmosphere.”

Chopped. You’re given a bunch of mystery ingredients (Lucas, Nichols) to highlight a particular dish in order to wow a panel of judges. If you don’t use the mystery ingredients properly or not enough of them, you’re chopped.

Am I the only person that get’s stuck in the perennial rabbit hole that is the food network?

How well Crouch recovers from his shoulder injury is going to be something we keep an eye on as next season approaches. His throwing arm was the one that was operated on, and there’s a chance he does not return with the same throwing ability he once had (or maybe he returns to be football’s Henry Rowengartner). Mind you, with Dwayne Lawson’s eligibility and scheduled arrival to Champaign still up in the air, I would be fine knowing Crouch is our guy next season. There’s enough athleticism there for him to lead an offense in the Big Ten, along with a few play makers in the backfield to help balance out the offense.

As for receivers, Ricky Smalling (#6 in state and #52 nationally) is a recruit that could make an immediate impact this season. Malik Turner will be the go-to target, and HOPEFULLY (finds ALL of the wood and knocks) we have a healthy Mikey Dudek this year. I like the future of this receiving corps.

Javon Pickett looks like our next Malcolm Hill, which is ironic since they both played at Belleville East. I really like his high release, along with his ability to get to the basket in traffic. He can push the ball off the rebound in open space and is not afraid to run the floor when necessary. Defensively, Pickett is going to be a great shot blocker with his quick jumping ability and alertness.

All depends on his recovery from shoulder surgery and whether or not Dwayne Lawson is here this summer. If Lawson arrives this summer, he’s the starter. If Lawson is not, Crouch gets the nod.

Briefs no doubt. Gotta have proper support when you call timeout like this:

I am not a Quarterback so I can’t say for sure what they’re going to be tested on. I can almost guarantee however that a Buzzfeed quiz will be involved. Probably this one.

While Smith continues to receive offers from programs across the country, it’s promising to think that both Jeremiah Tillmon and Javon Pickett have been recruiting Smith to join their class at Illinois. While offers from Indiana, Kansas State, and Ohio State might be enough to pull him away from Illinois, the opportunity to join his peers could bring him to Champaign. I give it a 40% chance at the moment.

Beckman would probably tweet at Rascal Flatts as the lead singer is an OSU grad citing a connection from his time in Ohio. The band would then show up at Memorial Stadium wearing scarlet and gray while Ohio State puts up 50 points on the Illini.

In a perfect world, you would have a starting quarterback on the roster for three seasons before they leave for the NFL. The recruiting timeline would be two QB’s every three years (starter and backup) so they could sit for a season to develop and learn, then start the next two years. Rinse and repeat. For Illinois, there is no real “starter” between George Jr, Crouch, and Lawson. Lawson might not be eligible and both Crouch and George Jr are dueling for a starting spot this season. Having Cameron Thomas in the pipeline for next season gives him a year to develop before starting in 2018.

I’d actually go more towards a combination of Morris Day and Michael Jackson. GAP Band doesn’t quite have the dance moves that Bruno has, and Bruno’s voice is closer to MJ’s than Charlie Wilson.

One song!? Oye...

Let’s keep the Bruno Mars theme and go with 24k Magic. The band can play the chorus while Barry raps over the verses while standing on the 50 yard line.

Vanilla with sprinkles. Sure, it looks appealing and the presentation is flashy...but at the end of the day it’s just vanilla ice cream.