University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Player Profile - Calvin Brock

Player Profile: Calvin Brock
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6'5"
Class: Senior
Hometown: Chicago, IL

Player Summary

In his three years on the Illini (not including his redshirt season), Brock has seen his minutes consistently increase. He's an incredible athlete and a hustler. He picks up some rebounds, some steals, dives for loose balls and has a mid-range game. In short, he's the type of glue guy you want on your side. In his senior season, he will be needed to continue to lead by example and will need to assume a more vocal leadership role as well. Of the three seniors, he's likely to get the most minutes for the Illini.

Statistics for '07-'08 Basketball Season

Minutes: 22.1
Points: 7.4
Rebounds: 3.7
Assists: 1.3
Steals: 0.9
Blocks: 0.2

Player Strengths

Over the course of his career, Brock has developed a very nice mid-range game. He can hit the three as well, but picks his places. Brock is good, not great at a lot of things including rebounding, scoring, defense, and ball-handling. His athleticism is terrific and his hustle is contagious. He had some very good defensive games last year. Games against Eric Gordon and Indiana come to mind. Brock has good height that allows him to swing between guard and forward as necessary.

Player Weaknesses

Brock has never been able to shake the inconsistency label. He'll alternate impressive performances with the unimpressive. He can score, but can't be counted on to score. He plays with emotion, but sometimes too much emotion. Again the games against Indiana come to mind.

Player Projections

I think Brock's minutes will be similar to last year. The team is going to be much more guard-oriented with the addition of Alex Legion at mid-year and Jamar Smith and may lean towards a three-guard lineup. In order to get minutes, he'll have to play some forward and will have to steal minutes from the two other senior guards (Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham). Brock could be an important part of a very good team. As long as others can be counted on to score and rebound, Brock can contribute where necessary with his hustle and athleticism. He's got the athletic ability to be a great defender and he is always capable of the highlight-reel play. He also might be the leader that the team needs if the other leader (Frazier) has a hard time finding the floor.

Projected Statistics for Illini '08-'09 Basketball Season

Minutes: 22.5
Points: 8.0
Rebounds: 4.5
Assists: 1.5
Steals: 1.2
Blocks: 0.2

Sources:
www.espn.com
illinois.scout.com/