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Get to know Illinois Head Wrestling Coach Jim Heffernan, who has just assumed the reins of the program this season from former coach Mark Johnson. Jim will be in the chat room live Tuesday, Dec. 8, starting at Noon CT, so send in your questions today.
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| Brent (Carthage): Hey Coach,
What is the injury status of our current lineup? My dad has always said, "you make your own breaks"...but it seems like we cannot catch one. Not having Furtell, Blanton, Terazzas and Prater in the lineup will really hurt us. Additionally, I read that Patrick Bond has been riddled with injuries...his first couple of years he never lost to anyone ranked lower than him...is he 100% now? |
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Jim Heffernan: Our current line-up is still a little beat up. Terrazas broke his foot over Thanksgiving break but is healing very well - way ahead of schedule and could be ready for midlands. BJ will be back this weekend hopefully as will Blanton and Prater barring any unforseen setbacks. Bond has been injured periodically but is doing well now - he needs to have a stretch where he can be healthy for an extended period. He showed some good energy at Las Vegas despite not placing. |
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| Jeff (Chicago): Hi coach! After John Dergo's impressive win over Mike Pucillo, how much success can we expect from him for the rest of the season? How does his passion affect the rest of the team? |
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Jim Heffernan: Dergo looked great and wrestled very well. He looks much more comfortable at 184. The big difference I have seen is he is wrestling extremely hard right now. Like everyone else, we have high expectations for him but still a long way to go this season. |
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| Roger Taylor, Cary, Ill.: If I make the 3 1/2 hr. drive on Sat., how healthy will the team be? Are they looking towards the Midlands, or will a few be ready sooner? Good luck!!! |
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Jim Heffernan: Looks like at least right now, everyone will be in the line-up except Terrazas. We hope to wrestle more than the regular ten guys in the two meets though. Hope you and many others make it to the meet Saturday |
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| Sam Rock Island: After watching the Illini being so successful under the direction of local standout, and knowing the background of the hefferman name which has become synominous with wrestling at Iowa I would just like to say I know Porky has left the reigns in good hands . |
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Jim Heffernan: We have had some tough luck on the injury front so far this year. They all seem to be healing well and hopefully will get a full line-up before too long. Kennedy is doing very well - always working hard and improving. Dergo is a very hard working humble kid with high goals. He has been through three college seasons so far so he knows not to get too excited about his early season success. |
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| Don Wilcox (Bloomington, IL): Coach, your news releases announcing the Letter of Intent signings for both Sam White and Jamie Clark stated each will be wrestling at 133. I saw Sam White was at 121 for a freestyle event this summer but, particularly with BJ Futrell already at 125, you'll have three national-caliber guys for two weight classes in November 2011, presuming Clark redshirts in the 2010-11 season. What are your projected weight classes for these three in 2010-11 and 2011-12?
Also, do you have any scholarship money remaining, and interest, for any of the remaining unsigned current high school seniors? |
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Jim Heffernan: Sam is currently in our room and has wrestled 125 so far this year, as a redshirt. BJ will wrestle 125 this year, and then most likely move up to 133. Jamie Clark will come in as a 133 pounder and both he and BJ have the option to redshirt. As good as all three are, we will find a place for them in our line-up. I am fully confident we will make it work. Yes, we are still actively recruiting for this year. However, I cannot comment any further on specifics because of NCAA rules. |
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| ChiefIllini2: Did ya'll have a spate of injuries or illnesses before the Las Vegas tournament? How's Jimmy Kennedy doing? Big, big ups for John Dergo and a powerful season so far. What can you tell us about John Dergo? Beating National Champ and National Runner-up Mike Pucillo is just evidence of his excellent wrestling this year. How excited are you about that?! |
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Jim Heffernan: sorry, this answer was out of order - it should have been the answer to the previous question |
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| Jim Kennedy: Coach Heff...Is my kid wrestling at Midlands? I only get calls when he needs money! :) Hope all is well see you this weekend!
Old Man Kennedy |
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Jim Heffernan: Old man Kennedy - Yes, Jimmy was admitted to the Midlands following the acceptance of his petition. It will be nice to have him there - we certainly miss not having him out there every week - hopefully our decision will pay dividends for all involved next March! He always works hard and does the right things. It would be nice to have a team full of guys just like him. From what I understand in speaking with the cross country coach, Kendra is doing well too! Always great to hear from you and look forward to seeing you in late December. |
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| chris ledbetter moline illinois: i know coach johnson was big on getting kids from illinois and felt that this state could produce the talent to compete with anyone. do you feel the same way or do you feel the need to go other places more often |
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Jim Heffernan: We will continue to recruit Illinois first, yes. My feeling is that we have the reputation as a University and wrestling program that we can also recruit competitively nationally, and need to do that as well. So much depends on our needs as a team. |
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| Pat (Champaign): How often do you keep in contact with Mark Johnson? How is he doing? |
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Jim Heffernan: Mark is doing well as the CEO of the Champaign County YMCA. I see him occasionally - and have seen him a few times so far this fall. I would guess that as the season gets into full swing, we (as a team) will be seeing much more of him. |
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| Robert - expat Elk Grove: Dergo is doing extremely well back at 184 this year. He would be undefeated except for lapses late in matches against Askren and Smith. Is it a matter of conditioning or mental letdown? Can Dergo rectify it and have a shot at a NCAA title? |
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Jim Heffernan: John is off to a very good start. Askren and Smith are two of the best opponents he will face all year and either match could have gone John's way. I don't know that it is a lack of focus or conditioning, just one good wrestler winning a very well contested match. As the year goes on John will improve - both with skills and conditioning. Before he starts thinking about winning a title, we would rather worry about him having a plan and getting better in practice on a daily basis. |
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| Mike (Chicago): What has been the biggest adjustment to the new head coach role? |
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Jim Heffernan: Doing things like this! Also the tremendous amount of administrative work and decision making have been the biggest differences. |
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| Chicago: Coach Heffernan what would you say are the best surprises at this early point in the season? |
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Jim Heffernan: As a first time starter, Daryl Thomas has done well so far and seems to be improving every time he competes. Eric Terrazas is also off to a great start and has made some really good improvements with his wrestling from last year. Clint Arlis - with the crazy academic schedule he keeps has done very well as a full time starter. |
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| Duane (Fairview Heights, IL): Hello coach Heffernan! I just had a quick question. As an aspiring coach I was wondering how do you go about developing skills with wrestlers who have little or no experience? The junior high program is just developing and wrestling is not a top priority at the school I teach at. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Good luck this season. Go Illini! |
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Jim Heffernan: Duane, I am a big believer is having a systematic approach to starting with those new to the sport. Teach what you think is necessary and important for your athletes to be competitive. Don't try to teach them 50 things - have them learn basic skills very well to help make them competitive right away. You can always add things to the kids that seemed to be more advanced as the year goes on. My opinion is that those new to the sport should be involved in practices with a lot of repitition working on basic skills. Good luck with your program, you are doing the right thing for the sport by starting a program in your community. |
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| Mike: What's it going to take for U of I to become a legit contender for the national title?
Also, what's been the biggest change for you as a head coach? |
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Jim Heffernan: That seems to be the never ending question with a lot of programs. I think we are on the right track getting kids like Sam White, Tony Dallago, Mario Gonzalez, Jackson Morse, Jamie Clark and Jed Lightfoot in the last two recruiting periods. Coupled with younger guys like Jordan Blanton, Conrad Polz, Eric Terrazas, BJ Futrell and Daryl Thomas is a pretty good start in my view. It is obviously important to continue our recruiting efforts along the same lines and continue to create a competitive environment in our practice room every day. |
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Jim Heffernan: Thanks for participating. Hope to see you at Huff Hall this year! |
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