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| Junior center Mike Tisdale's offensive talents are well-recognized; this summer he's working especially to elevate his defensive skills. |
Want to find out how those summer workouts are going for the Illinois players at the Ubben Basketball Complex? Send in your questions now for Illini junior center Mike Tisdale, who will be in the chat room live on Thursday, July 23.
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| Moderator: Hello everyone. Mike Tisdale is here and ready to get started. He has a 1 o'clock class, so he'll have to finish by 12:45, so he came in a little early to start answering some questions that had already been submitted. |
| Moderator: We don't have a separate entry point with Mike's name in today's format for some reason, so all of of his answers will be listed as moderator. But he's here and ready, so here we go... |
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| Ryan (Decatur): How did the experience of taking Mike Davis's place in the USA Basketball trials help develop you as a player having gone against some of the best in the country? |
| Moderator: The experience was good, it was a lot of fun. As for my development, I learned what it takes to compete with the best players in the country. |
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| Kyle(Elgin, IL): What's it like to be able to eat basically anything and everything whenever you want? Does it get tiring? |
| Moderator: I have to admit, it is awesome to be able to eat anything I want, but it is not all cookies and ice cream. I have to eat healthy or it would be pointless. It can be hard sometimes but it is paying off so far. |
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| Pete (Chicago): How many times have you hit your head when walking through a doorway? |
| Moderator: If you haven't noticed, I walk with a little bit of a slouch. This is from my experiences of hitting my head on low objects. |
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| Murph (Champaign): I go to every home game and love watching you guys play! I notice you are always the first guy on the court pregame. Any superstition behind that? |
| Moderator: I don't believe in superstitions to speak of. I am just first at everything. The guys make fun of me because I am usually an hour early to everything. It is just a habit. It helps me to prepare and get ready for whatever it is I am about to do. I think that preparation is very important. |
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| Mike (Chicago): Do you get a chance to watch any other Illini teams play? Do you have a favorite Illini athlete other than a basketball player? |
| Moderator: Yeah, i get a chance to go see other sports around campus. I attend some volleyball and softball games. |
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| Lisa (Bloomington,IL): Are you as tired of talking about your 6,000 calorie diet as I am about reading and hearing about it? |
| Moderator: YESSSSS!! This topic is overdone and it is starting to get old. I don't think there is an Illini fan that hasn't heard about it. |
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| Shannon (Winona): Who are your roommates? |
| Moderator: I live with my brother. He is a team manager. |
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| Jimmy Bloomington, IL: How intense is a Bruce Weber practice? |
| Moderator: He gets pretty intense during practice. Between him and coach McClain it can be pretty intense. |
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| BigToe - Pana, IL.: You were at "ground zero" for the emotionally exhausting loss to Western Kentucky in the NCAA's. Does the sting from that tough game help motivate you as you build up to 2009-10? |
| Moderator: The game in Portland was pretty upsetting. We have been using it as motivation to improve for next year. |
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| Stan (Springfield): While I am proud that in your introductions they refer to you as being from Springfield, I know people from Riverton who feel like they're missing a shout out. Have you considered claiming Riverton as your hometown? Its not like Riverton is going to get another opportunity to be referenced on TV anytime soon! |
| Moderator: I made a mistake saying Springfield. I live in Springfield, but i went to Riverton. I am proud of that and I will always say Riverton from now on. I got a lot of complaints about it and i apologize to the metropolis of Riverton. |
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| Eric (Los Angeles): What is your favorite hobbies outside of basketball? |
| Moderator: I like playing golf, hunting, and fishing. I am from the country so that is about all there is to do. |
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| Jeff (New York City): Hey Mike, Hows it going? Just wondering what your thoughts are on fromer UCLA Bruin Ed O'bannon sueing EA sports over the use of his image in a video game. Do you have a problem with your image being used in games? Good luck next year! |
| Moderator: It's funny you ask, I just wrote a paper for a class on that exact case. Some former athletes may believe that it is unfair that their picture is being used to make money. For me I think it's cool that I can actually use myself in a video game.
Thanks |
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| Michael(Chicago): Mike, will you be scoring more in the post this year? I thought you in the post was our best offense at times last year. |
| Moderator: I have been working on the post game this summer. I think by gaining confidence in there it will help out the team. We need a guy that we can go to in the post for a bucket so I have been working on this the most. |
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| Andy (Charleston): You appear to be an individual who can evolve into a leader on this team, both by example and in a more vocal sense. Do you see yourself in that role? |
| Moderator: I believe it will be important for me to step up and become a leader this year for the team to have success. I will try to lead by example and by being vocal on and off the court. Last year leadership and chemistry was very important to our success and without Chester and Trent, I will have to fill the position. |
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| Taylor (Chicago): Mike,
Thanks for doing this. Who or what has surprised you the most about the freshman class in '09? Do you think we'll see a freshman in the starting five? |
| Moderator: The freshmen are good. They are all competitive and very athletic. They have all shown capability and the drive to be players. They are starting to get comfortable and it is fun to play pick up with them. |
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| Eric (Los Angeles): What is your typical day to day schedule? |
| Moderator: My typical day goes like this:
Basketball...
Class...
Eat...
Class...
Basketball...
Eat...
Homework...
Sleep.
it's not as exciting as you think and with basketball and school there is not much free time, but those are the reasons I am here in the first place. |
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| Ben (Mahomet): Hey Big Tiz! How much time have you put in the weight room this summer? How hard is for someone with your bodyframe to gain weight? |
| Moderator: This summer has been pretty productive in the weight room. I have been lifting four days a week and i am improving my strength. It is hard for me to gain weight with all the running and school, but it is important to work at it so I can get better. |
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| Larry (Charleston): What are you planning to do to improve your rebounding? |
| Moderator: I have been working on that area of my game. Last year it was a weakness and I know that that is an important attribute for a big man to possess. Hopefully with the added strength from the offseason my numbers will improve. |
| Moderator: Thanks for all the questions. I have to go to class now. I appreciate your support and hope it continues into the upcoming season that is arriving quickly.
Thanks again. |
| Moderator: Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to comeback next Tuesday at Noon CT for the next chat, with Illini co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch. |
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