From the beat writer's desk
CHAMPAIGN — John Groce and director of basketball operations Mark Morris approached Michael Finke last month with the idea of holding a pingpong tournament for the team.
Doing so was part of the Illinois coach’s plan to inject some fun into his team’s summer workouts — just like the beanbags tournament Groce surprised the Illini with during the spring.
Pingpong made sense as the next activity. Most of the team lives together at West Quad, an apartment complex on Green Street. One of the apartments boasts a pingpong table, so Finke — dubbed the “director of the fun police” by Groce — set it up.