John Groce Visits Effingham

Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Coach John Groce delivered a fiery presentation during an appearance at the Thelma Keller Convention Center sponsored by the Effingham Sunrise Rotary Club Thursday night.

Full of the same passion that he brings to the sidelines during an Illini game, Groce told those gathered not to waste a day, and to have a goal to be 1% better each day. Groce said he works to make his players better people, better students and then better players. He also has high hopes for his team during the coming season, although he didn't want to give a prediction as to the number of games the squad will win since that puts limits on what the squad can achieve.

After greeting well-wishers, Coach Groce spoke with our Greg Sapp about what he looks for in a player, what keeps him going, and his outlook for the coming season...