Last year was supposed to be his year, Illinois at their level always believed in him. So did numerous other programs that recruited him in the portal, he really is a Arkansas type of player, I know the inconsistency drives the board crazy, but at times he looked on a court full of athletes last night to have as commanding a presence as anyone.
When at his best a 6-7, versatile player that can break the mold…if it all comes together we will be so much stronger for it.
From his double double last year:
“We He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, one of his best performances of the season after a sophomore year that has had its ups and downs.
He began the season as a starter and breakout candidate who was on the edge of NBA radars, but he was shuffled out of the starting lineup in late December during a slump where he shot 23.6% from the field during a 15-game stretch leading into Monday's game. He also was suspended for the Feb. 11 game against Rutgers for violation of team rules.
That version of Melendez was put in the past, at least for a night. Melendez ran the floor for easy buckets and hit the clutch 3 when needed while providing energy on defense and the glass.”
“It was really great, actually,” Melendez said. “Just knowing that it’s my first career double-double and having these guys having my back every single day and trusting in me just gives me the confidence to keep going out and playing hard and having their back on the defensive side. It’s all toughness.
"Thanks to them and thanks to God for just keeping me on this process. It’s been a little hard, but just having Him, my teammates and my coach trusting on me is big time.”
“I’m not going to lose love for basketball ever,” Melendez said. “I’m always trusting God in this process. He always has a process for you so you can’t rush it. Things happen for a reason. I’m not going to rush it, trust his process, just stick with my teammates and not be that negative energy throughout the team because I’m playing bad. I just want to elevate them at the same time and make them better every single day.”
All that belief from Melendez, his teammates and coaches came to fruition on Monday and led to a moment of triumph. It could be the turning point Melendez needs and one that would be big for the Illini.
“Belief. People believe,” Underwood said. “People want RJ. Nobody is against him. Sometimes you think the whole world is against you. That’s where kids get destroyed by social media — destroyed by that nonsense, that venom that’s out there. You start reading that stuff and all of a sudden that feel-good goes away pretty quick. Now he’s sitting there tonight and to hear 15,000-plus cheering you on and knowing they’ve got your back? That’s all you need. We all need that. We all want to have those moments where we’ve got people behind us, people helping us. That’s pretty cool. That means a lot. It means a lot to me.”
pantagraph.com
Vs Arkansas in the NCAA tournament
CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — “Down 14 with less than 10 minutes to play in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Arkansas, RJ Melendez went on a run. The sophomore singlehandedly got the Illini back in the game scoring eight straight points, showing what he can bring. But that moment was just a glimpse of a season Melendez would rather forget.
After a strong finish to this freshman campaign, Melendez was a breakout candidate coming into 2022-23 but it never materialized. Instead the 6-foot-7 wing struggled to shoot, especially beyond the arc, finishing the season 24-for-91 (26.4%) from 3. That included a stretch from December to February where Melendez went 6-for-44 from 3. Through it all, head coach Brad Underwood continued to play him, despite removing Melendez from the starting lineup at times.
“I mean it’s been pretty tough but just stay with the process,” Melendez said. “Coach (Underwood) never lost confidence in me to keep shooting the ball so I feel like that’s a big part of it and just having my coaches and teammates having the confidence in me and passing me the ball and that’s a big thing so I just kept working on it and let the game come to me.”
Despite the struggles, Melendez’s performance in the NCAA tournament once again provided a spark heading into the offseason. Melendez finished with 10 points and a team high six rebounds against the Razorbacks. It followed his performance against Houston in the second round of the Big Dance last season, when the then freshman came off the bench to score nine points in the loss, second most of the Illini in the game.
“RJ Melendez probably went through one of the most interesting seasons, and to see him finish it off was unbelievable,” Underwood said. “He showed his ability and what he’s going to be in the future. I’m so proud of this young man. I am. Only he knows the true struggle that he’s had. It’s been real. Everybody has talked about it. He’s felt it. He’s an elite shooter. He’s an elite player. To gain that confidence, I hope this is a springboard for him into what becomes a great, great offseason, with Fletch and then makes that jump. You know, when you become a junior you’re familiar with everything, and then you’re confident, to end it like he did today, that was pretty special and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more proud. I’ve got a lot of really positive things going with RJ because he’s, we talk all the time. When you have a speed bump in life you always come out better on the other side, and that was evident today.”
When at his best a 6-7, versatile player that can break the mold…if it all comes together we will be so much stronger for it.
From his double double last year:
“We He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes, one of his best performances of the season after a sophomore year that has had its ups and downs.
He began the season as a starter and breakout candidate who was on the edge of NBA radars, but he was shuffled out of the starting lineup in late December during a slump where he shot 23.6% from the field during a 15-game stretch leading into Monday's game. He also was suspended for the Feb. 11 game against Rutgers for violation of team rules.
That version of Melendez was put in the past, at least for a night. Melendez ran the floor for easy buckets and hit the clutch 3 when needed while providing energy on defense and the glass.”
“It was really great, actually,” Melendez said. “Just knowing that it’s my first career double-double and having these guys having my back every single day and trusting in me just gives me the confidence to keep going out and playing hard and having their back on the defensive side. It’s all toughness.
"Thanks to them and thanks to God for just keeping me on this process. It’s been a little hard, but just having Him, my teammates and my coach trusting on me is big time.”
“I’m not going to lose love for basketball ever,” Melendez said. “I’m always trusting God in this process. He always has a process for you so you can’t rush it. Things happen for a reason. I’m not going to rush it, trust his process, just stick with my teammates and not be that negative energy throughout the team because I’m playing bad. I just want to elevate them at the same time and make them better every single day.”
All that belief from Melendez, his teammates and coaches came to fruition on Monday and led to a moment of triumph. It could be the turning point Melendez needs and one that would be big for the Illini.
“Belief. People believe,” Underwood said. “People want RJ. Nobody is against him. Sometimes you think the whole world is against you. That’s where kids get destroyed by social media — destroyed by that nonsense, that venom that’s out there. You start reading that stuff and all of a sudden that feel-good goes away pretty quick. Now he’s sitting there tonight and to hear 15,000-plus cheering you on and knowing they’ve got your back? That’s all you need. We all need that. We all want to have those moments where we’ve got people behind us, people helping us. That’s pretty cool. That means a lot. It means a lot to me.”
RJ Melendez finds breakthrough for Illinois after recent slump
RJ Melendez hit a 3 and the State Farm Center erupted to celebrate his bounce-back performance.
Vs Arkansas in the NCAA tournament
CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — “Down 14 with less than 10 minutes to play in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Arkansas, RJ Melendez went on a run. The sophomore singlehandedly got the Illini back in the game scoring eight straight points, showing what he can bring. But that moment was just a glimpse of a season Melendez would rather forget.
After a strong finish to this freshman campaign, Melendez was a breakout candidate coming into 2022-23 but it never materialized. Instead the 6-foot-7 wing struggled to shoot, especially beyond the arc, finishing the season 24-for-91 (26.4%) from 3. That included a stretch from December to February where Melendez went 6-for-44 from 3. Through it all, head coach Brad Underwood continued to play him, despite removing Melendez from the starting lineup at times.
“I mean it’s been pretty tough but just stay with the process,” Melendez said. “Coach (Underwood) never lost confidence in me to keep shooting the ball so I feel like that’s a big part of it and just having my coaches and teammates having the confidence in me and passing me the ball and that’s a big thing so I just kept working on it and let the game come to me.”
Despite the struggles, Melendez’s performance in the NCAA tournament once again provided a spark heading into the offseason. Melendez finished with 10 points and a team high six rebounds against the Razorbacks. It followed his performance against Houston in the second round of the Big Dance last season, when the then freshman came off the bench to score nine points in the loss, second most of the Illini in the game.
“RJ Melendez probably went through one of the most interesting seasons, and to see him finish it off was unbelievable,” Underwood said. “He showed his ability and what he’s going to be in the future. I’m so proud of this young man. I am. Only he knows the true struggle that he’s had. It’s been real. Everybody has talked about it. He’s felt it. He’s an elite shooter. He’s an elite player. To gain that confidence, I hope this is a springboard for him into what becomes a great, great offseason, with Fletch and then makes that jump. You know, when you become a junior you’re familiar with everything, and then you’re confident, to end it like he did today, that was pretty special and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be more proud. I’ve got a lot of really positive things going with RJ because he’s, we talk all the time. When you have a speed bump in life you always come out better on the other side, and that was evident today.”
