His troubles against North Carolina will push James Augustine in off-season workouts and next fall when he begins his final season for Illinois, the junior said.
The three-year starter played only 11 minutes in the Illini’s NCAA tournament 75-70 title-game loss to the Tar Heels on Monday night. He fouled out with 6 minutes 49 seconds to play and had no points.
“We’ve ended every season with a loss,” Augustine said. “You kind of take that as motivation for the next year.”
North Carolina’s Sean May, the Final Four’s most outstanding player, had a lot to do with Augustine’s problems, but lackluster play had become habitual for Augustine in Illinois’ last three games.
“He didn’t get to play,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said of the 6-foot-10-inch forward’s frustration. “You get invited to the party but you can’t go dance. Some calls went against him. Maybe he was too hyped.
“He learned a lot. Hopefully, he got a taste of success and wants more.”
Against Louisville in the national semifinals, Augustine had six points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. He also fouled out against Arizona in the Chicago regional semifinal and scored only four points. Going into that game, he had been Illinois’ leading scorer in the tournament.
His struggles against Arizona’s powerful inside players appeared to stay with him psychologically through the remainder of the tournament. He never regained the confidence he had built during the Big Ten tournament, when he led Illinois to the championship and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Weber pointed out that Illinois remained competitive against North Carolina despite Augustine playing limited minutes.
“There were a lot of doubters in the country,” Weber said. “We played with them until the end.”
On second thought
Weber said seniors Luther Head and Roger Powell will not attend this week’s Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational, an NBA draft camp for second-round hopefuls. He said the players didn’t have enough time to recover from the NCAA tournament.
