With the excitement of the basketball season starting, the season could not have opened up better for the Illinois men’s wheelchair basketball team.

Participating in the Illini Classic at the Activities and Recreation Center this weekend, the Illini won all four games they played by large margins.

“This weekend was a really good start to our season,” coach Mike Frogley said. “It really showed us how good we can be when we play at our best level.”

Illinois played three games Saturday, competing against club wheelchair teams to start of the season. The Illini beat the RHI Pacers, 98-45, the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks, 96-51, and the Chicago Wheelchair Bulls, 82-33.

On Sunday, Illinois played its best defense, defeating the Rockford Chariots, 69-17. That game also opened up the season for the newly formed Illini Pride Roll Squad, which is the official student support group for wheelchair basketball.

Having the Roll Squad present at the final game of the weekend meant a lot to the coaches and players.

“It was awesome that they were here. It’s sad that they couldn’t see a better game, but they definitely create a home-court advantage,” said team captain Steve Serio.

Frogley was also thankful for the students who came out to support the team and hopes the squad only gets bigger as the season progresses.

Much of the success Illinois had over the weekend was because of its aggressive and up-tempo game. The Illini have been focusing on the full-court press, which they incorporated into their game plan more often than in years before. Usually the decision on whether to press comes from the bench rather than the court, but this season the players are calling it themselves.

“I don’t call the press, the guys on the court do,” Frogley said. “They see the situation better, whether we have a fast break and the other team is not ready to inbound, the guys are going to call an ‘up’ and pressure them.”

The system worked increasingly well this weekend for the Illini, who had a total of 32 steals and 89 points off turnovers in the four games.

Frogley was impressed with the team’s transition to offense and ability to get the ball into the attack. This transition led to what Frogley called many five-second possessions that dishearten the opponent. It also led to high-percentage shots in the paint.

After running away from the competition, Frogley said it will be important for the Illini to play at an intense level in practice this week as they prepare for their first college competition Friday in Texas.

One thing the Illini would like to work on for the upcoming weekend is improving their communication and keeping their intensity for the entire game.

“We need to keep the intensity we have at the beginning of the game till the end,” junior Brian Bell said. “We’re playing as a team, we just need to communicate, especially on defense for the full 40 minutes.”