Illinois Season Preview

COACH AND PROGRAM

How did North Carolina's struggles and Marquette's success lead to a Southern Illinois coach moving upstate to take over one of the highest-profile head coaching jobs in the country? Sit back. It's quite a tale.

The dominos began to fall at the Final Four last April when North Carolina relieved head coach Matt Doherty of his duties. Kansas' Roy Williams, a former Tar Heel fresh off a run to the NCAA Tournament title game, took the UNC job, leaving a vacancy in Lawrence that was just too tempting for Illini coach Bill Self to ignore.

Self left Champagne after just three seasons to take the Kansas job, but Illinois acted quickly to fill its own vacancy, hiring Southern Illinois' Bruce Weber as the Illini's 16th head coach on April 30.

Weber, a longtime assistant under Gene Keady at Purdue, turned around the Southern Illinois program in his five years there, winning Missouri Valley Conference titles in each of the last two seasons. The Salukis upset Texas and Georgia to reach the Sweet 16 of the 2002 NCAA Tournament, and last year Weber was selected the MVC's coach of the year. In the last two seasons, only four Division I schools-Pittsburgh, Duke, Oklahoma and Kansas-had more wins than the 52 victories the Salukis piled up, making Weber a logical choice to take the next step up the coaching ladder.

He'll have big shoes to fill, however, as Self's teams put up some incredible numbers in his three years on campus. Self became only the second Big Ten coach-and first since 1912-to win conference championships in his first two years in the conference. Wisconsin's Bo Ryan matched the feat last year when the Badgers beat Illinois in the final regular-season game to keep Self from going 3-for-3.

When the Kansas job opened, Weber knew immediately that Self would be a leading candidate.

"To me, it was not a surprise that he left," Weber said. "I had talked with him before, and I knew he was a Big 8/Big 12 guy, having coached and played in that conference. So when it all started unfolding, I'm sure he had some second thoughts, but when the opportunity opened he jumped on it."

And speaking of opportunity, it appeared to be knocking for Weber, who began his career as a 19-year-old high school coach in his native Milwaukee and yearned to return to the Big Ten.

"For me, it's kind of ironic," Weber said of the hiring process. "When [illinois athletic director]Ron Guenther came out the next day and said, 'This is what I'm looking for-longevity, a Midwestern guy, a Big Ten guy,' I told one of my assistants, 'If he's telling the truth, I'm going to get the job.' But at the same time, I kind of thought Tom Crean would be the hotter coach at the moment, but Tom decided to stay at Marquette."

As excited as Weber was to reach the pinnacle of his profession, however, the decision to move on was not without its anxious moments.

"It was still tough to leave Southern, because we had a great run there," Weber said. "I told the kids when I left-through a lot of tears-that I got the job because of them. The nice thing about it is that when I left there, people were actually very happy and pleased for us."

Weber takes over a team that finished second in the Big Ten, then won its first Big Ten Tournament title. Seeded fourth in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, Illinois beat Western Kentucky in the first round, but fell short of a third straight trip to the Sweet 16 with a 68-60 loss to fifth-seeded Notre Dame.

Last year the Illini dominated the Big Ten statistically, leading the conference in scoring (75.4 points per game), scoring margin (+13.1 ppg), field-goal percentage (.479), defensive field-goal percentage (.377), assists (18.0 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38) and defensive rebounds (25.5 per game).

But the best stat was 90-that's the number of starts Illinois freshmen made last year, the most in the Big Ten. The Illini return 70 percent of their minutes played last season, including 44.2 percent logged by their freshmen.

"Bill left us some pretty good players, I can't even lie about that," Weber said as he surveyed his first year in Champaign. "He had some good young kids in Dee Brown and Daron Williams and James Augustine, three freshmen who played quite a bit and made the Team USA junior team this summer. We've got a mix of older kids and a good nucleus, with a solid group of recruits coming in."

The Illini also got an early chance to get to know their new coaching staff when they took a six-game tour of Europe in August, going 6-0 in games played in Sweden, Estonia and Finland. And as Weber said, a number of Illinois players spent the summer battling international competition with various USA Basketball ventures.

That trip will provide crucial experience come this fall, when the Illini face a non-conference schedule that features trips to Temple and North Carolina (to be played in Greensboro), home dates against Memphis and Arkansas (in Chicago), and neutral-site games against Missouri in St. Louis and Pitt in New York City.

"It's going to be very difficult," Weber said. "I'd take it a year from now when we're more experienced. I don't like how some of it is laid out, but obviously I didn't have any say in the matter. You've got to go to Temple and UNC in a four-day span, then turn right around with Arkansas. It's going to get us battle-tested, that's for sure."

STARTERS NOT RETURNING

PF-BRIAN COOK (6-10, 20.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg, 31.3 minutes, .479 FG, .303 3PT, .820 FT). The Big Ten's Player of the Year will leave huge shoes to fill in Champagne. His stellar senior season included unanimous first-team all-conference honors and the most outstanding player award at the Big Ten Tournament, where he matched his season averages in points and rebounds in leading the Illini to the championship. He led the conference in scoring, finished third in rebounding, and was among the top 10 in the conference in field-goal and free-throw percentage.

Cook finished his career fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,712 points and seventh in school history with 789 rebounds. He was a second-team All-Big Ten pick as a sophomore and junior, and the coaches selected him co-freshman of the year in 2000. He was the 24th pick of the first round of the NBA draft in June, going to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Cook did it the right way," Weber said of Cook's improvement throughout his four-year Big Ten career. "I watched his progress from high school, and we played him two years ago at Southern. In the 16 months since, he made such big strides physically and mentally and really became a go-to guy for the team."

OTHERS NOT RETURNING

SG-SEAN HARRINGTON (6-3, 7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.0 bpg, 22.4 minutes, .444 FG, .444 3PT, .633 FT). Harrington came off the bench in all but six games last year but earned his playing time with a combination of deadly outside shooting and veteran leadership.

Harrington's 44.4 percent mark from beyond the three-point arc was easily the best in the Big Ten, a feat he also managed as sophomore when he hit 45.9 percent of his three-pointers. As a senior, he hit a career-high six threes on his way to a career-high 22 points in the Big Ten opener at Minnesota. He finished his career having played in 99 wins for the Illini, tied for the best mark in school history, and he was an academic All-Big Ten selection in his last three years in Champagne.

"A true leader doesn't have issues, doesn't worry about playing time and who's scoring," Weber said, "and I think Sean knew he was going to make the most of what he had and he was a leader."

F-KYLE WILSON (6-8, 2.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 spg, 6.6 minutes, .378 FG, .250 3PT, .778 FT). Wilson came off the bench in 18 games as a freshman last year, but the Plano, Texas, native announced in April that he was transferring to Wichita State. "With everything that happened this year, I was looking to get closer to home," Wilson said at the time. "I am very comfortable with the coaches and environment at Wichita State. My parents grew up in Wichita, I was born there and have a lot of family still living there. My year at Illinois was a great experience. I love coach Self and the players on the team, but this move was best for me."

Wilson scored a season-high 14 points in the Illini's first game of the season, against Lehigh. He followed that with an 11-point effort against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but his playing time dropped off as Illinois' scheduled toughened.

F/G-BLANDON FERGUSON (6-3, 1.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg, 9.1 minutes, .333 FG, .000 3PT, .692 FT). Ferguson played two years with Illinois as a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho. He played in 24 games as a swingman and had a season-high eight points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, then earned his first career start on Senior Day against Minnesota last March.

G-NICK HUGE (6-4, 0.5 ppg, 0.1 rpg, 2.1 minutes, .000 FG, .000 3PT, 1.000 FT). Huge transferred to Illinois from Appalachian State and walked on to the program for his senior year. He played in just eight games with the Illini, but could have coaching in his future-he played for former 76ers great Bobby Jones in high school, and former North Carolina star Buzz Peterson at Appalachian State.

F-CLAYTON THOMAS (6-7, 0.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.3 minutes, .167 FG, .000 3PT, .250 FT). Thomas was a four-year walk-on who joined the program under Lon Kruger, then played three seasons under Self.

PROJECTED STARTERS SG-DEE BROWN (6-0, 177 lbs., SO, #11, 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.8 spg, 34.1 minutes, .434 FG, .329 3PT, .681 FT, Proviso East HS/Peoria, Ill.). That flash you might have seen streaking across Big Ten arenas last year wasn't a comet or any other type of other worldly body. It was none other than "The Human Fast Break," Illinois freshman guard Dee Brown. If the Illini PR department wanted to promote Brown in a Heisman-like campaign, the tagline could be, "Dee Brown: Blowing by a befuddled backcourt soon on a court near you."

"He has this jet speed that he just blows out to get by people," Weber said of his budding star. "When he goes to the next gear, not many people can get by him-and he does it in control."

Control is often a concern with freshman point guards with a penchant for running, but Brown displayed maturity beyond his years last year. He led the Big Ten with an amazing assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.04 in conference games, and his 2.56 ratio in all games also led the conference. He also led the Big Ten in assists and finished third in steals. Brown's consistency was also evident in the fact that he led the Illini in minutes played and started 31-of-32 games last year. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media and third-team pick by the coaches, and of course made the all-freshman team as well.

Brown burst onto the scene last year with 25 points in just his sixth collegiate game, then came up big in December in two nationally televised games. He dropped a game-high 21 points on No. 11 Missouri, adding seven assists and five rebounds for good measure, then hit five three-pointers en route to a 19-point effort against Memphis. His top Big Ten game came against Michigan State on Feb. 18, when he scored a game-high 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting and added five boards, five assists and a career-high five steals. And his 11 assists against Penn State on Jan. 25 were the most for any Big Ten player last year.

Brown certainly lived up to the hype from his prep career, when he was Illinois' Mr. Basketball as a senior and a McDonald's All-American. Weber described Brown's quick adaptation to the college game as a function of his maturity and ability to connect with everybody, from his teammates to the fans to the team managers.

"He's got a tremendous personality," Weber said. "He's a pied piper-I don't know how else to explain it. With the kids at our camp he's great. On our European trip we had a group of alumni along and he was great with them. I call him a 'happy warrior'-he's just excited about life and that's how he plays, with a lot of energy. He just goes and goes and goes."

Weber said the next step in Brown's development will be making progress in his halfcourt game and finding consistency in his mid-range jump shot. That progress will be helped by the experience he gained with the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team, which went 7-1 in the Junior World Championships in Greece this summer. Brown led Team USA in minutes played (28.1 per game) and steals (2.2), finished second in scoring (17.4) and assists (4.1), and hit 25-of-54 three-point shots (.444) to lead the team from long distance.

SG-DERON WILLIAMS (6-3, 210 lbs., SO, #5, 6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 27.1 minutes, .426 FG, .354 3PT, .533 FT, The Colony HS/The Colony, Texas). On any other team, Brown would have been the best freshman, hands down. But Williams gave Illinois a 1-2 punch that was the envy of any school in the country, not only in performing as freshmen but building a solid base for the future of the program.

Williams wasn't as consistent in scoring as his highly touted teammate, but he was nearly Brown's equal in distributing the ball. Williams finished second to Brown in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.46) and was third in the conference in assists. He finished second on the team in steals and started 30-of-32 games as a freshman.

Not too shabby for a guy labeled with the "bad body" tag coming into college.

"He's a little chunky, and he gets teased about it all the time, but amazingly he's very soft on his feet," Weber said. "He's got good quickness and he's a great passer. He gives up the basketball and that's something great to build on."

Weber loves Williams' perimeter defense and is looking for him to improve his outside shooting as a sophomore. He got a good start on his improvement by joining Brown on the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team this summer. He was voted MVP of the Global Games as Team USA cruised to a 5-0 record and the tournament championship. Williams averaged 10.8 points and 4.0 assists and shot 58.3 percent in the five games, played in front of his hometown fans in Dallas, and he and Brown both outplayed Michigan's Daniel Horton, who was selected the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season.

SF-ROGER POWELL (6-6, 220 lbs., JR, #43, 8.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.4 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, 18.6 minutes, .591 FG, .408 3PT, .579 FT, Joliet HS/Joliet, Ill.). Powell came on strong at the end of the season, starting 10 of the last 11 games and averaging 13.3 points in the 11 games leading up to the NCAA Tournament. He earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament team after scoring a team-high 16 points in the title game against Ohio State and chipping in 14 more in the quarterfinal win over Northwestern.

Powell is a versatile forward who can match up with any forward in the conference. Underneath the hoop, he plays much taller than his 6-6 frame. He finished second in the Big Ten in shooting percentage, trailing Minnesota's Jerry Holman by just .001, and finished third on the team in scoring. But he also knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the Big Ten Tournament game against Northwestern and posted a career-high 22 points against Indiana on Feb. 25.

"Roger's a mismatch for you," Weber said. "He can play the three and he's bigger and stronger than the other small forwards in the league. If he plays the four, he's much quicker than the other power forwards. He's got that old-school game-good down low on the boards, good in transition, and when he has his feet set he's a solid shooter. We have to help him get better off the dribble to make some strides this year."

PF-JAMES AUGUSTINE (6-10, 225 lbs., SO, #40, 7.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.8 bpg, 21.8 minutes, .580 FG, .357 3PT, .711 FT, Lincoln-Way Central HS/Mokena, Ill.). The hits just keep on coming for the Illinois recruiters. Yet another freshman who stepped into the starting lineup for Self last year, Augustine was a monster on the glass, finishing second on the team and 13th in the conference in rebounds. He also finished third in the Big Ten in shooting percentage in conference games (.586), led the team in blocked shots, and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team.

Although he was a consensus Top 100 recruit, Augustine wasn't expected to have such a significant impact on the Illini roster so quickly, but it soon became clear that he couldn't be kept off the court. "They thought he was going to red-shirt last year," Weber said. "When I met him this summer and asked him about it, he said, 'I just came and played, coach.' "

Augustine posted career-highs with 19 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Penn State, then recorded a second straight double-double four days later with 11 points and 10 boards against Michigan. He turned the trick again in the Big Ten championship game with 12 points and 10 rebounds against Ohio State, then scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his first NCAA Tournament game. He capped his banner freshman year when he was named one of 18 finalists for the USA Basketball Men's National Team Trials with Brown and Williams.

"He runs the court well and he's a great athlete," Weber said. "He's got some size and is getting stronger. If he can perfect one post move, he can become one of the better big men in the league."

C-NICK SMITH (7-2, 240 lbs., JR, #45, 5.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 spg, 1.2 bpg, 17.4 minutes, .496 FG, .455 3PT, .864 FT, Bloomingdale HS/Valrico, Fla.). For two years, the Illini have been waiting for Smith to put it all together and use his height advantage to dominate in the Big Ten. But after two years, all that can really be said about Smith is that he's the tallest player in school history and only the fourth 7-footer ever to play for the Illini.

If this is to be the year Smith makes the leap, he'll have to show that he's ready to fight under the boards instead of relying on his surprisingly soft touch from the outside to do his damage. You'd expect a 7-2 guy to block a few shots, and indeed Smith led the Illini and ranked seventh in the Big Ten in blocked shots, setting a Big Ten Tournmament record in the process with eight blocks in the three games last March. But he also led the team in free-throw percentage and hit five-of-11 three-pointers last year.

Adding weight and gaining strength continues to be a struggle for Smith, and it's affected his minutes on the court. "He has trouble with a little bit of fatigue and staying in the game a long time," Weber said. "But he's got great touch, is older now and hopefully a little more mature, and has had some great practices for us. He really started playing aggressively on the trip to Europe."

KEY RESERVES

G-LUTHER HEAD (6-3, 175 lbs., JR, #4, 7.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.0 spg, 20.4 minutes, .519 FG, .424 3PT, .739 FT, Manley HS/Chicago, Ill.). Head missed seven games last year with a strange pelvic injury, but when healthy he was one of the Illini's most productive players. He scored a season-high 16 in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against Indiana and scored in double figures nine times on the year.

Keeping him out of the trainers' room will be a primary goal for the Illini coaching staff. "Last year he had that muscle tear in his stomach/groin area, a real rare thing," Weber said. "We had to go to specialists all over the place, but hopefully they've got it nipped now. If we can get him healthy, he adds to Dee and Deron a great third guard, or we can rotate those guys."

F/C-AARON SPEARS (6-9, 260 lbs., FR, #1, 3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 9.2 minutes, .667 FG, .000 3PT, .429 FT, Dunbar HS/Chicago, Ill.). Spears had a shot at becoming a fixture in the Illini rotation last year, but six games into his freshman season he tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee. The subsequent surgery knocked him out for the year, but he was granted a medical red-shirt season and comes back as a freshman this year. On the six-game European swing this summer, Spears finished second on the team with 8.0 rebounds a game and averaged 7.7 points on .571 shooting, and more important, he got a leg up on his fellow freshmen, who weren't eligible to participate on the tour. "He's a wide-body, and was the best surprise on the European trip," Weber said. "He's a block-to-block guy, just a monster underneath. He can be a force inside."

OTHER RETURNEES

G-JERRANCE HOWARD (6-1, 200 lbs., SR, #25, 0.6 ppg, 0.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 3.7 minutes, .250 FG, .167 3PT, .000 FT, Peoria HS/Peoria, Ill.). Howard had announced that he would leave the team with a year of eligibility left after graduating in the off-season, but he changed his mind and is back to provide depth in the backcourt.

OTHER NEWCOMERS

G-RICHARD McBRIDE (6-3, 210 lbs., FR, #33, 24.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, Lanphier HS/Springfield, Ill.). The three-time all-state selection finished third in Illinois' Mr. Basketball voting last year after finishing his career as Lanphier's all-time leading scorer with 2,068 points. McBride hit 82 three-pointers as a senior and was selected an EA Sports All-American. He also played in the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival and was an AAU teammate of fellow Illini freshman Brian Randle.

F-BRIAN RANDLE (6-8, 200 lbs., FR, #42, 22.9 ppg, 12.8 rpg, 5.2 bpg, 3.1 apg, Notre Dame HS/Peoria, Ill.). Randle was also a three-time all-state pick and finished fourth in the state's Mr. Basketball voting after posting double-doubles in 23-of-26 games as a senior. He's an all-purpose player who once had a triple-double by halftime in a prep game, and he played in the Wendy's Chicago vs. New York All-Star Shootout after his senior year.

F-WARREN CARTER (6-9, 205 lbs., FR, #41, 25.6 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 5.3 bpg, Lake Highlands HS/Dallas). Carter was the Texas Class 5A Player of the Year as a senior and was chosen the Dallas Area Defensive Player of the Year after compiling some eye-popping shot-blocks. The consensus Top 100 recruit has been compared to Augustine as a long, lean power forward who can run the floor.

F/C-JACK INGRAM (6-10, 240 lbs., JR, #50, 4.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg. 1.0 bpg in 2002 at Tulsa, Marshall HS/San Antonio, Texas). Ingram was originally recruited to Tulsa by Self, and lettered in both of his seasons there before transferring to Illinois as a walk-on before last year. He sat out last season and has two years of eligibility remaining.

QUESTIONS Sophomore slump? No team in the Big Ten relied on its freshmen more than Illinois last season. That experience will undoubtedly be a plus for the Illini, but college hoops history is littered with stories of the league catching up to players who took the world by storm in their first year, then failed to develop. Keep an eye on Brown, Williams and Augustine to see if opponents game plan any differently to neutralize their strengths this season.]

Self doubt? Illinois basketball had one of its most successful three-year runs in school history under Bill Self. But now that the coach acted on an offer he couldn't refuse, how will the Illini adapt to a new coaching staff? Empty kitchen? With Cook now banging bodies in the NBA, who will step up and fill the role of go-to guy down the stretch? It's never easy to replace the Big Ten Player of the Year, but even harder when you have no seniors to fill the void with their experience and savvy.

ANSWERS

Dynamic Dee! By all reports, Brown had an outstanding summer with Team USA and could just be feeling his oats in the Big Ten. After running the show with the country's top young collegiate talent by his side against international competition, Brown is prepared to come back and show that his freshman year was just the start of a memorable career in Champaign.

Second wave! One year after relying heavily on their freshmen, the Illini have brought in another heralded recruiting class that could provide a key player or two in the rotation. All three recruits averaged 23 points or better during their prep careers, and any one of them could develop into the next young star on campus.

Better than Britney! Spears looked like he had a shot at turning the terrific trio into a freshman fab foursome last year before his knee injury. If he's healthy, he'll be first in line to provide some of Cook's missing power inside, where the Illini could be thin this year.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

Last year, the Illini surprised opponents by making a run at a third straight Big Ten title with a lineup relying heavily on Cook and the three freshmen. Nobody will look past them this year with Brown, Williams and Augustine already having established quite a track record in the conference.

Weber inherits a load of great players but an equal load of expectations, and following a successful, popular coach like Self is never an easy task. But there's too much talent here for the Illini to slip too far. Don't be surprised if Weber takes the first step toward matching his predecessor's record by winning a Big Ten title in his first year.

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