Friday, July 25, 2008 East Central Illinois

Basketblog

Klee's Corner

Posted by: Paul Klee

Sunday, May 11, 2008 4:55 PM
(Klee's Corner, a full page of college basketball coverage, runs in the News-Gazette every Sunday in the offseason. Here's a free look at this week's edition. Details of Jerrance Howard, Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey's tour of China can be found here: http://www.news-gazette.com/sportsfacts/mens_basketball/)
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What They Said
"China loves basketball. They love the NBA. It used to be, any African-American guy that we had, they would come up to him and ask if he was Michael Jordan. You would have to say, 'No, he doesn't play with us.'"
- Sports Reach executive director Robby Speer, who has toured China with college players since 1986

What I'm Thinking
(Random Thoughts)
- I'm thinking there will be an NBA preseason game at the Assembly Hall next season. The game likely will feature the Utah Jazz against the Bulls or the Pacers. The main attraction would be Utah guard Deron Williams, whose ascension into NBA stardom has turned legions of Illinoisans into casual Jazz fans and whose presence should boost attendance.
- The hold-up to an exhibition game -- if there is a hold-up -- would be the lofty guaranteed payouts that franchises require for neutral-court exhibitions. But there are two factors working in the Assembly Hall's favor: the presence of Williams, a revered former Illini, and longtime Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, a native Illinoisan who has a home in McLeansboro.
- I'm thinking the preseason game would be played in mid-October. Utah's preseason schedule this season ran from Oct. 10-25. Included were neutral-court exhibitions in Albuquerque, Anaheim and San Diego.

WHAT I'M READING
(Arizona assistant) Josh Pastner has formally accepted an offer to join the University of Memphis staff as an assistant coach and lead recruiter, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
-Memphis Commercial-Appeal

Michael Avery, an eighth-grade guard from Lake Sherwood, Calif., last week made a verbal commitment to attend Kentucky. Wildcats coach Billy Gillispie then got a commitment Monday from Vincent Zollo, a ninth-grade forward from Greenfield, Ohio.
-USA Today

Georgetown guard Jeremiah Rivers, who announced his intention to transfer this past week, plans to enroll at Indiana, according to a source close to the program.
-Washington Times

In 2006, the NCAA reported that two-thirds of college athletes said in a survey they had never undergone a drug test. Just two athletic conferences -- the Big 10 and the Big 12 -- require testing, and the NCAA's own drug-screening program is so limited that athletes face just a 1-in-30 chance of being tested.
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

WHAT I'M HEARING
- Illini recruit Joseph Bertrand has been slowed by an ankle injury on the spring AAU circuit. Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins said Friday that Bertrand was injured during a tournament in Denver in just the fourth game of a 17-game stretch. Mullins wants Bertrand to be at full strength for the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions from May 23-25.
- At 6-foot-5, 171-pounds, Bertrand runs the point for Sterling but is more of a combo guard for Illinois Wolves. Mullins said Bertrand's Achilles heel is a bigger, physical opponent who can knock him off the ball, and the ankle injury has negated his strength -- attacking the basket.
- Of Illinois' four 2009 commitments, Bertrand probably has the furthest to go before he makes an impact in college. The potential is there, though physical strength and toughness are two areas for improvement.
- Mullins said Bertrand is one of four Illinois Wolves who will compete in the RBK All-American Camp in Philadelphia in July. As a team the Wolves are scheduled to compete in three major events in July, and Bertrand is one of the players who in June will play pick-up games at the Chicago-area gym of noted basketball trainer Tim Grover.
- DeAndre McCamey, a 2010 prospect and the younger brother of the UI's Demetri McCamey, will see his recruitment heat up as the AAU season moves forward. One factor is finding a program where he can play as a freshman. "He deserves that," said Mullins, who also coached Demetri with Illinois Wolves.
- Demetri McCamey, who has daily conversations with his younger brother, said DeAndre also sustained a minor knee injury. "He's on crutches right now," Demetri said, noting DeAndre should be back within two weeks.
- One of Tom Crean's selling points with Verdell Jones III was that the Central standout has "a tremendous opportunity" for early playing time. There isn't another true point guard in the program at the moment.
- Perhaps the most difficult phone call Jones had to make was to Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, who made multiple trips to central Illinois to evaluate Jones. But one factor in the family's decision was to find a staff that figures to remain intact, and Gophers assistant Vince Taylor, a big part of the recruitment, is a popular name when jobs come open. Taylor recently was in the mix for the Western Kentucky job.
- IU assistant Tim Buckley, the former Ball State head coach and Iowa and Marquette assistant, recruited Jones to three schools. Buckley met Verdell Jones Jr., the player's father, on a plane flight to Las Vegas about five years ago. That relationship eventually led to a verbal commitment at Buckley's fourth school in four years - Indiana.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
(Cleaning out the notebook)
- On Thursday at Ubben Basketball Complex, freshman Demetri McCamey practiced a new addition to his repertoire. The shot is a runner in the lane that coach Bruce Weber termed, "The Tony Parker teardrop."
- McCamey seldom used the floater in a game last season, though it appears the shot is something he would like to introduce as a sophomore. "I've been practicing the pull-up jumper and the floater since the season's been over," the point guard said. "With all the shot blockers, I'll be able to get that over them. (Mike) Tisdale's 7-1. So practicing that over him every day in practice will be good, too."
- With the NBA playoffs heating up, McCamey offered his assessment: "I don't think anybody's going to stop the Lakers. It's going to be real hard to stop Kobe. That's the team to beat right now."
- Dynamic point guards have dictated the playoffs, McCamey pointed out. He enjoys observing "all of them" but said a Hornets star has stolen the show. "Chris Paul is killin'," McCamey said. "He's showing right now that he should have been the MVP."
- Former Illini guard Deron Williams was named to the All-NBA second team on Thursday. Tentative plans have Bruce Weber possibly attending Game 5 (Wednesday in Los Angeles) or Game 6 (Friday in Salt Lake City) of the Jazz-Lakers series.
- UI forward Mike Davis has one of the more willing and able rooting sections on the roster. His family traveled from the Washington, D.C., area to attend four games at the Assembly Hall during his freshman season, not to mention several road games. His parents also purchased DirecTV to catch their son's games on the Big Ten Network.
- Coaches focused on Davis' footwork in spring workouts. Efficient footwork is a somewhat new concept for Davis, who, in high school and on the AAU circuit, only was asked to roam the paint. He seldom floated out to the perimeter.
- In high school, Davis said, "I didn't need footwork. I could jump over everybody. There was nobody that was 6-9 that could contest my shot. I could always get my shot off."
- Illinois' second Meet and Greet tour begins this month. Weber and football coach Ron Zook will meet with fans in Lisle on Tuesday, followed by stops in Bloomington (June 4) and Peoria (June 19). Assistant Jerrance Howard joins Zook for a stop in Springfield (May 22), according to a press release.
- Summer basketball campus at the UI begin June 6-7 with the Parent/Child Camp http://www.fightingillini.com/camps).
- Former UI guard Dee Brown's franchise, Galatasaray Café Crown, is down 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Turkish Basketball League playoffs. He leads the team in assists with about five per game.
- Former UI forward Warren Carter has returned to the U.S. after his first professional season in Turkey.

WHAT WAS THAT?
(A reader's question from our weekly online chat Wednesday)
What's the latest on strength conditioning for the hoops team's bigs? It's certainly early, but if (Bill) Cole's put on 20-plus pounds, how are (Mike) Tisdale and (Mike) Davis doing? Thanks in advance.
-Rick, Carson City, Nevada

Klee: Let's stick with Mike Davis. Adding and maintaining weight is the biggest challenge for Davis, a 6-9 freshman who weighed in at 207 pounds last week. Bruce Weber said Davis lost eight pounds over spring break. "I asked his parents if they fed him," Weber joked. Davis said he wants to reach 215 or 220 pounds before next season. He's improved on the strength side. When he arrived at Illinois, Davis said, he tried to bench press 185 pounds "and I could barely get it off the bar." During spring workouts he benched 185 three times. "(Strength coach) Jimmy Price has done a great job with me," Davis said. "I'm really appreciative of that." The rising sophomore won't be a banger under the basket, and Illinois doesn't need him to be, though he can be that bouncy forward who is rare in the Big Ten and excels in an up-tempo scheme.

THE LIST
A wave of transfers has shuffled college basketball rosters from the ACC (Taylor King, from Duke to Villanova) to the Big East (Vernon Macklin, from Georgetown to Florida) to the Pac-10 (Chase Stanback, from UCLA to destination unknown). A roster of Big Ten transfers could contend for the league title:
1. Ekpe Udoh, Michigan - Promising sophomore the fifth player to exit program since John Beilein's hiring
2. DeAndre Thomas, Indiana - Dismissed forward from Chicago Westinghouse hasn't chosen destination
3. Scott Martin, Purdue - Baby Boilers graduated to darkhorse Final Four pick before soph's surprise exit
4. Rodney Alexander, Illinois - Texas Southern and Oklahoma City Community College remain two possibilities
5. Eli Holman, Indiana - Freshman's departure for Detroit Mercy irritated new IU coach Tom Crean
6. Brian Carlwell, Illinois - Sophomore has looked into University of New Orleans as one possibility
7. Eric Wallace, Ohio State - One-fourth of Buckeyes' top-10 2007 recruiting class undecided on next stop
8. Tony Freeman, Iowa - Guard from Westchester St. Joe's a rare transfer between junior and senior year
9. Armon Bassett, Indiana - If point guard had been reinstated, Verdell Jones might have gone elsewhere
10. Jamarcus Ellis, Indiana - Chicago-area alums characteristically unsettled: Ellis the fourth on The List

THE NUMBER
66.3 - points per game by Big Ten teams last season, the lowest mark among the six power conferences

Klee
pklee@news-gazette.com

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