Bob Asmussen: Welcome back to another chat. Paul returns this week and there are plenty of basketball questions.

Thanks again for participating. We know that everybody is busy and that is takes some effort to get us questions. This won't work without your help and really appreciate it.

So, off to the questions ...

Ted, Chicago, IL: The Mendenhall family seems to think that Walter was "run off". What is Zook's reaction to these statements??

Bob Asmussen: Ted,

First, you can't use the word "run off" relative to a guy going into his fifth year. Being allowed to use the redshirt season is a courtesy offered by the coach and shouldn't be expected. "Run off" to me indicates a player with multiple years left on his or her scholarship. That's not the case here.

The Mendenhall situation is a complicated one. Of course, the Mendenhall family wants what is best for Walter. They think he should be playing. The Illinois coaches were willing to give him a chance to compete, but didn't think he would fit into their plans. With Daniel Dufrene and Troy Pollard ahead of him, and two freshmen expected to contribute, it's difficult to imagine Walter making much of an impact in 2008.

He does have a year left and could play immediately at a Division I-AA school. Hopefully, he does has a great season. The great news for Walter is that he will be getting his degree next weekend. His future isn't likely in football.

I know that Ron Zook and the Illinois staff doesn't want a lifetime rift with the Mendenhall family. They want Rashard and Walter to feel they can come visit any time. From a recruiting standpoint, having Rashard in the Illinois corner would have to be a good thing.

Like with anything else, time will heal whatever wounds have occurred.

The Illinois coaches want to move on and want to have a cordial relationship with the Mendenhalls. They acknowledge how important he was to the team's turnaround and they were absolutely pulling for him during the NFL draft. Ron Zook, a former Steelers assistant, thinks Pittsburgh is a great place for Mendenhall.

Sean, Springfield, Il: What was the most surprising thing about the early entries for the NBA draft? Hansborough? Two Missouri guys declaring, etc?

Paul Klee: There are always a handful of surprises. Unlike in recent years -- Roger Powell, Shaun Pruitt, etc. -- there weren't any surprise early entrants from Illinois. Plenty of reasons for that, but we'll stick to the question. The biggest surprise for me was Hasheem Thabeet's decision to return to UConn. That immediately makes the Huskies a top-5 team, though I had them penciled into the No. 5 spot before he said he was coming back. Still, that decision changes the upper reaches of college basketball next season. Staying in the Big East, I think Jerel McNeal's early entry surprised me, though it probably shouldn't have. He is Marquette's best player and could be a Delonte West-type in the league, though it sounds like he'll return to Marquette. The Pac-10 was hit hardest and will drop off considerably next season. The Big Ten's notable losses include EJ Gordon and Kosta Koufos, though BJ Mullens can be a star in Koufos' spot at Ohio State.

All in all I didn't think there were too many surprises. Seems that a lot of guys are realizing there hasn't been an enormous advantage to "getting your name out there" a year early. Seems we're seeing fewer and fewer fringe NBAers confuse themselves with real NBAers. Regardless, this is going to be a fascinating NBA draft.

redgrange77(Nathan), Los Angeles, CA: Bob-

Will Phil Haig come back to the f-ball team as 3rd/4th string QB this summer, or is his switch to baseball permanant with the schollie being transferred?

Even with Charest coming in this fall we now seem a little thin there behind Juice & Eddie.

Thanks.

Bob Asmussen: Nathan,

My guess is that Haig won't return to the football team. He missed valuable time during spring football. It's time I'm not sure he can get back. It's one thing for a receiver like Kyle Hudson to take time off from football for baseball and quite another for a freshman quarterback to be away.

Jacob Charest will enter Camp Rantoul as the No. 3 quarterback and my guess is that there will be a walk-on or two to help with the scout team. Illinois is definitely recruiting quarterbacks for the Class of 2009. If it adds one it will be back to four on scholarship going into the 2009 season.

I could be wrong about Haig. Maybe he can work something out with the football coaches during the summer, but I don't think he will have much of a chance to compete for a backup role. That battle will be between Eddie McGee and Jacob Charest.

The Illinois coaches really like the North Carolina product. He will compete with McGee for the starting job after Juice Williams runs out of eligibility.

whitemeat, nashville, tn: Klee,

Have you been hearing any rumors with Jereme Richmond and Kentucky?

Paul Klee: Sure. I'm asked about Jereme Richmond and Kentucky quite often, just about every week. Those rumors are going to run wild until he signs a letter of intent in November, 2009 -- about 19 months from now. Since the day Jereme became the first high school freshman to commit to Illinois, concerns over a change of mind have been there. Jerrance has done a very sound job of solidifying the relationship after Tracy Webster's departure. For Illinois' sake, someone needed to.

I was thinking about this the other day while sipping on a Tecate. With memories of the EJ Gordon saga forever lingering, it makes you wonder if the signing periods for the 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes, if they remain intact, can serve as a sort of therapy for Illinois fans. If those classes don't remain intact, their frayed nerves may never be the same.

steve, litchfield, il: Where do you think the ILLINI and Misery will be ranked when the Aug. 30 game comes around? Spread?? I'm thinking MU -2.

Bob Asmussen: Steve,

I'm guessing Missouri will be somewhere in the Top 10, probably about six or seven. And I think Illinois will be in the lower half of the Top 20, maybe No. 16, 17, something like that.

I think the writers will be nicer to Illinois in the preseason than the coaches. So, figure Illinois to be two or three spots higher in the AP poll.

As for the point spread, the folks in Vegas sure seem to know what they're doing. I like your idea of -2, but it might be a bit more like -4 or -5 in favor of Missouri. Vegas will look at last year's game, which helps Illinois. The loss of Rashard Mendenhall in the running game isn't as big of a deal because Missouri is starting over at the position too.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't wait for Aug. 30. It will be one of the most hyped openers in Illinois history. Should be a lot of fun.

Jason, NYC, ny: Paul -

Internet chatter has BWeb extending another 2011 scholarship offer....what do you know about the prep?

Anything new expected re: the class of 2010?

Thanks for hosting these each week...I really enjoy catching up on the O&B.

Paul Klee: Jason- Good to hear from you again. The 2011 kid you refer to is Sam Thompson, who plays for Mac Irvin's AAU club. One college coach loosely compared him to Crandall Head - which might say more about Crandall than Sam Thompson.

It's a slight gamble extending offers to kids this young, though the practice has paid off for Illinois in the past 18 months. It is the single-most important aspect of Illinois' recruiting that has changed. In a story I wrote a few weeks ago, Bruce Weber talked about how he has always been hesitant to extend an offer to a high school freshman. So when it happens, Weber clearly feels strongly about the prospect.

Hope that helps Jason, take it easy.

Jon Koncack, Atlanta, Ga: Do the Hawks complete the biggest upset in NBA history and knock off the Celtics?

Paul Klee: I see the C's in 7. But I'm still reeling from the fact KG wasn't suspended after throwing an official into the first row. On a related note, it's interesting the maligned East has surprised everyone by offering up a more thrilling first round than the West, and that says something. Chris Paul and Tony Parker have been remarkable every night - then next season you throw Derrick Rose into this under-26 mix of supreme NBA point guards.

On another note, Jerrance Howard attended Game 5 of Jazz-Rockets in Houston last night. He also checked in on recruit Dominique Keller during the day.

Paul Klee: We're getting the boot, but thanks for stopping by. As always, feel free to send emails with any other questions (pklee@news-gazette.com and rasmusse@news-gazette.com).

There's been a slight change to summer plans for the Illini as Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis will join Jerrance Howard on a trip to China. McCamey takes Jamar Smith's place on the tour. Alex Legion is still on for a tour in Poland.

Klee's Corner -- a full page of college basketball notes -- is back on Sunday and we'll write about summer plans and some other good stuff.

Later on.

pk and ba