Weber's new-look crew hopes to rebound with a vengeance

A week into their college lives, the six new basketball players bounced around the Illinois practice facility as though Red Bull was being served in the dorms.

"I think we're going to be really good," freshman Demetri McCamey said. "We have all the pieces to be really good."

Fifth-year senior Brian Randle, meanwhile, offered a more guarded outlook.

"I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression and say anything that's totally wrong," he said. "But it will be fun."

There are destined to be more questions than answers when the Illini begin the 2007-08 season in November.

Can they stay healthy? What to expect from the largest recruiting class in Bruce Weber's four seasons as coach? Can Illinois return to the Top 25, reach the NCAA tournament for the ninth straight season and contend with Big Ten favorites Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State?

"We have a lot of question marks that, over the course of the next few months, you hope will work themselves out," said Weber, whose record at Illinois is 112-28.

Last season was one of tribulations and near-tragedy. The Illini finished 23-12 and earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten tournament while six players missed a total of 56 games with injuries. A car crash sent freshman Brian Carlwell to the hospital (he sat out the final eight games) and sophomore Jamar Smith to the courtroom (he pleaded guilty to felony driving under the influence).

In spite of recent trials, there has been a distinct sense of optimism this offseason. The ushering in of the six newcomers, including famous son Jeffrey Jordan, and rosterwide good health are the main reasons.

"We all get along really well," said Jordan, a freshman guard from Loyola Academy outside Chicago. "It's a great group of guys, and we're looking forward to playing together."

One thing is for certain: Illinois basketball remains the hottest ticket around.

The Illini boast a program-record 45-game sellout streak at the Assembly Hall. But tickets are not impossible to track down. Students, including the bouncy and boisterous Orange Krush, were allotted 4,500 tickets last season. The student allotment, though, does not include games over the holiday breaks, when nonstudents can take advantage of available seats.

"It is a tough ticket to get," said Jason Heggemeyer, the assistant athletic director who manages the ticket office. "But you can get one."

Illinois hopes the good vibes continue into a nonconference slate that includes Arizona, Missouri, Hawaii and Maryland. Highlighting the schedule are three games at the Maui Invitational, which features Duke, Marquette, Oklahoma State and LSU. Five of the eight teams in the Maui field have reached the Final Four since 2003.

Most important, the Illini look to field enough able bodies. Seventeen players were present for their first workouts in June, a far cry from the injury-ravaged roster that became all too familiar last season.

"I think we're going to be a lot faster this year. We've got a deep bench so guys can have some rest," Randle said. "We'll have a quick pace, explosive. I'm just looking forward to being competitive. There will be a lot more smiles this next year."