Back Posting Again after Scouting Trip to China

By the way, my posting absence earlier this month was much longer than I expected due to traveling in China. I expected to be able to post to the blog from Beijing or Shanghai, but was unable to log in, apparently due to blogger being blocked, though I'm not sure if this is a permananent or temporary situation.

Hope you enjoy this photo of Shanghai's Pudong District from the famous restaurant, M's on the Bund.

Preview of 2007 Recruiting Class

Here's a nice preview of this fall's class playing in some All-Star games in Bloomington, Illinois. It sounds like McCamey, Jordan, Tisdale and Cole all played well. Link

Jereme Richmond rated by Scout--Five Stars

Jereme Richmond, a verbal commitment for Illinois from the Class of 2010, is now rated a Five Star recruit on Scout.com.

He is described as "A silky smooth wing player, Richmond has a chance to have a tremendous career at Illinois and possibly beyond. Shoots the three-ball effortlessly with a soft touch and is poised and skilled with the ball. He does need to build his body and develop a more physical side to his game, but there is no denying his talent." on the Rivals.com website.

Jamar Smith is Out of Jail

News Flash! Jamar Smith is now out of jail, having served his brief sentence for his DUI conviction. The big question remains, will he play again for the Illini basketball team? Thus far, no comment from Coach Bruce Weber or AD Ron Guenther.

While they need his scoring they don't need his kind of trouble. What turned me negative about Smith is when it was revealed that the car accident was not an isolated drinking incident. Anyone who drinks like Smith has big problems playing a competitive sport like Big Ten basketball. In my opinion, his scholarship should be used to recruit someone else from the Class of 2008.