Rodney Alexander and Brian Carlwell's plans

Rodney Alexander is taking a look at Oklahoma City college, which has the advantage of allowing him to play this fall (rather than sitting out one year), because it is a NAIA program. Rodney has a list of schools to consider, so there should be something announced this summer. Good luck, Rodney.

Brian Carlwell is looking at New Orleans and San Diego State University as potential schools for him. Brian should make his decision this summer also, and I wish him the best.

Both of these players have talent, and I hope they can find the right programs to excel. For more details, see this article from Paul Klee's blog.

Rodney Alexander will transfer

The Chicago Tribune reports today that Rodney Alexander will be transferring to another school.

Rodney was one of my personal favorites from last year's squad, and I could not figure out why a player with that much talent was sitting on the bench most of the year. Well, I guess Rodney couldn't figure that out either, so it's on to greener pastures for Rodney. Rodney also inspired by "Weber's Doghouse" feature, that might have to be continued into next season as well, with other players.

Good luck to Rodney in his next basketball program. I think he needs to go somewhere with a wide-open offensive philosophy, like Kansas, where his high-flying athletic moves are appreciated.

Weber's Recruits since being named Illini Coach

I found myself once again defending Rodney Alexander the past couple of days, who spent last season in Coach Weber's dog house. Alexander did not play well enough last season to be a consistent starter, and spent a considerable amount of time on the bench, watching a very poor shooting team on the court. Recently, it leaks out that Alexander might transfer, and many Illini fans have rushed to the defense of Coach Weber. After all, Rodney Alexander is at fault for not flourishing in Coach Weber's system, right? Well, upon further review, it's hard to many Weber recruits that have flourished in his system. Let's do a quick review of the commits since he was named coach on April 30, 2003:

Shaun Pruitt-went out with a thud
Calvin Brock-four star who has rarely started
Jamar Smith-DUI, tries to come back this year
Chester Frazier-often criticized defensive specialist
C.J. Jackson-transferred to football team
Richard Semrau-major life threatening injury, recovered to bench
Brian Carlwell-injured, recovered, to transfer this year
Bill Cole-injured, hopes to recover
Mike Tisdale-good prospect after freshman year
Demetri McCamey-excellent guard prospect
Quinton Watkins-did not qualify per NCAA
Rodney Alexander-benched, may transfer
Mike Davis-excellent prospect

Now, after reviewing Weber's recent recruits at Illinois, it's hard to say that Alexander has not lived up to expectations of Coach Weber. In fact, he outperformed most of Weber's recruits listed here, in my opinion.

Rodney Alexander considering options per News-Gazette's Klee

According to Paul Klee, Rodney Alexander is talking with coaches about next year, and is thinking about transferring to another program, but is still with the team. This is not surprising at all to me. Alexander showed lots of ability last year, but was in Weber's dog house much of the year, sitting on the bench. In a year with little to no offensive output, Alexander had to watch from the sidelines, despite having a superior offensive game. I personally think Alexander should transfer to salvage what little remains of his college eligibility, but I'm not sure what programs are looking for a player with only one year of basketball remaining.

The Case for Rodney Alexander

First, I must confess that Rodney Alexander is my favorite Illini player this year, and it's not even close. And the last two games against Ohio State and Northwestern confirmed my thoughts about needing to find more minutes for Rodney.

Let's just look at some statistics on this year. Rodney Alexander averages 5.6 points per game, and plays an average of 14.1 minutes per game, so his scoring efficiency is .397 points per minute played. Now, if Rodney was able to play 33 minutes per game, like a "utility" player named Frazier, he would be averaging 13.1 points per game and be the team's leading scorer.

We can do the same math on rebounding. Rodney averages .234 rebounds per minute played, so if he played 33 minutes per game, he would average 7.7 rebounds per game. That would place him in a tie with Shaun Pruitt for team rebounding statistics.

To be fair, the knock on Rodney Alexander is his defense, which apparently is not as good as the other starting players. But my point is that his scoring and rebounding make him extremely valuable to have on the floor. Alexander is the most athletic guy the Illini have on their roster this year (although some would say Brock or Randle). Plus, his three alley oop dunks against Northwestern made me remember the Flying Illini of 1989, and that's a much more pleasant thought than this year's team.

Rodney Alexander expected to sign today with Illini

Reliable sources such as the Illinois Loyalty site and the News Gazette are reporting that Rodney Alexander is signing with Illinois today, and that the formal announcement should be today as well. Hate to jinx it, but thought I should post this with the links, for those interested Illini fans.

Alexander is compared to Roger Powell by one scout, which is exciting to me. He might be closer to 6'5" than 6'7", but that should be enough to play the small forward or wing in the motion offense. He is billed as a strong player inside and skilled shooter who is athletic, something the Illini really need for this fall.

My guess is Alexander chose Illinois over Tennessee and IU because he is looking to play, and with Brian Randle's second surgery this past week (and a history of foul problems), Alexander is probably looking to play 20-30 minutes per game this season and 30+ minutes per game next season, with good exposure in the Big 10 conference. Plus, Weber does a great job getting players ready for the NBA.

Where will Rodney Go???

We need to watch for an announcement on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Rodney Alexander, JUCO forward from Redlands is expected to make a decision on where he goes this fall. Leading schools are apparently Illinois and St. Louis, but other schools being considered have been IU, Tennesseee, Nebraska, Oklahoma and others.

Rodney Alexander Update

The Knoxville News Sentinel has reported that Rodney Alexander did not visit Knoxville Tennessee, home of University of Tennessee this weekend as planned previously. While I am not sure what to make of this news, it does sound promising for the Illini, unless the trip has just been rescheduled. Other contenters are St. Louis, Indiana and University of Nebraska, which is really a football school.

Maybe he is leaning to Illinois now, since Brian Randle just had to have surgery again to try to correct his groin situation.

Apparently, a decision by Rodney Alexander is expected by Tuesday or Wednesday. If he goes with Illinois, the 2007 class could be in the top 15 or 20 nationally.

Updates on Illini Recruiting

Quinton Watkins is expected to sign with Illinois tomorrow, with the formal signing event next week. For those who say Weber can't recruit, this is a major deal, getting Quinton Watkins after his outstanding senior year and move up the recruiting charts of top seniors.

For the fifth spot available, we are in the running for Rodney Alexander, the JUCO forward, and Ty Abbott, the guard from Phoenix. Either one would make the class a solid one for Illinois. There is competition for both of these guys, so hope we land one of them to complete the 2007 class.