That was a disappointing loss to Wisconsin today, but very predictable. The Illini are mostly featuring a 4 guard offense that passes the ball around and has trouble getting it to Meyers Leonard, their athletic center. Most of the season, the ball handling has been sloppy with too many turnovers. That was not the case today. The biggest fundamental flaw for the Illini is the struggle to block out and rebound the ball on the defensive end. They gave Wisconsin too many chances today and it cost them dearly. Bruce Weber has not been using much of his bench, either. Egwu gets on the floor when Leonard is in foul trouble, Sam Maniscalco provides relief when healthy to Tracy Abrams, and Tyler Griffey seems to enter the game when the rebounding woes are evident. With losses at Penn State and now the home loss to Wisconsin, the Illini are no longer looking like a sure tournament team. Will have to see how they turn things around, with the next game at Minnesota. I hope Bruce Weber can shake things up and try some bench players in some kind of a rotation. The bench scored zero points today, which is rarely going to win games. Would like to see Henry in for some serious minutes, since he is one of the better scorers on this team, and the guards looked tired today.

Bruce Weber Recognizes Sites that cover Illinois Basketball

Bruce Weber is now helping with the marketing of my blog, by mentioning he is aware of websites that cover Illinois Basketball. I know, there's lots of blogs and message boards that cover Illini hoops. My favorite board is Illinois Loyalty, and I sometimes enjoy posting there. But I'm thinking Bruce must have someone reading my site, since we are one of the few blogs that focus entirely on Illini basketball. Here's some quotes from the article, and a link, of course.

“We have a very passionate fan base, and I know that they are active on a lot of the sites that cover Illinois basketball,” Weber said. “I tell our players not to pay attention to them. But we do have people that monitor those sites. And the reason we do is because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

“So when wild rumors and other misinformation show up on those sites, we are reacting to that and trying to get the correct information out. The good thing is it shows there’s a lot of interest in our program. I’d rather have fans that maybe care too much than fans that don’t care.”

Meet and Greet Bruce Weber, Illini Basketball Coach

Starting May 12th, Bruce Weber, Jerrance Howard and Ron Zook will be traveling around Illinois to meet with Illini fans. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet with the coaches in either Lisle, Bloomington, Springfield or Peoria. Details are here.

You must be one of the first 500 fans registering here.

Ron Guenther is an excellent Athletic Director

And Terry Bannon of the Chicago Tribune did a great article covering his interview with Ron Guenther right here.

What does Ron Guenther have in store for Illinois athletics during his final two years at the University?

-Support Bruce Weber, who is doing a great job in recruiting the past year and is building a solid team over the next three years. Plans to extend Weber's contract beyond 2012.
-Finalize plans to either renovate or replace the Assembly Hall by the end of this year.
-Finance new seating for the horseshoe section of the football stadium, which is being renovated.

Weber pushing McCamey to be like Deron Williams

In this article by Mark Tupper, it has become apparent that Bruce Weber has very high expectations of his freshman point guard, Demetri McCamey. Weber is pushing him to make the commitment to raise his overall game, to be coachable, and reach his full potential. It's obvious that player and coach have had their differences this season, but if they can work together as a coach and player should, McCamey could develop into a special basketball player.

"Best 10-11 Team in the Country"

According to Bruce Weber, the Illini are the best 10-11 team in the country, and personally I agree. Weber was quoted in Herb Gould's article in the Sun-Times after beating Northwestern soundly on Sunday.

Nice to know the coach is optimistic about the team and understands they have a chance to win the Big 10 tourney.

Bruce Weber is Recruiting the Kids

Including the Junior High kids, according to this article. It's a nice strategy if it works, and Jereme Richmond looks like an example of this strategy working for Bruce Weber. The good news is Weber expects to wait until they reach high school to make scholarship offers.

Would the Illini give up on Bruce Weber?

The Illini are having a tough year thus far, and their record has now dropped to 8-9. Some members of the media have recognized Bruce Weber's recruiting success that will be realized in the 2009 and 2010 classes. Other members of the media are calling for or predicting Weber's dismissal due to the team's record this year. Writers like Herb Gould and Greg Couch of the Sun-Times need to get a clue: Weber is not getting fired. So why do they bring this up? To sell newspapers, period.

Actually, in Herb Gould's piece, he does balance his thoughts with quotes from the Illinois AD, Ron Guenther, who assures everyone that Weber is signed through 2012, and will receive an extension within 18 months. When you are smart enough to look at the recruits lined up for 2009 and 2010 already, you would be crazy to let Bruce Weber get away.

Mike Nadel writes a rant about Illinois fans and Bruce Weber and seems to support Bruce, despite a small group of "disloyal" fans.

What should Weber Do?

Here's a great article from the Daily Herald that explains the situation very well. Weber is very stubborn and is not used to playing freshmen, and the article suggests he play the freshmen to get ready for the next couple of seasons. Good insight into Weber's way of thinking.

Must Read Article by Andy Katz of ESPN

Here's a link to a really nice article on Weber and the Illini by Andy Katz of ESPN, where it details the recruiting gains and losses, Weber's character, and Weber's goal of getting back to the Final Four and trying to win a national championship for Illinois "the right way." Great press for recruits.

Bruce Weber's Track Record at Illinois

Mark Tupper has some great facts on Bruce Weber at Illinois, in his blog today:

And even though Weber bashers will bash away regardless, a couple of statistics offered up at the banquet indicate he must be doing something right. Illinois is one of only 10 schools in the country to have reached the NCAA Tournament every year since 2000. Illinois has now won at least 23 games for eight seasons in a row and 10 of the last 11 seasons. During Weber’s four-year tenure, Illinois has won 112 games and only Duke and Florida have equaled that number of victories.

And, going into this season, Weber is 8-for-8 in seniors graduating. With current seniors Carter, McBride and Marcus Arnold all on track to get their degrees, that would make it 11-for-11.

Weber bashers, take THAT!

Bruce Weber for President (or at least Coach of Year in Big 10)

Bruce Weber has done an awesome job as coach at Illinois this season. He has a team heading into the NCAAs with 23 wins (and counting) and has had to deal with all the injuries, DUIs, Chief controversy, negative Chicago media, recruiting competition with Sampson, etc. etc. etc.

Bruce, great job this year, please stay at Illinois and ignore the media and negative comments out there from the Illinois fans.