2009-2010 Season Preview

The Illini overachieved last year by making the NCAAs, but their season ended quickly with their loss to Western Kentucky in the first round. This fall, expectations are much higher for the Illini basketball team. Preseason polls have the Illini in the top 20, and Joe Lunardi has the Illini as a 3 seed right now, a top 12 team. And we haven't even had midnight madness yet.

Let's start with the losses from last year's team. Basically, we lose a ton of experience at the guard position, Chet Frazier, Trent Meacham and Calvin Brock. And we lose CJ Jackson, who never played much basketball at Illinois, but was very popular with his teammates.

The gains are three talented freshmen guards--DJ Richardson, Brandon Paul and Joseph Bertrand. We have been talking about these guys forever it seems, and now they are on campus getting ready to play. The front line gets deeper with Tyler Griffey as a freshman, and Stan Simpson will be a redshirt freshman after sitting last season. Overall, a loss on the experience side, but these are very talented additions for this fall.

Returning starters are three juniors: Demetri McCamey at PG, Mike Davis at forward, and Mike Tisdale at center. Dominique Keller returns as a versatile forward who can rebound and hit three pointers (my personal favorite player last year). Other experienced players from last season include guards Jeff Jordan and Alex Legion, and seldom-used Richard Semrau at forward/center and Bill Cole, a forward.

Basically, Bruce Weber can start an experienced squad without relying on the freshmen, though I expect 1 or 2 freshmen to crack the starting line-up during the season:

Demetri McCamey PG
Jeff Jordan G
Alex Legion SG
Mike Davis F
Mike Tisdale C

Bench rotation: Keller, Griffey, Cole, Richardson, Paul, Bertrand

Right now, it seems likely that McCamey, Davis and Tisdale are a virtual lock as starters on this team, with Legion, Jordan, Keller and Richardson probably vying for the other two starting positions. But this should be a deep and talented team, that gets much better throughout the season as it matures.

And my hope is Bruce Weber allows this team to run the break, especially when Tisdale is on the bench. We might think of 1989 if we see the following group of athletes on the floor: Davis, Keller, Legion, McCamey and either Richardson or Paul.

For Illini fans, this season is not to be missed.

ESPN Calls Tyler Griffey a Standout Player at Adidas Scrimmage

ESPN.com is portraying Tyler Griffey as a "standout player" at the Adidas Scrimmage that took place in Los Angeles this week. The article by Joel Francisco notes that Griffey has "range out to 20-feet, is smooth and he's extremely effective nailing it in transition. In addition to his shooting touch, he has the ability to post up and displayed a nifty jump hook."

Additionally, Tyler is aiming to be 235-240 pounds when he enrolls at Illinois in 2009, and has already increased his vertical jump to 36", and has a reach of 11'8" with a two step start, according to his father. See comments from Illinois Loyalty.

The Illini have an excellent player in Tyler Griffey, when he enrolls starting in 2009.

Tyler Griffey is keeping busy this summer

And Tyler is learning from Paul Silas, hitting the weights and looking forward to playing in Champaign starting in the fall of 2009. This article in the Daily Illini provides more updates from Tyler Griffey. I can't wait to see him, either. And as you might notice in the photo, he looks just like former Illini, Robert Archibald.

Interview with Tyler and Chris Griffey

Here's a nice interview with Tyler Griffey and his Dad, Chris that was done on Scout.com. Tyler is joining the Illini for the class of 2009, and is a highly-rated forward from the St. Louis area. Chris has posted here on Illini BBall Fans Blog, and is a frequent poster on the various websites. Tyler has his senior year starting this fall, and then off to Champaign. He will be a great addition to the program.

Tyler Griffey hitting the weights

Tyler Griffey's plans for the off-season this summer are detailed in this article in the PJStar. Key points:

-Tyler is not just focusing on the AAU circuit this summer.
-He has a personal trainer for daily workouts.
-Tyler is hitting the weights, and hopes to be 235 when he enrolls at U of I in 2009.
-Tyler is working on skill development at the Adidas instructional program.

Illini fans are going to enjoy Tyler Griffey, who I expect to be an impact player at Illinois.

Video of Tyler Griffey and Stan Simpson

I recently enjoyed watching some game video of Tyler Griffey and Stan Simpson online, courtesy of wazoosports.com. The videos are complete game videos from December 2007, with Tyler Griffey going up against Scotty Hopson, who is headed to Tennessee (warning, Bruce Pearl is shown in stands). The Simeon game features Stan Simpson (number 32) going up against Lexington Catholic. Griffey is a good fundamental player who really has some inside game, and can shoot it from the outside. Simpson is an inside player who can score inside and block shots. Excellent games to watch of some future Illini players.

Tyler Griffey to Illinois!

According to the News-Gazette, Tyler Griffey has decided to attend the University of Illinois and join the outstanding class of 2009. This is outstanding news for Bruce Weber and the Illini, and should make the 2009 recruiting class one of the top 10 in the country. Tyler Griffey is a 6-8, highly rated and talented forward from the St. Louis area who has been high priority for the Illini for over a year. Griffey had scholarship offers from a long list of major programs, so this is a huge win for Weber and company.

Illini Recruiting Update

There are lots of facts and rumors out there currently on the Illini recruiting several bigs, even though scholarships are becoming slim. The latest news surrounds Jack Cooley, who apparently just picked up an offer from the Illini, per ChicagoHoops.com. Jack Cooley, class of 2009, plays for Glenbrook South, and is 6-8 and 210 pounds. Cooley is rated as one of the top 5 players in Illinois for the class of 2009. Cooley plays on the Rising Stars in the off season with Jereme Richmond.

Earlier, the Illini have offered a scholarship to Tyler Griffey, who is highly ranked and seems to be in no rush to select his college for the fall of 2009. Griffey is from the St. Louis area, and has a nice website. Tyler Griffey has been profiled previously on this blog, and his fans are regular readers on the web. Many Illini fans seem to favor Griffey over Cooley, since Griffey has been ranked higher nationally and has a more developed game. Griffey has no shortage of offers in hand from major programs.

Finally, Kyle Rowley is a 7-0 center from Trinidad who plays for Lake Forest Academy and has weighed in as high as 280 pounds. He is gaining lots of attention and offers from major basketball schools. The Illini are one of many schools taking a look at him.

Where will another "big" play in Weber's three guard system, given the Illini cast of big men including Tisdale, Cole, Davis, Semrau, Simpson and Carlwell? According to some people close to the Illini basketball program, one additional scholarship is expected to become available over the next few months. Most likely, this would be a transfer of a player on scholarship already.

Tyler Griffey, Class of 2009

I just stumbled onto the personal website of Tyler Griffey, which has lots of great information about this highly recruited player from the class of 2009. I'm not sure why other kids don't do a better job of marketing themselves like Tyler did with this website. I'm not sure if Tyler had someone build this for him, or if he did it by himself, but it looks good. Link

Tyler Griffey, Class of 2009

Tyler Griffey is one of the top big man recruits from the class of 2009. The Illini fans would love to have a commitment from this young man, once the early signing period starts, which is still a long way away. The interesting thing about Tyler Griffey is that his father occasionally comments on the various boards, and I think he is an Illini fan to boot. Maybe if I'm lucky he will post here also. The Illinois Loyalty board has some great posts along with Tyler's Dad. Board