Will See You On The Flip Side

Friends,

After tonight's Chargers loss to the Raiders, I have decided to take a leave of absence from sports.

I will see you all again soon.

Best,

Bormo

Meyers Leonard Saying Some Good Things

As I avoid thinking about the Padres 8-2 loss last night to the Braves, I wanted to highlight an article in today's Peoria Journal Star on Meyers Leonard.

Talk is just talk, and ultimately anything one says must be backed up with actions, but Meyers has a lot of good quotes in this article. He says the kind of things you want to hear as a fan, as a coach, and I'd gather, as a teammate.

Among the more notable things Meyers said:

- “I was kind of childish last year, to be completely honest,” Leonard said Tuesday following a workout at the Ubben Basketball Complex. “I thought I was better than I really was. It was harder than I expected. I think I’m growing up."

- “This year, I finally came around and realized it will take a lot of hard work to start winning here and hopefully continue my career in basketball. I’m starting to listen to coach (Bruce) Weber more. I’m starting to learn quicker and get the concepts.”

- “I know that I have to be good next year in order for us to be good,” he said.

- On learning to play as a big man: “Setting screens, being physical, all the little things big men do to help the team win, and rebound,” Leonard said. “Be a center. Be a beast.”

The Illini face a lot of challenges next season. Ohio St. gets back Jared Sullinger and another solid recruiting class, Indiana will improve with Tyler Zeller, Michigan will likely return everyone from a rapidly improving team, Izzo will have Michigan St. competitive again after a down year, Purdue will likely return a healthy Robbie Hummel, and Wisconsin will win its share of games.

If the Illini want to finish in the top half of the Big Ten, Meyers will, indeed, have to "be a beast."

Are You Ever Going To Blog About The Padres?

I haven't written much about the Padres this Spring Training because, in part, I was once again drawn kicking and screaming into the Tragicomedy that was Illinois basketball during the reign of the 2011 senior class. But after last Sunday's loss to Kansas in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, the Mike Davis-Bill Cole-Demetri McCamey-Mike Tisdale era is over at the University of Illinois, and I can now avert my eyes toward the greatest baseball team in the history of known universe: the San Diego Padres.

Of course the Illini weren't the only thing occupying my attention this March. A few weeks ago, on March 7, my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter we named Maia. "Maia" is a name of Greek origin. Neither my wife nor I are at all Greek but we liked the name. In Greek mythology, Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades. Until recently I never knew what the "Pleiades" referred to, but I now know they were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia was the oldest and most beautiful of the daughters, and also the shyest. I like those traits.

In not as good news, Maia was apparently raped by that sonuvabitch Zeus and conceived the bastard son Hermes. Hermes went on to become the god of travelers, sports, and literature, three of my favorite things, as well as found a very successful high-fashion luxury goods company based in Paris, so the rape wasn't a complete disaster. But if I ever come across Zeus in a dark alley I'm going to shove a lightning bolt up his -

Maia is also identified with Maia Maiestas, an ancient Italic goddess of Spring. Maybe I'll call my daughter Maia Maiestas sometimes. I kind of like that idea. It also supports a long held theory of mine that the best goddesses are Italic goddesses.

Tolkien also created some denizens of Middle Earth called the Maiar (singular: Maia). They are lesser Ainur who entered Ea in the beginning of time, supporting another theory of mine that Tolkien was a weird weird dude. (Though apparenly Gandalf the Grey was Maiar so it doesn't get much better in terms of Middle Earth denizens than that.)

Given her connection to the gods it comes as no surprise that Maia is also the name of a star. It's in the Taurus constellation and is a blue giant, which means it's about 10x as bright as the Sun, give or take. Maia in particular is 5 1/2 times the size of the Sun and is best seen in the high Northern Hemisphere during autumn and winter. I've wanted to buy a telescope ever since I saw Can't Buy Me Love. Now I have an excuse that doesn't involve Pat Dempsey.

There is a football club in Portugal called F.C. Maia. I need to buy Maia an F.C. Maia t-shirt very soon. I'd do it online if the team had an online store (Man Utd. they are not), but since their official team website isn't even working, I might need to take a road trip to the Portugese town of Maia and pay a visit to club HQ.

Maia is also the name of a Colombian singer who has a song called "Nina Bonita." In English "nina bonita" means "pretty girl" which, coincidentally, describes my daughter. Maia the singer hails from Barranquilla, Colombia, also the hometown of Shakira, Sofia Vergara, and Edgar Renteria, proving that no matter the track record, not everyone from a city can be really really good looking.

Finally, MAIA stands for the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, and the Martial Arts Industry Association. I can assure you she is named for none of those organizations, though she may learn a martial art, so she knows how to fight off Zeus.

Illini Threesome: Bruce Weber, Lon Kruger, and Bill Self

Well, ladies, who would you rather have take you to the Dance?

Meltdown Leaves Illini On NCAA Bubble

The Illini blew a 12-point lead in the second half to lose to Michigan and leave themselves, once again, at the whims of the NCAA Selection Committee.

The Illini were in disarray over the last 8 minutes of the game. They refused to push the ball inside, they stood around watching each other dribble, no one took matters into their own hands and drove to the basket, and, in a dazzling display of team ineptitude, Jereme Richmond, a freshman with one made three pointer during Big Ten conference play, was set up for a key three-pointer in the final minute. This on a team with four senior starters.

Jereme also had the ball in the last seconds and, down 5 with about 6 seconds to play, inexplicably passed up a three pointer and passed to Demetri McCamey who wasn't ready for the pass. The ball bounced to a Michigan player and the meltdown was complete.

More painful news came later in the day when Penn St. beat Wisconsin in one of the worst-played games in basketball history, and Virginia Tech beat Florida St. when the refs waved off FSU's apparent game-winning shot in the final second. Penn St. and Va Tech are competing with the Illini for the last available spots in the NCAA tourney. The results were doubly worse because Va Tech beat PSU earlier in the season, and that win now gives Va Tech another RPI top-5o win because PSU moved into the top-5o with its win over Wisconsin.

Of course the Illini also have a win over Penn St. so factor that in as you will.

The whole situation would be humorous if it wasn't so infuriating.

At Least Brian Carlwell Is On A Winner

Nothing went right for Brian Carlwell when he was at Illinois. In February 2007, halfway through his freshman year, he was the passenger in a car driven by Jamar Smith that careened out of control and crashed. Both Smith and Carlwell were drunk. Smith thought Carlwell was dead and left him in the car while he tried to figure out what to do. Jamar never played for the Illini again.

A season later, still feeling the effects of the accident, Carlwell tore a knee ligament, all but ending his sophomore season. He decided to transfer and ended up playing for Steve Fisher at San Diego St. In Carlwell's first season of eligibility, the Aztecs made the NCAA Tournament while his former Illini teammates settled for the NIT. This season the Aztecs have only one loss and are fighting for a #1 overall seed in the tournament. Meanwhile the Illini are again riding the bubble.

I'll be rooting for Carlwell and the Aztecs in the NCAA Tournament. And on a geographical note, hopefully Brian is enjoying the Diago and dominating beach volleyball games in his spare time.

They don't have beaches in Champaign.

Must Win Tonight At Ohio State?

I wish Bruce would just say F everybody and wear this tux on the sidelines tonight when the Illini visit Ohio State.

I really don't know what other changes he could make to get a win tonight. The odds are seriously stacked against him and the Illini. The cummerbund could be our only hope.

Illini Squeak Out Home Win Against Lowly Michigan

I can't wait until these two guys graduate.

Seriously. This senior crew - McCamey is the ringleader, and Bill Cole gets lumped in too - have brought me nothing but frustration, anxiety, and shame. Worse, they have brought me far too few wins. They simply don't know how to win, a point driven home last night where they eeked out a 54-52 home win over Michigan only because Michigan was ice cold from the field, including two missed chances at a game-winning three as time expired and the Illini defenders looked on helplessly.

For example, look at Tisdale in the above photo (by Chris Sweda of the Chicago Tribune). He has that look of, "Oh man, Mikey D. We survived and pulled out a tough victory. I'm satisfied. I mean, we weathered that storm and pulled out a tough victory. We should go celebrate."

Whereas what Tisdale should be doing is jogging off the court with his head down, thinking about what time tomorrow morning he'll be back in the gym working on post moves and finding his long-lost jump shot.

The Illini go at Michigan St. and at Ohio St. in the next 6 days. Are the seniors going to grab an edge and play with some ferocity? Or will they lollygag and do just enough not to get blown out?

I have literally no idea.

McCamey Benched, Leads Illini To Victory Over Minnesota

Last night's win wasn't always pretty - the Gophers seemed to have a lot of shots rim in and out - but one takes what one can get in the wild and woolly world of college hoop.

The win moves the Illini to fourth place in the Big Ten ahead of Sunday's showdown with the second-place Purdue Boilermakers.

Until then I'll leave you with the following quote from Chris Hine's article in today's Chicago Tribune:

"The last couple of weeks, I let my play on offense affect my defense, my energy and being a vocal leader for this team," McCamey said. "My teammates called me out and told me I had to be better than that. I stepped up tonight to show them I'm still here, I'm not going anywhere."

McCamey. Finally getting it.

(At least for today.)

Another Illini Loss ... To Northwestern

Yesterday's game wasn't televised in New York. That's just as well because it sounds like it was an absolutely frustrating loss, characterized by an up-and-down performance by Demetri McCamey, another disappearing act by D.J. Richardson, and a melt down at the end of the first half that resulted in 6 unanswered points for Northwestern.

I don't have any solutions for the way Illinois loses these games. How do you train players to have the mental toughness to avoid meltdowns, hold second-half leads, and play hard on every play? Is that just about recruiting the right type of mentally tough player? Or can that mental toughness be coached up? I have no idea. And what scares me is that Bruce Weber has no idea either.

I Temporarily Recant My Negative Words About The Illini

Heading into last night's game against Michigan St., I was very down on the Illini. They have talent but they are inconsistent in applying it. They seem to lack focus and effort at times. They drop their shoulders when faced with adversity, and can't close out when they have big leads.

Last night against Michigan St., particularly in performances by Brandon Paul and Jereme Richmond, the Illini set aside those issues and pulled out a clutch home win. They now sit in second place in the conference heading into Saturday afternoon's showdown with Ohio St.

True, had the Spartans shot better I might be in a very different mood this morning. But the Illini defense played at least a part in forcing the Spartans to settle for so many jump shots. And strong rebounding in the second half prevented at least a few Spartan put backs.

Bring on Sullinger, Lighty, Diebler and the rest.

Illinois Just Might Be Not Very Good

What is the deal with the Illini basketball program?

Here's a quick list of things that annoy me about the team:

- the three seniors - Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale - are inconsistent and don't appear to have a winner's mentality;

- Tisdale can't stay on the court because of foul trouble;

- Davis, despite having innate rebounding talent, manages to have games where he only gets 1 rebound;

- Tyler Griffey doesn't get much playing time and then whines about it;

- Meyers Leonard looks like a goofy doofus, is often out of position, and looks like he's focused on dunking every play rather than improving his post presence on the offensive and defensive ends;

- D.J. Richardson hasn't made a basket in two games;

- Brandon Paul always seems to be knicked up or fighting a cold and isn't all that good on defense;

- Bill Cole should play for a mid-major;

- Jereme Richmond mysteriously missed practice last week and was benched for the Wisconsin game;

- the team in general relies too much on the three-point shot; and

- Bruce Weber yells all the time, calls out his players all the time in the press, and generally seems like a guy the players don't have a ton of respect for.

I say Bruce has two months to get this together. If Illinois isn't in the Sweet Sixteen in March I say we hand the program over to Jerrance Howard or Wayne McClain and start anew.

The Illini's Win Over Northwestern Was Impressive, Kind Of

The Illini crushed Northwestern last night 88-63, shooting a school record 70.5% from the field. As I've read in a few places today, if the Illini are shooting well they can play with, and beat, any team in the country. The Duck Blue Devils included.

What interests me more though is that the team increased its lead at the outset of the second half. Letting up on teams and coasting is the Achilles heel of this group of Illini seniors, and I'm encouraged to see them show a killer instinct.

Apparently it's something the team has been practicing, as Mark Tupper noted in his blog post today:

He [Weber] seemed most pleased by the fact that after opening a 23-point lead at halftime, Illinois still came out strong and won the first five minutes of the second half. It’s something the team has been working on.

“We have actually practiced it by putting up the score. With 14 minutes to go we’re up by nine and we have to increase the lead in the next three minutes. If we don’t, we run. I’m trying to get them to understand playing with the lead. You can’t be relaxed and casual.”

If the Illini can learn how to put a foot on opponent's necks when they have them down, they could be a special team.

No Shortage Of News

There's obviously been no shortage of news relevant to the PCI Blog of late.

- Adrian traded to the Red Sox;

- the Bolts rolling on a four-game win streak, only to be embarrassed at home against Oakland;

- the Illini hoops squad playing a couple games in Manhattan (I was there!), then sweeping North Carolina and Gonzaga last week; and

- the Illini football team not only playing the highest scoring game in Big Ten history at Ann Arbor (I was there!), but also playing at Wrigley where Mikel Leshoure rushed for 330 yards (I wasn't there!), and qualifying for a Texas Bowl matchup against Baylor.

Whew!

It's been a busy month and I haven't been here to write about it.

I may not be around much of the rest of December either, but know that the PCI Blog isn't going anywhere.

Have a great holiday!

Karma Bomb: Bruce Pearl May Be Dirty

In a shocking development, it was revealed today that Bruce Pearl may be a dirty cheat.

Yep. It looks like the man who tried to bring down the Illini basketball program out of nothing more than spite and jealousy, might finally get his comeuppance.

Until Calipari gets caught, this couldn't happen to a bigger blowhard.

[Update: Bruce Pearl is a dirty cheat.]

Jereme Richmond Comports Himself Well For USA

Well played, Jereme.

I see you played huge for the USA U18 basketball team a few weeks ago in San Antonio, helping the team to a 5-0 record and a championship game win over Brazil in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships. Your averages of 10.8 points in 19 minutes per game off the bench speak highly of your ability not only to be a game-changer, but also to accept a role as a super sub, which Bruce may have you do to start the Illini's '10-'11 season.

You're also saying all the right things during your first week on campus, complimenting Billy Cole, your competition for a starting spot, and noting that hard work is the key to success at the D-1 level.

Welcome to the Illini.

Best,
Bevormo

Mycheal Henry Is In The Fold

The Illini - thanks in particular to a stellar recruiting job by Peoria's own Jerrance Howard - picked up a verbal commitment from Chicago Orr's Mycheal Henry yesterday.

Henry exploded during his junior season averaging 29 points and, by all reports, developed into a deadeye three-point shooter.

With Henry's commitment, and with the previous commitments of Tracy Abrams and Nnanna Egwu, the Illini are well-positioned with the 2011 recruiting class. If any of Mike Shaw, Chasson Randle, Jarrod Uthoff or Anthony Davis also fall into place, Bruce Weber will have himself another Top 10 class.

Bruce Weber. Getting. It. Dun.

Run Out The Building

This photo by Darrell Hoemann is just one instance from last night's game where a lightning fast Dayton player blew by an Illini defender and got to the basket for a layup or dunk.

Dayton's team is 10-11 guys who can run the floor and explode to the basket. With that mind, if they're also hitting their outside shots - as they were last night - and your team is missing its outside shots - as the Illini were last night - your team is definitely going to lose.

So much for my grand plans to drink 15 beers and watch the Illini play at MSG next Tuesday.

Now I'll have to find somewhere else to drink 15 beers.

Scouting The Dayton Flyers

Everyone knows that the coolest thing about Dayton, Ohio is the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. My Dad and I went there about 8 years ago and I can tell you that it is choice.

Of course Dayton also has a university - the University of Dayton - which, year-to-year, has a solid basketball program. The Flyers finished 22-12, 8-8 on the season and, like the Illini, were sitting on the NCAA tournament bubble come selection time.

Also like the Illini, the Flyers were shoved off to the NIT where, tonight, they will travel to Champaign for an NIT Quarterfinal matchup against Bruce Weber and the Boys.

So what do we need to know about the Flyers?

A few things jump out at me as I peruse their season peformance:

- Dayton has played a handful of good teams - Villanova, Kansas St., New Mexico - and though they lost those three games, they did manage victories over tournament teams Georgia Tech, Lehigh, Old Dominion, and a big 25-point win at home over Sweet 16 entrant Xavier. Bottom line: the Flyers aren't going to be intimidated by the Illini.

- Dayton, like Illinois, entered the season ranked in the Top 25. They failed to live up to those pre-season expectations, but have won their two NIT games by an average of 18 points. They're playing good basketball.

- Dayton likes to run and their leading scorer, forward Chris Wright, was an All-Atlantic 10 selection. He gets about 7 rebounds a game. Look for the Flyers to try to outmuscle the Illini on the boards and get points in transition.

As for the Illini, tonight's game is, surprising to say, big. Illini fans would be hard pressed to stomach another loss at Assembly Hall, and it would be outstanding experience for Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Tyler Griffey - three freshmen who figure large in the Illini plans for the next three years - to get some playing time at Madison Square Garden. It's also another opportunity for the juniors - Demetri, Tisdale, Davis and Cole - to show they can lead the team to tournament-style wins.

I'm way more excited about this game than I thought I'd be.

Illini Get It Dun Against The Golden Flashes

Strong victory.

That's how men get it dun.