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.

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.

The Great Jerrance Howard

Jerrance,

Rumor has it some big programs have been trying to steal you away from the Illini but so far you have resisted those efforts.

I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that.

As a fellow Peorian and Illini graduate, I figure you and I are basically brothers. And it is as a brother that I tell you this: one day you will be a head coach at a major college basketball program. You have the basketball knowledge to get it done. Learning from the likes of Bill Self and Bruce Weber during your time as a player and assistant coach, and just being from Peoria, Illinois - which is, as you know, one of the premier basketball towns in the world - has primed you to one day coach at a BCS school. It will happen.

But let's not get hasty.

There's no reason for you to leave now when Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand are just months away from arriving on campus. And when Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head and Meyers Leonard are just a few more months away from signing letters of intent. And when there's still more recruiting to do with the likes of Tracy Abrams, Mike Shaw, Sam Thompson and Wayne Blackshear (get r dun!). No doubt there's a lot to do, and I'm sure Coach Weber will be the first to admit that he needs your help to lock these great future Illini into scholarships so they can acheive their dreams of acquiring an excellent education and competing for a National Championship.

Not to mention, the Illini need you to continue to mentor the likes of Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. Chester's not going to be able to do it alone.

Honestly, Jerrance, I can't think of a finer institution than Illinois to ply the trade of college basketball coach.

I know you feel the same way.

Best,
Bevormo