Deron Williams speaks with his teeth clenched because the wiring for his broken jaw will not allow him to open his mouth.
Communicating with his Illinois teammates on the basketball court has never been tougher.
“I could not yell any plays,” the sophomore point guard said of his return Saturday in the Illini’s overtime victory against Illinois State. “They can’t read my lips or hear me.”
No one complained. In his first game since suffering the jaw injury on Dec. 11 against Maryland-Eastern Shore, Williams played 34 minutes and rescued Illinois with 20 points.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber was hopeful Williams’ doctor would remove the wires for Wednesday’s game, but it won’t happen, Williams said. The wires will be cut Friday, he added, which will help him speak and eat. They won’t be removed for a few more weeks.
All is not perfect for No. 19 Illinois (9-2) heading into its Big Ten opener Wednesday against visiting Ohio State (8-5) in a rematch of last year’s Big Ten tournament title game that Illinois won.
The Illini still haven’t mastered Weber’s motion offense, and Dee Brown, who appeared on the verge of a stellar season early, has been in a shooting slump that he has offset with 5.3 assists a game.
The Illini remain contenders for the Big Ten title based on these strengths:
1. Slim fast
Deron Williams has been spectacular, showing Saturday that the injury hasn’t slowed him down. He is expected to start against Ohio State.
Williams has lost 15 pounds since the injury, dropping down to his high school playing weight of 195, and it hasn’t hurt a bit.
“I feel quicker,” he said. “I can jump higher.”
2. Favorable schedule
Four of Illinois’ five games to open Big Ten play will be played at Assembly Hall, where the Illini have won 22 straight. The homestand is broken up with a game Jan. 14 against struggling Northwestern in Evanston, leaving open a realistic opportunity to start 5-0.
“If we’re going to be in the race, I think it’s so important to get off to a great start and take advantage of our home-court stretch,” Weber said.
Illinois caught another break in scheduling against Michigan State and Michigan. It plays each only once this season, and both games are at home.
3. Balance
Williams leads the team in scoring at 13.8 points a game and in assists at 6.1 a game, but there are four other players with double-digit scoring averages. Roger Powell is scoring 13.5 a game, Brown 12.1, James Augustine 11.6 and Luther Head 10.
4. Going deep
Illinois’ reserves have been solid. Junior center Nick Smith and freshmen Richard McBride and Brian Randle have made critical plays in big games. McBride is finding his niche on the perimeter and Randle, once a candidate to sit out the season as a redshirt, has started six games.
“Brian Randle and Rich kind of got in the mode where they’re getting 25 to 27 minutes,” Weber said. “Now I have to do a good job of resting Dee, resting Deron because now you have some confidence in Brian and Rich–that they can give us something.”
5. Been there, done that
Weber will make his Big Ten head-coaching debut Wednesday, but he’s no novice. He spent 18 years at Purdue assisting Gene Keady, whose Boilermakers visit Saturday. His players aren’t lacking experience either. Williams, Brown, Head, Powell, Augustine and Smith are Big Ten veterans.
