Despite the daunting graduation departures of Dee Brown and James Augustine, Illinois coach Bruce Weber finds hope by looking back to 1995-96, when he was an assistant to Gene Keady at Purdue.
In 1993-94, Glenn Robinson led the Boilermakers to the Big Ten title. In 1994-95, with Cuonzo Martin filling what seemed a huge void left by the Big Dog’s departure to the NBA, they repeated as champions.
“The next year we had guys like Brandon Brantley and Porter Roberts–names nobody knew–and they actually won the Big Ten by a bigger margin than those other two teams did,” Weber remembered.
It’s unrealistic to think the Illini can replicate the 1995-96 Boilermakers’ 26-3 record. Then again, given Weber’s head-coaching record of 192-70 and the talent that remains, Illinois might be able to overcome the loss of the two winningest players in school history.
“We’ve got a lot of heart and a lot of pride,” said junior forward Brian Randle, who was a co-captain last year. “We’re a winning program. We have guys who were here [in 2005] when we went to the Final Four. We want to win. I want a Big Ten championship.”
Brown and Augustine’s supporting cast from last season will be intact once Randle returns from a groin injury that kept him out of last week’s first exhibition game against Lewis and senior guard Rich McBride completes his six-game suspension stemming from a DUI arrest in late September.
“Each team in the middle of the pack in the league has one or two guys who could make a difference,” Weber said. “The league is in transition, and we’re in transition.”
In their first exhibition, Weber went back to the three-guard offense he employed during the run to the 2005 national championship game. Jamar Smith and Calvin Brock teamed in the backcourt with fellow sophomore point guard Chester Frazier. Senior Warren Carter played up front with the incumbent starting center, junior Shaun Pruitt.
It was a ragged performance. The Illini were outrebounded by a team that didn’t have a starter taller than 6 feet 6 inches. They missed 16 of 36 free throws and 18 of 21 three-point shots. After coming off the bench to become one of the best three-point shooters in the Big Ten last season, Smith was 0-for-8 from behind the arc.
When Randle returns, Weber probably will start two guards, saving the three-guard offense as a change of pace, making it harder for opponents to prepare and match up.
Pruitt and senior understudy Marcus Arnold combine with Randle and Carter to give Weber potentially the best inside game he has had at Illinois.
“Brian is kind of an old-school [small forward], a slasher and post-up guy,” Weber said. “If he wants to become really dominant and be one of the best players in the league and add to his NBA potential, making the jump shot is his next step.
“When Shaun got here his endurance and strength were not very good. He couldn’t keep up with the game, running up and down the court and playing defense. Last year just to compete he made such big strides. Now if I can just get him to make his free throws and use his right hand and not be so lefty, he has the capability to became one of the better big men in the Big Ten.”
In Weber’s opinion, the player with the biggest upside is the 6-foot-9-inch Carter, who has shown flashes of big-play capability but averaged only 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds as a junior.
“I think Warren is the key to our team,” Weber said. “I’ve been very pleased with him. His work ethic is light-years ahead of where it was. Now he’s got to carry it onto the court for 25 minutes and be productive. Warren gives us the [inside-outside] versatility we had with Jack Ingram and Nick Smith, enabling us to spread the defense. He’s talented enough to be a difference-maker, but does he have that inner fire? We’ll see.”
In Frazier’s case, the problem is lowering the competitive flame. “I need him to slow down,” Weber said. “[He needs to] stay in a frenzy on defense but have a little more calmness on offense.”
During the public scrimmage and the Lewis exhibition, Frazier’s performances suggested he was feeling no pressure playing the role of Brown’s successor. He took care of the ball, set up baskets with precise passes and disrupted the opposing offense. He shot unexpectedly well from outside, capitalized when he saw opportunities to drive and rebounded well.
Randle’s injury and McBride’s suspension have given Weber the opportunity to experiment, giving playing time to substitutes such as Brock and Trent Meacham, a junior guard who transferred from Dayton.
“This has given guys a chance to respond to a situation,” Frazier said. “It gives us depth. If guys get hurt, we know we have guys who can step up.”
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nmilbert@tribune.com
