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RSSSignees: We're loyal to you, Illinois
H&R Executive Sports Editor
CHAMPAIGN - They are three players who each could be described as the anti-Eric Gordon.
That's who Illini basketball coach Bruce Weber signed to National Letters of Intent on the first day of the fall signing period Wednesday.
Point guard Demetri McCamey from Westchester St. Joseph, forward Bill Cole from Peoria Richwoods and center Mike Tisdale from Riverton will join the Illini program next season.
Unlike Gordon, the Indianapolis guard who reneged on his verbal commitment to Illinois in an 11th-hour change of heart, these three recruits have dreamed of playing for the Illini. And when that chance presented itself, they did not waver.
``They're all excited to be here,'' Weber said. ``We recruited Demetri and his teammate (Evan Turner, who will attend Ohio State) and Demetri went out of his way to make sure we knew he wanted to come to Illinois. We recruited both of them, but I think we made a great decision when we told Demetri, `If you want to come, we have a spot for you.' He jumped at it immediately.
``He's a fun-loving kid, very personable, who talks to recruits around the country on the phone. He seems to be a kind of pied piper who knows everybody.''
McCamey is listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, but might carry more weight than that.
``If you're looking for similarities, you'd talk about Deron (Williams), mainly because he has the size that Deron had and substantial athletic ability.
``He played mostly point guard last year, and he comes from a tremendous program playing for coach (Gene) Pingatore, so you know he's going to know how to play. They run motion, they guard man-to-man ... a lot of similar things we do.''
McCamey is Illinois' first signee from St. Joseph. He averaged 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals as a junior and is rated as the No. 57 senior in the country by Rivals.com.
Cole is a 6-9, 200-pound forward who has strong ties to Illinois. His father, Terry Cole, was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive end on the Illini football team from 1980-83. He was a member of the 1983 Big Ten championship team and played in the Rose Bowl that season.
Cole's sister, Stephanie, is currently a sophomore at Illinois.
Cole averaged 15.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.8 blocks as a junior, leading Richwoods to a runner-up finish in the Class AA state championship game.
``He's a skilled power forward who can step out and shoot the 3, '' Weber said. ``He was Jamar Smith's teammate in high school, and Jamar was well prepared when he came here.
``Billy's thing is definitely going to be strength. That will determine how fast he can compete. He has worked very hard at it. I was pleased this summer that he stuck his nose in the action more than a year ago. That's strength, confidence and maturity.''
Since Jerry Hester first suited up for the Illini in 1993, Illinois has a streak of having at least one Peoria native on its roster for 14 consecutive seasons.
Tisdale is a 7-foot, 220-pound center who averaged 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.9 blocks as a junior, leading Riverton to the Class A Super-sectional.
``He has unbelievable skills for someone that size,'' Weber said. ``He has very good footwork. Coming from a small school, you don't really have a chance to see him playing against many big people. But he does in the summer circuit and late this summer he made some big strides. He had some pretty impressive games against top-rated kids while playing in Orlando, Fla. He has outstanding potential.''
Tisdale also is a lifelong Illini fan whose dream it was to wear the Orange and Blue.
Weber said they are still scouring the nation to find a shooting guard or small forward who can score. If successful, that player would get the fourth scholarship for this class, a scholarship made available when Gordon bolted.
``We'll know a little more as the week goes on,'' Weber said. ``By next Wednesday we'll know who has signed, who hasn't, who's available. We've looked pretty much throughout the country. We've been as far as California, we've been down to Texas and we've looked in our state. There are a couple kids still out there.''
Weber actually has a fifth scholarship, but is likely to hold that until next season. ``We want to balance the classes because we'll only have two seniors graduating in that next group (Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt, after the 2007-8 season).''
Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.
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