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Season full of questions
CHAMPAIGN - He didn't say the heartache from the season-ending loss to Virginia Tech has gone away. Maybe it never will.
But Illini basketball coach Bruce Weber has hardly spent the two weeks sitting around moping. It's been a period of near non-stop recruiting, of getting ready to shape individual off-season improvement programs and of "moving forward with the program."
As he looks forward, Weber talked Wednesday about getting players healthy, improving Illinois' ability to score points, about dealing with today's out-of-whack world of expectations, about the love he still feels for his job and what he learned in a season that tested him in almost every imaginable way.
For the first time since Illinois surrendered a 13-point second-half lead and lost 54-52 to Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Weber met with a group of media and in this question-and-answer, he talks about Illinois' 23-12 season, the difficulties he and the team faced along the way, and about where the program is headed.
Q: So, how's life?
A: Last week was a lot of recruiting. This week, we kind of get the players back after spring break. We get our spring schedule set up. We continue with some recruiting endeavors and we go to the (National Association of Basketball Coaches) convention at the Final Four this weekend. April is a big month recruiting-wise, and we start our individual player development.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about changes in the AAU setup. What do you know?
A: You probably know more than I do. Nike has cancelled its major (All-American) camp in Indianapolis this summer. Adidas won't have their camp. I don't think Sonny Vacarro's camp will go on. Through the cooperation of the NBA, they've talked about starting over. They are trying to reorganize summer basketball. They are hopefully gearing more toward fundamentals and not as much team play. Also, they are trying to take some of the distractions away from the kids and let them focus on getting better.
One quote I saw said they were gearing it more toward what's happening in Europe - individual development. Nike might sponsor a point guard camp, or a big man camp. The NBA is getting involved so there might be a Steve Nash point guard camp. They might combine with the shoe companies.
There will still be the big AAU tournaments in places like Las Vegas, and as long as they are sanctioned, we can watch them. I think it's great, to be honest. AAU has some good parts - but obviously, from some of the stuff that has been documented, there are some negative things to it. If it's run right, it can be a positive step.
Q: What are your plans for your returning players this spring?
A: We have four weeks, and we'll start next week. I wish we'd have the opportunity to work with the kids in the summer, at least a couple hours a week. If (the AAU changes) become a positive thing, maybe they will say the college coaches should be able to help with the development of kids in the summer.
The big thing will be improving each player's game. In the next couple of days, we'll meet with each player and talk about their strengths, weaknesses and say, 'This is what we think. What do you think?' And we'll come up with a game plan.
Q: Do you have specific plans to address improved free-throw shooting? That was a real struggle this season.
A: We have to work with them on an individual basis and put in a little more time with some guys to see if we can correct some things. It's frustrating because we do work on it. We work on individual form shooting more than a lot of coaches. Obviously, we haven't made as much progress on it, I guess. But when you don't have games going on now, maybe you can get a kid to watch tape of himself and take time over a three-month period to correct some habit flaws and make some improvement.
Q: How much can a player improve at the free-throw line?
A: You can't make them a 90 percent free-throw shooter. But I think you can make them so they're good, solid. We've had kids who were in the 40s (percent) or 50s and got them into the 60s. They have to want to do it. Do you understand you have some flaws, and do you want to correct them? You need to have the discipline over the course of time to create new habits and that's not easy, whether it's smoking (or free throw shooting).
Q: We've seen very little from (redshirt freshman) C.J. Jackson. What does the future hold for him?
A: He's still a freshman. He has three years left. He has to get a niche, some kind of a game that fits in. Either he can be a bully, which means being a great screener and rebounder. There's always a need for that role. Or he can be a real smart player and because of his body he can be a great screener and seal in the post. He has to figure out a niche if he's going to be a factor. He has some chances, but he needs to figure it out over this next month. He's a great kid, a loveable kid with a great personality. But like with every kid, he has to make a decision to be committed to it.
Deron (Williams) made a decision. He wasn't a great free-throw shooter. He wasn't a good 3-point shooter as a freshman. Luther (Head) made a commitment. James (Augustine) did. Each guy does it differently. That hot button clicks at a different time. For Warren (Carter), it clicked after three years, and he made the progress. You wish it would have happened earlier, but at least it did click at some point.
Q: Three players had particularly difficult years with injuries or off-court setbacks. What can you tell us about Brian Carlwell, Rich Semrau and Jamar Smith?
A: Each case is different. Carlwell (who missed the final eight games of the season after suffering a severe concussion) has yet to be released by his physician to start practicing. We're hoping that comes in the next week or so. It's been five or six weeks since he participated, so it's going to be slow coming back into the swing of it.
Semrau (who played in just five games before season-ending chest surgery) has been doing some individual stuff the last few weeks. His conditioning has a long way to go. He has gained back 20 or 23 pounds, but he still has another 15 or 20 to go. He will be a part of everything, but he's still not at 100 percent.
Jamar will participate (in drills) but, obviously he has to continue to go through all the things with the court and also the student discipline committee. I would hope we'd have a more definite feel for where he stands with everything over the next month.
(Smith is charged with two felonies in connection with an auto wreck that injured Carlwell. The Champaign County State's Attorney said Smith had a significantly elevated blood-alcohol level while driving the vehicle involved in the wreck.)
Q: What is Jamar's frame of mind?
A: It's not an easy situation for anyone, for a kid especially. I try to stay positive. He tries to stay positive. His grandparents do. You're a 19-year-old kid stuck in limbo.
Q: From a purely basketball standpoint, how important is he to next year's team?
A: We need scoring. At one point, he was a pretty good shooter. Somewhere in the next six months, we have to figure out someone who can score for us so we can make some steps offensively. If we could make some shots, we have some inside presence with Shaun Pruitt, Brian Randle and maybe Brian Carlwell. We could maybe spread some people out, but you have to make shots."
Q: With all that happened this past season, are you happy to be looking ahead to a new season?
A: First of all, I think what we did over the last four or five weeks was pretty impressive in regards to the kids and how they dealt with the situation. There was a point when we could have gone either way. What they went through is really pretty impressive. You hope fighting through tough times helps with their development. One of my questions early on was about toughness and maturity. Whether we wanted to or not, we developed it throughout the season.
Q: Did the story about (Director of Athletics) Ron Guenther (and his emotional cheering during the Virginia Tech game) surprise you? Does anything surprise you anymore?
A: I think Warren Carter said it right (the story said Guenther yelled, "Warren, you idiot!" when Carter committed a turnover). Mr. Guenther has a passion for the game. He loves the university. He loves our team. He was into the game. I'd rather have that than some dud who doesn't know what's going on and has no idea what basketball or coaching is about.
Obviously, we've gone through a lot this season. We've been resilient as a team and staff. What is life? It's learning, growing up, learning from mistakes and success. It's all part of your cycle as a person and a coach. I learned a lot this year. I had to change styles of coaching mid-stream. I had to deal with a lack of numbers and not having people in practice. You hope it makes you a better person and coach in the long run.
Q: Spring signing date is April 11. Where are you in the recruiting process right now?
A: You try to mix in recruiting for immediate needs with recruiting for future needs. We have 130 days we can be out from the time (high school) starts until the end of April. As a staff you try to see a minimum of two, three or more kids in a day. If you're going to Florida, you say, 'Who else can I see along the way?' Then when you get home, you make two or three calls to guys you're recruiting, calls to guys who you've already signed and text messages to juniors. It's a continuous process that never stops.
Q: How many do you expect to sign on April 11?
A: We might sign more than one. I don't know for sure. We're not taking anything for granted, and we continue to recruit some kids.
Q: Does all the Internet stuff get in the way of recruiting?
A: There's no doubt it's unfair, because people don't know the story. They don't know what's going on, all the details. They don't know about the grades. There is no accountability. That's the tough part about college basketball now. Anyone can say anything and someone believes them and jumps on board.
Derrick (Burson, from the Illini sports information office) told me the other day there was a post about me being at the Bloomington airport. They wanted to know why I wasn't out recruiting. I was taking my daughter to the airport so she could go on spring break. I haven't had a day off since Christmas. We can't recruit every day. That's what we have to deal with. There is nothing we can do. There are people who live on the Internet.
Q: How has this season affected the way you deal with the media?
A: I want to be open. I want to have a little session with the media (after games and after news conferences). I want to talk. I want to be a part of the media, but with what has happened this year, I have a bad taste to be honest. I'm not sure things are geared toward that right now. I want to be me. I want to enjoy it. That's part of my job. And if I don't do a good job, that's fine, criticize me. But when you make things up and there is no accountability, that's the frustrating part. I'll try to keep being me and it will work out in the end. At least I can live with myself and get up in the morning.
Q: As far as injuries go, which ones concern you?
A: We probably haven't even told you how much Chester (Frazier) has been hurt. We didn't say anything about his knee because we didn't want that to be a factor for us getting into the (NCAA) tournament. He has a Grade 1 slight tear of his MCL. It is healable by rest. His finger may need surgery. He dislocated it at the knuckle in practice. He came running over to me, and I thought it was a joke finger, to be honest. (Trainer Al Martindale) popped it back in, and he played the next day. But that's why he didn't shoot a left-handed layup the last six or seven games. He'll see a specialist next week.
Brian Randle also needs rest from his injuries.
Q: Given all of his injuries, what do you tell Brian Randle going into his senior year?
A: Relax. Smile. Enjoy it. You're a senior, make the most of it. I hope he can do it. I don't know if he can. I hope so for his sake. He needs to relax and smile and enjoy basketball and enjoy life in college and not put too much pressure on himself. That's the biggest thing and it's true for all the kids. At times we probably played uptight. They wanted to live up to expectations and be successful. Sometimes that became a negative.
Q: The Big Ten coaching landscape is changing quite a bit this season with Tubby Smith coming to Minnesota and Iowa and Michigan looking for head coaches. What are your thoughts?
A: You're always disappointed to see someone lose their job. Steve Alford has another job, so it's not as difficult for him. But Tommy Amaker is a great guy, a quality person and a pretty good coach who won 20-some games. But in their eyes the (Michigan) program wasn't going where they wanted. It's difficult to watch the process.
Tubby, I think is one of the best coaches and best people in the business. He went through a difficult situation at Kentucky. Minnesota needs some reenergizing. I'm sure he'll bring some of that to them and for him, maybe it's a breath of fresh air. I hope for his sake and the league that he does well.
When I was young I'd think, 'I hope he loses his job because I might have a chance to get it,' but I definitely don't feel that way anymore.
Q: Was this season tougher because the first three seasons went so smoothly? And have expectations here at Illinois gotten out of whack?
A: Well, you have to go back to that first year. The first three months were tough. Actually, it was that way into January. Expectations are different. It's part of college basketball now. With the Internet and talk radio, it has changed. It used to be that 20 wins was a celebration. Now, 22, 23, 24, is that enough? The Final Four? It's all of the things my mentors like coach Keady and coach Knight and Jud (Heathcote) used to fear. Your conference success doesn't mean anything anymore. It's become a difficult thing to deal with.
You have to go to the Final Four. That's great, but only four can go each year. Do they expect you to go every year? It makes it difficult, but that's college basketball in general.
I still love this place. It has some of the best fans in the country. I think you could make a story for maybe the best group of fans. They are unbelievable. The Orange Krush is one of the best student groups. You have a great state that loves basketball. There are so many positive things. The negative part is that they love you so much, they overlove you, I guess. That's the good and bad of it. The good, they love you. The bad, they love you. Sometimes it becomes too much. But it's a good place, and I love it here. We went through a tough stretch, we overcame it, we survived, and now we just have to move forward.
Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.
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