I heard Brit Miller was returning to Decatur Tuesday and confirmed that when I bumped into his sister waiting for a mouth-watering lunch at Krekel’s.

So I text messaged Brit and asked if he’d have a little time for me on Wednesday, hoping to catch up and give readers an update as he tries to win a roster spot as a rookie free agent with the Carolina Panthers.

His return message caught me off guard.

“Well, I actually got cut a couple of minutes ago so now we’re waiting. We know San Diego is interested but no one is making moves for a couple of weeks.”

I texted him back.

“That sucks. Can we talk later today since that will move on the news wire?”

He responded:

“Of course. I’m going to a high school football practice in Chicago and will call you on my way home.”

And I buzzed back one last time.

“Great. Thanks. But it still sucks!”

And it does. And yet Brit knows it’s part of the difficult job of trying to turn heads and win a job in the National Footbal League. He signed with Carolina back on April 26th, hours after the NFL Draft ended. Ironically, he joined the same team with whom former Illini LB J Leman had signed in the winter.

Miller said he was caught in a numbers game with three inside linebackers ahead of him. He had been working at outside linebacker during Carolina’s 12-day OTAs (optional training activities), but he knew the situation didn’t look promising.

The GM called him Tuesday and gave him the bad news.

He said, ‘Brit, talent-wise, I wish I could keep you. But we have too many linebackers under contract and we’re cutting this roster.’”

Indeed, Carolina has waived six players in the past week, including another linebacker, Mike Juergens of Wyoming, who was released along with Miller on Tuesday.

Miller said he and his agent had received positive feelers from the Chargers, “and we’re pretty hopeful about some other teams. But everyone is on vacation now before the start of training camp, so I expect it will be two or three weeks before we hear anything. I knew this was a possibility.

“My agent said it’s better to be released now than after training camp begins because I can hook on with a new team and be with them from the start of their camp,” Miller said.

Most NFL training camps begin in late July or the first week of August.

Miller also spoke with Illinois’ co-defensive coordinator, Dan Disch, who reminded him persistence is a necessary virtue.

“He said this is a career and if something bad happens, you don’t just give up. It can take a year or two sometimes.”

That is proving to be true for Leman, who tried unsuccessfully to win a roster spot with the Minnesota Vikings last season. The good news is that Leman remains on the Carolina roster and still has a shot.

“One of the advantages to being a second-year guy is that you can have it in your contract that you’ll be going to training camp and J has that,” Miller said.

Miller said he’ll use his time back in Decatur to keep in shape and continue training. He has been in Charlotte, N.C., for the past six weeks and has only been home a day or two since the NFL draft in April.

“Before, I was hoping the phone wouldn’t ring,” he said, knowing a call from the general manager could only be bad news. “Now, I’ll be waiting for a call.”

Miller also said he has to consider opportunities in the new United Football League (UFL), which could become a developmental league for the NFL and which launches its inaugural season in October.
“I couple of people have tried to push me toward that,” he said. “It’s another option.”

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Jeff Jordan is leaving the Illini basketball program, saying he will continue to attend the University of Illinois but will concentrate on being a student as he prepares for life after basketball.

His departure is disappointing, if only because he has been an absolutely first-rate young man who was great to have around the Illini program.

Jordan, who is not currently on campus, had this to say in a release provided by the university:

“I love playing for the Fighting Illini and appreciate the support I was given by my teammates, coaches and the great fans here. But I have come to the point where I’m ready to focus on life after basketball. I will concentrate on earning my degree from the University of Illinois and the opportunities that await upon graduating.”

Jordan was a team captain as a sophomore last season and played both seasons after arriving as a preferred walkon. He appeared in 59 career games, totaling 58 points, 42 assists and 24 rebounds.

“Jeff was an invaluable member of our team the past two seasons and I think him for his contribution to our program,” coach Bruce Weber said. “He brought great work ethic to the gym and pushed himself, as well as his teammates, each and every day, to improve.

“We will miss him, but we fully support the decision he has made. When the basketball of basketball has been a top priority throughout your life, it is very difficult to transition away from playing. I know Jeff has given this much thought. He is an outstanding, mature young man who will be successful in whatever areas he pursues in the future.”

Jordan isn’t around to say, but perhaps he sees the writing on the wall regarding diminishing playing opportunities with the arrival of freshmen guards D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Joseph Bertrand. That said, I think he could have found a role, especially defensively, this coming season.

Play or not, his leadership will be missed. He was one of those steadying influences that coaches love to have on board, and Jordan had the respect of his teammates.

This was Michael Jordan’s son. And yet you’d never know that from him. He was humble and wanted to find his basketball niche on his own. He asked for nothing. He was very well liked by his teammates and, sure, they loved it on those rare occasions when M.J. would come around. That was an extra perk, for the team and for the fans.

I still remember when he walked into the gym in Maui, decked out in an Illini orange and blue golf shirt. Illinois was playing Duke and as a North Carolina man, it was easy for MJ to root for Illinois.

Hate to see Jeff Jordan go and Bruce Weber is right; he’ll be successful in whatever he pursues.

Jeff Jordan’s younger brother, Marcus Jordan, has committed to play at Central Florida next season.

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The odds seem stacked against Mike Tisdale, but the junior-to-be Illini center seemed full of confidence Monday when I spoke to him about replacing Mike Davis at the 2009 USA Men’s World University Games Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Tisdale flies out Tuesday morning on the same flight with coach Bruce Weber, who is on the team’s selection committee. Weber used his influence to help get Tisdale a chance and now it’s up to Tisdale, who will be one of 17 players fighting for 12 roster spots that will compete July 2-11 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Tisdale has to make a very quick, very positive impression. He’ll have one session Tuesday night, two sessions on Wednesday and another on Thursday. The roster will be picked by Thursday, although they could agree to hold an extra play or two in case of late injury or some other factor.

Still, Tisdale has to play well immediately.

“I have to prove that I’m in shape and can be a leader,” Tisdale said. “Mike Davis said I have to show I can run the floor. He said that’s one thing they are looking for, guys with endurance who can run the floor.”

Tisdale hopes he has an advantage because the team’s head coach, Bo Ryan of Wisconsin, knows about his skill level from Big Ten Conference play, and because Ryan has favored big men who can shoot as part of his swing offense.

“Bo will have some say, the committee will have some say and the USA Basketball people will, too,” Weber said. “Everyone has a little input. Every time there is a practice you get evaluated and they have to put that team together. They need some size, some shooters, some defenders. Mike is a big guy who can shoot the ball.

“But you have to make a quick impression. You’d better be ready to play and play well. If you have two bad practices you’re pretty much done. I hope Mike just comes and performs well. He has to do what he does well – shooting and being some kind of threat inside. If you try to do things you don’t do, that’s when you look bad instead of showing your strengths.”

Tisdale said he’s been working hard since the end of last season, never expecting to be filling in for teammate Mike Davis, who suffered a broken left ankle on June 9.

“I’ve been working hard, mostly on scoring in the paint and rebounding. Those are my biggest deficits right now. I just have to work on those and get more strength and I’ve been doing that.

“So far, I feel good. Ever since last spring when we’ve played pickup games I have tried to lead the team in rebounding. And I have started doing that every day. It’s kind of becoming instinct right now and hopefully that will keep going.”

Meanwhile, Weber said Davis is working in the weight room and appears to have gotten past the initial disappointment of missing out on the USA Basketball opportunity.

“He was just in getting treatment a little while ago,” Weber said. “He has a smile on his face. That first day was pretty hard on him. Now, we’re trying to stay positive with him and use the time to get in the weight room and make the most of a negative situation. It’s not the end of the world and hopefully six weeks from now he has gained 15 pounds, gotten stronger and can get back to running again and get ready for the season.”

While at Ubben on Monday, it was good to see some new faces bopping up and down the hallways.

The arrival of the new freshmen was confirmed when Brandon Paul, Joseph Bertrand and D.J. Richardson were seen in warmup gear, beginning to loosen up in the women’s practice gym. (The men’s gym was packed with 12-year-old boys that are part of Weber’s summer camp).

The fourth freshman, Tyler Griffey, is reportedly on campus but was not spotted on Monday.

“They went through orientation last week and I just met with a couple of them,” Weber said. “In a way it’s kind of a dress rehearsal for the school year. They do have a couple of classes, but not a full schedule.

“Weights are a big thing so they’re getting used to that. And they’re getting to know the camaraderie of the team and you hope they get in the gym and push each other.

“It’s six or seven weeks of dress rehearsal of what’s going to happen during the school year. How they react to it – the transition of going away to college, the ups and downs and communicating with us, we tell them we’re here to help them get through this. And then hopefully when school begins in the fall, the acclimation will be much easier.”

Weber said he has asked the older players to help make the transition easier, something he’s not sure happened when the current juniors and seniors were new on campus.

“I guess I’m going off history, but when these seven upperclassmen came in, I’m not sure the players did a great job of reaching out and bringing them along, for different reasons. I was reminding them that when they were freshmen, guys left them out.

“I’ve told them to reach out to this group, to bring them in and make them understand how hard we have to work, to make them be on time and all the things that are important.

“But we’ve also told the freshmen, if the seniors don’t do it, then go by them. You create your own timetable, your own style and tempo. Don’t just wait for them.”
Weber said he’ll monitor the interaction.

“Hopefully the older guys do what they are supposed to do and help them through the good times and the bad times and that will make us a better team. The competition pushes everybody and I hope the young guys get after it right away.”

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Back from vacation and just in time to learn about Mike Davis and his broken ankle.

No pun intended, but tough break for a kid who was working hard to make this summer into something special.

Just got off the phone with Bruce Weber, who said basically the same thing.

“Mike had been working hard,” Weber said of Davis’ attempt to make the USA Basketball World University Games team. “He went back home to Virginia and from what we heard from people back there he was getting going after it. I heard from Chester Frazier and from Mike’s dad and from Mike and he had made a commitment to make the team.

“Then he gets here and Saturday between camp sessions he gets in a run, then he’s in the gym early on Monday and in the gym early on Tuesday and it was just a freak thing.”

Davis broke his left ankle and at first, Weber said, they hoped it might only be a bad sprain.

“Al (trainer Al Martindale) said we should X-ray it just in case and then Al showed me the X-rays and said it didn’t look real good. So they took them to the doctor and it turned out to be a break.”

Weber said right now it does not appear that Davis will need surgery. “It looks like a cast for a few weeks to make sure it heals right, then a walking boot. I’d say by mid-July or late-July he’ll be coming in and doing some stuff. I guess it’s not a real bad break, but Mike doesn’t feel that way right now.”

Naturally, Davis is a little depressed. He is missing out on what could have been a valuable international competition and I know he’d been working hard to improve his game this summer.

Better now than the first week of January.

Weber also said Dominque Keller and Alex Legion had mixed results on their touring trip to China with Sean Harrington as the coach.

“Dominique had some real good games early, then supposed got a little sick as it went on. Alex started OK, then got sick in the middle. He actually had some pretty decent games at the end, I think 17 (points), 19 and 18 and he had 15 rebounds in one game.”

Everyone will be back on campus by Sunday and summer session classes begin on Monday. That includes arriving freshmen D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand.

Weber and his staff cannot work with the players individually, “but at least they’ll be on campus and be around us and we’re looking forward to that,” he said.

I’m covering the Futures Tour women’s pro golf tournament in Decatur this weekend, and Tony Stewart’s appearance at our local Macon Speedway track this week, then more golf next week. But I’ll try to chime in from time to time.

Good to be back. The fishing was pretty decent (walleye, crappie, northern, perch) although the weather was cold. I’ll let you know when we schedule the fish fry.

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Forgot to post that I’m using some more vacation time and won’t be back until June 8th. Around here, that’s the start of two straight week of golf coverage starting with the Duramed Futures Tour stop at Hickory Point Golf Course in Decatur and followed by the third annual Signature Cup, which is our Ryder Cup-style match play event between Decatur and Bloomington-Normal.

So I’m going to be MIA for a while. I trust you can pool your resources, drum in a couple of five-star basketball recruits, grab a couple of football prospects and solve the economic crisis.

When I return I’ll give you the walleye report from the north woods.

Thanks, and behave!!!

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Here’s my column for Sunday for you bloggers who might not otherwise see it. Enjoy!

By MARK TUPPER
H&R Executive Sports Editor
Stephen Bardo will always be a favorite face from the Flyin’ Illini.

He descends from one of the most celebrated chapters of University of Illinois basketball history, a rock star quintet that has proven to have an enduring aura.

And although that team’s run to the Final Four was 20 years ago, Bardo seems to have dribbled past Father Time. He looks as athletic as he did while playing guard on that Illini team and somehow he has sidestepped the aging process, still appearing handsome, youthful and vibrant at age 41.

“It’s the DNA, so thanks to mom and dad,” Bardo said during a visit this week. “And I’m tall enough that people can’t see the top of my head. I have my fair share of gray hair.”

Bardo was a second-round draft pick of Atlanta in 1990, although he never played for the Hawks. He did play for Detroit, San Antonio and Dallas of the NBA and played for 10 seasons professionally, including stints in Europe.

Since retiring as a player, he has made a smooth transition to broadcasting, a career move he began planning while a junior at Illinois. He developed a relationship with fellow Illini alum Dennis Swanson, whose heavyweight credentials in broadcasting include hiring Oprah Winfrey, and Swanson offered him an entry level position at ESPN.

Bardo has since taken that opportunity and run with it.

This past season he was a color analyst on 45 ESPN college basketball games, pairing with play-by-play voice Terry Gannon to form a team that traveled the country calling games. He also was dispatched to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., to do studio work and he currently does a weekly podcast radio show called “Sports Unplugged” that is posted on espnchicago.com.

We caught up with Bardo as he was headed from his home in Chicago to Champaign, where this weekend he was asked to address graduates from Illinois’ School of Media.

Q: So, Stephen, what’s the message of your commencement address?
A: Two things. One, join the alumni association as soon as possible because they are entering the toughest job market we’ve ever seen, probably the most competitive, and with the highest unemployment rate in 25 years. They’ll need all the contacts they can get.
Two, I ask them to develop a thick skin, find their passion and work hard.

Q: Are you going to mention your relationship with Dennis Swanson?
A: I was going to, but my father said I might not want a thousand grads calling Dennis Swanson looking for a job. But I am going to tell them about one of my favorite proverbs, the one about the lion and the gazelle. In Africa, every day a gazelle wakes up and knows he must outrun the fastest lion or be eaten alive. And every day a lion wakes up and knows he must outrun the fastest gazelle or he won’t eat. So no matter what, when the sun rises, you’d better wake up running.

Q: Back to Dennis Swanson, who was head of sports for ABC and who is a titan in the industry. How did your relationship develop?
A: We met my junior year at a USC-Illinois football game. He offered me a job but I told him I thought I’d have a chance to play pro ball. I also told him I wanted to stay in touch. So I’d write letters and we’d meet and talk by phone. We did that for 13 years and every time I had a chance I spoke with him.
I joined the Illinois radio broadcast team and finally I told him what was going on with CBS Channel 2 in Chicago. I told him if they would put me on the air as a sports reporter, the 200,000 alumni in the Chicago area would suddenly start watching CBS. Believe it or not, three months later he created a position for me with no reporting experience.

Q: And that led to the ESPN opportunity, which seemed to go very well this past year. More exposure and more assignments. Are you happy where it’s headed?
A: Yes. What’s been talked about is Terry and I getting more high-profile assignments, and hopefully some more games in the Big Ten. They like the chemistry we have. I’ve been able to do some other things, too. There was a void created when Stephen A. Smith left ESPN. They like what I have done and they’re trying to find some other platforms for me.
They’re just understanding that I’m a sports fan, not just a basketball guy. I am also a football and baseball fanatic.

Q: So what’s your ideal end-game?
A: I would like to be the top college basketball analyst in the country, period, whether that’s on ESPN or some other network. I think Jay Bilas is right at that point now and maybe Clark Kellogg. I don’t necessarily want to unseat them, but I’d like to be at that level.”

Q: What do you think sets you apart or makes you unique?
A: I would like to be known as the players’ advocate. We hear people discussing coaches and I let other people talk about the coaches. The most important aspect of what I do is to remind people that these are 18-to-22-year-olds, to remind people of what it was like to be that age, that you don’t always make the right decisions, that they do make mistakes but that we can watch them grow. Even if we see them struggle in the classroom at first, we can see them get going and get a degree and make a success of themselves. That’s how I see the game.
I am critical of the play itself, but not critical of the people making the play. We have people in this business who take pleasure in being critical of individuals. I can’t go that route.

Q: The Big Ten took a lot of hits in the national media this year. What’s your take on the Big Ten Conference?
A: I was overjoyed at the Big Ten this year and I wasn’t afraid to say it. And the fact that it was predominantly sophomore-driven league tells me the future of the Big Ten is as bright as any conference in the country.
If they can get over the hump this year and win the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, if they can ever win one of those, it will be reflected in the recruiting. And with the Big Ten Network coming on strong, it’s a great time for the conference.

Q: Bruce Weber also takes his share of hits, more locally than nationally. What’s your view of the Illini head coach?
A: Bruce Weber is the best in-game coach in the business. I’m sorry, but nobody makes better adjustments. Nobody puts players in position to succeed more than Bruce Weber. It was amazing what his team was able to accomplish this year.
The one thing where Bruce might not be as good as some of his counterparts might be relating to kids during the recruiting situation. But once they’re on campus they fall in love with him. He is salt of the earth and the only person you have to ask is Deron Williams (of the Utah Jazz).
Deron was good, but he should be giving part of his check to Bruce. Bruce gave him the ball, put him in position and made him work his tail off. When they’re around each other they’re like kids, punching each other in the arm and laughing all the time.

Q: So it sounds like you have faith in the direction the program is headed?
A: I totally do. The only thing I was worried about was Bruce getting knocked for his recruiting. Not about his ability to recruit, but about schools using that to lure some kids away. But now it has turned back to kids really wanting to go to Illinois. In a short amount of time, we could see Illinois right back to 2005 (and the national championship game).

Q: From Illinois you got an education and a degree in speech communications. But, tell the truth: Is there anything better than being recognized as a member of the Flyin’ Illini?
A: It’s unbelievable. I’ll give you a perfect example. I saw Jalen Rose at the Final Four this year in Detroit. He comes up to Jack McClinton, who won the 3-point shooting contest there. He said, ‘Jack, do you know who this is?’ And he said, ‘He’s Mr. Bardo from ESPN.’ And Jalen said, ‘No, this is Stephen Bardo from the Flyin’ Illini.’
I get stopped all over the country, by coaches, players, fathers of guys who were playing. And to a man, they all say that was one of the most exciting teams they’ve ever seen. I still get love from that.

Q: I know this has come up before and I know you believe the Flyin’ Illini would have beaten Illinois’ Final Four team from 2005. What would have given that 2005 team trouble?
A: It’s a tossup between Nick Anderson and Kenny Battle. Deron Williams and Luther Head were great defenders, but Nick was 6-5, 225 pounds. He was a grown man. And I don’t think Roger Powell and James Augustine could have kept up with Kenny Battle.
And whoever I guarded, Deron or Luther, would not have gotten their average. I could shut one of those guys down. I know one thing: I would love to play that game. I think the whole state of Illinois would love that.

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Here’s the rest of the Jerrance Howard story, based on my conversation with him this week:

CHAMPAIGN – Even the man himself admits it is difficult to gauge how much his life has changed during the 20 months he has been on the University of Illinois men’s basketball coaching staff.

But one telltale sign will be apparent May 21 in Chicago when the university’s Board of Trustees votes on the parameters of contract extension and change in financial terms for assistant coach Jerrance Howard.

The details of that agreement were recently settled upon between Howard, Director of Athletics Ron Guenther and head coach Bruce Weber. The rush to restructure his contract became a priority when Howard’s value soared once the season ended and four high-profile schools placed the 28-year-old assistant coach in their sights.

There was no official contact from Florida, but Howard was well aware of staff inquires once Billy Donovan lost assistant Shaka Smart to the head coaching job at Virginia Commonwealth.

Marquette and Kentucky wanted him as an assistant who could help make recruiting inroads in Chicago, throughout Illinois and beyond. And Memphis’s new head coach, Josh Pastner, dangled the title “associate head coach” as an enticement.

It was both a flattering and awkward rush of attention for Howard, who won’t turn 29 until May 28.

Flattering, because it was recognition in the coaching community that Howard has made enough connections and flipped enough switches to command respect as a young aide who can convince top-tier recruits to say “yes.” But awkward, too, because he believes Illinois’ more established assistants are also doing good work, even if they aren’t viewed the “hot” commodity right now.

In the end, Howard turned down this recent wave of suitors, citing loyalty to the program for which he played from 2001 to 2004, and a deep sense of loyalty to Weber, whom he praises at every opportunity.

“The attention I got was a great credit to our program and to coach Weber,” Howard said this week. “I work for a great head coach and I’m glad I bring something to the table. And not just recruiting.”

When Howard began receiving inquiries, he decided the best way to deal with them was to stay above board with Weber and the rest of the staff. He sought out fellow Illini assistant Wayne McClain, who is also a Peoria native, and asked for his advice.

“Coach McClain told me to keep everyone in the loop and be upfront about everything,” Howard said. “I also looked to coach (Chris) Lowery,” who had been Weber’s assistant at Illinois and is a young head coach at Southern Illinois University.

“They told me I have to do what’s in my heart, what’s good for me and my family, but to be smart about it.”
What Howard concluded is that although the attention is flattering, and although his goal is to become a head coach, he still has unfinished business at Illinois and he’s in a perfect circumstance to improve his standing.
“I think I’m in an unbelievable situation,” Howard said. “I just want to continue to learn and grow and get better. I want to prepare myself to one day be a head coach.”

Showing loyalty to his current employer never hurts, and in Howard’s case, the loyalty is genuine.

He was a standout guard at Peoria Central High School and envisioned big things when he followed through on his lifelong dream and committed to the Illini prior to the 2001 season.

As it turned out, Howard’s dream didn’t turn out exactly as he’d planned. Other guards – Frank Williams, Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head – received the bulk of the playing time and Howard became a seldom-used bench-warmer.

To his credit, he rose above any personal disappointment and became an inspirational leader and positive locker room influence. In fact, he generally hid his own frustration even though he now admits it was always there.

“Not a lot of people know this, but it was really hard for me to fit (at Illinois) without getting any playing time,” Howard says now. “But if I could do it all over again, I would not change one thing. Well, I’d change one thing: We would have beat Arizona in San Antonio (in March of 2001 to reach the Final Four).

“I feel like the whole Illini Nation has raised me – my teammates, coaches, the Orange Krush, the media, the fans. They really helped me get through that.”

Clearly, no individual has won Howard’s respect more than Weber, for whom he played for a season and who hired him in September of 2007.

Ironically, when he was hired, some questioned the decision, citing Howard’s youth and inexperience, especially as a recruiter in the Chicago area. Now, those same skeptics view him as a savior, a moniker that makes Howard cringe.

He often deflects that praise.

“I can’t say enough about coach Weber,” Howard said. “When I was a player, he helped me graduate and become a better player. Now, he has helped me to become a better coach and a better family man.

“He does little things that really help me. Some days he’ll tell me to take my film home and be with my family. He understands because he’s gone through it. That’s so important to me, just getting married and having a new son. Family is really important and he understands that.”

In return, once Howard tucks the family to sleep, he can often be found studying game tapes, working his cell phone and putting in the extra hours that can prepare him for a head coaching job.

“I stay up and watch tapes from past games, from other coaches, even from some of the games when I played,” he said. “I talk about plays with (assistant to the head coach) Gary Nottingham or coach Lowery.

“I want to be a guy who recruits well, whose offensive and defensive mindset is in good balance, who graduates his guys. I want to prepare myself not just as a recruiter, but as a good all-around head coach.”

Howard shares credit for assembling the 2009 recruiting class that will arrive with the start of the second summer term on June 15. He helped line up commitments for the now-full Class of 2010. And every day he puts time into the all-important class of 2011, a group that could be an absolute blockbuster for the Illini.
Illinois has five scholarships available for that class, although it is likely to use just four, holding back an extra one to pair with the one-scholarship Class of 2012.

It’s possible, though, that Howard will step away from his daily devotion if he takes his wife, Jessica, and 7-month-old son, Jerrance Jr., on vacation in August.

“Coach Weber told me to take them somewhere real nice,” said Howard, who figures to have a contract extension and a pay raise by then. “He also told me to take them someplace where my phone doesn’t work.”

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The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will vote May 21 on a contract extension and new financial terms for Illini men’s assistant basketball coach Jerrance Howard.

The terms of a new contract have been agreed upon between Howard, Director of Athletics Ron Guenther and head coach Bruce Weber. Upgrading Howard’s deal became a matter of some urgency when at least four other major colleges sized him up for their own programs.

Kentucky and Marquette considered Howard as a good fit for an assistant coach with recruiting influence in Chicago, throughout Illinois and beyond.

The University of Florida never actually made contact, but Howard said he became aware of interest from Gators’ head coach Billy Donovan once Florida assistant Shaka Smart left to become head coach at Virginia Commonwealth.

And Memphis’ new head coach, Josh Pastner, dangled the title “associate head coach” as an enticement.

“Was I surprised? Yes and no,” Howard told me on Monday. “I know my relationship with Josh Pastner and he’s one of my closest friends in the business. I knew one day it could happen, but I didn’t think he’d be a head coach this soon. I was thinking three to five years down the road.

“But when he got the head coaching job, I knew with our relationship and the way we talk every day and share ideas that he would come after me.”

Howard said he turned to fellow Illini assistant and fellow Peorian Wayne McClain as well as former Illini assistant and current Southern Illinois University coach Chris Lowery, who advised Howard to be patient.

Howard said he has so much loyalty to Illinois and to head coach Bruce Weber that he didn’t feel he needed to bolt at the first offer. Besides, he said, the fun of having the next wave of recruits on hand is just beginning. He’d like to be around to reap some of the benefits.

Howard had a lot to say about current players, about past players (he was at the birthday party for Luther Head’s one-year-old son this past weekend north of Chicago) and he reports that Brian Cook will be married July 4th in Los Angeles.

I’m writing a more lengthy story for Wednesday of this week.

Howard said he’s working hard on the Class of 2011. Illinois has five scholarships to give but with just one in 2012, I’d expect them to hand out only four for 2011, bankrolling the other for the following season.

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May, June and July are the months we have to chew up our vacation and I’m taking this week off. No big plans, just some gardening, painting, mowing, garage cleaning, etc. Woo-hoo!!!

So I’m trusting that you folks can find some topics to discuss. I’ll be back in the office on Monday, May 11 so I’ll check in again then.

Have a great start to spring. Play some golf, get outside for a walk, watch the NBA or NHL playoffs, the Cardinals, Cubs or Sox, and don’t forget that Sunday is Mother’s Day.

Try not to bicker among yourselves.

I’m going to Minnesota walleye fishing in a few weeks so send along your tips and/or best stories.

Cheers!

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Just had a nice visit with Mike Davis as they wind down the final week of individual Illini basketball workouts at the Ubben Center.

The interesting news is that Davis is no longer working with the “bigs.” He’s been working with the guards, a group that now includes Demetri McCamey, Alex Legion, Jeff Jordan and Bill Cole. Davis said the coaches are putting him in a position to work hard on his ball-handling skills because he’s usually defended by a big man, he has a quick first step and he’s a good candidate to take the ball to the hole if he can skillfully put it on the floor.

“I can beat a bigger guy off the dribble,” he said.

Davis also said he has been invited to the USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team tryouts later this summer in Colorado Springs, Colo. That team will be coached by Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan and will try to win the gold medal July 2-12 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Tryouts in Colorado Springs are June 16-18.

Helping to choose the team will be the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee, which includes Illini coach Bruce Weber, North Carolina coach Roy Williams, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar and athletic representative Jay Williams. The committee is chaired by Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

If Davis is selected for the team, the event will take up a pretty good chunk of his summer. Once picked, the team will train in Colorado Springs from June 19 to 28 before departing for Serbia.

Davis said he heard Purdue’s Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson have also been invited to the tryouts.

By the way, Weber has met with AD Ron Guenther about officially making Chester Frazier the student assistant coach and it appears the ball is in Frazier’s court to finish off the formalities.

In accordance with NCAA rules, the Ubben Center was closed to visitors on Wednesday because a recruit was making an unofficial visit. No word on the identity of the prospect.

I’ll be writing a lot more about Davis in Friday’s Herald & Review.

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A little news from D-Town on our boy, Brit Miller:

By MARK TUPPER
H&R Executive Sports Editor
DECATUR – Maybe it was his naturally optimistic nature.

Maybe it was being surrounded by a huge throng of supportive friends and family on the wind-swept shores of Lake Decatur.

Maybe it was a ready-made sense or realism that Brit Miller brought with him to the party Sunday.

Whatever it was, not being taken in the seven rounds of the National Football League draft seemed to disappoint others a lot more than it did Miller, the former Illini middle linebacker from Decatur.

Although teams phoned throughout the day, some asking the dumbest question he’d ever heard – “Are you ready to be drafted?” – the draft ended Sunday without Miller’s name being called.

But by 8:30 Sunday night, he had what he’d been waiting for: A destination to his NFL future.

Miller and his agent, Chicago-based Ken Sarnoff, worked out a free agent contract that will put him on the pre-season roster of the Carolina Panthers, ironically joining fellow former Illini middle linebacker J Leman, who signed with Carolina in January.

For Miller, it was a happy enough end to an anxious weekend.

“It’s not all about being drafted,” said Miller. “It’s about getting an opportunity to play pro ball and hopefully that will happen for me next season.

“I’ll get a nice free agent signing bonus that is more money than I’ve ever had,” Miller said, beaming. “But the real challenge is competing and winning a spot. I’ve always wanted that.”

And doing it as a free agent rather than as a drafted player suits Miller just fine.

“I’ve always been a little overlooked, the kid from Decatur, blue collar, representing people who don’t always get representation as far as athletics go.

“I’m going to work my way from the bottom up and do what it takes. I’ve gotten that from being around the people of Decatur and my family and we’re going to take it to Carolina.”

Competing directly with Leman, his friend and former teammate, is a bonus, Miller said.

Leman was an undrafted linebacker one year ago and signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
When that didn’t work out, he signed as a free agent with Carolina more than three months ago.

“I was with J all weekend in Champaign at all the alumni events for the spring football game,” Miller said. “He seems to really like it (with Carolina). It’s a good situation. They only have six linebackers and most teams keep eight.”

After the draft had ended, Miller’s mother, Teresa, scurried around the DAV Club and breathed a sign of relief.

“I’m happy for her that it’s over,” Brit Miller said. “She got so nervous she just couldn’t take it.”

Teresa Miller said she watched the first two rounds of the draft on Saturday, then watched all of the draft on Sunday until late in the seventh round.

“I watched until they got to pick No. 246, then I had to go into another room by myself,” she said. “I’d had enough. If it had gone for on another day I would have been in St. Mary’s (Hospital).”

Brit Miller said he communicated with fellow Illini players Xavier Fulton (picked in the fifth round by Tampa Bay) and Will Davis (selected in Round 6 by Arizona) as well as Vontae Davis, a first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

“I’m so happy for them,” he said. “They’re good friends and they deserve it.”

Brit Miller said he expects to report to Carolina this week for some kind of rookie mini-camp and in-house orientation.

He is prepared to show his worth as a linebacker, a fullback and on special teams. “Whatever they want,” said Miller, who reminded listeners that he’d played quarterback at Eisenhower High School.

“Hey, Carolina might want me as their scout team quarterback,” he said. “All I want is a chance, and I’ve got that now.”

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If there’s one thing I am taking away from the Illini spring football game, and from the 14 practices leading up to it, it’s that the defense closed the gap on an offense that began the spring considerably ahead of it.

Saturday’s game, played in a fierce wind out of the south, was a little weird. I liked the idea of splitting up the teams and having an actual game. But seeing it put into practice, I’m not as keen on it.

For one thing, I wanted to see the entire offensive line playing together. Instead, some starters were on the Blue team (which won, 20-0) and some on the Orange team. There wasn’t the cohesiveness I was looking for. Ditto with the defense, where starters were scattered.

I can see where that helps backups who got a better look and had a chance to play with the starters. But I didn’t care for it.

But I did like some of the things the defense tried to do. The defense blitzed like crazy and I wonder if we’ll actually see that once the season begins. Ron Zook kind of pooh-poohed how often they blitzed, but Dan Disch, the co-defensive coordinator, said they purposely brought heat on the quarterbacks.

If there was a star of this scrimmage, it might have been defensive end Jerry Brown, who was making a ton of big plays. The final stats show him as the tackling leader with seven. And six of his stops were behind the line of scrimmage for 29 yards in losses. That included two quarterback sacks.

I brought up Brown’s performance in Zook’s post-game press conference and he Brown is a touchy subject, mainly because he’s always walking an academic tight rope.

“He’s had a good spring,” Zook said. “But it’s a little too early to get high on Jerry right now. We all know he’s talented, but he has some academic issues to get cleaned up.”

Brown was made “unavailable” to the post-game media, a “privilege” Zook often denies to players who have off-field matters to resolve.

Disch said pretty much the same thing.

“If you have watched Jerry over the years, he can be as good as anybody,” Disch said. “He just has to take care of his off-field stuff. He’s a great kid and he works hard. We’re excited to put him out there because he has a chance to be really good, no question.”

At least Brown’s performance in the spring game proves there is a potential answer to one of those questions at defensive end.

And Martez Wilson, who has moved into the middle linebacker spot, continues to make progress.

“Yeah, I’m not thinking out there anymore,” said Wilson, who shifts from outside linebacker to fill the spot vacated by the graduation of Brit Miller. “I’m just flying around and having fun. Now I’m very comfortable out there.”

Wilson was second in tackles on the Blue team with 4.5.

Juice Williams wasn’t particularly sharp, but he was the best quarterback on the field. He completed 13 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Duvalt, who had a fine spring.

Ironically, the most eye-opening play of the game did not gain a single yard.

On the final play of the first half, quarterback Williams decided to try a “Hail Mary!” heave with a fierce wind at his back.

Williams rolled out to his right, wound up and uncorked a monstrous pass that covered nearly 80 yards in the air. That’s 70 yards down the field, and another 10 yards as the ball veered into the stands, clanking down 12 rows high in the bleacher seats.

Sitting close by was former Illini linebacker Brit Miller of Decatur, who watched the scrimmage from the west stands.

“I saw it veer up into the seats and it almost killed a kid. I yelled, ‘Nice job, Juice!’”

I asked Martez Wilson if he were in charge of an NFL team drafting on Sunday, would he draft Brit Miller?

“Yeah, I draft Brit,” he said. “He has a lot of effort. He runs, he works to the ball, he tries.

“He’s a good dude to be around. He’s the type of guy you need on your team. He’s a nasty linebacker. Even if he only played special teams, he’d be a good dude to have. It’s his attitude more than anything.”

Congratulations to Vontae Davis, who went to the Miami Dolphins in the first round on Saturday. He’s a really talented guy who will be very successful as a pro. And don’t believe the stuff about him being difficult to coach. That’s just not true.

By the way, Zook presented several awards at halftime Saturday.

Lineman Eric Block and receiver Cordale Scott were named the spring’s most improved offensive players while linebacker Ian Thomas was named most improved on defense.

Offensive lineman Jon Asamoah won an award for best effort and was recognized for having the highest grade point average on the team, 3.79.

Tavon Wilson was recognized for having the best effort on the defense and defensive tackle Sirod Williams won the Faculty Award for leadership in the community and in the classroom.

Zach Becker and Nattiel Perkins were named most improved walkons.

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I had a chance to spend some time with Lewis Jackson while I was in Portland last month covering the NCAA Tournament.

Lewis, a Decatur kid, started 30 games for Purdue and the Boilermakers were shipped to Portland along with the Illini. It was nice to visit with Lewis, because I could tell how much he had grown during his freshman year. There, on a big stage and with throngs of media swarming around the Purdue locker room, Lewis more than held his own.

In fact, I told a couple of national media guys that Lewis might be a good guy to talk to for a quote. He had some original thoughts and he could put them into a quotable sentence. Not everyone can do that. And those media members who sought him out told me how impressed they were by how Lewis handled himself. He was very impressive.

As a guy from Decatur, I was proud that Lewis had taken such a nice step forward.

That made it even more disheartening when Lewis took a step backward this past week.

As you know, he was stopped on his way from Purdue to Decatur. He was pulled over for going 81 miles an hour in a 65 zone and there was vodka and a small quantity of pot in the car (along with his passengers). Lewis was charged with four violations.

In one of the swiftest conclusions to a legal case that I can recall, the matter went to court on Monday (eight days after the incident) and Lewis and his attorney had agreed to a plea that dropped two of the charges. He pled guilty to underage possession of alcohol and possession of drug paraphernalia. The penalty: 12 months court supervision, community service and fines totally nearly $2,000.

Three bad decisions by Lewis – the booze, the pot and driving through Monticello at 2:30 in the morning going 81 miles an hour. Might as well be dragging a banner that says, “Hey, pull me over!!!”

That said, most of us have done stupid things, especially while in college, and I’m a believer in the Mulligan theory. When a guy hits one out of bounds, punish him, but let him put it back on the tee and hit it again.

The thing about the Mulligan theory is that it puts the emphasis back on the shoulders of Lewis Jackson. How he responds to what happened is up to him. I was glad to hear him address it at the courthouse after the case had been resolved. He said he made a mistake and he hoped he could learn from the mistake and show young people he can still be a good example. He was appropriately contrite.

How Lewis Jackson is judged will be determined down the road. If in two years, for instance, he has stayed clear of trouble and is doing his job off and on the court, people will look upon this as a minor incident and view him in a positive light. If he “hits another one out of bounds,” people will be far less understanding.

I’m sure he knows that. I’m sure Purdue coach Matt Painter will remind him of it again and again and again. Painter will have some punishment of his own for Lewis to deal with and rightly so, whatever it is. But I think Lewis Jackson still has a very bright career in front of him.

He just has to want it badly enough to stay on course.

We’re sometimes fond of saying that athletes shouldn’t necessarily be role models, but I know there are a lot of young people in Decatur who look up to Lewis Jackson. So how he responds in the coming months and years will make a difference, to kids and adults alike.

This might end up being the perfect wake-up call. No DUI. No wreck. No injuries. Just a hard slap in the face and an opportunity to make amends.

I hope he takes this second chance to makes the most of it.

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It must be nice to live in Jerrance Howard’s world right now.

He’s young, still a relative newlywed, has a very young son named Jerrance Jr., and is hotter than the core of the sun when it comes to the college basketball coaching world.

Want a bright, affable, on-the-rise assistant coach who can recruit the lights out? Who you gonna call? Jerrance!

It was a fantastic, flattering offer that came Howard’s way this week when new Memphis head coach Josh Pastner pursued the young Illini assistant basketball coach and even dangled the title “associate head coach.”

That’s an intoxicating temptation for a guy who is not yet 30 and who, when Bruce Weber hired him in September of 2007, had no real experience as an assistant coach. He had been with Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M and briefly at Kentucky, but never with the title of assistant coach and never in a role that allowed him to recruit off-campus.

I remember when I first wrote about Jerrance and tried to tell readers that he would be the replacement for Tracy Webster. Much of the reaction was negative. “He’s too young, unproven and a Peoria guy. We need a Chicago guy!!!”

Rather quickly, though, Jerrance proved himself to be just what the doctor ordered for an Illini coaching staff that needed a personality-plus guy who was fearless enough to march into any Chicago Public League gymnasium, proudly wear his orange and blue, and talk to players, coaches and families about what it means to play basketball at Illinois. And what it means to play for Bruce Weber.

People sometimes forget, but one of Howard’s greatest assets is that he played for Weber. So if someone wants to say something they’ve heard about playing for Weber, Howard can set them straight from the perspective of a player who actually DID play for Weber.

He passionately describes Illinois as a special place, and he is a convincing salesman.

Maybe Howard has received too much credit for the players who have committed since he was hired. A lot of work was done before his arrival. But maybe he hasn’t received enough. I just know that Illinois’ recruiting fortunes have turned in a decidedly favorable direction since Howard arrived and I’m willing to give him all the credit in the world.

The good news is that Howard turned down Memphis, just as he did Kentucky when they began exploring for assistant coaches who could give them an edge in Chicago.

For Howard, the better news is that AD Ron Guenther will restructure his contract to reward him financially and, hopefully, keep him with the program for the near future.

But for how long?

We should all understand that Jerrance Howard may be at his dream school, but he would like to one day be a head coach. More opportunities will come. And eventually the right one will come along.

I think he’s wise to be patient. His star is shooting no where but up. Keep recruiting, keep contributing on the practice floor and with scouting reports. Keep drawing praise from Weber and those who work around him. And the right offer will materialize.

I don’t know what he’ll view as the right offer. Remember what happened with Gillispie? He was working in the Illini practice gym one day and the next he was head coach at Texas-El Paso. That was a pretty good first head coaching gig. Some success there and he was off to Texas A&M, then to Kentucky.

I don’t know if Howard can match that career arc, nor do I know if he wants to. I’m sure in his dream world he’d go somewhere to cut his coaching teeth, then re-emerge one day as the head coach at Illinois. But a lot has to fall into place. And timing is everything. At this point, no one knows what kind of a bench coach Jerrance Howard will be.

What we do know is that he deserves a chance to show he can be great. He’s already earned a reputation as a great recruiter and as a great people-person. What they’re offering him now, though, is similar to what he already has. They want him as a hired gun recruiter.

My advice? Stay put. Keep recruiting for the Illini. And take that UTEP offer that will surely come along before too long.

The rest of us need to understand that day will probably come. I hope Bruce Weber already has a list of candidates who can replace him. It was a critical hire in September of 2007, and it will be a critical hire the next time, too.

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It was Chester Frazier Night at the 87th Annual Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball Awards Banquet Tuesday night at the Urbana Holiday Inn.

Not only was the senior guard celebrating his 23rd birthday, but he stepped to the podium to accept three of the eight individual awards handed out, including the most valuable player awards.

Frazier also won the Matt Heldman “Matto” Award for hustle plays accumulated during the season. And when he won the Kenny Battle Most Inspirational Player Award for the second time in his career, he signaled to teammate Bubba Chisholm, a popular walkon, and gave the award to him.

“With all these awards, I had to give one away,” Frazier said. “I didn’t want to steal all the awards and Bubba deserved the one I gave him. It’s a great honor.”

Frazier said it’s almost a certainty that he will accept the position of student assistant coach that will allow him to remain with the basketball program for another year. He has received some inquiries about playing professionally overseas but his hand (which he broken prior to the Big Ten Tournament) is still not adequately healed. So he’s already given his coaching ambitions an unofficial start.

“It’s a fairly done deal,” he said. “There were a few things in the works but I just have to be patient with it and finish school.”

Coach Bruce Weber was in Chicago on Monday to attend a function that honored former Illini Jerry Colangelo. So Frazier was helping to monitor a workout back in Champaign and he was unhappy with the effort. Before long, Weber’s phone rang and Frazier was filing a report.

“We didn’t have 10 guys to run so we were playing half-court and I didn’t think people were going hard enough to get better so I had to call (Weber) and let him know,” Frazier said. “A couple of guys were sick and it was a bad day for a workout. We didn’t have enough guys to play five-on-five so that kind of sucked.”

Frazier said he won’t be a soft touch with his former teammates.

“No, I’m there every day when they work out and I’m taking guys individually and have them work on some things they need to work on. They respect what I have to say and I don’t get any backtalk for it. The guys are great. It’s been great playing with a bunch of young guys who listen to me. That will make my transition a lot easier.”

Weber said he’ll meet with Frazier on Wednesday to finalize their plan.

“All along our plans were that he would stay,” Weber said. “You can always go and play. Marcus Arnold waited a year and went and played (overseas). But it’s hard to get into our (coaching) business. We have so many who want to get it…but there are no positions. This is a natural position for (Frazier) to get some experience. Then if you decide it’s not for you and you want to go play, at least you have something on your resume.

“The best thing would be for him to stay involved in drills and push them. And they respect him. I hope they don’t end up hating him, but he will push guys.”

The MVP award was voted on by the players. All but one player voted for Frazier. The lone exception was Frazier’s vote, which went to Trent Meacham.

Mike Davis took home two of the individual awards. He won the Illini Rebounders Award for ranking second in the Big Ten with an average of 8.1 rebounds per game. He also won the Most Improved Player award.

Mike Tisdale won the Ralf Woods Free Throw Trophy for making 81.3 percent of his free throws during Big Ten play.

Trent Meacham won the Lou Henson Courage Award for taking the most charging fouls.

And Calvin Brock won the Sixth Man Award.

Weber said he has met with all players individually and has received on indications that anyone plans to transfer or leave.

“Yeah, at this point I expect everyone back,” he said. “A lot of things can change. I hope it doesn’t. Everyone seems to have the attitude that they can be a part of it and we can make some strides.”

Weber also said no final decision has been made on the Illinois-Gonzaga game to be played in December at the United Center in Chicago.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5. But a change in the Illini football schedule has moved the season finale to that date against Fresno State in Memorial Stadium. Illini officials do not want to have a football game and men’s basketball game competing against each other.

Weber said the Illini would probably move the Gonzaga game to either Sunday or Friday with Sunday the preference so long as the Chicago Bears don’t play at home that day. But the NFL schedule, released Tuesday night, shows the Bears hosting the St. Louis Rams at noon on Sunday, Dec. 6.

Based on what Weber said after the awards banquet, that might push the Illini-Gonzaga basketball game to Friday, Dec. 4, which is not ideal because some of the high school recruits who would normally attend the game will have their own games that night.

Just one more reason to dislike the upcoming football schedule.

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The team was an hour late getting started, but Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage at Oak Park River Forest High School went pretty well and for the first time since Illinois has been scrimmaging in the Chicago area, the weather was sunny and cooperative.

“Someone said it was kind of cool, but compared to the last two years this was a day at the beach,” Illini head coach Ron Zook said.

The four team buses were delayed due to a wreck on the 294 Tollway, Zook said. The scrimmage was supposed to start at 1 o’clock but didn’t get going until 2 with about 2,500 fans on hand to watch the team perform on the one-year-old Field Turf surface.

The offense owned the day. Juice Williams completed eight of his first nine passes and except for a couple errant tosses at the end of the day during a two-minute drill, he was on target. He finished with 13 of 20 for 167 yards and a 27-yard touchdown to Jarred Fayson.

The sophomore running backs, Mikel Leshoure and Jason Ford, both looked good. Leshoure carried 14 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Ford carried 10 times for 58 yards.

Best of all, the offense did not turn the ball over, except for one of four botched center snaps that landed in the hands of a defender. Not sure, but I think we’ve noticed a trend at practices, and the trend is this: Whoever is backing up at center can’t get the ball into the quarterback’s hands more than about 50 percent of the time. That’s bad.

Defensively, it was our first extended scrimmage look at Martez Wilson at middle linebacker. Maybe the film would show something different, but I just don’t see him making plays. He made one memorable hit, but the middle linebacker should be in on tons of plays and he isn’t.

Martez said he’s getting comfortable there and Zook tried to commend his efforts, but if the production isn’t way up by the spring game, I’d be worried about that position. He’s the greatest looking athlete in the world, but his production does not match his look. He just doesn’t get involved in the heavy hitting the way past middle linebackers have done. He could end up being one of the most perplexing players in Illini history, an athletic freak who can never find a position. Or he could settle in and be a monster. The fact that we don’t know is what is scary.

What’s scary in a more promising way is the depth of talent at wide receiver. They’re starting Jeff Cumberland, Rejus Benn and Jarred Fayson, but Jack Ramsey, Chris Duvalt and others are making plays, too. And heralded freshman Terry Hawthorne will have a chance to make an impact in the summer.

Oak Park River Forest did a good job hosting the scrimmage and they said they’d like to do it every year. But Zook wouldn’t commit to making it an annual thing. I think they like the Chicagoland exposure and they had to vacate Memorial Stadium Saturday with the Illinois Marathon going on. Some 8,000 to 9,000 runners competed and the finish line was the 50-yard-line at the football stadium.

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Michigan State’s dream run to the national championship game ended with Jack Nicholson taking an axe to the bathroom door, with a 25-foot shark chomping Kalin Lucas in half at the waist, with some crazed lunatic wearing a hockey mask swinging a bloodied chainsaw on Halloween.

It ended in a freaking nightmare.

I was rooting for Michigan State, but I was grateful not to have a larger emotional interest in a game that North Carolina turned into a playground mauling, 89-72.

Can you imagine the feeling that would come with being a lunatic Michigan State alum, someone who painted their face green and white and really hunkered down for the expectation of beating the Tar Heels? My god, you’d feel gutted and bled dry. Get those people a drink and someone, please, take their car keys.

This looked bad from the opening tip, which was botched enough to be given a mulligan. In the first few minutes, I kept looking for Michigan State to do the things it did against Connecticut, which is to move with quickness and confidence, to defend like crazy and to swarm every rebound. But it seemed like every rebound went to North Carolina. And every shot by North Carolina found the basket.

Deon Thompson looked like David Thompson (remember, North Carolina State?).

Wayne Ellington shot the ball like Bill Walton (remember, UCLA?). I think it’s safe to say that during this tournament, Ellington made himself millions.

And Michigan State couldn’t wait to throw the ball away. Turnovers piled up so fast CBS could barely keep track.

So, yes, it was a nightmare.

That said, I still offer congratulations to Michigan State for beating the defending national champs, Kansas, No. 1 seed Louisville and No. 1 seed UConn in succession to reach the title game. It was a great accomplishment and it pumped a lot of excitement into the tournament. Job well done, Sparty.

And hats off to North Carolina. Yes, they have waves of talented scorers. But give Roy Williams credit for getting his team to defend and rebound. They are a complete team and they deserved to win the title. For the sake of everyone watching, I just wish they hadn’t won so handily. That was like watching some lop-sided Super Bowl.

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Ron Zook was none too happy Saturday with a local TV station that aired an internet report suggesting that former Illini cornerback Vontae Davis (and some other players) had failed a drug test at the NFL Combine and tested positive for marijuana.

Zook said he’s been dealing with this report since Thursday and has spoken to Vontae, who said it’s not true, and that neither he nor his agent have received any kind of notice from the National
Football League suggesting he failed a drug test.

“I asked our players around here and they all said, ‘No way. No way Vontae did that.’”

Davis’ agent has since refuted the story, but it’s still out there and will be until the league either confirms or denies the report.

I don’t know what Vontae did or did not do. But I do know this:

Of all the football players I have ever met, Vontae Davis and Arrelious Benn are the two players who seem almost obsessive about what they put into their bodies. Their finicky eating habits are legendary. They almost never will eat red meat. They carefully monitor fruits and vegetables and juices. Occasionally, Vontae said he’ll eat a slice of cheese pizza. He prefers chicken or fish. His body fat was so low the team trainers and doctors had to talk to him about eating more protein and taking steps to avoid cramping.

So count me as someone who would be surprised that he’d smoke pot before going to the Combine. Anything is possible, but it just doesn’t make sense with him and it would be a shame to have that report out there if it’s untrue.

Zook said he is convinced it is untrue and WCIA (the local CBS outlet) was probably lucky they didn’t come to practice on Saturday because the Zooker sounded like he would have had a few choice words to send back to the station.

“How would you like to have someone say something that’s not true if it was your child?” Zook asked.

One player who was absent Saturday was tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. “He has a personal situation,” Zook said. No elaboration. Hopefully he’ll be back with the team this next week.

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There are players in the Illini basketball future that Bruce Weber cannot talk about, such as Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head. They are still juniors and although verbally committed, they remain unsigned.

But players who have signed National Letters of Intent are fair game and when he met with the media this week to deliver the annual post-mortem, Weber did have some things to say about incoming freshmen Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson, Joseph Bertrand and Tyler Griffey.

Here’s his assessment:

“Right now we’re anticipating everyone being here in June. They have gotten to know each other and they talk or text. The first few months together will be important, and how the junior class embraces them and brings them along.

“We lose Chester, Trent and Calvin. Those three were pretty important to us. So there will be some quality minutes for someone to grab. They all had successful senior years.

“D.J. is one of the better defenders I’ve ever been around for a high school kid. He has a little of that Peoria in him, that Wayne McClain, Peoria Manual, Peoria Central, guard people and defend people mentality. He is naturally gifted quickness-wise. And he has improved his offense.

“He’s been away from home (at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev.) so his transition will be a little easier than for the other freshmen.

“Brandon Paul had a tremendous finish to his season. He has great explosion and physical ability and defensively he could be really good, too. It has to be something he takes a lot of pride in. He could be a defensive stopper because he’s long, he can block shots and he can rebound.

“Joseph Bertrand won the (IHSA) dunk contest. He’s a gifted athlete, from playing tennis to doing one-handed cartwheels into double flips into a dunk. Not many can do that. I would have fallen down and broken my ankle on the first one. And he’s won the dunk contest in back-to-back years. He has to get stronger and become more physical.

“Tyler Griffey had a really good year. He is strong. He works at it and he’ll come in as a big guy as good as any we’ve had in recent history strength-wise. And he can shoot the 3. Rebounding and defense are the things he’ll have to work on. I think he shot like 46 percent from 3-point range this season.”

Weber was asked if Brandon Paul reminds him of anyone.

“I’d say Dwayne Wade, and that’s a mouthful,” Weber said. “He has that explosion, the ability to do so many different things. He doesn’t play with that intensity right now, but he has those physical capabilities to do it.”

On the subject of team MVP, Weber said, “To me, it would have to be Chester (Frazier) because of his effort every day, his desire to win and the way he practiced. Trent (Meacham) made a push for it. And Mike Davis could make a push for it. Those three would be the ones you look at.

“It comes back to the best player or the most valuable player. I knew what I was getting every day from Chester and when he didn’t play down the stretch,” it hurt us,” Weber said.

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The finish to this fall’s Illini football season could look quite a bit different than it does on the current schedule you may have been seeing.

Coach Ron Zook let slip a little detail Tuesday at his press briefing before the start of spring practice. And here’s how it would shake out:

The current schedule shows this for the final three weeks:

Nov. 14 – vs. Northwestern at Memorial Stadium (the Big Ten finale)
Nov. 21 – vs. Fresno State at Memorial Stadium
Nov. 28 – at Cincinnati

Bu talks are in the works with ESPN that could alter things. If those talks are productive, here’s how it would go:

Nov. 14 – vs. Northwestern at Memorial Stadium (the Big Ten final)
Nov. 21 – Bye week (Illinois’ second of the season)\
Nov. 27 – at Cincinnati (this would be a major change, and the non-conference game would be nationally televised on an ESPN network outlet on a Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend)
Dec. 5 – vs. Fresno State at Memorial Stadium (a home game in December! Shiver me timbers!!!)

This obviously flip-flops the positioning of the Fresno State and Cincinnati games, but it creates another problem that must be addressed. The Saturday, Dec. 5 date is tentatively reserved for the annual basketball game at the United Center, this year to be against Gonzaga.

Illinois does not want two major events on the same day. So, it’s possible the basketball game might be shifted to Sunday. Gonzaga just ended its season so the subject supposedly hasn’t been addressed with them, but they’ll have to be if the football switch happens.

Zook said he doesn’t mind playing that late into the season and, if Illinois is good enough to merit a bowl invitation, I’m sure that would be a positive (less “down time” between the regular-season finale and a bowl date).

We already know Zook isn’t crazy about playing two high-caliber non-conference teams at the end of the season, but he tried to shrug that off on Tuesday.

“That’s neither here nor there. It’s the rub of the green. I’ve seen Tiger hit ‘em over the woods and he always gets ‘em out of there.

“There are things that are no use talking about. It is what it is. We just have to go play. The way the schedule is, length-wise, is going to turn out to be a positive for us.”

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