CHAMPAIGN - If the most recent Illini basketball season resulted in a winter of gloom for most fans, the coaches and players officially cast their lot with that sentiment this week.

The team's decision not to name a most valuable player for the first time in at least 68 years was a declaration of agreement that a program averaging 28 victories over the past four seasons had badly missed the mark with a 16-19 record.

Truth is, I'm not sure any player wanted to be singled out as the poster child for a season that made fans cuss, gave coaches ulcers and forced players to shuffle around with heads down during a three-month funk.

They showed a highlight tape of the 2007-08 season at Tuesday's awards banquet and compared to most years when the tape seemed like a three-hour feature film, this one felt like a short story.

What the coaching staff hopes is that when the images were of freshmen like Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, it was a preview of coming attractions.

With that in mind, there's already been a shift in attitude and commitment as the team launches into early workouts in preparation for next season.

"I'm so excited," said assistant coach Jerrance Howard. "Our workouts are really good. Guys are going hard."

Fortunately, the season ended on an up-note with the Illini winning five of their final seven games including three in a row that landed them in the championship of the Big Ten Tournament.

Sure, it was too little, too late, but at least it showed promise.

After a one-week break when the season ended, coach Bruce Weber brought his team back together and told them preparation for next season would be difficult but could prove to be rewarding. The difficult part is something they players already have seen.

"We've gone at it harder than ever," Weber said. "We're doing a five-week program and the thing I told them today is, it's not only skill development, but toughness, leadership, playing hard and hopefully that will carry over this summer.

"Instead of rag-tag pickup games, we need stuff where they are getting something out of it."

Weber and Howard are working to line up former Illini players who are now in the NBA or Europe. They're being asked to show young players what it takes, to stress that shortcuts won't work and to set a no-nonsense tone in scrimmages that young leaders like Demetri McCamey can replicate.

"We'll take it to another level," Weber said. "It's already been hard on them. I've gotten after them. We've run, and we've never run in the spring."

When the frustration was at its peak last season, the team would get close in a tough game, then wilt, often losing in the second half. It was a recurring script. Weber likened it to running into a brick wall the team could not climb over together.

In the process, he became familiar with a video tape from something called "The Last Lecture Series," including a moving message delivered by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University.

Pausch's message had urgency because he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given only a few months to live.

His speech, which Weber showed to the entire team, was entitled, "How to Achieve Your High School Dreams," and several points rang true with the Illini basketball team. One adage was, "Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want." OK, the 2008-09 Illini basketball team will have some experience.

Another was, "The brick walls are not there to keep us out. They are there to show us how badly we want something."

That message became a theme repeated during Illinois' Big Ten Tournament run. During a timeout, Weber would say, "OK, how are we getting over this brick wall? Who's going to lead the way?"

Weber even introduced references to "Winnie the Pooh," noting the personality differences between the bouncy, confident Tigger and the pessimistic, gloomy Eeyore.

"During a timeout I'd say, "OK, who's going to be Tigger?"' Weber said.

One of Pausch's message was to live your life with integrity, so Weber has instituted a "Tell the Truth Rule."

"If you lie, you run three suicides," Weber said. "If you lie again, you run six of them. If you lie again, you do the Breakfast Club with coach McClain and he doesn't feed you much."

Hard work. Trust. Positive attitudes.

Howard said the workouts have been intense and with a smaller team with better shooters, Weber and his staff are asking them to run the floor, offensively and defensively. After a season stuck in half-court hell, the intention is to push the pace.

"It's been exciting," Howard said. "We're doing three teams of 3-on-3, full-court with a 15-second shot clock. You have to guard like crazy. You have to attack. You have 15 seconds to run the length of the court. You have to run the motion offense quick, screen and attack. It's one of the best drills I've seen. When we first started, Demetri won four games in a row. He put on a show."

Howard likes what he's seen from Alex Legion, the transfer from Kentucky, and Jamar Smith, who becomes eligible after redshirting last season in the wake of his DUI conviction.

"Alex is coming along," Howard said. "I'm talking about defensively because we know he can score. Outside of Jamar, he may be our best pure shooter. He's learning our motion but there's a difference between Jamar and Alex. It takes time to read screens, see back screens, pop out and catch. He's starting to pick that up."

Two players are on the mend and have not yet joined spring drills.

Bill Cole, who missed the tail end of the season with a stress fracture, probably won't be back until June.

"With a stress fracture it's four weeks or four months," Weber said. "He's at two-and-a-half months now and it will be three-and-a-half months. He's a little frustrated because he kind of feels like he can go. But the doctors say it's not quite healed yet." Cole has gained 20 pounds, however, something Weber is pleased about.

"Trent Meacham had ankle surgery to remove some bone spurs and one of them was bigger than anyone imagined," Weber said. "His (recovery) is four to six weeks."

Weber is also working to get players placed on summer teams making tours to China, Poland and Australia.

For some teams, this is a time of year to draw a deep breath, downshift and enjoy the spring.

For an Illini team that fell far short of its goals, it's a time to recommit and work hard.

"I told them this is not fun," Weber said. "I don't want to go through a season like that again. I hope we learn to not like losing and make the effort and improvement needed to win."

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.