CHAMPAIGN - Reggie Rose said Friday night that Illinois is now involved in a three-horse race for the services of his brother, Chicago Simeon point guard Derrick Rose.

But the big brother of the senior star stopped short of handicapping a field that also includes Memphis and Indiana.

Illinois' Orange & Blue scrimmage was played out on the Assembly Hall court Friday night, but the center of attention was clearly Derrick and Reggie Rose, who sat in the front row of the bleachers under a basket. They were constantly serenaded by the Orange Krush student cheering section, which wasted little time launching into a chorus of "We want Derrick!"

His appearance here came as a surprise this week, considering that his five "finalists" announced in August included Memphis, Indiana, Kansas, DePaul and UCLA.

Since then, however, Kansas, DePaul and UCLA have been eliminated, and the Illini have emerged as a late consideration.

"I'm honest with my word and when we came out with the list, that was the list," said Reggie Rose, who serves as his brother's spokesman and recruiting advisor. "We took trips and everything and looked at our options. Then we said, 'Let's take another visit to Illinois, just to take a second look.'

"Sometimes you think the grass is greener on the other side, but when you take that look you say, 'Oh, it ain't like we think. So let's go take another look.' "

So is Illinois officially back on the list?

"If Illinois wasn't on the list, we wouldn't even be down here," said Reggie Rose, who indicated they planned to visit with Illini coach Bruce Weber later Friday night, then observe the team's practice this morning.

And while Derrick Rose's decision remains uncertain, Reggie Rose said an invitation-only news conference already has been scheduled to announce it.

"It will be Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Martinique Boutique at 82nd and Cicero in Burbank," he said, setting the deadline.

The NCAA's fall signing period begins on Nov. 8.

For what it's worth, Derrick Rose wore an orange shirt and blue and orange patent-leather shoes. Seated on either side of the Rose brothers were former Illini great Kenny Battle and another Simeon guard who played at Illinois, Bryant Notree.

When the Illini team came out to begin the intrasquad scrimmage, each player filed by and shook hands with Derrick Rose and, to a lesser degree, other recruits in attendance including Eisenhower's Lewis Jackson and Jarod Oldham.

Reggie Rose was asked if Eric Gordon's recent decision to switch his commitment from Illinois to Indiana in any way impacted the move to involve Illinois at this late time.

"It plays a role, then again it doesn't," Reggie Rose said. "When I grabbed Eric to play on my AAU team this summer, the way they played together was scary. It's really up to them if they want to play together or not. - But sometimes you have to be selfish, also."

Notree said he couldn't say how this recruiting battle will turn out.

"I talked with Reggie because I've known Reggie for years," said Notree, who now lives in Decatur. "It's a fragile situation. I'm hoping for the best."

As for the scrimmage, three 10-minute games were played with some players moving back and forth from one squad to the other.

Chester Frazier was the leading scorer with 17 points, although he left briefly in the third game after suffering leg cramps. Shaun Pruitt had 12 points and nine rebounds. And Trent Meacham, who will likely share the point-guard duties with Frazier, also had a solid game with nine points and four assists.

"If Chester and Trent play that good, that was our big question mark," said Weber, noting that the absence of Dee Brown must be filled.

"We did some good things, some bad and some embarrassing. Slowly but surely we'll make progress."

Eisenhower's Lewis Jackson was wearing a splint on his wrist, which he said he slightly fractured. Jackson said he expected to be back in the lineup in plenty of time for the Decatur Turkey Tournament the week of Thanksgiving.

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