Fighting Illini Aiming High In 2004-05
November 9, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2004
The top 10 scorers return from the 2004 Big Ten championship squad, and expectations for the 2005 season are flying high in Champaign-Urbana. In fact, the Associated Press ranked Illinois No. 5 in its first poll of the year and several preseason prognosticators have the Fighting Illini standing alone April 4 in St. Louis. Bruce Weber begins his second season at the helm after leading the Illini to their first outright conference title in 52 years with a 13-3 mark last season. Illinois is in a period of unprecedented success with four Big Ten titles in the last seven seasons, including three in the last four years. The Fighting Illini advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2004 NCAA Tournament and are looking for more in 2005.
"Last year was such a transition season; now that's over," said Weber. "We fought through it and had success at the end. Now there is no feeling-out period. Here it is. We know our goal. We know each other, and now we're going after it. Our focus is a little different. It's not selling our players on a new system. We have our system, now we have to perfect it so we can play on in late March and April. The kids are much more focused than a year ago."
When assessing Weber's squad, one has to start with the backcourt of juniors Dee Brown and Deron Williams, and senior Luther Head. The Illini backcourt enters the season rated among the best in the nation by several preseason publications. Williams is coming off a breakout season where he was named First-Team All-Big Ten and is a preseason All-American entering his junior season. Brown used a strong stretch run to earn Second-Team All-Big Ten and honorable-mention All-America honors in 2004. Head made one of the key plays of the 2004 season at the end of an overtime victory at Purdue that clinched a share of the Big Ten title, and scored in double figures in eight of 10 games to end the regular season. Brown and Williams are both on the Wooden Preseason list of Top 50 players.
"When people compare our backcourt to some of the best around the country, the element that might separate us is Luther Head, kind of the x-factor," Weber said. "They complement each other well. We're able to play them together against anybody. Then, to solidify that, is (the fact) that the current sophomore class has been through the wars and can help provide quality depth."
Williams, a preseason All-America pick by Playboy Magazine, led the Big Ten in assists with an average of 6.2, led the Illini in scoring at 14.0 points per game and ranked second in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio. The 6-foot-3-inch Williams enters his junior season as one of the top point guards in the nation and has proven himself as perhaps Illinois' top defensive player.
"The thing people noticed most about Deron last year was his shooting," Weber said. "He can make an even bigger jump this year by becoming more consistent. His biggest step is the consistency factor and maturity level, and not following up a great game with a below-average game."
Brown, playing the final month of the 2004 season with a painful stress fracture, finished second on the team with 13.3 points per game and 4.5 assists per game. He ranked third in the Big Ten in assist/turnover margin and led the Illini with 51 steals while ranking fourth on the team in rebounding at 3.7 boards per game. The 6-foot Brown, nicknamed the "One-Man Fastbreak," spent much of the summer recovering from the stress fracture and hopes to enter the season in good health.
"I don't think people appreciate how much pain he played through last year," Weber said. "The last 10 games of last season when he bought in, started working on his game a little more and figured out what things in his game he needed to start working on, his numbers were pretty incredible. That was a key to our success.
"One thing we are missing from last year is Jerrance Howard and his leadership. To fans, Dee and Deron are leaders, but internally, they need to lose themselves to the team and lead."
Head enters his senior campaign after averaging 11.0 points and 2.6 assists per game. He combines with Williams, Brown and sophomore Rich McBride to give the Fighting Illini an outstanding three-point shooting attack.
One of the most athletic guards in the nation, Head gives Weber great flexibility on the perimeter with his defensive ability.
"The first three weeks of practice last year he was better than Dee and Deron before stepping back a bit," Weber said. "But he made big strides as the season went along and there is no reason he can't be mentioned in the same breath as the other two. He needs to play at a high level the entire season. I don't think he realizes how good he is."
McBride showed his ability to impact games by coming off the bench to knock down six three-pointers and score 22 points in a tough win over Memphis at the Assembly Hall in December. McBride worked hard in the off-season to improve his ball-handling skills and adds great depth to a strong position for the Illini.
"Rich's best attribute is shooting, but now he has to add some element to advance his game," Weber said. "He really worked on handling the ball more and he has a good feel for the game. His athleticism improved over the summer and he had the biggest improvement on the team in the vertical jump."
Freshman Calvin Brock adds another terrific athlete to the mix on the perimeter. The 6-4 swing guard from Chicago Simeon High School was named the Chicago Player of the Year as a senior.
"We'll have to wait and see how much Calvin can contribute this season, but he is very competitive, he doesn't back down, and he has good size and athleticism," Weber said.
Sophomore Brian Randle is coming off shoulder surgery after the 2004 season and adds great size and athleticism to the perimeter. The 6-7 swing forward earned nine starts as a freshman and shot 57 percent from the field. Randle is a terrific leaper and has shown great potential as a defender.
"It was too bad for him that he had to miss the summer with his shoulder, because he had figured out what he needed to work on to raise the level of his game," Weber said. "Being out three or four months, he was frustrated. He brings athleticism and defense that maybe nobody else on our team can bring to the court. He can rebound, he can run the court, and he just needs to improve on things he could have worked on over the summer like strength and skills."
Senior Roger Powell, Jr., was third on the team in scoring last season at 11.6 points per game and is looking forward to a big final campaign. A mismatch for most teams, Powell uses his strength and post-up ability against smaller defenders, and his quickness and ability to shoot outside against bigger opponents. Powell ranked second on the team in rebounding last year at 5.0 boards per game and shot 59.5 percent from the field.
"I loved the way Roger played against Duke in the NCAA Tournament last season," Weber said. "He took the ball out and hit a couple of jumpers, he took the ball to the basket, he rebounded, he battled good players, which is what he needs to do in all games. He can use his strength and explosiveness on the inside and when he has bigger people guarding him, he can take them outside and use his quickness and athleticism. He's really improved his shooting from last year and has made some strides going into his senior season."
Junior James Augustine and seniors Nick Smith and Jack Ingram return as Weber's most-experienced interior players. The 6-10 Augustine averaged 9.6 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game last year, and spent much of the summer working on improving low-post moves and his jump shot. Augustine led the Illini by making 63.5 percent of his field goal attempts and totaling 42 blocked shots.
"I said last year that our post play and how much they improved would determine how far we would go," Weber said. "James needs to be a consistent force. I don't think he realizes how good he is. He has to play with the confidence that he's a good player. Nick and Jack both had good stretches of play last season. If we can get to the point where we can get into a rotation with those guys and not lose anything, we can be in pretty good shape. They all give a little different look. Roger has the athleticism, James can run and jump, Nick is big, but he also can shoot very well, and Jack has a big body and a good feel for the game. They all give you something different and you can keep coming at people. You hope that Warren Carter, Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt can be added to that list."
At 7-2, the tallest player in 100 years of Illini basketball, Smith averaged 6.8 points and 3.2 rebounds last year. An outstanding shooter, Smith gained 20 pounds during the summer and is looking forward to an outstanding senior season.
"He had some real good games during the season last year," Weber said. "His body is way better than last year. He's been able to keep the weight on while conditioning. There are few players his height who can step out and shoot as well as he can."
Ingram earned more playing time as the season went along and became an important front-line player off the bench. The 6-10 senior shot 57 percent from the field and helped give the Illini an experienced physical presence off the bench.
"Jack had a good finish last year and accepted his role," Weber said. "Once he accepted his role he began having success. He's got a big body, he is intelligent and those are things he needs to bring to our team."
Sophomore Warren Carter has shown great promise and had a solid trip to Europe during the Big Ten Conference Tour. An athletic 6-9 forward, Carter is looking to earn more minutes in 2004-05 after averaging 1.2 points per game as a freshman.
"Warren needs to continue working on his strength as he learns what it takes to play at this level," Weber said. "He's just now starting to figure out how he can use his athleticism and his skills to help us. The trip to Europe helped and the coaches said he was one of the top players on that team. So, I hope that experience will carry over to our season."
Freshman Shaun Pruitt was considered the best high school big man in the state of Illinois as a senior and enters his first season expecting to add depth to an experienced front line.
"He's got a good body and has a knack of knowing how to score," Weber said. "Strength and conditioning are what will determine how quickly he will come along and contribute."
Illinois again played one of the nation's toughest schedules last season and has several traditional powers on the 2004-05 slate as well. The Illini take on Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Georgetown, Oregon and Missouri, as well as Valparaiso and Cincinnati in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic during the non-conference portion of the schedule before moving into the always-tough Big Ten.
"We will play a variety of styles from all over the country," Weber said. "We have someone from each of the power conferences on our schedule. We're playing in several different venues, which should hopefully prepare us for postseason play. We'll be tested early. We get a Top 5 team in the first two weeks of the season, but it's certainly not the end of our season. The kids need to realize it is a marathon and we need to make strides to be there at the end of the year."
The Fighting Illini and their fans have turned the Assembly Hall into maybe the toughest road arena in the nation. Illinois has posted a 63-3 home record over the past five seasons, the best home court record in the nation over that period.
"The Assembly Hall is very intimidating for opponents," Weber said. "If you look at the record over the last five years, yes, Illinois has had good players, hopefully good coaches, but at the same time, other places have had that as well. But, the combination with very fanatic fans, great students right on the court, the openness of the arena, has made it a very tough place for opponents to visit."
