Illinitalk

Juniors Demetri McCamey and Bill Cole emerged from a difficult few days as the captains of Bruce Weber's '09-'10 Illini. And in a 77-67 win against Penn State, Illini fans saw some of what their teammates saw.

Bill Cole stepped up. He hustled and played 27 solid minutes, with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Cole shot 4 out of 5 from 3-point range. Bill Cole! Definitely an X-factor in this game.

Demetri McCamey led in a slightly different way, dishing out 9 assists -- 8 in the first half. He added only 6 points, but he protected the ball well. And he directed the action on the floor very well.

Other bright spots for the Illini included the play of their freshman. Tyler Griffey added energy despite that missed layup. Brandon Paul hit some clutch shots that demoralized the Nittany Lions, despite fouling out with some cheap (and in my opinion questionable) fouls. And, most notably, D.J. Richardson calmly hit 8 consecutive free throws during the never-ending last 2:30 of the game. His 20 points led the Illini.

Off the bench, Mike Davis contributed an understated 11 points and 8 rebounds -- not quite a double-double, but close. Dominique Keller had some key baskets. And Jeff Jordan played quality defense on Talor Battle, giving Richardson a break.

The Illini still need to work on playing 40 solid minutes. They need to learn to lock down on defense, to prevent those annoying runs that allow leads to disappear...

However, they needed that win to get on track. Indiana at home and Iowa on the road are manageable, if they play well. And that will have the Illini in good shape for the College GameDay visit in a week and a half...

Go Illini!

Labels: Bill Cole, Demetri McCamey, Illini basketball

The Illini men faced their first test of the 2009-2010 season against Wofford in Champaign Tuesday night. And although the first half was dicey, the Illini passed, winning 78-64.

Wofford isn't your typical early-season cupcake. The Terriers beat Purdue in West Lafayette a couple years ago, and just last week they beat Georgia, after losing to Pitt by just 3.

And at Assembly Hall, the Terriers immediately set out to prove they can play with anyone, anywhere. Hot 3-point shooting and working deep into the shot clock allowed Wofford to lead much of the first half. But the Illini stepped up on defense and pushed the tempo in the second half to finally pull away.

Lots to like from the Illini:

• Inside game. Mike Tisdale dominated down low in the first half, and Mike Davis became a force in the second half. The Illini had a clear advantage down low.
• Demetri McCamey. The point guard led the Illini with 21 points, including a buzzer-beater to give the Illini a 3-point lead heading into halftime and a highlight-reel behind-the-back layup in the second half.
• Freshman shooting. D.J. Richardson made 5 of 6 from 3, helping the Illini keep pace with the hot hands of Wofford. Although Brandon Paul made the first shot for the Illini, he struggled with foul trouble. But between the two of them, these freshman have accounted for critical scoring for the Illini so far this season.
• Defense. Not so much in the first half, but in the second half, the Illini turned up the pressure and severely limited scoring opportunities for the Terriers. The Illini proved they could make adjustments at halftime that really make a difference.
• Energy off the bench. The Illini off the bench really added energy to the game, especially Bill Cole. Cole had a nice layup on a break, but he also had some great hustle plays, good defense, a nice tip-in, and enthusiasm. Jeff Jordan added a spark on the perimeter, as well.

Of course, it's only November, and there are opportunities for the Illini to improve as they get ready for a challenging conference season:

• Free throw shooting. I'm glad to see the Illini getting to the line. They had 22 attempts compared to 15 for the Terriers. But the free throw percentage needs to go up -- 14 of 22 could easily be the difference in a game in the coming months.
• Rebounding. The Terriers out-rebounded the Illini, epecially in the first half. And the Illini had a significant height advantage. I disagree with the ESPNU commentators, who described the Illini as a strong rebounding team. Mike Davis is solid, but across the board the Illini need to be more aggressive on the boards.
• Controlling the floor. This athletic Illini team can run. They should be pushing the tempo, controlling the game and pushing opponents faster than they want to go. The Illini did this successfully at some points in the game, but the Terriers dictated tempo for close to half the game.
• Defense. Yes, I realize this is in my "lots to like" section. But in the first half, the Illini allowed a few too many open 3s and too much penetration. As the competition gets tougher, the Illini will need to play a full 40 minutes of stingy, aggressive defense. These guys are capable.

And now, on to Las Vegas. Go Illini!

Labels: Bill Cole, D.J. Richardson, Demetri McCamey, Illini basketball, Jeff Jordan, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale

We want to extend a big congratulations to Bill Cole for being a first team 2006-2007 Associated Press Class AA All-State selection and to Demetri McCamey on being selected to the second team. Great job guys! We can't wait to see you in orange and blue at Assembly Hall next year. Good luck in the playoffs!

Labels: All-State, Bill Cole, Demetri McCamey

Another great guest blog from Illini basketball recruit Bill Cole:

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to keep all the fans updated on how things have been going lately.

First off, on Friday night we played Peoria Notre Dame (Brian Randle's old school) in the gym at their school. They usually play at Spalding Gymnasium downtown, but that was torn down earlier in the year so we had to play at ND's school gym which only hold 1,500 people.

For those of you who don't know much about Peoria, Richwoods and Notre Dame are a two-minute drive from each other...two streets over. Needless to say its a big rivalry.

Since we messed up and lost to Manual, the outright conference title was this game. The game was sold out by the second half of the sophomore game. It was a cool atmosphere in the little gym, and a tough game. I saw a double and triple team the most of the game so I only took five shots and ended up with nine points and 12 rebounds. We ended up pulling away in the fourth quarter like we usually do!

Notre Dame has a tough hard-nosed team this year. The final score was 58-42 RHS. Winning the game was awesome, because it meant we didn't have practice on Saturday so I could go to my first ILLINI game of the season.

What did I tell all you guys-my first game back and Jamar ends the slump! I knew he would pull through for me. All in all I thought the game was a very well-balanced attack for the Illini. I think we had four in double figures. It was a perfect way for me to spend my Saturday.

Bill's new random fact of the day: People always ask me who my favorite Illini basketball player is. I cant decide. However, I think I would have to go with Lucas Johnsonor or Robert Archibald. Thats it for tonight,.

Go Illini!
Bill Cole

Labels: Bill Cole, Jamar Smith, Lucas Johnson, Peoria Richwoods, Robert Archibald