Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Jeff Jordan on his famous dad: "He preferred me to go anywhere but Duke.''
The Chicago Sun-Times has a nice profile of Jeff Jordan today. A couple key excerpts:
On his choice of U of I:
"My mom [Juanita] is definitely more concerned about the academics,'' he said. ''She could care less about basketball. And my dad was definitely fine with me choosing Illinois. He said he'd support me and cheer for me wherever I went, and whether I played basketball or not. I think he would have liked for me to go to North Carolina, but he preferred me to go anywhere but Duke.''
On his brother Marcus:
His brother Marcus -- a highly regarded high school junior prospect -- is simply happy he picked a college that wears orange and blue, the colors of Marcus' new school, Young.
''Marcus wants me to get him some gear,'' he said with a laugh.
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On his choice of U of I:
"My mom [Juanita] is definitely more concerned about the academics,'' he said. ''She could care less about basketball. And my dad was definitely fine with me choosing Illinois. He said he'd support me and cheer for me wherever I went, and whether I played basketball or not. I think he would have liked for me to go to North Carolina, but he preferred me to go anywhere but Duke.''
On his brother Marcus:
His brother Marcus -- a highly regarded high school junior prospect -- is simply happy he picked a college that wears orange and blue, the colors of Marcus' new school, Young.
''Marcus wants me to get him some gear,'' he said with a laugh.
Labels: Illini basketball, Jeffrey Jordan, Juanita Jordan, Michael Jordan
# posted by Chief : 11:42 AM
Friday, April 27, 2007
Jordan, Pruitt, Smith, and upcoming events
As a little icing on the cake to Coach Bruce Weber's recent good news on the recruiting front, Jeffrey Jordan has announced his plans to attend the University of Illinois and join the basketball team as a preferred walk-on. Kudos to Coach Weber and his staff on adding Jordan to the 2007 class. While most people believe he will not be a major contributor his first couple of years, the thought is that he will be able to help the team down the road. In addition to what he will bring to the team, it is this blogger's belief that any time you can associate your program with Michael Jordan, it is a good thing. Apparently John Supinie, who must like our blog so much that he decided to use our name for his own blog, agrees with me. Jeffrey Jordan may be able to assist in encouraging other players to join the Illini, including his brother Marcus who is one of the top sophomore players in the state. Congratulations Jeffrey on your decision and we look forward to seeing you in orange and blue!!!
On a different note, Shaun Pruitt has declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Mark Tupper provides some good perspective on this decison. Like Tupper, we fully expect Pruitt to be back with the Illini this fall. The best thing he can do is come back, work his tail off to have a monster senior season, and then go into the draft next year.
If anyone would like an update on Jamar Smith's legal situation, his case has been continued to May 24th. Click here for the story.
There are also some upcoming events all of you may be interested in so be sure to check out the details of the 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour. Coach Zook will be attending all six of the tour stops. Below are the details in brief but click this link for more information or click here to register.
ILLINOIS COACHES TOUR STATE FOR MEET 'N' GREETS
University of Illinois football coach Ron Zook has signed on for all six stops of the 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour announced by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. This marks the first time in five years that Illinois has engaged in a tour of this nature. Coach Zook will be joined by coaches from various Illinois sports at each stop.The events are free of charge, but fans must reserve their admission at fightingillini.com or via this direct link: http://www.athletics.uiuc.edu/MeetNGreet07/
The first 500 people to sign up for each event will be granted admission. Guests age 18 and over are welcome. 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour Locations:
May 10 Chicago (US Cellular Field-Stadium Club) 7 PM
May 18 Springfield (Illini Country Club) 7 PM
May 21 Peoria (Packard Plaza) 7 PM
May 22 Decatur (Decatur Conference Center & Hotel) 7 PM
May 23 Danville (Turtle Run Golf Club) 7 PM
May 24 Bloomington/Normal (Bloomington Country Club) 7 PM
Last but not least, if you live in the Peoria area and would like to meet Coach Weber, he will be at an upcoming Peoria Chiefs game. Details are below:
Coach Weber Event at Peoria Chiefs Game
Meet 'n' Greet Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber at the Peoria Chiefs game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25. Coach Weber will sign autographs for fans in attendance at the Chiefs game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. No reservation required - just buy a ticket to the game. It's Illini Night at O'Brien Field featuring Bruce Weber!
Have a good weekend everyone and GO ILLINI!!!
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On a different note, Shaun Pruitt has declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Mark Tupper provides some good perspective on this decison. Like Tupper, we fully expect Pruitt to be back with the Illini this fall. The best thing he can do is come back, work his tail off to have a monster senior season, and then go into the draft next year.
If anyone would like an update on Jamar Smith's legal situation, his case has been continued to May 24th. Click here for the story.
There are also some upcoming events all of you may be interested in so be sure to check out the details of the 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour. Coach Zook will be attending all six of the tour stops. Below are the details in brief but click this link for more information or click here to register.
ILLINOIS COACHES TOUR STATE FOR MEET 'N' GREETS
University of Illinois football coach Ron Zook has signed on for all six stops of the 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour announced by the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. This marks the first time in five years that Illinois has engaged in a tour of this nature. Coach Zook will be joined by coaches from various Illinois sports at each stop.The events are free of charge, but fans must reserve their admission at fightingillini.com or via this direct link: http://www.athletics.uiuc.edu/MeetNGreet07/
The first 500 people to sign up for each event will be granted admission. Guests age 18 and over are welcome. 2007 Fighting Illini Meet 'N' Greet Tour Locations:
May 10 Chicago (US Cellular Field-Stadium Club) 7 PM
May 18 Springfield (Illini Country Club) 7 PM
May 21 Peoria (Packard Plaza) 7 PM
May 22 Decatur (Decatur Conference Center & Hotel) 7 PM
May 23 Danville (Turtle Run Golf Club) 7 PM
May 24 Bloomington/Normal (Bloomington Country Club) 7 PM
Last but not least, if you live in the Peoria area and would like to meet Coach Weber, he will be at an upcoming Peoria Chiefs game. Details are below:
Coach Weber Event at Peoria Chiefs Game
Meet 'n' Greet Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber at the Peoria Chiefs game at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 25. Coach Weber will sign autographs for fans in attendance at the Chiefs game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. No reservation required - just buy a ticket to the game. It's Illini Night at O'Brien Field featuring Bruce Weber!
Have a good weekend everyone and GO ILLINI!!!
Labels: Jamar Smith, Jeffrey Jordan, Meet 'N' Greet, Shaun Pruitt
# posted by Good Hope Orange : 3:26 PM
Saturday, April 21, 2007
U of I -- The Place To Be
That's what state champion wrestler Erique Robertson decided last January. He graduated from high school early and skipped his senior wrestling season for Illini football. As one of the three members of the 2007 recruiting class to start school early, Robertson has made a switch from DB to RB. My favorite Robertson quote from the Trib:
"Coach Zook asked if it would be OK if they moved me to offense," Robertson says. "He left it up to me. I played both in high school, so it wasn't a big adjustment. I prefer hitting, but it's good to score touchdowns."
Scoring will be critical, as wins will be used to measure the football team this year. But Benn, Robertson and Flowers, who have all gotten plenty of attention this spring, seem to believe they made the right choice by heading to Champaign.
So who else will decide Illinois is the place to be? Speculation has pegged Robin Pingeton, the women's basketball coach down the road at Illinios State, as a solid replacement for Theresa Grentz. And the Tribune has Illinois at the top of Jeffrey Jordan's list, although that may be hometown bias, when compared to what the NY Times says on Jordan.
Note to Jeffrey: As the football freshmen say, Illinois is a great place to be. Just a couple hours from your hometown, regular opportunities to visit the United Center, a coaching staff committed to developing players...
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"Coach Zook asked if it would be OK if they moved me to offense," Robertson says. "He left it up to me. I played both in high school, so it wasn't a big adjustment. I prefer hitting, but it's good to score touchdowns."
Scoring will be critical, as wins will be used to measure the football team this year. But Benn, Robertson and Flowers, who have all gotten plenty of attention this spring, seem to believe they made the right choice by heading to Champaign.
So who else will decide Illinois is the place to be? Speculation has pegged Robin Pingeton, the women's basketball coach down the road at Illinios State, as a solid replacement for Theresa Grentz. And the Tribune has Illinois at the top of Jeffrey Jordan's list, although that may be hometown bias, when compared to what the NY Times says on Jordan.
Note to Jeffrey: As the football freshmen say, Illinois is a great place to be. Just a couple hours from your hometown, regular opportunities to visit the United Center, a coaching staff committed to developing players...
Labels: Erique Robertson, Illini basketball, Illini football, Jeffrey Jordan
# posted by Alma Mater : 4:58 PM
