Talk with Illinois men's basketball beat writer Paul Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:27 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Good afternoon everyone, thanks for coming by for another Illinois basketball chat. I'll be here for about an hour.
Klee
Jeff from Darien, IL — 12:27 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Hi Paul,
Grat job as usual with the Shootout coverage. My question relates to Brehm Prep and their prospects. Can you provide more detail about this school? I have never heard of it until recently. Where did the UI prospects grow up? Do any of them play AAU ball or is it a year round school? Thanks for your time.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:29 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Jeff- Thanks. Forward James Siakam (a Cameroon native) and center Emmanuel Ochenje (Nigeria) are the top prospects on the Brehm Prep roster. Siakam and Ochenje also play AAU ball with the Illinois Titans. Aaron Lee, a longtime acquaintance of Bruce Weber, is the coach at Brehm Prep and for the Illinois Titans. Siakam is a Jeff Adrien-type of forward
Gary from Vincennes, IN — 12:29 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee, I was unable to attend the recent Shootout at the Hall but was curious on a couple things. First, I've never been and was
wondering if these events are free to the public. Also, when will the next one be at Assembly Hall?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:32 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Gary- The Illinois Shootout is free and open to the public. The next one is next June. You can attend the WDWS/News-Gazette Shootout at the Hall in December. It
Scott from Salem, Illinois — 12:32 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Mr. Klee,
I really enjoyed the team tournament this weekend! Is the satellite camp at Moody Bible set up the same way as the one this past weekend? Is it open to the general public?
Thanks,
Scott
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:33 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Scott- The Moody camp is under a similar format, but it spans two days. Teams play three games on June 22 and compete in a single-elimination tournament June 23. You can see the schedule on IlliniHQ. It
Pan from Benson, West Virginia — 12:33 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
What kind of impression did the young recruits from 2012 and 13 take away from the team camp? Who does Illinois stand best with? 11 is getting boring.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:37 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Pan- Guys like Ron Patterson (Broad Ripple) and DeJuan Marrero (Bowman Academy) and A.J. Hammons (Carmel) seemed to enjoy themselves. Those are 2012 guys with a lot of time left in their recruitments, so it
Ted from Champaign, IL — 12:38 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee, How's Chester Frazier doing in his 1st summer of coaching?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:39 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Ted- He seems to be doing just fine.
ken from champaign, il — 12:39 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Who will start for the illini this year.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:40 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Ken- One man's guess: McCamey, Richardson, Legion/Paul, Davis and Tisdale. Klee
Alex from Mattoon, IL — 12:42 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Hi Klee,
The Class of 2011 seems to be loaded in IL especially. Who do you see the U of I targeting as the top choices to go along with Abrams and what is your opinion of the chances we sign each of them.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:44 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Alex- There's some talent in 2011, though I think it's been overhyped. I
Quinton from Btown, The state that is ILL — 12:44 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee,
I haven't really looked into it but, how's the schedule looking next year? Are we playing some legit competition or are we loaded up with Oakland/Utah State Tech? I'd like to see us play some tougher games against NCAA tourney teams so we can have a better idea where we stand. Thanks
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:46 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Quinton- Schedule inclues Mizzou, Vandy, two of Oklahoma State/Bradley/Utah, Georgia, Clemson and Gonzaga. Throw in a handful of Assembly Hall cupcakes and you've got the nonconference portion. Last I was told, they still needed one game. Look for a release in August. That's been the rough timetable in the past.
Klee
fat man from chicago, il — 12:48 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Why is every one wanting more rebounds from Mike Davis even thou he leads the team and is shorter than Tisdale who can not out rebound the guards on the team?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:49 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Fat Man- Don't know if that's the case. I'm part of everyone and I think Mike D is an exceptional rebounder. He'll be even more effective when he starts to block out people. Lou Henson commented on Mike Tisdale's rebounding in Klee's Corner last week. It's on HQ.
Klee
Travis from Salt Lake City, UT — 12:49 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Assuming a full recovery, where does Davis stack up in the Big Ten as far as big men? Are there any early talks of being an NBA draft pick?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:51 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Travis- I think the upper tier of Big Ten big men starts with JaJuan Johnson and will include Delvon Roe, DeShawn Sims, Kevin Coble and Mike Davis. I expect Roe to make a huge, Mike Davis-like leap as a sophomore.
It might seem like a stretch, but with Mike D
Tiny from Danville, IL — 12:52 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Can the Illini basketball and football radio broadcasts be podcast, so I can listen to them at a later date when I am out of town?
In fact, I would love to be able to listen to some of last season's games during this rather boring time between seasons.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:54 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Tiny- The university owns the rights to the game broadcasts, so we can't put them on an HQ podcats. We do post the podcasts of the post-game shows. Starting next year we'll podcast the pre-game shows leading up to the signature pre-game show. Hope that helps.
Klee
Bob from Champaign, IL — 12:56 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee, In regards to the recent news about Davis breaking his ankle, wouldn't you think that a player that plays that similar position
would start practicing harder to make a hard push to earn playing time? I hate that this has happened to Davis, but could be a
blessing in disguise forcing others to step up.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 12:59 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Bob- If these guys need an injury for motivation they've got bigger issues. The work ethic at Ubben among most of the players has been very good in the spring. Remember, there's four months between now and the first day of practice in October, plenty of time for a full recovery for Mike D.
Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:04 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins said this morning one of the reasons Chasson Randle was selected to the U16 USA Basketball roster is his versatility. These international outfits like guys that can play multiple positions.
"To play an international style of ball, you want guys to defend multiple positions too," Mullins said. "Because of his length, Chasson can do that, and he can run the offense from the point or play the other guard."
You can read an interview with Chasson Randle on the USA Basketball Web site.
Klee
L. Maran from Naples, FL — 01:04 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
So what is Calvin Brock up to these days?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:05 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
L- Last time I saw Calvin he was in the basketball offices. That was probably a week ago, so it appears he's still on campus. He said his plan was to pursue basketball on same level, perhaps overseas.
Klee
Bill from Chicago, IL — 01:05 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee, I was watching Minnesota basketball's "The Journey" and was thinking to myself and out loud why Illinois hasn't done something
like that? At least the university could sponser it and make like a video diary of the upcoming season.
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:06 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Bill- It's possible. Haven't heard anything about such a project, though, and The Journey won't return to the Big Ten Network, at least in the form that you saw. Klee
Alex from Sullivan, Illinois — 01:09 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Klee,
What would happen if a college offers a scholarship to a player after their freshman season in High School and the player accepts. However, over the next three years, the player doesn't appear to improve. Can the school take the scholarship offer back up until the player signs, or how does that work?
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:11 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Alex- Several options, pulling an offer is one of them, but that doesn't look good and will be used against a program in recruiting. Other times a staff might place the player at a prep school and see where he stands after a year at prep school. That happens from time to time. That's one of the drawbacks of early scholarship offers - if a guy doesn't continue to improve - but early scholarship offers have been the biggest change in Illinois' recruiting approach.
Klee
Paul Klee (moderator) — 01:13 PM on Wed, 06/10/2009
Going to wrap this up, thanks for the questions and I apologize to those that didn't get answered. Log on to Twitter to chime in with your preferred recruits in 2011 and 2012. We'll post your responses on Klee's Corner this week.
Good afternoon everyone, thanks for coming by for another Illinois basketball chat. I'll be here for about an hour.
Klee
Hi Paul,
Grat job as usual with the Shootout coverage. My question relates to Brehm Prep and their prospects. Can you provide more detail about this school? I have never heard of it until recently. Where did the UI prospects grow up? Do any of them play AAU ball or is it a year round school? Thanks for your time.
Jeff- Thanks. Forward James Siakam (a Cameroon native) and center Emmanuel Ochenje (Nigeria) are the top prospects on the Brehm Prep roster. Siakam and Ochenje also play AAU ball with the Illinois Titans. Aaron Lee, a longtime acquaintance of Bruce Weber, is the coach at Brehm Prep and for the Illinois Titans. Siakam is a Jeff Adrien-type of forward
Klee, I was unable to attend the recent Shootout at the Hall but was curious on a couple things. First, I've never been and was
wondering if these events are free to the public. Also, when will the next one be at Assembly Hall?
Gary- The Illinois Shootout is free and open to the public. The next one is next June. You can attend the WDWS/News-Gazette Shootout at the Hall in December. It
Mr. Klee,
I really enjoyed the team tournament this weekend! Is the satellite camp at Moody Bible set up the same way as the one this past weekend? Is it open to the general public?
Thanks,
Scott
Scott- The Moody camp is under a similar format, but it spans two days. Teams play three games on June 22 and compete in a single-elimination tournament June 23. You can see the schedule on IlliniHQ. It
What kind of impression did the young recruits from 2012 and 13 take away from the team camp? Who does Illinois stand best with? 11 is getting boring.
Pan- Guys like Ron Patterson (Broad Ripple) and DeJuan Marrero (Bowman Academy) and A.J. Hammons (Carmel) seemed to enjoy themselves. Those are 2012 guys with a lot of time left in their recruitments, so it
Klee, How's Chester Frazier doing in his 1st summer of coaching?
Ted- He seems to be doing just fine.
Who will start for the illini this year.
Ken- One man's guess: McCamey, Richardson, Legion/Paul, Davis and Tisdale. Klee
Hi Klee,
The Class of 2011 seems to be loaded in IL especially. Who do you see the U of I targeting as the top choices to go along with Abrams and what is your opinion of the chances we sign each of them.
Alex- There's some talent in 2011, though I think it's been overhyped. I
Klee,
I haven't really looked into it but, how's the schedule looking next year? Are we playing some legit competition or are we loaded up with Oakland/Utah State Tech? I'd like to see us play some tougher games against NCAA tourney teams so we can have a better idea where we stand. Thanks
Quinton- Schedule inclues Mizzou, Vandy, two of Oklahoma State/Bradley/Utah, Georgia, Clemson and Gonzaga. Throw in a handful of Assembly Hall cupcakes and you've got the nonconference portion. Last I was told, they still needed one game. Look for a release in August. That's been the rough timetable in the past.
Klee
Why is every one wanting more rebounds from Mike Davis even thou he leads the team and is shorter than Tisdale who can not out rebound the guards on the team?
Fat Man- Don't know if that's the case. I'm part of everyone and I think Mike D is an exceptional rebounder. He'll be even more effective when he starts to block out people. Lou Henson commented on Mike Tisdale's rebounding in Klee's Corner last week. It's on HQ.
Klee
Assuming a full recovery, where does Davis stack up in the Big Ten as far as big men? Are there any early talks of being an NBA draft pick?
Travis- I think the upper tier of Big Ten big men starts with JaJuan Johnson and will include Delvon Roe, DeShawn Sims, Kevin Coble and Mike Davis. I expect Roe to make a huge, Mike Davis-like leap as a sophomore.
It might seem like a stretch, but with Mike D
Can the Illini basketball and football radio broadcasts be podcast, so I can listen to them at a later date when I am out of town?
In fact, I would love to be able to listen to some of last season's games during this rather boring time between seasons.
Tiny- The university owns the rights to the game broadcasts, so we can't put them on an HQ podcats. We do post the podcasts of the post-game shows. Starting next year we'll podcast the pre-game shows leading up to the signature pre-game show. Hope that helps.
Klee
Klee, In regards to the recent news about Davis breaking his ankle, wouldn't you think that a player that plays that similar position
would start practicing harder to make a hard push to earn playing time? I hate that this has happened to Davis, but could be a
blessing in disguise forcing others to step up.
Bob- If these guys need an injury for motivation they've got bigger issues. The work ethic at Ubben among most of the players has been very good in the spring. Remember, there's four months between now and the first day of practice in October, plenty of time for a full recovery for Mike D.
Klee
Illinois Wolves coach Mike Mullins said this morning one of the reasons Chasson Randle was selected to the U16 USA Basketball roster is his versatility. These international outfits like guys that can play multiple positions.
"To play an international style of ball, you want guys to defend multiple positions too," Mullins said. "Because of his length, Chasson can do that, and he can run the offense from the point or play the other guard."
You can read an interview with Chasson Randle on the USA Basketball Web site.
Klee
So what is Calvin Brock up to these days?
L- Last time I saw Calvin he was in the basketball offices. That was probably a week ago, so it appears he's still on campus. He said his plan was to pursue basketball on same level, perhaps overseas.
Klee
Klee, I was watching Minnesota basketball's "The Journey" and was thinking to myself and out loud why Illinois hasn't done something
like that? At least the university could sponser it and make like a video diary of the upcoming season.
Bill- It's possible. Haven't heard anything about such a project, though, and The Journey won't return to the Big Ten Network, at least in the form that you saw. Klee
Klee,
What would happen if a college offers a scholarship to a player after their freshman season in High School and the player accepts. However, over the next three years, the player doesn't appear to improve. Can the school take the scholarship offer back up until the player signs, or how does that work?
Alex- Several options, pulling an offer is one of them, but that doesn't look good and will be used against a program in recruiting. Other times a staff might place the player at a prep school and see where he stands after a year at prep school. That happens from time to time. That's one of the drawbacks of early scholarship offers - if a guy doesn't continue to improve - but early scholarship offers have been the biggest change in Illinois' recruiting approach.
Klee
Going to wrap this up, thanks for the questions and I apologize to those that didn't get answered. Log on to Twitter to chime in with your preferred recruits in 2011 and 2012. We'll post your responses on Klee's Corner this week.
Klee