BCF- Brian Randle was at Ubben playing pickup games with the current players on Monday. He's been there often. Last time I talked to him he was open to the idea of returning to Europe.

Roger Powell runs a basketball camp in Naperville from Aug. 6-8. He also seemed to enjoy his time in Israel last season. Both Powell and Randle advanced to the final four of the IBL. Roger was open to the idea of going back to Europe, though he'd prefer to stay on this side of course.

Not sure what's going on with Dee Brown, who wasn't on an NBA summer league roster. We'll look into it. He played in the final four of the Israeli league as well.

Paul- It's been released in August or early September the last few years. Illinois waits on the Big Ten to finalize the conference schedule, whereas programs like Purdue release portions of the nonconference schedule earlier.

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Eugene- I wrote about Frazier's position and what he can and can't do on July 1. You can find it in the Archives on HQ. Right now he's still considered a student-athlete, so he can play with the current players as those he is one. His new position - student assistant - doesn't officially begin until the start of the fall semester. Bruce Weber said Frazier still will be able to go through drills during the season, but they're not certain how often they'll use him in drills. That will probably depend on injuries, if they need another guard. They want the current players to get as many reps as possible.

All four freshmen told me yesterday that Chester has encouraged voluntary workouts late into the night, around 10 p.m.

"Sometimes later than that," Tyler Griffey said.

Sounds about right coming from Chester.

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Tyler- Not since I've covered this coaching staff. Practices at Ubben are always closed to the public. Klee

Sharon- There were 13 players in the gym yesterday. That's all of them. At least for now it appears all of the players expected to return will return. There's no reason to think that will change, though it's always possible. See above about the schedule. Klee

Andrew- Thanks. It's been something we've tossed around for a while. Most of the good ideas we have are Jim Rossow's ideas, and the numbers story was no different. We found that some of the athletes' theories on the importance of jersey numbers go beyond superstitions, it's almost an obsession. I like that. Klee

TD- I'll defer since I wasn't covering the team when those guys were freshmen. If you're comparing this class to that class, however, there's no comparison. Dee Brown and James Augustine won 114 games, a school record. These guys haven't done anything yet. But they will have the opportunity to win a ton of games before it's all through. Klee

Mary- If I remember correctly there's an autograph session after the Orange & Blue Scrimmage, not midnight madness. The players stuck around after last year's scrimmage for about an hour, or until all of the autograph seekers had gone through the line. Klee

Chris- Illinois has a scholarship available for the fall and spring semesters in 2009-10. There are currently 12 players on scholarship and walk-on Bubba Chisholm, who drained a deep 3 in workouts yesterday. Klee

Mark- I talked to Matt Painter about Lewis Jackson yesterday. The Purdue coach said Jackson's been in Lafayette for all three summer sessions. So far at least, the staff is pleased with how he's dealt with the effects of the April arrest. Painter said he's going to wait and see how Jackson handles the court's requirements before he does anything as far as next season goes.

When I asked him if Jackson will face a game suspension Painter said, "I want to make sure he

Nathan- Thanks. Don't know if there's a favorite memory, but I enjoyed Brandon Paul's dunk attempt in traffic the other day. The dunk missed, but that part doesn't really matter. Been a while since there was a guard at Illinois that could attempt a dunk like that. I like the way Stan Simpson's progressing, as well. He's got a chance to win minutes as a second-year player, and this time last year I didn't think that would be the case.

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Jeremy- Wrote about those Brehm prep guys earlier in the summer when I called them "undervalued" or something like that. I like Siakam, and I really like Siakam for Illinois. He would give them something they don't have. If you'll notice he rarely has an off game because of that motor. He plays hard. I also think he's slightly older than his peers so he might be able to contribute earlier in his college career. When HQ recruiting writer Jeremy Werner talked to Siakam's coach this week, he didn't have a scholarship offer yet.

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Frank- It will be interesting to see what goals Weber sets for this group. I remember the practice last year - it was before the season - when the coach wrote "Sweet 16" on the whiteboard. Outsiders would have scoffed at the idea, given the absence of Jamar Smith and coming off a 16-win season. They didn't reach the S16, obviously, but any time you get a 5 seed the potential is there.

But Illinois needs to win an NCAA tournament game again first. It's been three years, or too long. I know some of the players are still peeved at the Western Kentucky loss. In fact, Alex Legion and Tyler Griffey were talking about it in the training room yesterday.

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Alex- No, last time I asked they were still in the process of finalizing a date. Klee

Steve- I think Illinois has been blessed to have guys like Deron Williams and Kendall Gill, who return and donate money to the school and the community. Hard to say who will be the next one. The next one to build a solid career in the NBA most likely. Klee

Sam- I think coaches will be more inclined to press next season. Wouldn't expect it every night. Their defensive approach has been steady and effective. Klee

Ryan- I don't see a redshirt in the current group. So if I was to guess now, I don't think there will be one. Due to the logjam in the frontcourt - with three established big men in Davis, Tisdale and Keller - Tyler Griffey would seem to me to be the only candidate. And I don't think that will happen. But things change once the coaches get on the court in the fall. Pickup games and workouts can only tell you so much. Klee

Bill- It's mainly just a lot of exposure for the program that hosts Gameday. The Orange Krush would be involved throughout the day. I'm sure Bruce Weber would be on the set for a short time, at least. The bars would probably be busier than usual. IlliniHQ would love it. Plenty of new coverage opportunities. Klee

Mark- D.J. Richardson will be that guy. Here's what D.J. said when I asked him yesterday about his role going into next season:

"In Peoria, we

Jeff- I was No. 11. Unlike the various Illinois athletes we profiled, I really didn't have a reason for choosing No. 11. But I was a fantastic point guard in high school. Klee

Roger- I think Mike Shaw is probably the most talented power forward your Illini are recruiting in '11. He would fit well on almost any college roster. But you have a guy in Jereme Richmond that can play the 3 or the 4. He will be dynamic at the 4, with his ability to rebound. Klee