Allen,

I think that Beckman and his staff did a really good job....considering Coach wasnt hired until early December...and didnt have his entire staff in place until mid-January.  They really had to scramble to make sure that they held on to everyone that was on the recruiting list already...and to add others that they could at the last minute.

I think next year will be a better gauge of things on the recruiting front.

The people I have talked to at Ohio State (where he has worked previously) rave about him.

The wrist injury D.J Richardson suffered in the Northwestern game in early January is still a factor in his struggles.  He wore a heavy wrap the first game after the injury and has struggled to regain the touch he had earlier this year. 

I can tell you that D.J. has been spending extra time in the gym lately and I expect one of these games real soon he will have a breakout game.

That decision is really up to Mike Thomas.  I happen to think that while a lot of people are grumbling  about things right now ...I think in some cases they are not keeping things in perspective.  The team is 4 wins from another 20-win season and are just 2 games out of first place in a year where the Big Ten is about as even as it gets.

 Just about every game from here on out is probably a toss-up game and I get the feeling that some fans believe that since those games are likely to be close....they fear the Illini are going to lose all of those.   I tend to be more optimistic that that. 

Making the NCAA Tournament is important....I get that.  But to say that is the deciding factor right now is a little premature. 

Jerrance will be an excellent head coach one day...wherever that might be.  But he has only been a full-time assistant for a handful of years and I think he would agree with me that moving up into a head coaching position is a big step. 

Rw,

Thanks for the question. 

As you know.... we move the show around from location to location on campus...from shows with the Orange Krush...to the band...to the Rebounders group....and we even have the show hosted by individuals or businesses on occasion.

 While those are fun to do...we often dont get that many calls from the radio audience.  I am not sure why that is...but over the last few years...that seems to be the case. Maybe the questions being asked are the same ones that would be asked by the radio listeners.  I dont know.

I will say that any and all calls are welcome whether we are on location...or in the studio in Champaign.  I always give the phone numbers and invite people to call in.  Whether they do or not is up to them. Ed Bond lets me know who the caller is and when they are on the line...I put them on as soon as possible.  But if they dont call in....we do take questions from our audience in attendance to keep the show moving.

We do have some shows scheduled in the WDWS studio over the next few weeks...and those shows tend to receive more phone calls.  You are more than welcome to call in to the show at any time.

Thanks again for listening!