Final - Illinois 72, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 53

CHAMPAIGN - Illinois fans had their choice of entertainment at the Assembly Hall on Sunday.

When the ball was in play, they could watch the Illini beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 72-53. During timeouts, they could watch Chicago basketball heroes Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose in the courtside bleachers.

Michael arrived shortly before tipoff and saw his son Jeff, a UI sophomore, help the Illini (2-0) to their second comfortable win. Derrick Rose arrived just after tipoff with his older brother Reggie.

A Simeon product, Derrick Rose was selected by the Bulls with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft in June. On Sunday, he sat in almost the same spot where he was during a recruiting visit at the Orange and Blue Scrimmage in October 2006.

Rose presumably was in C-U to watch former Simeon teammte Tim Green, a senior with the Islanders. Green said before the game he expected Rose to be in attendance.

The celebrity rating at the Assembly Hall was high. So was the Illini's intensity level on defense. TAMCC (1-1) scored only 12 points in the first half. The record for fewest points by an opponent in a half at the Assembly Hall is 10 (Southern Mississippi, 1984).

Mike Davis had a breakout game for Illinois. The sophomore had career highs in points (20) and rebounds (14). Trent Meacham added 14 points, while Dominique Keller had 11.

TAMCC, featuring seven players from the Chicago area, got off to a quick start and secured a 10-5 lead. That was about it for the visitors from the Southland Conference. Next up for Illinois is a game at Vanderbilt on Thursday.

10:00 Left in Second Half - Illinois 50, TAMCC 35

Mark it down. Illinois has a dunk. Two, actually.

The Illini played 64 minutes, 4 seconds, of the 2008-09 season before the first dunk was crammed through the basket. Mike Davis did the honors, a two-handed jam that put Illinois ahead 35-17. Then 30 seconds later, Mike Tisdale stuffed one through (37-20).

TAMCC assistant Billy Garrett told us yesterday that swingman Justin Reynolds is their best player. He's keeping the Islanders respectable with six points in this half. Demon Watts, a Chicago-area product, has 14 for TAMCC.

Someone asked about the attendance today. One man's guess: about 9,000. Maybe 10,000. Sunday afternoon games in November aren't the best draws, and it seems Illini fans are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

If Illinois can continue to defend like this, they will be in a lot of games, regardless of the opponent. The Islanders are shooting 29.4 percent from the floor and each shot is being contested. Weber has emphasized defense in practice over the past week, so it's a positive sign they are seeing rewards in games.

Some of the credit for their play thus far should go to Jerrance Howard. The second-year assistant was in charge of the scouting report for today's game.

Klee

Halftime - Illinois 28, TAMCC 12

With an aggressive defense fronted by Chester Frazier, Illinois almost set an Assembly Hall record in the first half. TAMCC's 12 points were two more than Southern Mississippi scored in the first half of a game in 1984. The Islanders can't hit the, um, ocean, and are shooting 20.8 percent after 20 minutes.

Weber said the other day that he wasn't sure if Illinois could pressure like he wants. The first half may have changed that opinion. Trent Meacham is playing exceptionally, with 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting. I thought Demetri McCamey pushed the ball, as well, which will be the difference between McCamey playing the point (which Weber wants) or playing the off-guard.

Derrick Rose and MJ are just chillin'. They aren't being bothered for autographs and seem to be having a good time. How about Reggie Rose sporting the orange-and-blue shirt-and-jacket combo?

Klee

10:00 - TAMCC 12, Illinois 10

This is probably what Bruce Weber expected: a fired-up TAMCC lineup, with seven Chicago-area products on the roster, playing with abandon. TAMCC's Kevin Palmer has six points and the Islanders are using their length to lead the rebounding battle 11-7.

The subsitutions thus far: Richard Semrau (at 15:01), Dominique Keller (12:58), Jeff Jordan (12:58).

Derrick Rose just arrived, as I thought he would. He's with his brother Reggie. They are guests of Illinois. Strange how that works, isn't it? One of the reasons this is good for Illinois: Reggie Rose coaches Mt. Carmel star Tracy Abrams on the AAU circuit. Illinois has and will spend a lot of time on Abrams, a 2011 point guard, so they want to make good with the people around Abrams.

Klee

Tipoff - Illinois vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Couple of recruits of note in attendance today. Charleston's T.J. Bell, a highly regarded 2012 prospect, is here. T.J.'s mom is a women's basketball assistant at Eastern Illinois, and the Panthers played the UI women's squad at the Hall earlier today.

Spoke with T.J. Bell briefly. The 14-year-old said he's up to 6-foot-7. He first dunked as a sixth-grader. It's very early in the recruiting process, but look for Illinois to spend alot of time on him in the future.

"I think Illinois is a great university," Bell said.

Michael Jordan arrived about 10 minutes beofre tipoff. He's seated in his usual spot, with other players' parents in the bleachers near the tunnel.

The starting lineup for Illinois: Chester Frazier, Trent Meacham, Calvin Brock, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis.

Klee

45 Minutes Until Tipoff

Good afternoon, everyone. Paul Klee here, checking in with you from the Assembly Hall. Illinois hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second game of the season. The teams are warming up, and I'll be here with updates pre-game, at the 10-minute mark of each half, at halftime and post-game.

As I mentioned on HQ earlier today, I think there is a chance you will see a pair of Chicago Bulls greats at the Hall today. I spoke briefly with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi senior Tim Green before the game. Green is a Simeon product and played with Derrick Rose in high school. The two were good friends in high school, and Green said Rose might make it down today.

(Flashbacks to the 2006 Orange and Blue Scrimmage). The Bulls are off until Tuesday, when they play at the Lakers. And the TAMCC roster has seven Chicago-area players, several of which Derrick played with or against in high school.

And I think this is a prime opportunity for a Michael Jordan sighting at the Hall. Jordan observed practice on Thursday, and kind of hinted that he might return for a game in the near future. I think it will be today.

So keep an eye out. Not that you could miss Jordan and Rose.

I got the impression Saturday, in talking to Bruce Weber after the UI's practice, that Demetri McCamey probably will return to the starting lineup today. McCamey was in the starting 5 for the second half of the Eastern Washington game, and they need to get him going before a difficult road game at Vanderbilt on Thursday.

But Illinois can't afford to look past this one today. With that many Chicago kids on the TAMCC roster, you don't want to give them confidence with a quick start. I expect this will be a game of runs - whoever makes the final run will come out on top. Klee took Illinois 73-60, but I think TAMCC will make it interesting.

Don't forget to check out our 2008-09 college basketball preview guide. You can find it on the front page of HQ. I think there are 15 or so articles on what to look for this season, including Scout.com's take on Big Ten recruiting in 2009 and 2010.

The Illini are heading into the locker room before warmups. Feel free to send an email (pklee@news-gazette.com) with any questions.

Klee

 

Comments