Klee's Corner

Who will be the next Illini taken in the NBA draft? Vote here.

What they said
"I feel like I need to go wash my hands."
– National recruiting analyst, after evaluating 13-year-old kids at the Freshman All-American camp Friday in Kentucky

WHAT I'M THINKING
Random thoughts
– I'm thinking Illinois' move to extend scholarship offers to three rising freshmen – kids that just completed the eighth grade – is yet another indication of where the recruiting game is headed.

– I'm thinking the offers to ALEX FOSTER (expected to attend Chicago De La Salle), TOMMY HAMILTON JR. (Whitney Young) and JABARI PARKER (Simeon) aren't a reach. Their promise was on display at the UI team camp last week in Chicago. These aren't JEREME RICHMOND-caliber talents at this stage of their basketball lives – very, very few players are – but the potential is evident.

– I'm thinking it's going to be a while before their recruitments really get underway. Shoot, they just picked their high schools.

– "I wouldn't expect the recruitment of any of the three to end anytime soon," said JOE HENRICKSEN, the veteran talent evaluator with Chicago's City/Suburban Hoops Report. "These three will be national recruits, with the major programs involved and the potential to be consensus Top 25 national players when it's all said and done."

– I'm thinking you never know, however, and one of the players might decide on a program sooner than expected. "The earlier a college program can get it done, the better," Henricksen said. "Just like Tracy Abrams – before too many people get involved, both in terms of college programs and the people surrounding these terrific talents."

– I'm thinking Henricksen said he believes Parker's recruitment will go only through his father, former Chicago high school star SONNY PARKER, and Simeon coach ROBERT SMITH. "There will be no no AAU or outside influences," Henricksen said, and that's a great thing.

– I'm thinking Illinois is doing the right thing by offering these incoming freshmen. Early scholarship offers have been a staple of the program's recruiting surge. What makes the process tough to stomach, though, is the idea these kids will be under a spotlight for the next four years, with every move analyzed.

– I'm hoping everyone remembers they're kids. The first prep freshman to commit to Illinois, Richmond understands the level of scrutiny better than anyone, and it hasn't always been easy.

WHAT I'M READING
Headlines, deadlines and the best lines
Iowa men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter has offered guard Roy Marble Jr. a scholarship, according to the Web site HawkeyeReport.com. Marble Jr. is the son of Roy Marble, Iowa's all-time leading scorer.
Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette

Coach K remains Duke's highest-paid employee. The school's most recent IRS documents ... show that Duke paid Mike Krzyzewski more than $3.6 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008.
The Associated Press

Indiana's sophomore point guard Daniel Moore will be out 10 weeks with a broken bone in his foot, coach Tom Crean said.
Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times

"Louisville and Kansas are the main two (leaders) recently. They have made their presence felt, but we aren't shunning any schools right now. We are open and just want to learn more about this whole process."
Kevin Thomas, stepfather of UI recruiting target Wayne Blackshear, to ESPN.com

What I'm hearing
In this corner, we believe everything we hear
– I'm hearing the ACC led all conferences with seven players chosen in the first round of Thursday's NBA draft. The Pac-10 had six, the Big East had four, and the Big 12 had two. The Big Ten and SEC combined for one (Ohio State's B.J. Mullens, No. 24 overall).

– Include the second round of the draft and it's much of the same. The ACC, Pac-10 and Big East each had nine picks, the Big 12 had four and the Big Ten and SEC had two apiece. Conference USA had four total selections.

– For the Big Ten, that ties a record for the fewest number of draft picks since the draft was cut to two rounds in 1989 (1992, 2003). That follows a 2008 NBA draft that featured just three picks from the Big Ten.

– I'm hearing that doesn't mean the Big Ten featured bad basketball, or that pros make a league. But it shows again the Big Ten hasn't been on par with its peers in recent years.

– I'm hearing the league's robust junior class and exceptional recruiting figures to change that trend in coming seasons – but not necessarily with the 2010 draft.

– The Big Ten's top prospects won't be seniors in 2009-10, so there's no assurance the likes of WILLIAM BUFORD (Ohio State), JaJUAN JOHNSON (Purdue), MANNY HARRIS (Michigan), KALIN LUCAS (Michigan State) and DELVON ROE (Michigan State) would enter the draft. I think the league's premier prospect is Ohio State's EVAN TURNER, who is the closest to a sure thing to leave early.

– I'm hearing it wasn't that long ago there was speculation about the sincerity of JEREME RICHMOND's verbal commitment to Illinois. He's never wavered and can sign a letter of intent in November.

– "For me, I committed (about three) years ago," Richmond said. "These last four or five months are going to go by so fast, I just can't wait to sign."

– I'm hearing Richmond, a student of the game, has focused on one area of his offensive repertoire. "My mid-range game. I think it's a lost art in the game right now," Richmond said. "A lot of players shoot layups or dunks or a three-pointer, so I try to focus on developing my mid-range game."

– UI recruiting interest NNANA EGWU measures 6-foot-9. Asked how tall he expects to be, Egwu said, "I don't know. Maybe 6-11."

– I'm hearing workouts and pickup games at Illinois' practice facility currently are off limits to media.

– I'm hearing some of JOHN CALIPARI's high-major coaching peers are peeved the Kentucky coach apparently won't be reprimanded by the NCAA for the issues that surfaced at Memphis.

– I'm hearing the state's 2012 recruiting class hasn't generated the same buzz as the 2011 and 2013 classes. Though it's early, JOE HENRICKSEN of the City/Suburban Hoops Report said he would rank Peoria Central's BOBO DRUMMOND and Proviso East's KEITH CARTER as the No. 1A and No. 1B prospects in 2012.

– I'm hearing Henricksen believes Simeon's STEVE TAYLOR is another 2012 kid to watch. "But again, there isn't that one or two players out there that are clearly head-and-shoulders above the rest," he said.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
Cleaning out the notebook
– UI junior-to-be DEMETRI McCAMEY was scheduled to leave this weekend for the Paul Pierce Skills Academy in Boston. The schedule for college players includes five workouts today through Tuesday.

"I'm just going out there to go out and compete and have fun. It's some of the top competition from around the world," McCamey said. "I'm just going to play Illini basketball and try to show that everyone on our team is talented enough. Even though after last year, we didn't play well in the (NCAA) tournament. People still questioned us, even though we played well during the season."

– As for team goals next season, McCamey said he wants to extend its win total after Illinois finished 24-10.

"We're setting a goal of more than 24 wins. We set a goal last year of 24 wins, but we kind of settled down after we hit our season target," McCamey said.

– As for personal goals next season, McCamey said he wants "to get seven or eight assists (per game)" and join the likes of KALIN LUCAS and TALOR BATTLE as one of the top guards in the Big Ten.

"Not to be cocky or anything, but I want to be named first-team All-Big Ten," McCamey said. "I want to get on the Naismith watch list and continue to be a complete basketball player and let the whole world know who I am."

– If there's a single player that could benefit the most from an influx of guards, it could be McCamey. The competition figures to push the junior and he'll have more options as a set-up guy. Furthermore, coach BRUCE WEBER won't hesitate to remind McCamey there are other guards ready to sub into the game.

"Honestly, we've been running a lot (in pickup games). That's what I've been doing the whole summer, just pushing it," McCamey said. "Even if we get tired we still try to push it. Every time we get a chance we get a chance, we're pushing it. We're trying to get open threes, dunks, layups, anything. We've got a lot of pieces right now and we're having fun playing pickup."

– Decatur Eisenhower product JEREMY ROBINSON appeared in 15 games as a freshman at Illinois State. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward is on a strict weight-training program this offseason, coach Tim Jankovich said.

– "I think the big issue with him was strength. He's got good size and length and a very thin build," Jankovich said of Robinson. "I think that and inexperience gave him what was more of a typical freshman year. He's really working hard. I think his work ethic is improved a great deal. I think he's starting to figure out what it takes to win at this level."

– Jankovich believes star guard Osiris Eldridge can be an NBA draft pick in 2010 – but he's not at that level yet.

– "He knows that he needs to make some improvements if that's going to happen," Jankovich said of Eldridge. "I do think he's in a pool of players that if they continue to improve and have an outstanding year he could be in that next category of players that are in that mix."

– An assistant to Bill Self at Illinois in 2002-03, Jankovich remains in close contact with the Kansas coach. "Just finished texting with Coach Self and saw him (last week)," he said. "Yeah, to say the least, we keep in touch."

WHAT'S ON TAP
Monday: The News-Gazette Sports Page airs from the Esquire in downtown Champaign (WDWS 1400 AM, 5 p.m.).
Today-Wednesday: UI junior DEMETRI McCAMEY will be a counselor at the Nike-sponsored Paul Pierce Skills Academy in Boston.
July 6-15 and 22-31: Recruiting evaluation periods for college coaches.

WHAT'S TWITTERING
Each week we'll pose a question on Twitter.com (Username: PKlee_IlliniHQ). Log on with your answers. This week's question: What's your starting five for next season?
Hbullamore: Tisdale, Davis, Legion, McCamey and a frosh G – prob Richardson. I like Keller off the bench.
AClarklaw: McCamey, Richardson, Legion, Davis, Tisdale. Sounds like a winner.
everything2gain: Demetri, Alex, Dominique, Mike and Mike.
EvanDanielscout: 1. Jerrance Howard 2. Evan Daniels 3. Paul Klee 4. Matt Campbell 5. Meyers Leonard. That's my starting five.

THE LIST
Chester Frazier is the resident NBA guru in the Illinois basketball offices. So who better to break down the NBA draft than the UI student assistant? Frazier gave us his 10 favorite players selected Thursday:

1. Sam Young, No. 36 overall, Grizzlies (Pittsburgh) – Love his heart and craftiness and athleticism; Will be a solid pro; Also played AAU with me growing up

2. Earl Clark, No. 14, Suns (Louisville) – Mr. Do It All with great size and athleticism

3. Hasheem Thabeet, No. 2, Grizzlies (Connecticut) – You can't teach size and he is Mutomboesque when it comes to blocking shots

4. Stephen Curry, No. 7, Warriors (Davidson) – The best shooter in the draft, hands down; He can shoot it with the best of them, ask his dad

5. Jonny Flynn, No. 6, TImberwolves (Syracuse) – The best little guy in the draft; Will be a great pro; Heart, athleticism and leadership

6. Blake Griffin, No. 1, Clippers (Oklahoma) – Need I say more? The most dominant college player in recent history

7. Terrence Williams, No. 11, Nets (Louisville) – Great size and intangibles; He is NBA-ready; A solid pick right here

8. James Harden, No. 3, Thunder (Arizona State) – Smooth lefty with the ability to score; Great size and athleticism

9. Jeff Teague, No. 19, Hawks (Wake Forest) – My sleeper breakout guy; He can flat-out score and an above-average athlete, too

10. DaJuan Summers, No. 35, Pistons (Georgetown) – Great size; NBA-caliber jumpshot; Baltimore guy; Great passer, but the Georgetown system didn't do him justice

THE NUMBER
31 – NBA draft picks from Arizona since the draft was trimmed to two rounds in 1989, the most by a college program, ahead of Duke (29), UCLA (28), North Carolina (25), Connecticut (23) and Kansas (22)

pklee@news-gazette.com

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