Klee's Corner: A determined Demetri

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Each week, college basketball beat writer Paul Klee breaks down the game he loves:

What they said

"I don't have a Twitter because I don't really do anything. I just go to class, go to the gym. I let Dominique (Keller) and Mike Davis do all that Twitter. I don't really do Facebook, either. I let my brother use it. I haven't been on Facebook in probably two months. If it's logged on as me, it's probably not me, it's probably my brother DeAndre playing around with it."

Demetri McCamey, 20, on why he's one of the few Illinois players who doesn't use Twitter

Random thoughts

– I'm thinking UI freshman BRANDON PAUL, a 6-foot-4 guard, recently measured a standing reach of 8-3. "I've always had long arms for my height," he said. "People always say they're freakishly long."

– I'm thinking these will be the listed heights and weights for the Illinois freshmen: JOSEPH BERTRAND (6-5, 185), TYLER GRIFFEY (6-9, 225), Paul (6-2, 195) and D.J. RICHARDSON (6-4, 185). (Edited)

– I'm thinking the player who's seen the biggest leap – in terms of size – is probably Paul. The Gurnee Warren product said he's gained about 15 pounds since he arrived on campus.

– I'm thinking Griffey has a unique style to his game. It's not quite DOMINIQUE KELLER-like – "unorthodox" is usually the description with Keller – but Griffey finds crafty ways to score. I'm thinking he used a floater over 7-1 MIKE TISDALE that made you say, "Hmmmm." And then it splashed through.

– I'm thinking the term I've heard most often associated with Griffey is "coachable." He takes to coaches' criticism and doesn't take it personally. "He listens," one coach said.

– I'm thinking all of these observations should be taken with a grain of salt. These are only workouts, not games, and aren't meant to overhype a freshman group that still has its weaknesses.

– Case in point, BRUCE WEBER's concern with the freshmen. "They're talented, but they're also a little fragile," he said. "We'll just have to see how they progress."

– The exception is Richardson's ability and willingness to defend. He's already one of the top three defenders I've seen at Illinois in the past four seasons.

What I'm hearing

– You remember JEREME RICHMOND's halfcourt heave. Everyone does. The UI recruit's last-second three-pointer led Waukegan past Gurnee Warren 71-69 in a Class 4A sectional in March. It won't soon be forgotten – partly because Richmond soon will be teammates with BRANDON PAUL, the then-Warren senior who had made three free throws just prior to The Shot. "I'll never forget it," Paul said after a workout last week.

– To recap: Warren trailed 68-66 when Paul stepped to the foul line. He made all three foul shots to put Warren ahead 69-68 with 4.7 seconds remaining.

"I've always been in pressure situations like that, where the ball's in my hands at the end of the game. I wasn't really too nervous," Paul said. "I knew that if I just calmed down, I could sink all three shots. What I was really thinking about was making sure I got back on defense."

– The twist: Paul wasn't looking for Richmond on the inbounds play. He figured Waukegan's COLIN NICKERSON, another N-G All-Stater, would be the one to make a play or take the last shot.

"After the second (foul) shot I knew I was going to make the third, so I made sure I found Colin and found where he was," Paul said. "I found him, and they took the ball out and got it to Jereme. He just pulled up at halfcourt and hit it."

– Paul said he wasn't surprised Richmond's game-winner splashed through. "I thought there was a 50-50 chance it would go in," Paul said. "He had a lot of confidence in his eyes. He was real calm."

– Paul and Richmond combined for 58 points in the sectional championship. Paul was named Illinois Mr. Basketball; Richmond finished second in voting and is the prohibitive favorite as a senior.

"I got a plaque and then another one, a big golden basketball on top of a trophy," said Paul, who said he arrived at 175 pounds and recently was weighed at 190. "It's at my house right now. It's in the hallway of my house when you first walk in. When I first got it, I didn't want to let it go. Now it's just at home."

– The next time Paul has a game in the Chicago area, it will be against Gonzaga on Jan. 2 at the United Center. "It will mean a lot to me because I'll have a lot of my friends and family there," he said.

– I'm hearing DePaul might have its future backcourt after a pair of oral commitments in the 2010 class. MOSES MORGAN, a 6-foot-5 guard whose father WINSTON MORGAN played at Indiana in the 1980s, is a scorer from the Las Vegas area. I'm hearing BRANDON YOUNG, a 6-3 playmaker from the Baltimore area, is a point guard whose best attributes are his court vision and passing ability.

– Recruiting target JAMES SIAKAM doesn't have a scholarship offer from Illinois, Carbondale Brehm Prep coach AARON LEE said. I'm hearing there's a transcript issue that is holding up an offer.

– Lee said the powerhouse Brehm Prep squad will compete in a tournament at Vincennes (Ind.) University on Oct. 11 and said the event is open to college coaches. Brehm Prep also is scheduled to play in the IlliniHQ.com Shootout on Dec. 12.

– I'm hearing Illinois will continue to recruit California big man KEVIN JOHNSON, a 6-8 post player in the Class of 2011. He has a scholarship offer from Illinois. With an out-of-state prospect you're always looking for a connection, and one of Johnson's coaches has ties in central Illinois.

– I'm hearing NNANA EGWU, a 2011 prospect from Chicago St. Ignatius, is scheduled to visit Purdue this weekend. So is Illinois Wolves teammate CHASSON RANDLE.

– I'm hearing Egwu tentatively is scheduled to visit Illinois the weekend of Oct. 3-4.

– I'm hearing recruit CRANDALL HEAD might reschedule the date of his official visit to the Illinois campus. The visit initially was planned for Oct. 3 – when Illinois football hosts Penn State – but it could be moved to a later date due to the prep senior's upcoming knee surgery.

What I'm reading

Missouri Gov. JAY NIXON and University of Missouri system president GARY FORSEE will coach the black and gold squads in the Tigers' annual preseason scrimmage. — Sporting News Today

(UI recruiting target CHASSON) RANDLE said he doesn't intend to commit this school year, and his campus visits this fall are unofficial and won't count against an NCAA limit. — Quad-City Times

Two fights in two days between Kansas football and basketball players sent one basketball star to the hospital and left officials on this normally placid Midwestern campus red-faced with embarrassment. — FoxSports.com

What's happening

– Six months after a tough loss to Western Kentucky, at least three of the current Illini haven't watched tape of the NCAA tournament game. One of those is DEMETRI McCAMEY, who doesn't even like to think about the abbreviated trip to Portland. "Probably the worst game of my life," he said.

– That game emphasized one of the team's glaring weaknesses: getting to the free throw line. The Illini shot seven free throws (and made five), compared to the Hilltoppers' 22 attempts (made 13). McCamey said he's focused on getting into the lane in order to increase free throw attempts.

"Last year I don't know how many times we got to the free throw line (419 attempts, the fewest in 62 years at Illinois)," McCamey said. "But I know it was probably one of the worst in NCAA basketball."

– And those are virtually free points for these Illini, whose best players also are their best foul shooters. Illinois returns four of its top five free throw shooters, TRENT MEACHAM being the exception.

– Freshman JOSEPH BERTRAND has been watching workouts and lifting weights as he rehabs from knee surgery Sept. 11. He also has a new haircut: the cornrows are out, a buzzed look is in.

"He's good. He's laughed it off. He keeps saying he's going to be back in two weeks, two days, just joking around," said McCamey, the player who's known Bertrand the longest, from their days in the Illinois Wolves club program. "He's strong mentally. I know he's going to be glad to get back on the court instead of watching from the sidelines."

– Bertrand's injury changes the dynamic of the Illini Madness dunk contest. McCamey said the 6-5 guard would have been a favorite. "It's either between MIKE DAVIS or BRANDON (PAUL)," he said. "They've got some tricks up their sleeves."

– As for McCamey's candidacy in a dunk contest: "I'm saving my energy for the season," he joked.

– Recruiting visits at Illinois figure to pick up steam with three home football games in October. How a prospect relates to the current players can be just as important as how he relates to the coaches.

"I try to make them feel at home and feel comfortable. If you don't feel comfortable you're not going to want to stay and you're not going to want to be around the players anymore," said McCamey, who added that former Illini JAMAR SMITH made a "great" impression as his recruiting host. "You're going to shy away from that school. I want them to feel just like they're being at home."

What's on tap

Oct. 6 – End of the fall contact period for recruiting.

Oct. 16 – Illini Madness.

Oct. 24 – Illinois basketball coaches clinic at Ubben Basketball Complex.

Nov. 13 – Illinois vs. SIU-Edwardsville, regular season opener.

What's Twittering

A collection of basketball-related tweets on Twitter.com from last week (edited as necessary). Follow us on Twitter at PKlee_IlliniHQ:

CoachJHoward (Jerrance Howard): Just got done watching some great basketball today and now about to go eat dinner with Luther Head before he leaves for Indy.

MLeonard32 (UI recruit Meyers Leonard): Headed 2 class. Gonna hit the weight room after school and get some shots up in the gym.

CoachBrucePearl: I'm so proud of Coach Kiffin and his team. They're a confident group and had a great scheme. They will get it rolling soon.

TomCrean: We talk about three things when finishing layups around the basket. Eyes up, elevate and extend.

The scoop

The List has been temporarily replaced by The Scoop. We asked Indianapolis Star reporter JEFF RABJOHNS, who covers the Indiana Pacers, for the inside track on Luther Head's recent signing with the team:

Where does Luther fit in the Pacers' plans?

He's insurance since there is lingering uncertainty when Mike Dunleavy will return following knee surgery. Head will come off the bench at shooting guard for the most part, and could back up point guard and small forward, if necessary. And the Pacers are making a renewed commitment to defense and feel Head can help in that area.

What do they like about him?

The Pacers love athletes who can run and shoot, and Head is an athlete who can run and shoot. Pacers coach Jim O'Brien likes a lineup of, a point guard, a post player and three guys who can shoot threes. An athlete who is a career 39.2 percent three-point shooter is almost an ideal bench player for what O'Brien likes to do.

Do you expect Head will make the roster?

Oh, yeah. Their intention is to keep him all year. Sure, it's a business, but even when Dunleavy returns, I think Head will stick.

The number

2 ...

... Seasonal flu shots administered to UI freshmen Tyler Griffey and D.J. Richardson by Illinois Department of Health director Damon T. Arnold on Thursday at Ubben Basketball Complex; the rest of the roster is scheduled to receive its flu shots in mid-October.

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