Dennis Stallings can''t go to Houston yet.

   So the Oilers will come to him.

   O''Neill Gilbert''s back in town today to personally drop off a playbook and some advice:

   "Get ready because our system is as complicated as they come," said Gilbert, a former Illinois assistant now coaching linebackers for the Oilers. "He''s got to know the defense inside and out."

   For the first time, National Football League teams must wait until June for rookies to arrive. It''s the league''s way of telling kids to stay in school.

   So Stallings will miss Houston''s early May minicamp. His first taste of professional football will be in June.

   "All I want to do is get started," he said.

   Then make the team.

   A sixth-round pick, Stallings is not a roster lock. The Oilers will keep seven or eight linebackers, Gilbert said, and the last three on the depth chart need to excel on special teams.

   Quick but not big for his position, Stallings meets that requirement.

   "He''s a good athlete and has great leadership qualities," Gilbert said. "I took him solely on the fact that he''s mature and responsible."

   Gilbert wanted the Oilers to draft Stallings as early as Sunday''s fourth round.

   "I was jumping up and down on the table, yelling, ''He''s the guy we want,'' " said Gilbert, whose family still lives in C-U while the Oilers decide when to relocate to Nashville, Tenn. "We took a gamble and we waited. I thought there was no way he''d still be there."

   Stallings was the 181st pick overall. He will be listed No. 2 at middle linebacker behind Barron Wortham on Houston''s depth chart.

   The No. 2 slot currently is unoccupied. Last year''s backup, starting outside linebacker Michael Barrow, left Houston in the off-season.

Dulick also with Houston

   Joining Stallings in Houston will be Illini receiver Jason Dulick, who signed a free agent deal with the Oilers on Monday.

   Dulick endured an agonizing Sunday, when he was teased by two teams but eventually was ignored.

   It is customary for NFL teams to phone prospects ahead of time to tell them they''re interested in drafting them. Dulick fielded friendly calls from Pittsburgh and the New York Jets.

   "They told me it would come down to me and another guy," Dulick said. "Each time, it ended up being the other guy."

   No big deal. As a free agent, Dulick got to pick a team he felt best fit his talents. Former UI quarterbacks coach Sean Payton, now with Philadelphia, tried to lure Dulick to the Eagles, but the Oilers made the better offer (around a $6,000 signing bonus; nothing guaranteed after that).

   "It''s a big relief knowing I''m going to be in a camp," said Dulick, who will graduate in May. "Now I have to get my butt ready to play."

   Rodney Byrd, meanwhile, signed with the Washington Redskins.

Basketball notes

    Looks like the UI''s next United Center opponent will be Clemson of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

   Good team, average draw.

   Rick Barnes'' crew will be a top-25 preseason pick next fall after advancing to the Sweet 16 in March, blowing a late lead and losing to Minnesota. But in the Chicago market, they''re better known for football.

   The Illini and Tigers tentatively have set a Dec. 13 date in Chicago, where the Illini are 2-1 (loss to Duke, wins over Cal and UCLA) at the United Center.

   The Illini will not have to return a trip to intimidating Littlejohn Arena, Clemson''s 11,000-seat home gym. The 1998 game likely will be played in nearby Greenville, S.C., where a new arena''s being built.

   The UI would like to avoid returning United Center games on the opponents'' home court. It had to play at Duke and Cal and in December goes to UCLA.

    Kiwane Garris is back working out in Huff Hall after playing well at last week''s Desert Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

   Garris averaged 12 points and four assists in three games played before more than 100 professional scouts.

    Lon Kruger and Theresa Grentz were named 1997 college coaches of the year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Kruger shared the men''s honor with Kevin Stallings of Illinois State.

   Jim Rossow is sports editor of The News-Gazette.