CHAMPAIGN – Got a brother? Justin Willis does. You might have heard of him. Goodness knows Justin sure did, every single day as a Centennial freshman in 1995.

"Little Lenny. That's what I was called the whole time," said Justin, who's busily making a name for himself these days. "Little Lenny. (Former coach Craig) Bundy called me that, some of the seniors like Pat Rouse and those guys. I didn't like it really, because my name's Justin. But I didn't mind it too much. It was all just fun."

You mean, the kind of fun two brothers have on Branch Road in Champaign?

"Street ball. (Lenny) and his friends," Justin said, a smile never leaving his face. "Which is pretty hard because I just get pushed around. They have like the (UI's) starting corners out there bumping me on the curb and stuff. It's all right, though. It's pretty fun."

For Justin Willis, it's slightly more fun to make big plays on a football field. Willis has cut his own successful path for Centennial's eighth-ranked Chargers, but it's a path that is gaining common ground with his brother's athletic career.

Lenny, now a redshirt junior at Illinois, was a standout receiver (moved to running back as a senior) and defensive back. He was The News-Gazette's Area Player of the Year in 1994, one season before Justin entered high school. Justin has been the Chargers' top receiver in 1997 and '98, and his six interceptions led the team last fall.

Lenny measured 5-feet-9, 157 pounds in his Centennial days. Justin is 5-10, 160.

Lenny wasn't bad on a baseball diamond, either. Justin is as proficient at baseball as he is in football.

But comparing the younger Willis to the older isn't fair to either. To his credit, Justin wasn't engulfed by his brother's formidable shadow, nor did he resent it.

"I think Bundy and (everyone else) was open-minded. Because I'm Justin; I'm not Lenny," he said, before offering one of his sharp one-liners. "It's kind of hard to call me 'Little Lenny' when I'm bigger."

"I'm sure there were probably some expectations, but he's a whole different person," Centennial junior Reggie Hodges said. "He can't do what his brother did. I mean, he's a great athlete, too."

Justin's greatest attribute on a football field – "his playmaking ability," Hodges said – is the trait that has turned Division I heads.

Better on offense or defense? Tough call. Maybe offense, where his jumping ability is better used. Fans can recall a remarkable touchdown catch in last year's Danville win, or the three interceptions against Decatur Eisenhower, or the blocked PAT kick in overtime that saved Centennial from defeat against Bloomington.

Or maybe you remember the two punts returned for touchdowns (both called back by penalty) this season against Decatur MacArthur, or the two long TD catches against Mattoon.

Willis always finds a way to spice up the highlight film.

"He's so gifted athletically that he makes things look easy," coach Mike McDonnell said. "It doesn't look like he's putting forth a lot of effort. It throws you off a little bit. But when you watch him, especially with the ball, he's doing some things that most people can't do.

"You see guys like him on the next level. You're used to seeing guys so smooth and athletic, so graceful. They leave people in the dust. People are grabbing at air."

And so the letters have been arriving. Harvard, Michigan State, Illinois, Northern Illinois and many smaller colleges. Willis said he's inclined to venture away from home. And although football is a family tradition – father Lenny, an assistant athletic director at the UI, was a wide receiver at Ohio State, then in the NFL with the Vikings and Bills – Justin figures his best shot to advance might be with baseball.

Maybe he'll break the Willis mold. But keep in mind there's another Willis on the way, eighth-grader Jacob. And Justin said he's treating his little brother no differently than Lenny treated him.

"Just beating him up," Justin said with a chuckle. "He'll be pretty good, too."