CHAMPAIGN — In their seven years heading the money-making programs at Illinois, Bruce Weber and Ron Zook shared a professional and friendly relationship.

The basketball and football coaches got along well. Most of their interactions occurred at speaking engagements, such as the annual Illini Coaches Caravan, but they often would share a conversation in passing.

Weber empathized with Zook after the football coach was fired Sunday.

"It's the sad part of our business," Weber said after his Illini beat Chicago State 90-43 at the Assembly Hall on Sunday. "Besides him and his family, there are so many others involved. There are his assistants and their families. Obviously in football you have a lot of people involved. And the players, too. It's just a tough thing."

Shortly after news of the firing was reported on IlliniHQ.com at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the word began circulating around the Assembly Hall. Fans immediately began speculating on Zook's replacement. The DIA issued a press release at halftime of the basketball game.

Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas, who was in Cancun with the basketball team last week, was not in attendance at the Assembly Hall.

"The one thing is that coach Zook worked very hard. He was committed to the program," said Weber, who is in his ninth season at Illinois. "Every time I was around him he was on the phone recruiting or calling people. I know it's a business. You have to win.

"I think the program has definitely made steps. If you win a bowl game, you have back-to-back bowl wins and positive seasons. But your heart goes out to him and his staff and the players. You hope the best for everybody."

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The Assembly Hall welcomed back one of its favorite players Sunday. Illini great Eddie Johnson made his first call for an Illinois game.

"This is home. This is where I grew up from a young man into an adult under Lou Henson," Johnson said after the game. "I had a lot of support here in that time. I look forward to coming back for some more games."

Johnson, who makes his home in Phoenix, has joined BTN as an expert analyst for this season.

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Johnson caught up with Weber after the game. One conversation point was Myke Henry. The freshman seemed to grab Johnson's attention.

Perhaps that's because Johnson and Henry share a love for scoring.

Henry had not played since the opener. But within 12 seconds of checking into the game, Henry shot a 15-foot jumper from the left baseline — and buried it. He had with a team-high 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including the first three-pointer of his career.

"I liked the fact that he stepped onto the court and immediately got himself involved in the game. I like that aspect of him," said Johnson, who left Illinois as the career scoring leader and now ranks seventh with 1,692 points. "I like a guy that doesn't need a reason to work his way into a game over two minutes. You might not last two minutes. He came in with an aggressive nature."

Henry played with tape around his sprained right wrist. He's had ankle and knee injuries in the early season. Most coaches would shake their head at a player that launches a jumper on his first touch. That hasn't been the case with Henry.

"He has no fear," Weber said, adding, "He has a natural ability to score. It's just an amazing knack (for scoring). The other things he does well is rebound. He's a guy that this was good for him."

Many of Henry's 21 minutes Sunday came at the big-forward position. That's also where the freshman has worked most of the time in practice.

"I don't expect nothing to be given to me," Henry said. "I expect to fight for it."

"He comes every day with a smile," Weber said. "He just seems to keep getting better."

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The Illini's nonconference schedule got a boost with UNLV's 90-80 win against No. 1 North Carolina on Saturday night. Illinois hosts UNLV at the United Center on Dec. 17.

"It definitely made our schedule look a little more attractive," said Weber, who watched the second half of the upset. "There's no doubt."

UNLV returned most of the roster that lost to Illinois last March. Four of the starters that helped UNLV beat North Carolina played in the NCAA tournament game in Tulsa.

"It was a little bit of a surprise, but Carolina has a tendency to just get better as it goes," he said. "Sometimes games like that (will) wake you up. Everybody tells you how good you are and then all the sudden you get back to reality.

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Nathan Taphorn, a 6-foot-7 swingman from Pekin, attended Sunday's game. Several schools in the Midwest, including Illinois and Wisconsin, are recruiting Taphorn.

"It's been fun to get to know a few of the coaches," said Taphorn, a junior who added he doesn't have a favorite in the recruiting process. "Right now I'm just trying to get a feel for things. It's been a lot of fun."

Weber was in attendance for one of Pekin's games Saturday. Taphorn also is a standout golfer at Pekin, which won its conference and qualified for the Class 3A state tournament. Taphorn tied for 38th at the state tournament.

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D.J. Richardson continued to provide the most consistent scoring on the roster.

The junior made 3 of 8 three-point attempts, the fifth time in six games he's made multiple threes. He finished with 11 points in 18 minutes.

"I put in a lot of work," he said. "I really just take what the defense gives me. I try not to force anything and take the shots I practice."

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The coaches were most pleased with the Illini's effort. Given the noon tipoff, the caliber of opponent and the fact the game was played between Cancun and Maryland, coaches were uncertain if the team would be focused.

"I think the thing I was most positive about was I asked them to play well and play hard," Weber said. "It's a tough game. They know they were 0-5 coming in and had struggled. I thought our guys responded well."

Playing time was balanced. No one played more than Tracy Abrams' 24 minutes. Twelve players saw at 12 minutes. The coaches used the rout as a sort of audition for playing time, particularly since they stuck with a relatively short rotation in Cancun.

One player that figures to be buried on the depth chart is Ibrahima Djimde, who got a season-high 13 minutes Sunday. He made one field goal and grabbed two rebounds.

"I know we can use him two minutes here and there," Weber said. "He is as good a defender as any of our big guys."

— Paul Klee