Illinois coach Bruce Weber received signed letters of intent from four recruits on the first day of the early signing period Wednesday. Here’s Weber’s take on the 2009 recruiting class, courtesy of beat writer Paul Klee:

D.J. Richardson

6-3, Guard, Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep/ Peoria Central

Bruce Weber on Richardson's position: "I think when I first started watching him, he was a 2-3. I think now he's gotten to a point where he can play some point. He's definitely a 1-2-3. He can definitely guard (defend) a point guard. His ball handling and passing skills have gotten better."

On Richardson's talents: "D.J. has great explosion, athleticism. He plays so hard. He's got that toughness. He'll have some experience the other guys won't have because of travel with his prep school."

On playing as freshmen: "If they're as good as everybody anticipates, and we lose those guards (Calvin Brock, Chester Frazier, Trent Meacham), we need them to be successful. They're pretty driven. D.J.'s got that toughness. Brandon's developing that, the love of playing and competing. Joseph, his coaches are trying to get his fire going. And I think Tyler really likes to play."

On the guards' senior seasons: "One thing I've emphasized to all three of them is they have to have great senior years. They've got to keep improving. I want them to look forward to being here, but don't skip your senior year. That will determine which one will help the quickest and get the most minutes next year."

Brandon Paul

6-3, Guard, Warren

Bruce Weber on Paul's summer: "At the NBA development camp, his team won the championship. At the LeBron James Nike camp, his team won the championship. His team at the Peach Jam – his team actually teamed up with D.J. Richardson – they were in the final group there. His team also had success with (Team) NLP, Dickey Simpkins' group, in Orlando."

On Paul's background: "Mom (Lynda Paul) has actually been a coach and coaches boys. She runs a camp in the summer. His dad (Cliff Paul) is a police officer. His brother goes to school here; he's a junior in the business school. So they have a relationship with Illinois. He's a another young man that wanted to be here."

On recruiting three guards: "I think all three of them, (you say) what are they? All three of them are combo guards. Each one may be a different (version). One might be a 3-2-1, the other a 1-2-3, the other a 2-1-3, if you're looking at positions. But I think the big thing is (that) they're players."

Joseph Bertrand

6-5, Guard, Sterling

Bruce Weber on Bertrand's recruiting background: "His high school coach (Peter Goff) is also an SIU grad. He was Chris Lowery's (summer school) roommate. He started telling me he thought he had a player in ninth grade. He thought he had the potential to play at Illinois. I had developed a relationship with him (Goff) through Chris. He was around our program quite a bit when I was at SIU."

On Bertrand's athleticism: "I think they (the three guards) are all athletic. Joseph has a lot of natural ability. He was an elite tennis player in middle school. He was a gymnast when he was young. So he just has a lot of natural ability. He's got great length. He's got a basketball body; he's continued to grow."

On Bertrand's talents: "Joseph, maybe his best attribute is his passing, his feel for the game. He had some major games here in Assembly Hall last year and in the shootout in the summer at one of our team events. He played very, very well. He's shown the ability to score. He also passes the ball. I wouldn't be surprised if he grows another inch or 2. His brother plays at Augustana, and his grandfather was the first African-American starter at Notre Dame."

Tyler Griffey

6-8, Forward, Wildwood (Mo.) Lafayette

On Griffey's recruiting background: "He's from the same (high) school as Robert Archibald. I actually got to know his coach (Dave Porter) because I tried to recruit Robert years ago. ... Dave developed a relationship with Illinois from Robert coming to Illinois. We had a relationship with him, and he talked about Tyler in eighth grade. He goes, 'I got a good one coming up.'"

On Griffey's playing experience: "Tyler probably didn't get as much notoriety or exposure as some of these other guys. He was with adidas Nations, a group of elite players that adidas has chosen. Tyler's had a chance to play throughout the world. He's been to Africa, France twice, and all over the country."

On Griffey's talents: "When I describe him, I say he's an international (type of) forward, one of those new style forwards, a face-up forward who can shoot the ball, pass the ball. His body is developed. ... People that did see him with adidas Nations, you go back at some reports and they say he could have been a top-25 player in the country. It just kind of depends where you watch him. We're very excited about him."