To receive  a phone call from Bruce Weber, click here

CHAMPAIGN — The school that put on a basketball practice inside a football stadium has another marketing effort that's drawing attention.

In an Internet skit produced by Illinois' Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, Bruce Weber interrupts his mock news conference to make a cell phone call to a supposed friend of the men's basketball program. To view the scene, readers need to supply a name and phone number. The name appears on a clipboard held by Weber, who then dials the submitted phone number resulting in an actual call to that number.

A taped message from Weber thanking supporters is played while the coach appears to be talking on a phone.

"The response has been incredible," UI associate athletic director Shawn Wax said. "When we first made it available, we started getting e-mails, voicemails, text-messages from people saying 'This is great.' "

Wax said the school began working on "Coach Weber Has An Announcement" about four months ago. The release was timed with the announcement that Illinois would play Western Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

"We wanted to create a buzz on the Internet while expanding and strengthening the I Fund brand," Wax said. "The most important part for us was to be able to say thank you to our donors. We wanted to find a creative way to do so."

Some Illini fans have logged on using phone numbers of acquaintances from rival schools, resulting in phone calls from Weber to unsuspecting parties.

"I had people call to say 'I just sent it to a Duke fan, a Michigan fan,' " Wax said. "We were looking for a certain cool factor, and we got it."
- Jim Rossow