Who is the most important recruit at Sunday's team camp? Vote here.

WHAT THEY SAID

"He's just always been considered older than he actually is."

RON ASHLAW, Waukegan coach on super-recruit JEREME RICHMOND, 17, who signed his first autograph at 14

WHAT I'M THINKING

Random thoughts

– I'm thinking LOU HENSON is back in Champaign-Urbana for the summer. The UI legend shared some knowledge last week at Savoy's Old Orchard Lanes.

– Henson on the alleged grade-changing scandal involving DERRICK ROSE: "Basketball is more popular today than it's ever been. So it's important for the universities to win. The high school people are under tremendous pressure, not only to win championships but also to get their kids in college. There's more pressure in basketball today than I think there's ever been. I think you always had some of that (grade-changing in the past). I think it could be more today because of the pressure from everybody involved."

– On whether he would recruit a one-and-done prospect nowadays: "I would do it, absolutely. If he's that good, you will have a good year. And if you recruit those guys and you know he's going to the pros, the next year it helps you get another one. I think you would do it. It can hurt you also. But if you can get a top player, I think you get him."

– On PHIL JACKSON'S nine-and-working-on-10-NBA-title-rings – is it the players or his work with the players? "Believe it or not, the better talent you have, the less coaching you do. Let me tell you a story. Phil Jackson, he sits there and half the time he has his legs crossed and he wins all the ballgames. Well, there's a young guy coaching in the NBA and coaching against Jackson. He said, 'I'll tell you one thing, at least we made him uncross his legs.' That's the kind of respect coaches have for him."

– On Illinois' season in 2008-09: "First of all, Illinois was better than I thought they were. It was no fluke. And I'll tell you why they're good. They were a tremendous shooting team. I think we probably led the league in assists. Well, one of the reasons we led the league in assists is because we shot the ball so well."

– On Illinois' rebounding issues: "You and I talked about their rebounding problems, but a lot of kids don't rebound well. That's just how it is. Forwards get more rebounds than centers because they're more agile and they have better pursuit of the ball."

– On junior-to-be center MIKE TISDALE: "I'm telling you this about Tisdale. I know he's not a good rebounder, but I look at the other side. He can beat you inside if you don't double-team. And he can beat you outside if you don't go out and guard him. Look what that does for your offense when he can step out 15-18 feet. It opens up everything."

– More on Tisdale (Henson's a fan): "Our Final Four team, we had Lowell Hamilton at center, and he was 6-6 or 6-7. He could step out. It opens everything up. I know he has some drawbacks. But I'll tell you he adds a lot to the ballclub, just not from the rebounding point of view. Defensively, I know he struggled. Basically he's a tremendous offensive player."

– On junior-to-be forward MIKE DAVIS: "He made vast improvement this year. Inside 18 feet, he's a tremendous shooter. If he can hit those shots, he's going to beat you. He can score inside, he can score from 15-18 feet. I really like him. I wish he was a little better offensive rebounder because he could be."

WHAT I'M READING

Headlines, deadlines and the best lines

The Bradley men's basketball coaches are making big summer plans for the team. Jim Les and his staff have committed to a 10-day August tour of Brazil with the nine returning scholarship Braves.

Peoria Journal-Star

(Tom) Izzo said he has spent the past month returning letters from fans who wrote him during the Final Four run. Nearly all of the notes were favorable.

Detroit Free Press

"Someone from Arkansas was doing papers, was doing me and some of my teammates' papers."

Former Arkansas guard Patrick Beverley (Arkansas Morning News)

WHAT I'M HEARING

In this corner, we believe everything we hear

– I'm hearing Illini forward DOMINIQUE KELLER and guard ALEX LEGION completed their tour of China and have returned to the U.S.. Coached by the UI's Sean Harrington, the Reach USA squad finished 4-3-1.

– I'm hearing the unofficial stats from the trip had Keller averaging 13.8 points (on about 41 percent shooting) and 7.5 rebounds. Legion averaged 15.8 points (42 percent shooting) and 6.6 rebounds.

– I'm hearing JERRY HESTER often uncovers some of the best insight. In discussing the NBA Finals, the former Illini forward dropped this nugget: "Think about this college staff: STU JACKSON as the head coach, STAN VAN GUNDY, SEAN MILLER and RAY McCALLUM as the assistants. That was the staff at Wisconsin that was recruiting me (in the early 1990s)."

– The names are familiar: Jackson is an NBA executive, Van Gundy took the Magic to the Finals, Miller is the head coach at Arizona and Ray McCallum is the head coach at Detroit. "Just think about all the knowledge on that staff," Hester said. "The film sessions would have been unbelievable."

– A color commentator with the Illini Sports Network, Hester said he hones his broadcast game during the NBA playoffs. "I've been analyzing these games like I'm on the air: 'What's he doing? Why is BEN WALLACE on RASHARD LEWIS?' ... Nobody's listening to me, though. It's just me talking to the TV."

WHAT'S HAPPENING (with the Illini)?

– Former Illini guard CHESTER FRAZIER is in the early stages of his stint as a student assistant. The UI staff is "keeping me busy," he said. With the players out of town on summer break, Frazier has been "mostly working on (summer) camps and stuff."

– If you're in town for the Illinois Shootout today, expect to see Frazier in attendance. "I'll be there," he said.

– One question that probably won't be answered until November, at the earliest: What is STAN SIMPSON'S role next season? The 6-foot-9 rising sophomore is coming off a redshirt season in which he "showed some signs," coach BRUCE WEBER said.

"He's a shot blocker, he's a rebounder, he's physical, he's strong. Without even lifting weights he's strong. He's just kind of naturally gifted," Weber said of Simpson, a Simeon product. "And he has the potential. Does he have the drive, the consistency, the motivation to really take a step? This summer will be a big period for him."

– On several occasions last season, Simpson missed practice sessions to spend more time with academics. Weber agreed that acclimating to college – and his work in the classroom – had to be more of a focus than basketball for Simpson during his first year.

– "For Stan, school was hard. Basketball was hard for him. And then he was the only freshman. I think that didn't help, either," Weber said. "Now he's through it. Now he understands it. Now what are you going to do with it? It's the same with Alex (Legion). He had a tough go, a tough transition.

"Now it's behind you and it's a new year. You can't look in the rearview mirror, you've got to look ahead. Hopefully both of those guys will do that."

– That's a thought worth remembering as four newcomers arrive in June. One man's opinion: The expectations placed on JOSEPH BERTRAND, TYLER GRIFFEY, BRANDON PAUL and D.J. RICHARDSON are too high. The promise is there, but these aren't program-changers right off the bat. There's a reason the state didn't produce a McDonald's All-American for the first time in years.

"I think with a lot of guys, it's a tough thing. Even with the four new guys, yeah, they're talented. But how will their transition and their acclimation to school be? You never know with guys," Weber said, still referring to Simpson. "I've been at it for a long time and sometimes I think, 'Oh, this guy is gonna be a breeze when he gets here.'

"Then all of a sudden he has a little freedom and he doesn't deal with it well. He starts having fun and not really concentrating. Then other guys that you would never think make the quick transition and they do."

WHAT'S HAPPENING (at the Illinois Shootout)?

– Five of the 14 teams scheduled to attend the Illinois team camp today are from Indiana. One of the top prospects among the Hoosiers is Gary (Ind.) Bowman Academy rising sophomore DeJUAN MARRERO, a 6-foot-5 swingman.

– Bowman coach MARVIN REA said Marrero averaged about 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Marrero left a mark as a freshman with a triple-double against East Chicago Central – "One of the better teams in the state," Rea said – in a double-overtime game in February.

– "For his age and how he goes after it, there's not many guys like him. He goes hard every time down the floor, diving for loose balls," Rea said. "He's played the 3 through the 5 for us. He can play in or out, great post moves and moves on the perimeter. There's not really anything he can't do."

– Bowman Academy is in its third year of existence, and Rea said the Class 1A program would be eligible for the postseason for the first time next season. "We will be the favorites to win (the state title) in Class 1A," Rea said, so it's apparent Marrero has some help. The coach said there are at least two other players with Division I scholarship offers.

– "I think the most important thing is that he's playing on a team that not only wants him to be good, but his teammates also hold him accountable," Rea said. "This will be our first graduating class. Those guys want to win because it's their last chance."

– Rea said Marrero is receiving interest from the likes of Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Cincinnati, among others. "He's receiving letters from just about everybody," the coach said.

– Coming off a state runner-up finish, Waukegan coach RON ASHLAW must replace News-Gazette All-State selection COLIN NICKERSON. But Waukegan still has the front-runner for Mr. Basketball, UI recruit Jereme Richmond, the reigning N-G All-State Player of the Year. "Jereme is coming (today)," Ashlaw said.

– Here's another reason to ignore summer results: Waukegan didn't win a game at the UI team camp last year (0-3) but advanced to the Class 4A state title game. The Bulldogs went 2-3 at a team camp last week at Riverside-Brookfield.

"Our expectations aren't super high with the results in team camps in June," Ashlaw said. "Summer is an indicator, for sure, but our guys need practice to be in sync and to get stuff going."

– Ashlaw said he wants to see Richmond in a different role this summer: "I want him to expand his perimeter game more than we've asked of him in the past." That could include, for example, defending the opponent's point guard.

"We're going to want him to play more on the perimeter more. He's pretty good out there already," Ashlaw said. "Get out there and work on your skills, work on your midrange game, work on your jump shot and continue to work on both ends of the floor. And we already know he can do that."

– As he said in The News-Gazette in April, Richmond would consider prep school for his senior season. That decision won't be made until it's learned whether his academics are in a position where he can qualify as a college freshman. Illinois prefers Richmond stay at Waukegan as a high school senior, and he would be the favorite to win Mr. Basketball.

"He's maturing, he's growing up, he's becoming more of a man and understanding how life works," Ashlaw said. "It's like the process our program is going through. The older you get, the more you realize what you have to put into things. And he's doing that."

– Carbondale Brehm Prep brings at least a pair of high-major prospects to the team camp: Illinois targets JAMES SIAKAM, a Class of 2011 forward listed at 6-foot-7, and EMMANUEL OCHENJE, a Class of 2012 forward listed at 6-9.

"James is a very athletic post-wing," Brehm Prep coach AARON LEE told IlliniHQ.com's JEREMY WERNER. "He can play both positions, and he's developing a perimeter game. He can score out on the wing as well as post up. He's explosive around the basket. He's starting to hit that 17- and 18-foot jump shot now. He's going to be extremely difficult to guard."

WHAT YOU ASKED

"Paul, What is your All-2000s Illini basketball team? Would you start Deron and Frank, and run them with Luther, Brian Cook and James Augustine? Or would you start Dee at the two guard and bring Frankie and Cory Bradford off the bench.? I think Frank's got to start but I wonder if he'd upset at not being able to bring the ball up the court. These are the things I wonder about at work. Thanks.

-Ryan, New York City

Ryan, you're hired. Here's my starting five: Frank Williams, Deron Williams, Luther Head, James Augustine and Brian Cook. Dee Brown is our sixth man, pre-injury Marcus Griffin is our Joey Dorsey off the bench, and reserve guard Cory Bradford has the green light. Co-head coaches Bill Self and Bruce Weber might clash in their own recruiting boardroom, but our scouting reports and defense will be unrivaled. We got next.

WHAT'S TWITTERING

Each week we'll pose a question on Twitter (Username: PKlee_IlliniHQ). Log on with your answers.

This week's question: Who's your starting five (plus two guys off the bench) for the All-2000s Illini squad? A few of the responses:

Chasadavis: Nitty (Frank Williams), D-Will, Sergio, Cook, Augie (Dee and Lu)

Illinitime: DWilliams, FWilliams, B-Cook, J. Augustine, S. Pruitt (L. Head and C. Bradford)

BigonDis: Deron, Dee, Luther, Cook, Augie (Frank Williams, Powell)

OskeeMoose: D. Williams, F. Williams, Head, Cook, Augustine (Brown, Archibald)

THE LIST

Five Illini to play in the NBA Finals:

1. Andy Phillip (Fort Wayne Pistons, 1955 and 1956; Boston Celtics, 1958)

2. Nick Weatherspoon (Washington Bullets, 1975)

3. Derek Harper (New York Knicks, 1994)

4. Nick Anderson (Orlando Magic, 1995)

5. Brian Cook (Los Angeles Lakers, 2004)

WHAT'S ON TAP

Today: Illinois Shootout, all day, Assembly Hall and Ubben.

Friday: UI junior Bill Cole's 20th birthday.

June 15: First day of summer classes at the UI.

June 15: Deadline for non-seniors – including Illinois State junior Osiris Eldridge – to withdraw their names from the NBA draft.

June 22-23: UI satellite team camp at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

June 25: NBA draft.

The Number

84 - Inches, the height of Illini recruit and Robinson center MEYERS LEONARD, who, according to UI records, would be the sixth 7-footer to play at Illinois

pklee@news-gazette.com