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Former Illini Trent Meacham is moving up the overseas ladder.

After his first two seasons in Europe — one in Austria, one in Germany — Meacham said he has signed a contract to play next season in the top league in France. The Centennial grad will suit up for the franchise Levallois-Paris.

"It's just really nice to have a decision out of the way," Meacham said during a visit home in Champaign. "We (he and his wife Theresa) don't have to worry about where we're going to be. It's a good feeling."

Meacham last season played in 42 games with the German franchise Goettingen. He averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 32 percent from three. Arguably his finest performance came against Besiktas, a team from Turkey that featured future NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. Meacham had 31 points against Besiktas.

The overseas gig has allowed the Meachams to see much of Europe. This season he played in Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Serbia and Ukraine.

Meacham said the move from Germany to France probably would be considered a step up — and the pay is better — but he doesn't expect there to be a big difference in the level of basketball. The German league is more "Americanized," he said, with more American coaches and players than in Germany.

Thankfully, Meacham is recovered from a nasty injury he sustained during a game in Italy. On a drive to the basket, he fell hard on his right elbow, his arm twisting in a way your arm is not supposed to twist.

"I was really close to shattering my arm," he said.

Meacham worked out and visited with former players and coaches this week at the Ubben Basketball Complex. He is one of the former players planning to attend the Illini Alumni Basketball Game at the Assembly Hall on Aug. 6.

"That should be fun," he said. "Any time you get that many guys to come back it's going to be a good time."

***

As he makes the predraft rounds, former Illini Mike Davis has noticed similarities in each of the NBA workouts he has attended.

The testing drills have been mainly the same. Teams test his numbers in the max vertical leap, 40-yard dash, lane agility, three-quarter court sprint, etc.

Also, three of the four workouts included six prospects. The only one that had five prospects was a workout with the Thunder and former Illini Jereme Richmond, the sixth, did not participate for unknown reasons.

When Davis worked out for the Bulls on Thursday, for example, that allowed for one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three drills.

"It's been pretty much the same everywhere I've gone," Davis said Thursday.

While much of the predraft focus is on players projected to be first-rounders, there are dozens more that receive less media attention but go through the same workout process.

A 6-foot-9 forward, Davis has performed for the Thunder, Wizards, Knicks and Bulls. He might work out for the Pacers prior to Thursday's NBA draft in New York City.

The feedback Davis has received from scouts has been similar, as well.

"All the teams say I'm an NBA athlete. Athletically, it's not a problem," said Davis, who left Illinois as the program's second-leading career rebounder. "Then they all say I have to get bigger and be able to hold my ground. I've been shooting the ball pretty well in all the workouts. I'm trying to put the ball on the floor and use my athleticism to get to the rim.

"They've given me pretty good feedback overall. But it's pretty much the same thing over and over: I'm an NBA athlete but need to get stronger."

His Bulls workout on Thursday also involved in-state prospects Juice Thompson (Northwestern) and Xavier Silas (Northern Illinois).

One-on-one interviews are another aspect of the predraft process. Davis said he has noticed similarities there, as well.

"It's mainly basketball stuff," he said. "How long have you been playing? What were your best five games? What were your worst five games? Then there are some questions about your mom and dad. Where did they go to school? What do they do for a job?"

***

The Big Ten has announced the "single-play" games for the 2011-12 conference schedule.

Illinois will host home games against Iowa and Michigan State and won't play in Iowa City or East Lansing. The Illini will play at Indiana and Penn State but won't get either in Champaign.

Who got the best draw? It might be Iowa, which has single-plays against Ohio State (the preseason favorite), Michigan State, Michigan and Illinois.

And the worst draw? It might be Michigan State, which gets Iowa, Penn State, Illinois and Northwestern only once apiece.

***

In the latest attempt to dig itself out of a basketball hole, Indiana is bringing back one of its best players to join Tom Crean's staff.

Calbert Cheaney was introduced Saturday as the director of basketball operations. Cheaney is the program's career-scoring leader and was the player of the year in 1993. He spent the past two years as a special assistant with the Golden State Warriors.

The Hoosiers are 8-46 in Big Ten play in Crean's first three seasons.

***

Whether Meyers Leonard is named to a USA Basketball roster will be determined on his approach to the tryouts as much as how he plays.

On several occasions, Illinois coach Bruce Weber has said the selection committee is looking for "toughness" and "consistency" from the candidates.

Leonard is one of 21 players trying out for USA Basketball's U19 squad that will compete in the World Championships in Latvia. The Illini's 7-foot sophomore participated in the tryouts on Friday and Saturday. The final tryout is today.

"Meyers has a good chance (to make the cut), but he's got to prove it over the next couple days and be consistent," Weber told Jim Turpin and Loren Tate on "Saturday Sportsline". "I think the biggest thing, going to USA Basketball for several years, is to see who can grind it out. They know that when you go on a trip — and (this team) goes to Latvia — it's a long thing.

"They want some guys with maturity and toughness that can go the course. If you're going to win the gold, you've got to win ever game. You can't have one slip-up."

Weber, who is in Colorado Springs for the tryouts, said Leonard has at least one advantage over the other 20 players.

He's taller than all of them. Leonard actually is the only true center in the trials.

"I thought he played well (on Friday). He is the biggest player by far, which is a positive thing," Weber said. "The big kid from Florida who played on a very good Florida team this year, Patric Young, also played last year on the U19 last year. He was one of the better players, so I think he's going to make it as one of the big guys."

The 12-player final roster will be announced today. The players that make the cut will stay at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for an extended training camp.

"I hope I come back on the plane (to Illinois) by myself," Weber said.

***

Devin Langford’s quest to play basketball at Illinois appears to have taken a step forward.

Langford said late Saturday he has arrived in Champaign-Urbana and will begin summer school classes at the UI on Monday.

“Just moved in my dorm,” Langford wrote in a text message.

It was unclear late Saturday if that meant the Huntsville (Ala.) Lee product had been cleared by the NCAA to play at Illinois as a freshman.

Regardless, his arrival is progress.

Weber said earlier Saturday that Langford, a 6-7 swingman, could be in summer classes “Monday or Tuesday if things fall into place.”

It appears they did — or at least are on their way to falling into place.

***
The case with Ibrahima Djimde is not as clear-cut.

With Djimde, it is both an NCAA and an Illinois issue, Weber said. As Huntington (W.Va.) Prep coach Rob Fulford said last week, Djimde recently retook the SAT in an attempt to improve his score.

“Now we’re just kind of waiting for that final score to see where he’s at and get everything cleared,” Weber said. “And also we’ve got to worry about admissions at our place also.”

Illinois would like to include all of the freshmen on its basketball tour of Italy in August. For that to happen, they need to pass at least one summer course at the UI. Weber said that would be possible for Djimde even if he doesn’t arrive in June.

“Both those guys (Djimde and Langford), if we could get them here in the next couple weeks, by July 5, I think we could get them in a course,” Weber said on “Saturday Sportsline.” “Then they would have to pass it in the four-week class and they could go with us on Aug. 10 (to Italy).”

The other five newcomers — freshmen Tracy Abrams, Nnanna Egwu, Mycheal Henry and Mike Shaw and senior Sam Maniscalco — are taking summer classes and working out at Ubben Basketball Complex.

“It’s not going as fast as we would hope (with Djimde),” Weber said. “But you’ve got to realize the NCAA is analyzing a lot of classes for a lot of kids around the country.”

***

What to expect of Djimde, a 6-foot-7 post player, if or when he arrives at Illinois?

"It just depends. I think right now he's going to come in as an undersized center," said Fulford, the coach at Huntington Prep. "But it's like I told most people: To him, it's not undersized. He goes against a 7-4, 350-pound kid here every day in practice. He's not going to be wowed by size."

Fulford was referring to Sim Bhullar, a huge (literally) prospect that has committed to Xavier. Bhullar and Djimde were teammates at Huntington Prep.

"He (Djimde) is a hard-working kid. He's a high-level rebounder. He can score around the basket," Fulford said. "As the years progress he'll get better with a face-up game, as far as putting the ball on the floor and making plays.

"He's going to be a very good player in that league. It's a matter of getting bigger, getting stronger, getting the skill level tightened up a bit. He's going to be a very good player in the Big Ten, there's no question."

Paul Klee covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at pklee@news-gazette.com.