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Jordan's scholarship, Weber's pizza

Posted by: Paul Klee

Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:08 PM

Cleaning out today's notebook...

- Start with Jeff Jordan, who has been awarded a scholarship for the spring semester. It's the first time the lightly recruited walk-on has been on scholarship at Illinois.

Jordan was receiving some financial aid for his academics, but it was minimal. And I know what you're thinking - he doesn't need the financial help - but that's probably missing the point. At this point in his career, with a scholarship available, Jordan deserved to be on scholarship, and UI coach Bruce Weber said Jordan probably should have been put on scholarship in the fall.

"I think he's proven to us that he belongs. He's done a nice job of having a niche, having a role," Weber said today. "You saw he can be really a pest on defense. He pushes the ball on the fast break probably better than anyone, Chester (Frazier) or Demetri (McCamey)."

Just as Jordan's role has evolved, so have his own expectations.

"When I first came here, it was just about helping the guys out, and I was just trying to fit in with the team. The more I fit in, my goals kind of (got bigger)," Jordan said today, adding, "It (earning a scholarship) was definitely a goal early in this season."

- You've seen Jordan grow into a capable backup for Chester Frazier. Jordan told me today he's modeled much of his defensive work after Frazier, particularly the way Frazier fights through screens.

Even in the first few weeks after he arrived at Illinois, I saw something different with Jeff Jordan, as you might expect, and how his teammates look to him. I don't think you can really say other players looked up to him, because he's still their peer, but they certainly listened to his opinion and noticed the way he carries himself - more than they normally would with a freshman.

I think the decision to award Jeff Jordan a scholarship is part of Weber's tendency to plan ahead. He made Brian Randle a team captain as a sophomore, for example, and the coach already is asking, "Who's going to provide toughness?" next season.

When Chester Frazier is gone, Weber likes the idea of Jordan growing into a leadership role and thinks he's capable of carrying that type of a responsibility.

- It's been a good few days for Jordan. Last night he got a phone call from close friend Michael Thompson, the Northwestern point guard, after Thompson's Wildcats shocked Michigan State.

"He was excited. He called me. He played well. He had fun," Jordan said of Thompson." Hopefully they can keep winning and we'll see them later in the year."

- Northwestern's upset at Breslin Center ended Michigan State's 28-game homecourt winning streak. That leaves Illinois with the Big Ten's longest homecourt streak at seven games. The second-longest: Ohio State, with three straight home wins.

- The Daily Herald's Lindsey Willhite provides a historical perspective on Northwestern's Big Ten-shaking upset at Michigan State. Check out No. 4 on his list.

- Eastern Kentucky held a practice at Ubben Basketball Complex on its way to a game at Chicago State earlier this week.

- News-Gazette sports editor Jim Rossow says former Illini Eddie Johnson is returning to the Assembly Hall.

- Bob Knight is doing the Purdue-Minnesota game on ESPN.

"I like (Decatur's Lewis) Jackson in there, the pressure he puts on the ball," Knight said.

- Former Illini Brian Randle said he watches a lot of ESPN in Israel. He caught Illinois' win against Ohio State and called Bruce Weber yesterday to offer congratulations.

- As you know, Weber had his share of detractors last season. Now the Illini are 16-3, and his name would be lobbied around for the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.

"I'm not a better coach this year than I was last year," he said today. "Probably last year was even more of a challenge as a coach, to be honest."

Weber has said he tries to ignore the criticism. But I can tell you it bothered him last season, he knew it was there, and knows it will always be there.

"They had the 1-800-Fire-Coach-Keady one time. (And) he's going down as one of the all-time greats," Weber said. "Everybody goes through that. Coach (Bob) Knight did. Coach K had his bad year. Somewhere along the line, you'd probably find that Coach Wooden struggled."

For the record, John Wooden's worst record at UCLA was a 14-12 mark in 1959-60.

"Saturday, if we lose (to Wisconsin), the opinions going to go change," Weber said.

- This has been the quietest Illinois season since the 2005-06 campaign. No off-the-court trouble. No suspensions. Very few injuries. They go to practice, they watch film, they play the game. There's something to be said for quiet, and Weber said a team's struggles (such as last season) often can be explained by the extracurricular variables.

"The thing that people cannot appreciate (are) injuries, things that happen off the court, things you can't control. It affects your team so much," he said today. "You don't get to practice, you don't get continuity, you don't know who's coming and going.

"Everyone says, ‘Well, you're starting to blend and mesh together.' Well, when you don't play together and you don't practice together, it's tough to do."

- Weber's preferred meal after a win?

"I do like pizza. That's my favorite food," he said today. "As you can see by my beautiful figure, I do watch my weight."

And on a recruiting swing through the Chicago area yesterday, he decided against a pie.

"I passed up my favorite pizza place in the world and came home to eat healthy," he said.

Weber's favorite pizza joint? A spot in Lansing, Ill. When he's in the area, the coach calls ahead, and the restaurant's proprietor will cut his favorite pizza pie into smaller slices, so he can eat while driving. He's been going there for over 20 years.

- Coming Saturday on HQ: Is Chester Frazier the frontrunner for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year?

pklee@news-gazette.com

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