Moderator: Greetings. Two things we can say about today: winter is still with us and I've returned to answer questions. Here we go!

Mark, St. Louis, MO: Hello Fred,

What is up with Gazette's new webpage? The webpage is not user friendly. I grew up in the area and relied upon the great information that was given such as area team schedules, scores etc.. It is too bad that it changed. I still enjoy your chats on IlliniHQ. Hopefully that will not change!

Thank you,

Mark

Moderator: Hi Mark. I understand your frustration. Let me say this, I’m certain the people doing the re-design didn’t wake up one day and say, “Hey, let’s create a web site that’s not user friendly.’ Obviously, that would be counter productive. Since that is a totally different department than mine, I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of what has gone on or what will be going on. I know it’s a time of transition. I’m confident in the long run things will work out and you and other viewers will be able to find the things you want and locate them when you want them. I’m like you, I want things done and done now, but the reality of the situation is that progress is slower than many of us would like. Let’s be patient and give a chance for all of the upgrades to be completed and everything to become fully operational. This is a massive undertaking. Hang in there with me and thanks for your comments. As far as I know, my chat will continue throughout the school year, barring conflicts or illness!

Dave C., Champaign, IL.: Fred, Went to see Centennial and Rayvonte Rice against Hillcrest on Sat. Rice was tremendous!Monster slams off alley oop passes, breakaways, and drives. Sometime he seemed to take the defender hanging on him with him to the basket. Steals, swishing 3's, free throws, monster defender.Chicago hoops .com says the Mr. Basketball race in Illinois is b/t Rice, Richmond and Blackshear and we all saw Rice outplay Richmond at Assembly Hall. How did Illinois miss him? Rice led Edison Middle school to the sate finals in 8th grade, so he didn't slip in the side door. Drake has a steal and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in the NBA before his sr. year.

Moderator: Hi Dave. You raise some interesting questions. As I analyze it, here’s what I see. One year ago at this time, most people (myself included) considered Rayvonte Rice a very good high school basketball player but as someone whose future was in football. It wasn’t until shortly after the state tournament last March that Rice made what I personally thought was a surprising announcement that he was going to forego his senior year of football and concentrate strictly on basketball. What has transpired in the past year is that he has elevated his game to levels that many people (myself included) did not believe was possible. Meanwhile, the folks at Drake were diligent in their recruitment and, if you remember, Rice gave a commitment very early in the school year. He will be part of an incoming class at Drake which was ranked No. 1 among all schools in the Missouri Valley Conference. When an athlete has a good offer, and can see other talented players that have committed or on the verge of committing, it’s always a gamble to delay the decision and hold out for what some people might perceive as a better offer. What if Rice had declined Drake’s offer and tore his ACL in the second game of the year? Where would he be? That question is just as valid as what if he had declined the offer and put together the season he has thus far? Hindsight is always 20-20. Yes, he would have more offers now than he had in August, but there’s another bigger issue in my mind. By committing early, Rice was able to alleviate the pressure to produce and impress coaches as a senior, he can relax and play ball, help his team and have no worries about trying to compile impressive statistics in order to get noticed. If he were still trying to secure a scholarship offer at this point, would his season have gone as well as it has? That’s anybody’s guess, but in my mind the answer is no. I’d prefer to credit Drake for their recruitment of Drake rather than to say another school missed out on Rice. In a recent blog, I made my position clear that I think he made an excellent choice. Thanks for asking.

tom egelston, champaign, il: fred who do you believe will make it through the wrestling sectionals to finals at assembly hall from the area?

Moderator: Hi Tom. Looking at our area qualifiers at the Springfield Lanphier Sectional in Class 2A, I see a lot of state-ranked and state-caliber competitors. It will require a great weekend from all who hope to advance. I believe those in the best position to make it through (by school) are Austin Armetta (Mahomet-Seymour, 145), Adam Acheson (Champaign Central, 160), Brandon Ward (Champaign Central, 171), Deshoun White (Champaign Central, 189) and Tyler Finkbeiner (Champaign Central, 215), Austen Schott (Centennial, 103) and Zack Palmer (Rantoul, 125). Also at Lanphier, I don’t believe there is a tougher weight class than at 152 pounds, which is where Urbana’s Cameron Mammen will compete. Based on this week’s state rankings by The Illinois Best Weekly, five of the top 11 wrestlers in Class 2A will participate at Lanphier. Only three will advance to state. Of those five ranked individuals, The Illinois Best Weekly lists Mammen, a freshman, as fifth at that site and 11th in the state. He’ll need to be on top of his game to secure one of the 12 total qualifying spots at state (three from each of four different sectionals). Thanks for asking.

tom e, champaign, il: fred which sports programs has urbana had a winning record in this year?

Moderator: Hi Tom. Before I answer, let me give this disclaimer. There are sports such as cross-country, golf, tennis and swimming where I am sure team records are kept for dual meets or triangulars, but our newspaper doesn't keep track of those records, so I don't have access to any of those. I know the girls' cross-country team made it to state, for example, but I don't have an actual team record. For the sports where I do have records, which would be football, volleyball, boys' soccer, wrestling, boys' basketball and girls' basketball, the Urbana teams with winning records thus far this school year would be volleyball (20-16) and boys' soccer (10-8-2). Thanks for the question.

Moderator: Looks like that's a warp for this week. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about again next week. see you then!