Klee's corner

What They Said

"I think Kobe trusts me as far as passing me the ball when I'm open. Kobe trusts that when he passes me the ball, I can shoot well. I just hope I get more playing time next season and after that. That's something that I'd like. Everybody wants that, though. Everybody wants more playing time. But there's times when Kobe's in the zone, (and) he's making plays. Kobe is a great playmaker. He's always been a great playmaker. Then there's times when he gets in the zone and he demands the ball and he's shooting and shooting and shooting and he's making plays. You have to have your hands ready."

Brian Cook, on playing alongside NBA scoring champion Kobe Bryant

What I'm Thinking

Let's see: Bahamas or Columbus, Ohio. Bahamas or Columbus, Ohio. Yes, I'd take the Bahamas, too. That's what Bruce Weber and Chris Lowery did last weekend, when they traveled with their wives and a few Carbondale friends to the Bahamas for a quick vacation. The Webers and Lowerys, who were this close to hooking up in Columbus for a juicy second-round NCAA tournament game in March, found a more relaxing meeting place. On one sunny afternoon, Weber, the Illinois coach, and Lowery, the SIU coach, went snorkeling together. While underwater, they saw a shark. "Chris was back in the boat pretty quick," joked Weber, who has snorkeled before. Lowery said basketball talk was at a minimum. "We just enjoyed ourselves," he said. "We had a great time." There was no discussion of a possible series between Illinois and SIU, and I do not expect one as long as the two close friends remain at their respective schools. But as vacations go, with a dead period in recruiting and no games to play, "This is the time of year I just tell the coaches you have to get out of the office and be with your family and enjoy yourselves a little bit," Weber said.

What I'm Reading

Dante Anderson, Florida's consensus No. 1 boys' basketball prospect in the Class of 2008, was one of three killed early Saturday morning in an automobile accident on southwest 13th St.

(Note: Illinois was one of the numerous programs that, at one time, had been recruiting Anderson.)

– Gainesville Sun

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley is convinced that (coach) Billy Donovan will be on the Gators' bench next season – but he wouldn't be surprised if he hears the basketball coach's name linked to the Houston Rockets' just-opened vacancy.

– Florida Times-Union

I dare anyone to come up with a "Top 10 Moments from the 2007 Eastern Conference Playoffs" list. Go ahead. I dare you.

– Bill Simmons, ESPN.com

It was a black Monday for the University of Kentucky men's basketball program, as three key recruiting targets headed off to other schools.

– Louisville Courier-Journal

The wait for Patrick Patterson's decision is finally over. The McDonald's All-American from Huntington, W.Va., has picked the University of Kentucky and is signing a national letter-of-intent with the Wildcats (on Wednesday).

– Louisville Courier-Journal

(Memphis track and field athlete) Cassandra Harding told The Commercial Appeal that she knew she'd lose her scholarship if she got pregnant because she had signed a contract that said so. Harding said she considered having an abortion so she could keep the financial aid and that she knew former teammates who had had abortions to keep their scholarships.

– Memphis Commercial Appeal

The 400-pound royal Bengal tiger that has been LSU's mascot since 1990 died on Friday. ... Mike V was taken into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for selected basketball games. He began his stint as mascot at a basketball game against Alabama when current NBA star Shaquille O'Neal played for LSU.

– The Associated Press

– Be certain of one thing: Big Ten coaches, while it seems most of them appreciate Orlando "Tubby" Smith for his coaching ability, NCAA title ring and "good guy" rep, are not ecstatic to play his teams. Already, though, the Minnesota program is showing signs of Smith's stamp, according to Gophers beat writer Jeff Shelman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "The two biggest things Tubby has brought to Minnesota is a brand and hope," Shelman said. "In terms of recruiting, Tubby Smith is a brand name who gets the attention of recruits, their coaches and their parents. While he has a lot of work to do to upgrade the talent, he'll at least get involved with better players than before." And it is more than a touch-up job facing Smith, whose 1998 national championship highlights a distinguished resume. Dan Monson's seven-year Big Ten record at Minnesota: 44-68. "For the fans, (Smith) has brought an attitude that their team might actually get better," Shelman said. "There wasn't a lot of reason for optimism under the old regime."

– Like most of his basketball teammates, Illinois power forward – and prospective football tight end – C.J. Jackson has gone home in between academic sessions. At least for now, the plan is for Jackson to lift weights with the football team when he returns. There is no hurry in deciding which sport the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Jackson chooses to play, or if he will attempt to play both. A decision likely won't come for several weeks. If he plays football, Illinois basketball would have a third scholarship available for the 2008 recruiting class. But that won't be known for a while, either.

What's Happening

– Brian Randle's newest uniform: a cap and gown. A senior on the UI roster next season – he took a medical redshirt in 2004-05 – Randle walked with the graduating class of 2007 last week. The Peoria product plans to follow up an agricultural finance degree with a master's in sports management.

– Chester Frazier's mission over the next month? Patience. A season pimpled by injuries – thigh bruise, dislocated finger, strained knee, blistered feet, bum ankles, etc. – will be followed, for now at least, by rest and rehabilitation. It's a tough sell for the Illini's fiercest competitor, who relates chilling out to eyeball acupuncture. Frazier visited Bruce Weber's office Friday morning. The coach's message: "We're hoping he'll be patient," Weber said. "I told him to give me two more weeks of not trying to play or not trying to push it. You just want him to try to have a healthy body for the summer. I told him (when he goes home to Baltimore before summer session) to take it easy, please don't play any games. He's one of those guys who loves to play."

– Randle's recovery from mid-April groin-area surgery is under way. The 6-foot-7 forward recently was cleared for swimming pool workouts, jogging and light weightlifting and shooting drills. It might not be until July before he is moved onto the court for contact drills, and no one is going to rush the rehab. "This is going to be a slow process," Weber said.

– An area AAU program enjoyed a positive showing at the Adidas May Classic in Bloomington, Ind., last weekend. Illinois Elite's under-16 squad, with players from Champaign, Danville and Paris, rumbled to a runner-up finish with a 5-1 tournament record. The program, organized and coached by James Kinney Sr., is in its second season. "Exposure is the key to success," Kinney said. "We're a hard-working team right here from Champaign-Urbana. We're just looking to play good basketball. Once they go back to their (high) schools they'll be able to play up a notch."

– Illinois Elite's best player, James Kinney Jr., is a rising sophomore at Centennial High School. Kinney, whose primary club team is Illinois Stars, led by UI recruiting target D.J. Richardson, is a 6-1 guard whose talents are starting to gain notice. Kinney Sr. said a few Big Ten schools have shown interest early in the process, including Illinois and Indiana. "Things are starting to open up for him," Kinney Sr. said. "There are not a ton of letters; not like that. But after this season ended, they really started to pick up a little."

– Brian Cook's Basketball Camp is being touted as the first annual, though the Laker joined with fellow former Illini Jerrance Howard for a similar event last August. Organizers are hoping Howard can be involved in the Aug. 6-9 camp, though the Kentucky basketball staffer is getting married around the same time. "We're still really close," Cook said. "We talk as much as we can."

– For more info on Cook's camp, held on the University of Illinois campus, go to www.briancookcamps.com or call 888-815-5214. Cook's clinic does not overlap with the Illini boys' basketball camps, all eight of which are held in June. "In Champaign, it's a time (August) when not too many people got too much going on. Other camps might be over by then," Cook said. "Hopefully we'll get some kids out there that want to learn and have a good time."

– Illinois is looking for one more game to fill out its nonconference schedule. For fans with a travel budget to match their orange and blue fervor, Hawaii is the place to be in November. Three games in the Maui Invitational (Nov. 18-21) will be preceded by a contest at the University of Hawaii on Nov. 16.

What's On Tap

– Today: Deron Williams and Dee Brown's Utah Jazz meet the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA's Western Conference finals (2:30 p.m., ABC). Illini coaches are hoping to attend one of the games in San Antonio, their schedule permitting.

– Tuesday: Utah at San Antonio, Game 2 (8 p.m., ESPN).

– Friday-Sunday: Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, AAU tournament, in North Carolina.

– Friday-Sunday: Chicago Shootout, AAU tournament, at Deerfield.

– Saturday: San Antonio at Utah, Game 3 (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

What Was That

What's the latest on (Shaun) Pruitt? Is he going to stay in the draft? – Stan L., Naperville

"That won't be known until June 18 – at the latest. A decision probably will come before the NBA's early-entry withdrawal deadline, though, since the Illinois staff has encouraged the junior center to be enrolled for summer session June 11. As of late last week, Pruitt and senior Warren Carter had not received invitations to the Orlando predraft camp (May 29-June 3). The first batch of invitations were delivered early last week, and selected players were given a short (two- or three-day) window to RSVP. There's still time, however, for Pruitt and Carter to get a good-news letter. A second batch of letters follows the first, as the Orlando committee sifts through the initial invitees and prepares rosters.

The List

The NBA's great conspiracy day is Tuesday (7:30 p.m., ESPN). That's when pingpong balls decide the lottery order for the June 28 draft. Who will sit atop the Greg Oden draft? Below, the lottery teams with their odds of securing the No. 1 pick and who they would select in that position (if early entries stay in the draft):

1. Memphis, (25 percent) – As certain as a Spurs-Pistons Finals: Oden, Ohio State

2. Boston (19.9) – See above: Kevin Durant, Texas

3. Milwaukee (15.6) – Too promising to pass up: Brandan Wright, North Carolina

4. Atlanta (11.9) – We'd say Yao Ming turned out better than okay: Yi Jianlian, China

5. Seattle (8.8) – Is he Shawn Marion or Scotty Thurman? Corey Brewer, Florida

6. Portland (5.3) – Tattoo-less Hoya a versatile old-schooler: Jeff Green, Georgetown

7. Minnesota (5.3) – Can Daequan Cook give Ohio State three in the lottery? Mike Conley

8. Charlotte (1.9) – Like Utah's Paul Millsap, but better: Al Horford, Florida

9. Chicago/New York (1.9) – If Bulls leap to top three, conspiracies begin: Joakim Noah, Florida

10. Sacramento (1.8) – Too high for frosh? Maybe: Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech

11. Indiana (0.8) – Pacers could stomach Jermaine O'Neal trade: Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

12. Philadelphia (0.7) – Stunning that the Huskies missed the NIT: Spencer Hawes, Washington

13. New Orleans (0.6) – The (falling) Brady Quinn of this draft: Julian Wright, Kansas

14. L.A. Clippers (0.5) – As uncertain as Doug Collins' natural haircolor: Acie Law, Texas A&M

The Number

15.8 – scoring average for Utah's Deron Williams in four meetings with San Antonio this season

Comments

Add a Comment