Klee's Corner - McCamey excels in spring

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WHAT I'M HEARING
- I'm hearing former UI guard JAMAR SMITH has another hurdle to climb. Southern Indiana coach RICK HERDES resigned last week and an NCAA investigation led the school to forfeit 27 wins from last season. BRUCE WEBER talked to Smith after it all went down.

"Just when Jamar thought it couldn't get worse, maybe it did," Weber said. "I just told him (that) he's got to stay positive and deal with it and you can't worry about things you can't control. If he wants to get a chance to play later on, he's got to keep getting better."

- SEAN HARRINGTON just finished his first season as the UI's director of basketball operations, and I'm hearing he has done a bang-up job. At some point the former NIU assistant would like to get back into the coaching side of things. He will be the head coach for a nine-player roster that will tour China from May 23-June 4.

"The experience of being a head coach, that's huge," Harrington said. "I have some coaching experience and want to get some more. I'll have the chance to draw plays, make substitutions, timeouts. It's all the things you pay attention to during games, but it's a whole different thing when you have to do it yourself."

- As a player at Illinois, Harrington played on a Big Ten-sponsored tour of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. He was going into his senior year, but teammate ROGER POWELL was going into his sophomore year and the extra playing time was valuable for Powell. The UI is hoping for the same with Alex Legion, who's on the China squad.

"We played seven games against good competition. That was two weeks that you were pretty focused in a game-like atmosphere," Harrington said. "I think Roger really benefited from that when he went. I had played for three years. I think Roger was going into this sophomore year. So that was good for him to get game experience."

- Staffers are limited in how much they can work with players in the offseason, though Harrington took in most of the spring workouts with the Illini.

"I think a lot of the guys recognize the weaknesses they have. They're working on those things," he said. "We had a good year and I think everyone wants to build on that. I think that's been the attitude of our guys, to build on it. ... The key's going to be when they go home, and what they do for those three or four weeks when they're on their own."

- I'm hearing Sterling coach PETER GOFF is fired up about being hired as the basketball coach at Bloomington High School. Goff, who has coached UI recruit Joseph Bertrand the last four seasons, said he learned through Weber the job was open.

"I'll be at every (Illinois) game now," Goff said with a laugh.

"It's great for him," Bertrand said Friday.

- I'm hearing Bertrand plans on arriving at the UI on June 12 for a freshman orientation. "It's coming up soon," he said. The 6-foot-5 guard graduates from Sterling on May 24, the same day his older brother graduates from Augustana College.

- I'm hearing JERRANCE HOWARD'S pay raise will make him the highest-paid assistant on the Illinois staff. The 28-year-old is expected to see his compensation bumped from $120,000 to $180,000 when the UI Board of Trustees meets next week.

- I'm hearing Howard will make more than ninth-year assistant WAYNE McCLAIN ($138,000) and seventh-year assistant JAY PRICE ($125,000), according to the latest figures available from the university. I'm hearing McClain and Price were asked about Howard's raise before it was proposed, and they were cool with it.

- I'm hearing I asked Weber for one player that stood out during spring workouts with the Illini.

"I would say DEMETRI (McCAMEY)," Weber said. "Just his mindset, a little bit of his work ethic. He's not there yet, but I think he understands what he needs to do."

pklee@news-gazette.com

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