July madness a shoe-in for Howard

CHAMPAIGN – It was two days before Jerrance Howard would leave on a three-city tour to scout Illinois recruiting targets. He already was packed.

And there was a slight problem.

"Too many shoes," he says. "I had to get a bigger bag."

Thing is, Howard has a shoe fetish – at least during the July evaluation period. For an ongoing 10-day recruiting swing, from Las Vegas to Orlando to Phoenix, he packed five pairs: orange-and-brown Nikes, all-white Nike Air Force Ones, orange-and-white Nikes and a pair of Gucci loafers, all fit snugly into a checked bag.

"Other coaches make fun of me," he says. "They're wearing the same shoes, and I've got on a new pair almost every day."

Tread lightly, there's a method to his madness. There always is.

"Kids, the first thing they look at is your shoes. I'm serious," Howard says. "Are they exclusive? Can they get them in stores? Is that what Illinois is going to wear? That's what they look at."

Effectively packing a bag is a task Jerrance can solve. That, and saving the whales and stopping global warming, if you ask an Illinois fan. Nine months into his first year on the Illinois staff – is that all? – Jerrance is wrapping up his first July evaluation period as a full-time college assistant. The last three weeks have been Jerrance's Big Adventure, and not without folly and fun.

"Listen to this," he says.

It was July 6, the first day of the open period.

"I was rushing through the airport and I left my briefcase in the bathroom," he says. "I was going through the security line and I said, 'Where's my briefcase?' So I had to run all the way back, no shoes.

"I told the lady in security, 'Ma'm, you'll have to excuse me. My name is Jerrance Howard. I'm from the University of Illinois.' She said, 'Oh, my son went to the University of Illinois.' I said, 'Please, do us and Illinois a favor and just let me run right back into the line, I have to catch a flight.'

"That was like a soap opera. And that was Day 1."

At another event, Jerrance had his welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment.

"I'm standing there, under the basket, all decked out in orange," he says. "And I'm looking around. There's Roy Williams. There's Jim Boeheim. There's Billy Donovan. It was like, Wow."

The July madness is familiar and mostly tiresome to the old guard. To Jerrance, "Every day is like Christmas."

"We were just talking about it, and I told him this was my 30th summer of doing this," Illinois coach Bruce Weber says. "He might feel a little different about it later on."

"After 30 years, I can see where you could get a little burnt out on it," Jerrance says in reply. "You can wake up in a hotel room and not know what city you're in. You may be delayed on a flight, and you've got to make a 9 a.m. game.

"You've got to think like MacGyver: 'OK, I can drive here and make a flight there.' "

The hardest part at AAU games, Jerrance says, "is not getting too excited." He had to catch himself from clapping after an Illinois recruit scored a bucket and Jerrance "wanted to run onto the court and chest bump somebody."

"I'm an emotional person," he understates.

But for now, the positives outweigh the negatives. At one stop he reunited with Northwestern assistant Tavaras Hardy, Northern Illinois' Dennis Gates and Northeastern's Todd Townsend. "We all played for Larry Butler on Illinois Warriors," Jerrance says.

And there's a central theme in Jerrance's approach: "You want to separate yourself."

That's where the shoes come in. All five pairs.

"My thing is, I wear nothing but orange clothes. I get oranged out," he says. "A lot of coaches caught on to it and gave me a lot of slack. But a few of them said, 'That's a good look.' With that orange and the 'Illinois,' you kind of separate yourself from other colors. It's all about separating yourself."

Extended forecast
With six committed prospects in 2009 and 2010, Illinois has flexibility as it recruits forward. We asked News-Gazette college basketball writer Paul Klee for six in-state prospects on the Illinois radar. And, yes, there are others:

Wayne Blackshear, 6-5, SF, Curie (2011) — What’s not to love? A dynamic competitor who tries to dunk everything — and we like that

Philip Jackson, 6-9, C, Providence-St. Mel (2011) — Somewhat-overlooked prospect in loaded Mac Irvin Fire program, big man caught attention of UI coaches recently

Meyers Leonard, 6-10, C, Robinson (2010) —  UI recruits Jereme Richmond and Crandall Head have been in touch with July standout

Sam Thompson, 6-6, SF, Whitney Young (2011) — Plays for Illinois-friendly coach in Young’s Ty Slaughter, favorite team is North Carolina, could be state’s best college prospect

Donivine Stewart, 6-0, PG, Bartonville Limestone (2011) — Has a UI scholarship offer along with Peoria ties to assistants Wayne McClain and Jerrance Howard

Nnana Egwa, 6-9, C, St. Ignatius (2011) — Gradually improving teammate of another UI recruiting target, Chasson Randle, in Mike Mullins’ AAU program, Illinois Wolves

Comments

Add a Comment