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#34 Illinois Fighting
Illini
Big Ten
2004-05: 37-2, 15-1, 1st
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Dee Brown and James
Augustine return, Brian Randle is back from injury and Warren
Carter and Rich McBride are poised for breakout seasons after
waiting patiently on the bench. Yet
Illinois has far more
questions and far less talent than a year ago.
Who’s Out:
The Illini had the same starting lineup for all 39 of their
games last year. Three of those guys are gone in Luther Head,
Deron Williams and Roger Powell, Jr. Head led the squad with
15.9 points. Williams had a team high 6.8 assists and tacked on
12.5 points and Powell averaged 12.0 points and 5.7 boards. Jack
Ingram and Nick Smith were the first two big men off the bench
and played a bigger than expected role for the national
runner-ups. Also heading out of Champaign is little used forward
Fred Nkemdi.
Who’s In:
This isn’t as nice of a list as the
Illini faithful would hope considering the success of the
program. Of course, recruiting is always a year ahead, so we’ll
have to wait another year for a really good class. This year’s
newcomers are solid enough to compete for playing time
immediately and be big factors in the future. Point guard
Chester Frazier has some potential, but will most likely need
some time to adjust to the level of play in the Big Ten. Jamar
Smith, a native of Peoria, Illinois, is a tremendous shooter and
could be asked to partially fill in shooting the long ball in
the absence of Luther Head and Deron Williams. Charles Jackson’s
background as a tight end gives the 6-8, 265 pounder great hands
and quick feet under the basket. The players who will make the
biggest impact this year spent last year on the Illini sidelines
during the magical season. Calvin Brock redshirted during the
2004-2005 campaign. The 6-3 guard is a quality scorer and will
earn some minutes this year. Brian Randle broke his hand in
November and took a medical redshirt year. Randle earned nine
starts two years ago as a freshman and the 6-7 forward should be
starting this year. Marcus Arnold left Illinois State to play in
the Big Ten. The 6-8 forward averaged 12.3 points in 27 starts
as a sophomore for ISU.
Who to Watch:
They call him a one man fast break.
Now Dee Brown is also a one-headed monster since the other two
heads that comprised the Illini backcourt are gone. Brown
averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game last
year. His scoring might not go up even with all the departures,
but that would be fine if he can successfully take over the
point guard duties from Deron Williams.
Projected
Conference Rank:
The frontcourt suddenly becomes the
strength with James Augustine, Brian Randle, Warren Carter,
Marcus Arnold and a developing Shaun Pruitt. Illinois will have
some problems this year, but Coach Bruce Weber has proven he can
do a quality job on the sidelines. A 6th place finish
in the Big Ten isn’t creating a dynasty in Champaign, but it is
good enough for a trip back to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Dee Brown, Senior,
Guard, 13.3 points per game
Rich McBride, Junior,
Guard, 2.6 points per game
Brian Randle,
Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season
Marcus Arnold, Junior,
Forward, DNP last season
James Augustine,
Senior, Forward, 10.1 points per game
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