Freshmen blend in to help men’s basketball start strong

Illinois' D.J. Richardson (1) goes up for a dunk during the basketball game against NIU at Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. Richardson had two steals and five points helping the Illini to an 80-61 victory.
Michael Stein The Daily Illini

Editors Note: This story was published in the Fall 2009 semester in review edition.

What happened: After falling to Western Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last season, Illinois won eight of its first 10 games of the 2009-10 campaign. The Illini’s offensive prowess carried them to victories in their first four games, all of which were at home against smaller programs.
But the team’s defense was tested when it competed in the Las Vegas Invitational during Thanksgiving Break. Illinois dropped both of its games in Sin City, as its defense faltered in the second half of each game. The team fell to Utah on a last-second shot after leading the game by 16 at the half, and it went on to lose to Bradley the next day.
“We’re having some growing pains right now, but we’ll get through it,” junior forward Mike Davis said after the team returned from Las Vegas. “I’m kind of happy that we lost those two games because it’s an eye opener. You can’t go into every game thinking you’re going to win by 40, because you’re not. I’m kind of happy that we lost because now guys are motivated and we need to win.”
What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas, though, as Bruce Weber’s squad went on to win its next four games, including victories against then-No. 18 Clemson and a Vanderbilt team on the rise.

Best game: Illinois’ 23-point comeback win at Clemson on Dec. 2 to help the Big Ten win the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time in conference history easily takes this category. The Illini’s 76-74 win against the Tigers completed the largest comeback in school history and garnered attention around the nation. Junior guard Demetri McCamey got into foul trouble in the first half, and the team couldn’t stop turning over the ball. But the momentum quickly changed hands after the break.
“At halftime, I thought Coach would come in there and yell at us and scream at us,” said Davis, who led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds. “He sat down with us, sat in a chair and talked to us like men. And we came out in the second half and kept our heads up and fought hard and won.”

Biggest surprise: Freshman guard Brandon Paul wasn’t even the top recruit for the Illini this season (D.J. Richardson was ranked higher by most media outlets), but his sharp shooting and modesty has quickly attracted the attention of fans. The Gurnee, Ill., native led the squad with 22 points in its season-opening win against SIU-Edwardsville — the most an Illini freshman has ever scored in his debut.
“I had a little bit of butterflies, but after the first couple of plays, I just went after it, so all of the butterflies came out and I just had a lot of confidence,” Paul said following the game.
Paul may quietly be emerging as one of the Illini’s top players for the next few years.
“He’s not real emotional,” Weber said. “He’s just cool and calm, and he doesn’t get real excited. You get a smile on him once in a while.”

Best quote: “He’s used to kind of just Tiny-Tim tip-toeing through the tulips. There’s no flowers out on the court, you have to go, you have to play — knock somebody over. If we can get him to do that, and compete, he has a chance to be successful.” — Head coach Bruce Weber on junior guard Alex Legion