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Wednesday, July 25
Updated: July 27, 9:29 AM ET
Williams still running the show at Illinois
By Jeff Potrykus
Special to ESPN.com
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Less than 24 hours after seeing his team's season crash and burn in a
loss to Arizona in the Midwest Regional final, Illinois coach Bill Self
predicted a chance for even greater success for the Illini this season.
|  | | Frank Williams left no doubt that he was coming back for his junior season. |
"If all the pieces remain in place," he said at the time, "this team
could be better next season."
When point guard Frank Williams, the Big Ten Player of the Year last
season, decided to return to Illinois for his junior season, any doubts about
the Illini's ability to make another run at the Final Four evaporated.
"Frankie Williams is the type of player that can dominate a game,"
Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. "He took over against us."
Williams helped the Illini subdue Snyder's team in an entertaining
non-conference game in late December, guided the Illini to a share of the Big
Ten regular-season title and then into the Elite Eight. However, his
memorable season ended with a forgettable line in the loss to Arizona -- nine
points on 3-for-15 shooting, with five assists and five turnovers.
Immediately after the loss Williams pledged to return to Illinois.
Williams had no reason to rethink his decision after a bit of research
revealed he could use another year of college ball before turning pro.
"The loss hurt Frank," Illinois assistant Norman Roberts said. "And Frank
saw how good it was to make it to that level and how much fun he could have
to make it even further. That is one of the things that kept Frank here. He
wanted to come back and show people he can be even better.
"And there are some things that Frank needs to work on. Being a leader
and running a team. A big thing for him this year is that Sergio (McClain) and Marcus (Griffin)
are gone. They were a cushion for him."
Griffin gave the Illini a consistent inside presence; McClain
provided leadership, defensive versatility and a warrior mentality.
"Serge gave you an air of toughness," Roberts said. "He was so physical.
He was a winner. He was never going to let anybody beat him."
But with Williams back to run the team, six other experienced veterans
and a talented incoming class, the Illini clearly will be the class of the
Big Ten until some team proves otherwise.
In addition, Self has a track record of marked improvement after his
initial season at a school.
At Oral Roberts, Self's teams finished 6-21, 10-17, 18-9 and 22-6. At
Tulsa, his teams finished 19-12, 23-10 and 32-5. The numbers to improve this
season with the Illini: 27-8.
"We've been through this as a staff," said Roberts, who worked under Self
for two seasons at Oral Roberts and all three at Tulsa. "We've been fortunate
to have them play good right away but that following year we seem to play a
lot better because the kids are more comfortable. And we're actually more
comfortable with them.
"Plus we have some young men coming in who we think are going to add
athletic ability. They will give us a little bit more creativity than we had
last year. We think we can be even deeper this year."
That would be bad news for the rest of the Big Ten, since the Illini were
arguably the deepest team in the conference last season.
After Williams, perhaps the player with the most potential to dominate a
game is forward-center Brian Cook, a junior who has been
criticized for a lack of aggressiveness. Roberts believes the departure of
Griffin and McClain will allow Cook to step forward and accept a greater
leadership role.
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This is his team. It is his team and our guys are going
to follow what he does. That is going to help prepare him for the next level. ” |
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— Illinois assistant Norman Roberts,
on point guard Frank Williams |
"He is such a good kid and cares about the team that I think he did not
want to step on any toes," Roberts said. "I think he felt Sergio and Marcus
are our seniors and our leaders. It is their show.
"I think with Marcus and Sergio gone, he'll be more aggressive on the
court knowing that we need more from him."
Nonetheless, the player from whom the coaches will expect the most will
be Williams.
"This is his team," Roberts said. "It is his team and our guys are going
to follow what he does. That is going to help prepare him for the next level."
It might just lead Illinois to the next level as well.
Searching for answers
Tom Izzo built the Michigan State program and eventually carried home a
national title on the backs of seniors, players who opted to put the NBA on
hold.
Yet after losing sophomore Jason Richardson and freshman Zach Randolph to
the NBA, as well as seeing several key seniors depart, Izzo faces a
rebuilding job and questions about adjusting his recruiting philosophy.
Forget about catching Illinois this season. Izzo's No. 1 concern will be
how to recruit players as gifted as Richardson and Randolph and convince them
to avoid using East Lansing as a pit stop.
"Did I think Zach and J.R. could leave early? Yes," Izzo said recently on
a radio show. "Did I think they'd leave us this quick? Probably not. But
times are changing.
"I don't think there is any question you need the best players. But yet
you need some continuity, too. You need some people to be around a while if
you're going to win championships."
One such player is incoming freshman Kelvin Torbert, rated by several
analysts as the No. 1 shooting guard in the country. It seems inevitable that
Torbert will face questions about the NBA if he enjoys an outstanding
freshman season.
"That is the task we are left with as college coaches," Izzo said. "I
don't really have a good answer for that right now except to get the best
players I can get and make their experience good enough where they'll stick
around a little bit."
Stay off our turf
Dan Monson has Minnesota fans excited about their Gophers again.
Not only did Monson guide an injury-ravaged team into the second round of
the NIT last season, surpassing anyone's expectations, but he appears to be
winning over the state's top high-school talent.
Remember when then-Minnesota coach Clem Haskins failed to keep
All-American guard Khalid-El Amin in state? All El-Amin did was lead
Connecticut to a national title in 1999.
Monson scored a major victory last year when he convinced Duluth East
forward Rick Rickert, one of the top 10 prospects in the nation, to play for
the Gophers. Rickert, who averaged 29 points per game as a senior, could
become the first Minnesota player to be named Freshman of the Year in the Big
Ten.
In addition to Rickert, Monson landed Highland Park guard Maurice
Hargrow, one of the top prospects in the Midwest.
It appears Monson is building a solid program the right way, by first
fortifying his home base.
Wise choices for Iowa duo
Iowa's Luke Recker and Reggie Evans were wise to return to school for
their senior seasons rather than enter the NBA draft.
Recker, who returned to the Big Ten after a two-year hiatus, admitted he
contemplated skipping his senior season. However, being forced to sit out 17
of 35 games because of an injured right knee, seeing Evans return and the
prospect of being named Player of the Year in the Big Ten convinced Recker to
return.
"If I would have been a lottery pick I would have considered (leaving
early)," Recker told the Des Moines Register. "From what I've been told, that
would have been a good possibility had I been healthy.
"Next year, if I have the year that I think I can, there's no reason why
I can't play myself into the lottery."
Unlike Recker, Evans enjoyed good health all season. He averaged 15.1
points and 11.9 rebounds per game and was named the outstanding player of the
Big Ten tournament. He also led the nation in double-doubles
(points/rebounds) with 22 in 35 games.
Yet anyone who watched Evans play understood his shooting and
ball-handling skills needed refinement and he showed a tendency to lose
control of his emotions. Another year of seasoning was the proper call.
"Reggie has come a long way in a year and we only had the fall to work
with him," Iowa coach Steve Alford said. "We have summer and another fall
where we can refine his skills.
"Then you will have someone who was a questionable late first-round or
early second-round pick, be a player who has a chance to be a top-15 pick."
Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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