All the statements reacting to Big Ten realignment have been released. And you might have guessed all the soundbites and quotes are of the cheerleading variety; so I figured “might as well have cheerleaders as the lead pictures for the posts.” Here’s the Illini reaction from Champaign-Urbana.
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Today, big wigs from the Chicago Cubs and Northwestern University came together to unveil the new logo for the Northwestern Wildcats huge college football match with Illinois.
Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts and Allstate’s Vice President of Marketing, Lisa Cochrane, joined Northwestern Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald and Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips at Wrigley Field today to unveil the official logo for the November 20 event.
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Illinois‘ Mikel LeShoure, Wisconsin’s John Clay, and Notre Dame‘s Armando Allen (click their respective names for profiles/exclusive interviews with each running back) have been named to the list of 49 candidates for the Doak Walker Award, presented annually to the nation’s top college running back.
Clay, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, led the Big Ten and ranked eighth in the country with 1,517 rushing yards in 2009. His 18 rushing touchdowns also led the Big Ten and tied for seventh in the nation.
Clay who has also been named to the preseason Watch Lists for the Walter Camp Award and Maxwell Awards. He was also selected as a Playboy All-American. It’s the second straight year he’s been named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List. Ron Dayne is the only Wisconsin player to win the Doak Walker Award, bringing home the trophy in 1999. Dayne was also a finalist for the award in 1998 while Anthony Davis (2001), Brian Calhoun (2005) and P.J. Hill (2006) have all been semifinalists.
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Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Bruce Weber announced today that former Fighting Illini point guard Chester Frazier has joined the UI staff. Frazier, an Illini point guard from 2006-09, will serve as graduate assistant/video coordinator. He is enrolled in the university’s master’s degree program in educational policy studies. You might recall during his senior season that EVERY media outlet mentioned how Frazier wanted to become a coach, every time his name came up/he was shown on screen.
On Tuesday, he began that very journey.
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I’m just not a soccer guy. The World Cup is fine, but it’s not my thing. I just can’t wait for college football to get here. Therefore, when College Football Zealots asked me to do their preview of the Illinois Fighting Illini 2010 season for them. I jumped at the chance.
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It’s hard to find anyone else in college football who’s spent a greater percentage of his career on injured reserve than Illinois defensive back Marcus Laron (better known by his nickname Miami, the city he grew up in) Thomas.
In the 2009 preseason, Thomas was a projected starter, but he suffered a season-ending injury; a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. In 2008, he got only 62 plays in on the season before tearing the ACL in his right knee, forcing him to miss pretty much the entire year. In 2007, he started one game (vs. Northwestern) as a freshman during Illinois‘ Rose Bowl “Champaign Campaign.”
His glory moment came that year during the Illini’s historical upset at #1 Ohio State, the first time Illinois had beaten a #1 team since 1950. When starting cornerback Vontae Davis (now with the NFL‘s Miami Dolphins) went down with an injury, Thomas stepped in and grabbed his first career interception, and tipped another ball to teammate Antonio Steele for another interception.
This fall he’s obviously hoping for more ’07 type vibes, and less ’08 and ’09 style karma. From speaking with him, it’s noticeable that the old cliche “what doesn’t kill you only makes your stronger” rings true.
By Paul M. Banks
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Nine home games, seven match-ups with 2010 postseason teams – including five NCAA Tournament teams – and trips to New York, Seattle, Chicago and St. Louis highlight the non-conference slate for the Illini Fighting Illini.
They will tip off the regular season with three consecutive home games: hosting a Regional Round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, UC Irvine on Nov. 8 and Toledo on Nov. 10 as part of that event.
Then the Illini welcome their little sister school, the fighting Salukis of Southern Illinois to Champaign on Nov. 13, as Bruce Weber faces his former program for the first time as Illinois’ leader.
Chris Lowery, who previously served as Weber’s assistant for three years, including at Illinois in 2004, leads the Egyptian Dogs. Fighting Illini football team also hosts Minnesota on Nov. 13 in what promises to be a busy day for the college sports media. And just wait till Big Ten season gets here.
By Paul M. Banks
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Illinois Fighting Illini runner Mikel LeShoure (6-0, 225) wears Rashard Mendenhall’s number (remember him? the 2008 NFL first round draft pick and current Pittsburgh Steelers star), and last year he started to display a little bit of Shard’s 2007 level of production and talent. In ’09 LeShoure rushed the ball 108 times for 734 yards and 5 TDs, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
“When Mike Locksley was recruiting me, he was telling me that if Rashard was going to the NFL, which they thought he would, then I would get my same high school number. Turns out it worked out that way,” LeShoure said at Illini Media Day in ’09.
“Shard did take over the 2nd half of the season, and I’m sure all four of us want to be that guy,” he said later that day when tailback1 on the Illini depth chart was still in question.
In 2010, LeShoure greeted the Media as THE guy.
By Paul M. Banks
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Last year around this time, college football experts were proclaiming the Illinois Fighting Illini receiving corps to be the best in the Big Ten, and among the best in the nation.
Well, the Illini finished 10th in passing in the conference out of 11 teams and stumbled to a 3-9 record. So it’s safe to say that the WRs fell short of expectations.
QB Juice Williams took a big step back in his development, stud wideout Arrelious Benn was bothered by injuries and never came close to reaching his ultimate potential (although he did leave early and became a second round NFL Draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and University of Florida transfer Jarred Fayson, a preseason second team all-conference, and a prospect rated the #3 receiver in the nation coming out of high school, had a whopping 16 catches on the year.
It’s safe to say the corps fell way short of expectations. The turmoil led to changes at the Offensive Coordinator position and prompted junior wideout A.J. Jenkins to consider transferring.
Today Jenkins, now the team’s main weapon at the position, is plenty happy he stayed.
By Paul M. Banks
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Few have been more maligned on the Illini defense than highly touted Illini recruit Martez Wilson. From his lack of a mark on the field to his off-field exploits, he’s had a tough go of it in Champaign.
However, much like they should be, his experiences have only gone to make him stronger, again, both on and off the field. He missed pretty much all of 2009 due to injury, but one good piece of news coming from the Zook Big Ten Media Day press conference, was the health of middle linebacker Martez Wilson.
“He had a great, great spring. He had a great camp. He was playing as well as any Mike linebacker I’ve been around probably anywhere,” Zook said. “In fact, actually he went through spring, he didn’t go through the contact. It was hard to keep him out of it because he was always trying to stick his face where he shouldn’t stick it. Just got his final checkup last week, and got 100 percent clean bill of health and ready to go.”
Wilson’s health means that the defense will automatically be more athletic and dangerous than they were last season.
By Paul Schmidt
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It seems like Texas is trying to invade the Midwest today. They announced a football series with Notre Dame today, and now they’ll take on the Illini in hoops this fall. Pairings were announced for the 16th annual 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
The Championship Rounds will be played at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Nov. 18-19 and televised by ESPN2. Illinois will face Texas (hence the obligatory picture of “Longhorn Girl” two days in a row! Hey, any excuse to use that picture) in the second semifinal, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. CT.
In the first semifinal, Pittsburgh will take on Maryland at 6 p.m. Winners of the semifinal college basketball games will meet in the championship game, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. The consolation game is scheduled for 4 p.m. I hope it’s not Maryland, we never beat them. EVER. “Fear the Turtle” indeed.
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Perhaps the fate of University of Illinois football coach Ron Zook DOES lie in this year’s performance. He’s not feeling the pressure to win now, however, either way.
“No, I don’t, to be honest with you,” Zook said at Monday’s media day press conferences. “I think everyone that stands up here today has got pressure. Obviously some of us have more than others. I think the thing that you try to do is you do the best you can do.”
The problem with that statement is that over the last couple of seasons, Zook’s best hasn’t nearly been good enough.
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Today, we learned the roster of the USA Basketball Select Team that will train against the National Team during its July 19-24 camp in Las Vegas. Five of the 20 collegians chosen for the Select Team are from the Big Ten: William Buford (Ohio State), JaJuan Johnson (Purdue), Mike Tisdale (Illinois), Jon Leuer (Wisconsin), and John Shurna (Northwestern). These players will help the U.S. National Team prepare for the upcoming FIBA World Championship. The Big Ten leads all conferences with it’s 5 selections.
By Paul M. Banks
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Richmond Makes USA Basketball U18 National Team, will play in FIBA Americas U18 Championship
University of Illinois freshman Jereme Richmond (Waukegan, Ill.) has been named to the 12-member USA Basketball U18 National Team, following trials at the University of Texas-San Antonio. Richmond will remain in Texas until the end of the month, training with his U.S. squad through June 25 before competing in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, which will be held June 26-30 at St. Mary’s University’s Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio.
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So it’s official now, Nebraska is in the Big 10. Statements have been released: including these by Illinois Fighting Illini athletic department big wigs:
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It appears that recently appointed Illini starting QB Nathan Scheelhasse has gotten a “mandate” or “vote of confidence” by default. The redshirt freshman wasn’t granted an actual vote of confidence, or a mandate from the coaching staff, it’s just now he has no competition breathing down his neck. True freshman Chandler Widmer never stepped up, and Jacob Charest is now exiting stage left. He left the team and returned to his family home in North Carolina.
By Paul M. Banks
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Illinois football coach Ron Zook today announced that Nathan Scheelhaase will enter the 2010 season as the Fighting Illini’s starting quarterback. One of the biggest questions entering the 2010 season was “who will replace Juice Williams?” Old #7 had a very disappointing senior season, but he still departed UI the school’s all-time leader in total offense.
By Paul M. Banks
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University of Illinois head football coach Ron Zook and head basketball coach Bruce Weber will visit with Fighting Illini fans in Chicagoland twice during the month of June for Illini Nights at Minor League Baseball. They will attend the Kane County Cougars game on June 8 at 6:30 pm as well as the Schaumburg Flyers game on June 22 at 7 pm.
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When young Jeffrey Jordan decided to transfer from the University of Illinois, it seemed as though that was the end of the strange saga of the oldest son of the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan.
Not even close. Not even close by a damn sight.
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With his decision to transfer from the University of Illinois, the enigma that is the oldest offspring of one Michael Jeffrey Jordan continues to evolve.
The junior, who is entering his last year of eligibility for college basketball has two choices — ending his collegiate basketball career or transferring to a Division II or III school where he can play immediately (Division I would require Jordan to sit out one season and lose a year of eligibility which would end his career).
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