Illinois beats Northeastern in season opener -- looks to follow football team's success
By JOHN SUPINIE
GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
CHAMPAIGN -- That's a tough act to follow, said Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber about the Illini's football team's success this fall.
In putting together a big year, the football team gave the Illini basketballers a working formula, Weber said, after a 63-55 victory over Northeastern in the season opener Sunday at Assembly Hall.
"Look at the football game yesterday, beating No. 1,'' Weber said. "Think about early September when they had to fight and scrape to beat Western Illinois. Look how far they've come in that time.
"Again, it's a lot of young guys figured it out, figured out roles. People becoming players. Then you have a great win yesterday.''
While Weber works to trim a rotation closer to nine or 10 players among 15 available -- freshman forwards Mike Tisdale, Bill Cole and Mike Davis all turned down the chance to redshirt -- he must piece together a team in a schedule that gives him little breathing room. These Illini aren't a finished product.
"You have to learn a little bit on the run and slowly develop your team,'' Weber said.
Illinois (1-0) leaves Wednesday for a game against Hawaii on Friday (midnight, no TV) before beginning play in the Maui Invitational on Monday against Arizona State. With a rotation that included seven newcomers, the Illini aren't ready for the four games in Hawaii and the ACC-Big Ten Challenge game at Maryland to end the month.
"I wish I had another home game,'' Weber said. "We have no choice.''
While senior center Shaun Pruitt had 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds and senior forward Brian Randle put up 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting, the real entertainment value for a crowd estimated at 12,000 came from watching Weber go to his bench.
Weber played 10 Illini eight minutes or more. Juniors Steve Holdren and Calvin Brock were the only reserves to log more than 9 minutes. But the most productive player off the bench was Cole, the former Peoria Richwoods star who had six points and took two charges in 9 minutes.
"I'm happy I made the decision of playing,'' Cole said. "I think I can contribute, just doing what I can do and not overdoing it. I think we all made the right decisions.''
Tisdale and Davis each played 8 minutes. All three told Weber they didn't want to redshirt. Weber is trying to win today without worrying about the future.
"I don't even think about it,'' Weber said. "I'm thinking about right now. All three of them didn't want to redshirt. I've told them they could be the seventh man or the 12th man. The 12th man might play 2 or 3 minutes.''
Sophomore reserve center Brian Carlwell and redshirt freshman forward Richard Semrau were the only scholarship players who didn't step onto the court.
The Illini shot 29.4 percent from the field in the first half, partially because Pruitt was 2-for-10 from the field in heavy traffic. Pruitt was 3-for-4 from the field in the second half and finished with a career-high four assists -- this coming from a guy who had seven assists all last season. Pruitt even tossed a lob to Rodney Alexander for an alley-oop dunk.
"If I'm going to get double-teamed, I should be able to kick the ball out,'' Pruitt said. "I think that was the first lob I ever threw. I'm glad he finished it. I might have been taken out if he missed.''
The athletic Alexander, a junior-college transfer, finished with nine points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.
Northeastern (0-1), picked to finish eighth in the 12-team Colonial Athletic Association, jumped to a 9-4 lead. A 33-10 run put the Illini up 52-29 midway through the second half before Northeastern methodically trimmed the advantage.
"The difference in the game was Illinois' pressure man-to-man defense,'' said Northeastern coach Bill Coen. "We didn't get any easy looks at the basket until late in the game.
"We're both in similar positions. We're both trying to grow into our teams and define our roles. They have many talented parts. They're going to play their best basketball later in the season.''
NOTES: Alexander filled the final spot in the starting lineup, joining Pruitt, Randle, point guard Chester Frazier and shooter Trent Meacham. . . The game was a sellout, the school's 46th straight. . .
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .
Illinois report card
Front court B-
Center Shaun Pruitt, forward Brian Randle and small forward Rodney Alexander combined for 35 points and 26 rebounds. Pruitt's 17 rebounds were seven short of the school's single-game record.
Back court C-
Guards Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham weren't outside scoring threats, combining for 3-for-13 from the field. Northeastern's guard were more athletic and got off to a good start but wore down in the second half.
Bench C
The bench will take some time to develop. Cole showed why he was the most consistent freshman during preseason practice. He played a solid game. Calvin Brock, who didn't play much in the two exhibitions, created some energy with his hustle plays.
Overall C
Illinois must figure things out on the fly from here. Tough games in Hawaii and a trip to Maryland for the ACC-Big Ten Challenge fill the schedule through the end of the month. This isn't a finished product. Let's see how far they can come.