Illini making the move to youth
If it was only a matter of time, that time might have already come for Illinois freshman point guard Demetri McCamey.
With McCamey settling down as a starter and junior Chester Frazier amiably filling a role from the bench in the 75-57 victory over Michigan on Wednesday, the youth movement may have been made at one key position.
Considered the point guard of the future, McCamey apparently moved into the lead point guard role in a move that might help McCamey and Frazier, the target of much of the criticism this winter.
"I don't think Chester would care,'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "He knows he's going to play minutes. We still need his energy. We still need his defense. We still need his rebounding. He got in the paint (against the Wolverines) at a key time and dished it off. He got in the paint and got a layup.
"He's starting to understand. By sitting there, watching and listening to the coaches, maybe he's making some strides.''
Illinois (9-9 overall, 1-4 in the Big Ten Conference) plays at Purdue (12-5, 3-1) on Saturday (1 p.m., ESPN). McCamey posted a solid line against Michigan: seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, six assists, four rebounds and two turnovers in 34 minutes.
In Big Ten games, McCamey is averaging 10 points a game, boosted by a career-high 18 against Penn State, with 22 assists and eight turnovers.
"It's a nice positive step for us and kind of what we expected out of him,'' Weber said.
McCamey forced his way into the lineup by scoring and improving his assist-turnover ratio. McCamey averaged 14 points and 3.5 assists per game in the first two Big Ten games, pushing Weber to start him in place of shooting guard Trent Meacham.
But Frazier suffered torn cartilage in his ribs in the loss to Penn State, played through pain for 30 minutes at Wisconsin and didn't play at Indiana. Meanwhile, McCamey eased into the position and pleased Weber by moving up the learning curve.
There are still moments however, such as McCamey's wild no-look pass that sailed out of bounds Wednesday, that leave Weber with a scowl on the sideline.
"When we recruited him, we really felt he had great court vision,'' Weber said. "He has a good feel for the game. He tries to do too much at times. You can't do no-look passes. You can't drive on the baseline and hit the ball underneath the rim.
"If he can get a couple of those things out of his system, he's had a pretty good assist-turnover numbers late. The next step is cutting a little harder (on offense), defending and being a little more consistent. He gets tired and tries to rest on defense. We can't have that, especially against good teams.''
After a slow start in the loss at Wisconsin last week, McCamey appeared more confident and aggressive in the defeat at Indiana.
"I didn't turn the ball over, and I did real well handling the pressure,'' he said. "Every time I step on the court, I have to step up so coach can get more confidence in me.''
Frazier had two points, eight rebounds, two assists and one turnover in 25 minutes against Michigan while still playing through pain in his ribs. The lightning rod for complaints because of his high turnover count and mistakes at crucial times, he might play better in a supporting role.
Weber envisions Frazier filling a role as a utility man. Illinois might need the bodies on the perimeter against the Boilermakers, who often play four guards.
"Chester will give us that option,'' Weber said. "He will rotate from the one, two or three. If Chester is healthy, he's one of our better defenders and the leader on the play-hard chart.''
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.