Dee Brown won't fill Illini basketball staff vacancy

Illinois coach Bruce Weber's cell phone can't hold all the messages from applicants investigating the sudden vacancy in his basketball staff or enquiring minds from the media who want to know which direction he will take in making the crucial hire.

But don't expect former Illini guard Dee Brown to apply for the job any time soon, Weber said Thursday afternoon, after assistant Tracy Webster resigned the previous day to take a similar position at Kentucky.

"Unless the school comes up with $750,00 or more to match his NBA salary,'' Weber said, discounting a plea from Illini fans who appreciate Brown's intensity and personality that would work well in recruiting. "I think Dee has a passion for coaching. I think one day he has a desire to do that. Now, he has the urge and desire to play.

"I think his basketball career will go another 10 or more years. That's what he loves to do. If he stays healthy, I don't see him in the coaching profession for a while.''

OK, so scratch Brown off the list, but Weber must quickly fill a key hire in a hectic month that already included individual workouts, recruiting trips and hosting recruits as soon as this weekend. Weber wants to hire a replacement within two weeks, since the university cleared some protocol to allow for a quicker move.

Assuredly, Weber's best recruiter just became one of his biggest recruiting rivals. Considered Illinois' link to Chicago, Webster will likely recruit players he already knows from his days as an Illini assistant.

"There's some overlap,'' Weber said. "I don't think you can avoid it.''

Webster served as Illinois' lead recruiter on Darius Miller, a Mason County (Ky.) High School star who is also considering Kentucky. Webster began the relationship with Jereme Richmond, who committed to Illinois last year as a high school freshman two years after Webster first made contact.

Sterling's Joseph Bertand, Weschester St. Joseph's DeAndre McCamey and St. Joseph Carondelet's Diamond Taylor are expected to attend the football game this weekend.

Webster first told Weber of mutual interest in Kentucky two weeks ago and kept Weber informed during the process, Weber said.

"It's a difficult time,'' Weber said. "Any time something happens, you have to make it a positive. Any time you change, you can use it as a new energizer.''

Weber must find a coach who will mesh with his staff. Most importantly, it must be someone with Chicago contacts. Names quickly mentioned were Chicago prep coaches Robert Smith of Simeon and Tyrone Slaughter of Whitney Young. Cyrus McGinnis, the Chicagp Public League's director of basketball, is a former college assistant.

Northern Illinois assistant Dennis Gates is a Whitney Young graduate, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi assistant Billy Garrett is a former Iowa and Seton Hall assistant who coached at Chicago Providence-St. Mel.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.

For more Illini coverage, see Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .