Illinois freshman point guard McCamey says he can take Weber's abuse

The drill ends, and, just momentarily, there's some quiet in the Ubben Basketball Complex one day during the first week of Illinois basketball practice. Then coach Bruce Weber had a loud message for freshman point guard Demetri McCamey.

Another drill, another sharp comment. It didn't end.

"That's good,'' McCamey said. "When the coaches stop talking to you, that means they don't care any more. He just wants me to be the best player I can be. The only thing I do is listen. I don't talk back. He knows what's best for me and how to get players to the next level. That's where I want to go.''

Weber and his staff are pushing McCamey, the powerful 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Westchester St. Joseph who already drew comparisons to former Illini star Deron Williams. McCamey has the same big, strong body and feel for the game, although Weber's tough-love approach is aimed at forcing McCamey to grow up fast.

"We told him we're not going to let him breathe,'' Weber said. "He's accepted it. One of his AAU coaches called. Demetri told him, 'They can call me any name, cuss me out. I can take all that. I just don't want to run at 6 in the morning.' ''

That's for players who fight Weber's coaching. McCamey isn't in that category as he shoots for playing time and a starting spot. The Orange and Blue scrimmage is 5 p.m. Sunday in Assembly Hall. The first of two exhibitions is Oct. 31 vs. Quincy. The season opener is Nov. 11 against Northeastern.

McCamey already lost nearly 15 pounds during offseason conditioning, and Weber wants to mold McCamey into an aggressive point guard who avoids turnovers while turning into a scoring threat himself. Sounds like Williams, the budding star in Utah.

"I'm not trying to be Deron Williams,'' McCamey said. "I'm trying to be the first Demetri McCamey.''

Things came easily last season for McCamey, who averaged 16 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Like other freshmen, McCamey is learning the level of intensity in college basketball. Coasting isn't an option with Weber.

"I need to play at a high, consistent level,'' McCamey said. "My body is sore. You want to relax and coast every now and then. You can't do that. In high school, you could play a second on defense, reach from behind, get a steal and then it's a fastbreak the other way. Here, I have to play 35 seconds of defense on every possession.''

The first priority is limiting McCamey's turnovers without handcuffing his game. Progress has already been made, Weber said. Remember, Williams wasn't a big scorer as an Illini freshman, but he also didn't turn the ball over.

"When I'm tired, I have to have discipline and keep pushing without turning the ball over,'' McCamey said.

Illinois plans to run more this winter, since McCamey and sophomore Chester Frazier can share point guard duties. But McCamey struggled early to stay under control and avoid the charge.

"He did it once today,'' Weber said after one recent practice. "That's better than eight or nine in a practice. I tell him I don't want to take his game away. He's almost better in games than he is in practice. We have to get him good in practice. That will help him in games.''

Illinois searches for help at guard. McCamey will share time with sophomore Chester Frazier, whose body broke down when he was the team's only point guard last winter. The Illini must also find a scorer at the second guard spot. McCamey and Frazier could play alongside each other if scoring doesn't suffer.

Meanwhile, Weber still hinted that junior Trent Meacham is the leading candidate as the shooting guard, although the McCamey-Frazier combo is a better possibility if "Chester shoots like he did today,'' Weber said after one practice. "Demetri can complement Chester. Now we have different lineups you can go with.''

Said McCamey: "I want to learn. In games, you know it or you don't. You have to produce. If you don't produce, you're sitting. I don't want to sit. So I have to do what coach tells me to do.''

McCamey's not usually told in a whisper.

NOTE: Illinois will hold two scrimmages off campus Nov. 3. The Illini will scrimmage at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook at 11 a.m., before a 3 p.m. scrimmage at Chicago Whitney Young. Autograph sessions will follow both scrimmages.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more information, see Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .