Last season was an overall success for Illinois. Surprising most people by going to the NCAA Tournament with a 24-9 record, the tournament itself was a bit of a disappointment as the Illini were sent home early by Western Kentucky. Enter the 2009-2010 season – with coach Bruce Weber bringing in his most talented recruiting class to date, a trip to the big dance in March will not surprise anybody this time around.
The Fighting Illini have lost point guard Chester Frazier, shooting guard Trent Meacham, and defensive specialist Calvin Brock, and although they may not have always been the most consistent players, they were experienced perimeter players. One of those looking to fill the void is junior Demetri McCamey who had a superb sophomore season, ranking second on the team in scoring and assists with over 11 and 4, respectively. This will be his team now, meaning he needs to show some rapid maturity. Maturity is a word which also applies to Alex Legion; a disappointment last season, Legion was pretty much a non-factor on a team that really needed a scorer off the bench. If Legion can finally live up to his potential, the Illinois backcourt should be in good shape.
It was the play of the frontcourt which led the Fighting Illini the Tournament last year, and it will be again this year. Mike Davis had an excellent sophomore campaign, averaging 11 points and team high 8 rebounds, pretty much coming out of nowhere after having not done much as freshman. Another year of improvement similar to that and Davis will be putting up double-doubles game in and game out. Joining him in the paint will be Mike Tisdale, and although he may lack the strength and toughness of Davis, he can knock down the mid-range jumper while also being Illinois' best shot blocker. As long as Davis and Tisdale can stay healthy, these two alone should make the Fighting Illini competitive in every game.
D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, and Joseph Bertrand, will all compete for major playing time on the wing. Richardson is the most polished of the group and could possibly step into a starting role right away. Paul is considered to be the best pure scorer and will provide a great spark off the bench if he does end up starting. Bertrand has shown plenty of potential, but may still need some work in order to compete at this level right away. Looking for newcomers in the backcourt to make the biggest impact this year, coach Weber also has versatile big man Tyler Griffey along with the return of redshirt freshman Stan Simpson.
