What would I do without the Big Ten Network? Thanks to my dear friends at BTN I was able to watch/listen to the Big Ten Football Media Day without actually being in attendance. Ahh the joys of modern technology.

The themes of the day were new coaches (four to be exact with Indiana’s Kevin Wilson, Ohio State’s Luke Fickell, Michigan’s Brady Hoke and Minnesota’s Jerry Kill),  how everyone feels about the Ohio State debacle, and of course welcoming Bo Pelini and Nebraska to the Big Ten Conference.

Joe Paterno was probably the most amusing coach behind the mic, as he made comments about not realizing his contract was almost up, revealing that back in the day he would help cover up drunk players’ debauchery and the fact that he started the Q&A portion by preemptively asking everyone to speak up. The Mr. Serious award goes to Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern, who clearly knows his facts but didn’t appear to be having fun.

If you want to see all of the speeches, visit the Big Ten Network website, because I’m here to discuss Illinois!’

Thanks to the alphabet, Illinois always gets to go first at these things and Coach Zook looked snazzy in his orange tie. Let’s face it, the guy has the tailor-made look of a coach ala Coach Taylor of Friday Night Lights. He oozes more charm than football knowledge, which is why he has lasted at Illinois so long. If it weren’t for last year’s bowl win we’d have five new coaches at the Big Ten Media Day instead of four.

Like everyone else, Zook said he was excited to get started. Both of his daughters got  married this summer, and he claimed he “learned how to take orders and stay out of the way,” which sounds pretty awesome to Illini fans since last year’s bowl win hasn’t necessarily been attributed to the head coach. Zook next reminded us of the bowl win a few times, just in case we forgot, and pointed out that there was just one turnover in the coaching staff with the addition of secondary coach Mike Gillhamer.

Zook his happy with the team in terms of leadership and attitude, and he mentioned that though everyone is pleased with Nathan Scheelhaase, he is still just a sophomore. Practice starts next Wednesday, and despite holes to fill Zook is happy with where the team is this season. His intro lasted barely over two minutes, which is a nice indication he’s ready to just jump in and get started.

No one in attendance seemed to care about Illinois because the first question posed was regarding the Ohio State incident, while the second was about Russell Wilson joining Wisconsin. Zook agreed that what happened at OSU was cringe-worthy, but something that happens in college football. “It’s obviously very, very important that everybody, not only the Big Ten Conference, but everybody in college football does everything they can do to protect the game and obviously respect the game, for not only where it’s going, but where it’s come from,” Zook concluded.

As for the Wilson question, Zook responded that it’s great Wisconsin has a high-profile player, but he’d rather talk about Illinois football.

When asked about all of the new coaches, Zook remarked that as a seven-year veteran (wow does time fly) he is third in seniority. Otherwise, he didn’t feel that having new coaches as opponents would lead to an advantage or a disadvantage. Perhaps those teams are adjusting, but it also means new things for Illinois to react to as well.

Zook feels that the championship game is a great boost for the conference, and thinks “there’s going to be more interest across the country and it will make it more interesting.”

As for the O-line, Zook is feeling good:

“We feel very, very good about our offensive line. We have one tackle spot, Corey Lewis is a guy that didn’t go through spring, coming off of a knee surgery. Jeff Allen is here with us. Graham Pocic, our starting center, Jack Cornell, a senior, that played an awful lot of football. We got three guys that we feel are really solid players that can help us win. I think, once again, our offensive line has a chance to be our strength. Hugh Thornton, third year as a starter, a lot of experience there. A lot of guys, they know what to do. Obviously, I think in this conference, as in any conference, you have to be able to run the football. It’s something that our offensive coaches have done a great job in implementing a system that allows us with our quarterback to not only be able to run the football, but get him on the move, move the pocket, so you feel very good about where we are offensive line-wise right now.”

When asked if he hoped that his big-name guys would return, Zook responded “absolutely,” but then expressed that of course he is happy for the guys that left for the NFL: Corey Liuget, Mikel Leshoure and Martez Wilson.

Last, but not least, Zook remarked that they had a physical spring practice, and were fortunate enough to have no major injuries at the end of the game.

On the whole, Zook focused on the fact that despite the loss of key players, he’s got basically the same coaching staff and the younger guys (such as Nathan Scheelhaase) are a year older and know their roles. He also mentioned a number of times that the coaches know where to put the players, which is always a good sign.

Closing statement: “Once again, it’s our job as a coaching staff to keep that positive excitement going, feeling going, and continue to improve.” It looks like after seven years Zook is starting to get it.

Looking forward to the first game against Arkansas State on Sept. 3 in Champaign!

See below for links to videos of Zook’s press conference, as well as intervies with Illini playersJeff Allen and Tavon Wilson.

Coach Zook Press Conference Video:

Coach Zook Interview

Jeff Allen Interivew

Tavon Wilson Interview

The Big Ten Media Day is set to begin… but unfortunately there was no way of getting out of the ol’ 9-5 today and tomorrow. Nonetheless, news will be trickling through and the Media Day is actually going to air live on the Big Ten Network.

First news of the day from the event is that 12 players were selected for the Big Ten preseason players to watch list, and Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase nabbed a spot on the “Leaders” list.

It’s going to take a while to get used to the whole Leaders and Legends business, but then again it’s also going to be weird to have the Cornhuskers join the league. The times they sure are a’changin

This season, the Big Ten coaches voted to institute a preseason Players to Watch list, honoring five student-athletes each from the Legends Division and Leaders Division. The list was selected by a  media panel, and there ended up being 12 players honored due to a tie.

Representing the Legends Division are Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick and linebacker Lavonte David and Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa.

The Leaders Division honorees are Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, Indiana wide receiver Damarlo Belcher, Ohio State center Mike Brewster and defensive tackle John Simon, Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti and Wisconsin running backs Montee Ball and James White.

In case you’re keeping a count, the teams that apparently have no good players this year are Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota. Nebraska, OSU and Wisconsin all were lucky enough to have two honorees.

All five Legends Division players received postseason recognition in 2010, with Robinson, Crick and David earning All-America honors and first-team All-Conference accolades. Robinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year while David was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Persa was also named first-team All-Big Ten while Cousins was an honorable mention All-Conference choice.

The group of Leaders Division standouts includes five All-Conference selections from 2010. Brewster earned All-America accolades and first-team All-Big Ten honors. White was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-Conference selection. Belcher, Simon and Ball were each All-Big Ten honorable mention selections.

The preseason accolades keep pouring in for Scheelhaase, who had a pretty great season last year. He doesn’t seem like one to crack under pressure, unlike a few of our Illini basketball friends. First Illinois football game is around the corner on September 3 at home against Arkansas State. Since they eliminated the yearly game in St. Louis against Mizzou, Illinois has a solid chance to actually win the first game of the  year.

The complete list of Big Ten football preseason Players to Watch is below:

We'll be expecting a lot from Meyers Leonard this year. Photo by Cary Frye

It seems a tad early, but one of the best days of the year has finally arrived: the Illinois basketball non-conference schedule has been announced. The only thing that could make today better is if it had been the entire schedule that was announced! Each of these glorious days will be circled in my calendar, and I can start planning my fall trips to Champaign ASAP!

There will be 10 homes games, four games against teams that participated in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and trips to Cancun, Maryland, Chicago and St. Louis highlighting the non-conference slate for the 2011-2012 season.

Illinois tips off the regular season with three consecutive home games. The Illini face Loyola (Chicago) in the opener on Nov. 11, and then host SIU Edwardsville (Nov. 14) and Lipscomb (Nov. 17) at the Assembly Hall as part of the Cancun Challenge.

Illinois will then travel to Mexico for the final two rounds of the Cancun Challenge. The Fighting Illini will face Richmond in a semifinal on Nov. 22, while the other semifinal features Illinois State versus Rutgers. The championship and consolation games are scheduled for the following day, Nov. 23.

The Illini then return to Champaign to take on Chicago State on Nov. 27.

On Nov. 29 Illinois will travel to Maryland for the 13th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Next, Illinois welcomes Gonzaga to the Assembly Hall on Dec. 3. It is the third game of a four-year series with Gonzaga. Last season, the Illini defeated the Bulldogs in Seattle, 73-61.

The Gonzaga game is the first of a three-game homestand for the Illini, followed by St. Bonaventure on Dec. 7 and Coppin State on Dec. 11.

Illinois makes its annual appearance in Chicago on Dec. 17, facing UNLV at the United Center. It will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament second round game that saw the Illini defeat the Rebels, 73-62. The gang will then go up against Cornell on Dec. 19 in its last game at the Assembly Hall prior to Big Ten play.

The Illini wrap up non-conference play in St. Louis, taking on Missouri on Dec. 22 in the 31st edition of the Busch Braggin’ Rights at Scottrade Center.

Illinois will play two exhibition games prior to the regular season, hosting Wayne State on Nov. 1 and Quincy on Nov. 7. The Orange and Blue Scrimmage, meanwhile, is scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Assembly Hall. The full schedule is below.

Brandon Paul will most likely take over as PG; Photo by Cary Frye

Upon looking at what the Illini has in store for them in terms of non-conference, there aren’t a lot of tough games showing up on the schedule. Maryland, Gonzaga, UNLV and Missouri are the only trouble spots, but both Maryland and UNLV have new coaches this year, making these games a little less threatening. Not to mention that Illinois has already technically beaten UNLV in 2011. However, Illinois has had some trouble at the United Center as of late, with the most embarrassing move coming last year with a loss to a subpar UIC team. Gonzaga will be at home, and Illinois had no trouble going into Seattle and beating them there last year. Missouri is a big question mark, as Illinois had a 10-game winning streak going from 2000-2008, only to lose two in a row in 2009 and 2010. It’s time for Illinois to come back and take over those rights to brag.

There should be another game in Cancun as well, depending on the heavy hitters that make it to the next round in the tournament. Those games are going to be helpful in getting the Illini ready to head to Maryland and also tackle Gonzaga.

The team itself has a bit of a question mark over it coming into the 2011-2012 season with seven newcomers, and only one senior that is a transfer from Bradley (Sam Maniscalco). Illinois has popped up on a few preseason polls, but it’s WAY too early to really tell anything. They have some great recruits coming in, and if Brandon Paul, Meyers Leonard and D.J. Richardson continue the growth that we saw glimpses of last year, the team could be a force.

Non-Conference Schedule

Date                  Opponent                                            Location

Sunday, Oct. 23         Orange & Blue Scrimmage      Champaign
Tuesday, Nov. 1         Wayne State                                Champaign
Monday, Nov. 7         Quincy                                          Champaign
Friday, Nov. 11          Loyola-Chicago                         Champaign
Monday, Nov. 14      SIU Edwardsville                      Champaign
Thursday, Nov. 17   Lipscomb                                     Champaign
Tuesday, Nov. 22     Richmond                                    Cancun
Wed.  Nov. 23            Rutgers/Illinois State             Cancun
Sunday, Nov. 27       Chicago State                             Champaign
Tuesday, Nov. 29     at Maryland                                College Park, Md
Saturday, Dec. 3       Gonzaga                                        Champaign
Wed., Dec. 7               St. Bonaventure                        Champaign
Sunday, Dec. 11        Coppin State                               Champaign
Saturday, Dec. 17    vs. UNLV                                     Chicago, United Center
Monday, Dec. 19      Cornell                                          Champaign
Thursday, Dec. 22   vs. Missouri                                St. Louis

The race for a new athletic director at Illinois is heating up, and Larry DeBrock, the head of the search committee, told the Chicago Tribune that the hire is expected to occur “very shortly.”

The Tribune also reports that the frontrunner may in fact be Brad Bates, the athletic director from Miami of Ohio. Bates was key to helping Miami rebuild its football program and least year won the Mid-American Conference.

Other viable candidates according to the report include:

• Rick George, an Illinois alum who is COO of the Rangers
• Tom Michael, the current associate AD at Illinois
• Doug Woolard,  South Florida AD
• Mike Bobinski, AD at Xavier, who will serve as chair of the 2012-13 Division I Men’s Basketball Committee
• Craig Tiley, who led the Illini to an NCAA tennis title and is now director of Tennis Australia
•  Warde Manuel, the AD at Buffalo

Ron Guenther ended his career at Illinois on June 30, but the school did not want to select a replacement before naming a new chancellor.

Lots of excitement in Champaign, but let’s hope the decision comes soon so that we can focus on the upcoming year! The first Football game is just barely over a month away, so let’s get cracking.

KUsports.com reports that both Bill Self and Lon Kruger will be in Champaign in August to help celebrate the Alumni basketball weekend.

Self, who coached Illinois from 2000-2003 and now serves as the head coach at Kansas, will attend a reception on Aug. 5 honoring his 2001 and 2002 U of I Big Ten championship teams. Kruger, Oklahoma’s brand new coach who was with Illinois from 1996-2000, will attend the alumni basketball game on August 6.

The relationship between Self and Illini-nation has been rocky since Self ditched the team in 2003. It’s true that coaches leave and people need to get over it, but it was the fact that Self continually insisted he was not leaving Illinois, only to head for the flatlands of Kansas as soon as he could. That and the fact that Self and his twin weapons knocked Illinois out of the tournament last year is probably why Self will not be attending the actual basketball event where angry Illini fans can  have their way with him. His speedy exit was a good indication that he’s not the bravest of coaches, and is happy to be recognized for his efforts for his championship teams among the safety of boosters and players that he coached, but won’t be exposed to the general Champaign public.

It’s a shame, since I know many people who would have some choice words for Mr. Self.

The wait is over! For those of you that don’t have season tickets, individual game tickets for Illinois football will go on sale Tuesday, July 19 at 9AM.

When the clock hits 9AM in the Central time zone (natch) click here to purchase your single-game tickets. Or, you can call 1.866.ILLINI.1 or if you’re in the ‘Paign you can head on over to the ticket office at the Assembly Hall.

The Illini have already sold out the horseshoe in the south end of Memorial Stadium for the fifth straight year. The Block I student section in the middle of the north end zone stands is also sold out. However, some student tickets are still available.

Sideline season tickets are available for $320, and student season tickets are available for $99.

The full schedule of home games is below:

Arkansas State
Saturday, Sept. 3 at 2:30 PM

South Dakota State
Saturday, Sept. 10 at 11AM

Arizona State
Saturday, September 17 at 6pm

Western Michigan
Saturday, September 24 at TBD

Northwestern
Saturday, Oct. 1 at 11AM

Ohio State
Saturday, Sept. 15 at TBD

Michigan
Saturday, November 12 at TBD

Wisconsin
Saturday, November 19 at TBD

McCamey at Senior Day; Photo by Cary Frye

Things may not have turned out exactly how Demetri McCamey wanted in his post-Illini career, but signing a deal with a basketball team overseas is never anything to sneeze at. After going undrafted in the NBA Draft a few weeks ago, McCamey has now signed a one-year deal with Mersin, a professional team in Turkey.

The lockout might actually be a positive thing for McCamey, who can now workout in Turkey for a year and perhaps return to the U.S. and join a team as a free agent next year.

According to McCamey’s agent, Roger Montgomery, a number of teams wanted to select McCamey in the second round, but wanted a guarantee he would play overseas for a year. Montgomery told the Chicago Tribune that he and McCamey felt it was better to keep McCamey’s options open as a free agent instead of having his rights secured by one team.

While I have to question those statements that could just be an excuse as to why he wasn’t drafted, it still sounds as if going overseas during the lockout might be a blessing in disguise for McCamey.

I hope he fights hard to succeed so that he can find his way to an NBA team next year.

Can Meyers Leonard get a tan? Photo by Cary Frye

In 2009 it was Las Vegas, last year it was Madison Square Garden in NYC, this year it’s Cancun, and in 2012 Illinois will return to Maui in November for the Maui Invitational.

This tournament usually lands around Thanksgiving time, and it can be hit or miss in terms of which teams are in attendance. The last time Illinois headed to Maui was in 2007, where they beat Arizona State, then Oklahoma State before losing to Duke in the semifinals. Duke then went on to beat Marquette in the championship game.

At Madison Square Garden Illinois lost to Texas in their first game, and then beat Maryland in the second. Pittsburgh beat Texas to be named champs of the tourney.

In Maui next year, Illinois will join the likes of Marquette, Butler, North Carolina, Texas and USC. I would love to face any of those teams, so it sounds like it’s going to be an exciting time in Hawaii. I was able to attend the tourneys in Las Vegas and New York, but unfortunately it looks like I’ll have to sit out Cancun this year.

As for predictions, I have no way of knowing anything at this point. Illinois’ future is so up in the air, thanks to seven newcomers joining the team. If anything, 2012 should be a more solid year as the newcomers will have a year under their belts, and the team SHOULD be led by future seniors Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson. When I think about it, sitting out Cancun might not be a bad idea.

In general, I love it when the guys head out there and play tough games early in the season. One loss to a good team early on can do wonders for the kids down the line. And if they win, then they’ll have a brand-new type of swagger before heading into conference play. Coach Bruce Weber is making the right call by getting the guys into these tournaments that send them far from home to play against strong teams from around the country.

We’ll see what next year brings, but here’s hoping I spend my 2012 Thanksgiving in Maui…

Rumor has it that Deron Williams, one of just two former Illini playing on an NBA team (Brian Cook is the other), will be heading to Turkey next year. Williams was a superstar with the Utah Jazz since 2005, and then was traded to the New Jersey Nets at the end of last season.

That trade alone was a bit of a surprise since it came just weeks after Jerry Sloan stepped down as the Utah coach with rumors swirling that part of the problem was in fact D-Wil.

The rumor isn’t yet confirmed, but according to a post from InsideHoops.com:

InsideHoops.com looks forward to additional confirmation of this, but for now, a major media outlet in Turkey reports the following: Besiktas Men’s Basketball Team, New Jersey Nets had an agreement in principle with Deron Williams.

Again nothing has been confirmed, but it always seems like 9 times out of 10 NBA rumor end up being true. I didn’t believe that Deron would be heading to New Jersey, but then it happened. I also thought there was a chance Lebron would be heading to Chicago, so-.

Williams only turned 27 on June 26 (oops, happy belated birthday!), and while that may be close to ancient in NBA years, he was still at his prime getting better and better at each year. That’s not to say that he can’t make the big bucks playing in Turkey.

A recent, and very informative, article on Illini players overseas written by Paul Klee reported that Josh Childress once signed for $6.7 million a year to play in Greece, though the salary is generally more like $100,000 to $1 million a year.

Either way, it seems odd that Williams would jump to Turkey when he has a career that is going strong in the U.S. He has a family here, and wouldn’t it just be a simpler life to remain in the comforts of home? Additionally, the Klee article also noted that playing overseas can be an entirely different experience.

It seems to me that Williams has a few more years in him before heading that direction. Which makes me wonder if perhaps there is some unrest going on in New Jersey? Of course, the lockout could be to blame for this move, but I would think D-Wil has enough $ in the bank to take a rest one year and just hang out with his family… in the U.S. We shall see!

University of Illinois sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase has been named to the 65-man watch list for the Maxwell Award, given annually to the nation’s best college football player. Scheelhaase is one of only 11 underclassmen on the 65-man list and is one of 10 Big Ten players recognized.

Scheelhaase threw for 1,825 yards and rushed for an Illinois freshman record and UI quarterback record 868 yards in 2010 as a redshirt freshman. He accounted for 22 touchdowns on the season (17 passing, five rushing) and was especially efficient late in the season, tossing 13 touchdowns against just one interception in the last seven games. The Kansas City, Mo., native was named a freshman All-American by two media outlets and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times.

Each year the Maxwell Football Club presents the Maxwell Award for the College Player of the Year. The award is presented in honor of legendary college player, official and sports columnist Robert W. (Tiny) Maxwell. Voters for the Maxwell College Awards are NCAA head college football coaches, members of the Maxwell Football Club, sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country.

Last year, Auburn’s Cam Newton took home the 2010 Maxwell Award, which has gone to a quarterback in each of the last eight years. The last time a non-quarterback won the award was 2002, when the award went to Penn State running back Larry Johnson.

Just a few weeks ago, Scheelhaase was named 2010-11 Fighting Illini Male Newcomer of the Year.

Check out the complete 2011 Maxwell Award Watch List.