From Bruce Weber on down, the Illini are trying to keep the arrival of Jereme Richmond in perspective. And that's not an easy assignment.
The problem is, the picture that emerges of Illinois' first McDonald's All-American since Dee Brown is that he should be wearing a cape over his orange-and-blue jersey.
''When you first see him, you're going to say, 'Whoa!''' senior playmaker Demetri McCamey said at Illinois basketball media day Tuesday. ''Because there's going to be a big play, or a big block, where he's going to get so high above the rim that people are going to say, 'How can a kid jump so high?' Everybody's going to be going, 'Whoa! Where did this kid come from?'''
The 6-7 Richmond came from Waukegan, where he was Illinois' Mr. Basketball. He committed to Illinois in November 2006, when he was a freshman.
That raised some eyebrows, but Bruce Weber and his staff have made early recruitment their mantra, and it's paying off big-time. Illinois' other two freshmen, 7-footer Meyers Leonard and 6-4 guard Crandall Head, also are excellent recruits.
They come on top of last year's excellent four-man class (D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, Tyler Griffey, Joseph Bertrand). Add in Illinois' four returning senior starters, and Weber has dealt himself a sweet hand. He has 11 guys who can play. The recruiting missteps are ancient history.
The real question with Richmond is where he'll play. The answer is like an old punch line: Anywhere he wants.
''I don't really have a preference,'' said Richmond, a superb passer and eager defender who's best suited to small forward. ''Wherever coach sees fit to put me, I'll do my best.''
Amid the talk of using Richmond in multiple roles, there's an assumption that he's mature beyond his years. And apparently, he is.
''Sometimes I do question what [college basketball] is going to be like,'' said Richmond, who played on the 18-and-under U.S. team that won a gold medal last summer. ''I like to resort back to, basketball is basketball to me. I've been playing all my life. As long as I prepare myself in practice and listen to my coaches, the game breaks down to scores and stops. As long as we can do that, we'll be OK.''
Richmond can -- and will, at times -- play anywhere from point guard to power forward. And while small forward looks like the place he'll start, so to speak, the incumbent, senior Bill Cole, isn't conceding anything.
''Jereme's a great player, but he's going to have to come and take my spot,'' said Cole, a valuable defensive stopper and leader. ''The other thing is, he can play any number of positions. So everyone has to be concerned.''
Even if Richmond spends most of his time at the three, Weber would like to move him around. When Cole comes in for defense, for example, Richmond might move elsewhere.
''I'm worried about what position,'' Weber said. ''Can he learn everything? That's a lot of pressure on a young man. Can you have him try to play the 1, 2, 3 and the 4? Or do we focus on a couple of things, and as he evolves, let him do some other things?''
Whoa! That's a nice problem to have.
Your Privacy Choices | Closed Captioning 
