Present cloudy, future bright

CHAMPAIGN -- Right about now, Illinois fans wish they could hop into a time machine and fast-forward a year or three.

While the current squad has fallen into a valley not visited here since 1998-99, Illinois' future rosters are looking tasty.

Not only did Kentucky transfer Alex Legion, a pure shooting guard, take part in his first Illinois practice Saturday, Rich South High School sophomore guard Crandall Head offered his oral commitment to coach Bruce Weber after Sunday's 68-64 loss to Penn State.

Head, the 6-foot-3, 173-pound brother of former Illini second-team All-American Luther Head, also had offers from Marquette, Notre Dame and Illinois State.

"I like the school, I like the coaches, I like the players and I like the players that had already committed," said the soft-spoken Head. "I like playing with them."

Illinois now has eight players in the pipeline who aren't currently in uniform, including seven studs on the perimeter.

Redshirting junior Jamar Smith and high school senior Stan Simpson will suit up at the start of next season, while Legion will be eligible as soon as first-semester grades are posted.

For now, Smith and Legion serve as top-caliber snipers on Illinois' scout team.

"Alex and Jamar made a whole bunch of shots (Saturday)," Weber said.

Illinois also has oral commitments from three top-flight junior guards -- Warren's Brandon Paul, Peoria Central's D.J. Richardson and Sterling's Joseph Bertrand -- as well as highly touted sophomores Head and Waukegan small forward Jereme Richmond.

By the time the recruiting analysts have their say, Legion, Paul, Head and Richmond will stack up as the top four recruits during Weber's Illinois tenure.

"Jereme, he's good," Head said. "I like watching him play."

Illinois Prep Bullseye ranks Richmond and Head as the top two sophomores in Illinois. Richmond has long been considered a McDonald's All-American type, while Head seems to be sneaking in that direction.

"My best skill is going to the basket," Head said. "I need to work on my shooting a little bit."

Demetri's time: Bruce Weber threatened to make lineup changes prior to the Penn State game, but decided against it.

That's not going to be the case for Thursday's trip to Wisconsin. Freshman point guard Demetri McCamey has earned a spot after producing a career-high 18 points as well as 5 assists against the Nittany Lions. McCamey was the only Illini to score in the final four minutes as he delivered 8 points in the last 2:09.

"The coaches told me they wouldn't show up if I didn't (start him)," Weber said.

Though Weber didn't specify who'd hit the bench, the most likely target seems to be junior guard Trent Meacham.

Meacham has gone 1-for-14 from 3-point range the last two games, plus he played well coming off the bench earlier in the season. He had 17 points against Oklahoma State as the sixth man.