Scouting Warren Blue Devils

Warren Blue Devils

Coach Chuck Ramsey (17th season)

Last year 23-6, 9-3 NSC Lake

Key players lost G Brandon Paul (Illinois), G Aaron Montgomery, F Jake Anderson, G Ryan Maguire, G David Duncan, F James Poliquin

Key players returning G Craig Burton, sr., G Marquise Thomas, sr., F Shahron Thomas, sr., F Matt Dickinson, sr.

Key newcomers F Jeremiah Jackson, jr., G Andra Manson, jr., G Jameris Smith, soph., F Nathan Booth, soph., G Jon Geske, soph., F Darius Paul, soph., G JoVaughn Gaines, soph.

Outlook The night before the Illinois men's basketball team played its first exhibition game, Warren coach Chuck Ramsey drove down to Champaign to watch practice. He was there to check in on former Blue Devil star Brandon Paul, who was named Illinois' Mr. Basketball last spring. "It was fun to be there," Ramsey said. " Brandon looked really strong, really good." Paul has since set an Illinois record for most points in a freshman debut with 22 against Southern Illinois Edwardsville. He also poured in 20 points in the first half of a recent game. Clearly, it won't be easy for Ramsey to replace such a high-end talent. At least not with one player. Ramsey says that the Blue Devils will need contributions from across the board, and the good news is they have plenty of depth this season. In fact, Ramsey says he's got so many good players on his 15-man roster that it's going to be tough to pick out a starting lineup. "We don't have any returning starters back so we're going to have a lot of competition for playing time," Ramsey said. "I think all 15 guys will be competing. I really can't remember a year like this. I don't think we've ever had a situation where you look at all 15 guys and you say that all of them have a shot at playing. The funny thing about this team is that we've got a lot of similar players. Every guy has at least one other guy on the team who is similar to him in talent and ability."-One name that does stand out is forward Darius Paul, Brandon's younger brother and one of five sophomores on the team. "The only other time we've had that many young kids up on varsity is in 2003-04 when Ceola Clark was a freshman and we had Jordan Dalton, Marvin Bembry, Mitchell Moore, Marcus Lewis and Benny Morrison all up as underclassmen," Ramsey said. "We don't usually bring that many young kids up. This year, it's partly out of necessity because we lost all five starters. But it's also that these sophomores are really capable. Darius is really long and athletic and so are Jon Geske and JoVaughn Gaines. Nathan Boothe is a thick kid and at 6-foot-6, he'll give us some size."-Four seniors give the Blue Devils a bit of experience. Craig Burton, Marquise Thomas, Shahron Thomas and Matt Dickinson were all part of a team that advanced to the sectional championship game last season-Warren's roster also includes a 6-foot-5 transfer from Simeon, forward Jeremiah Jackson.

Opener 7 p.m. Wednesday vs. Bartlett at Warren.