Illinois senior Pruitt takes game seriously
The last time national television cameras pointed their lenses at Illinois, the Orange and Blue left the country with a discolored impression.
Despite holding a 10-point lead over Virginia Tech with 4:29 left in NCAA Tournament action March 16, the Illini surrendered the game's final 12 points to suffer the school's first opening-round loss since 1995.
Center Shaun Pruitt, now a senior, was so disgusted by the outcome (and some calls that limited him to 6 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes) that he took off for the hotel without bothering to grab his stuff out of the team's cramped locker room.
"I just really didn't feel like being bothered," Pruitt said. "I didn't want to watch TV or anything like that. I knew some of the headlines would be, 'We were out in the first round with other Big Ten schools.' So I didn't want to be around anyone.
"It is a game, but I take this serious, you know? And it's supposed to be serious. Even at this level, it's a business. And hopefully if I make it at the next level, that's definitely a business. There was nothing fun about that."
Illinois makes its 2007-08 national-TV debut today in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal against Arizona State (10:30 p.m., ESPN2).
Those who tune in and check out No. 55 might be surprised at how much Pruitt has changed since that loss to Virginia Tech.
As part of his long-held desire to become an NBA player, Pruitt declared for the draft in April and dedicated himself to fixing his weaknesses.
He signed up to work out with Tim Grover and his ATTACK Athletics staff to improve, among other things, his explosiveness and shooting.
After pulling his name out of the NBA draft, Pruitt returned to Illinois with a sleeker body despite adding 10 pounds to his 6-foot-10 frame.
While he's never going to be as swift in the open court as former Illini James Augustine, Pruitt's days as a lumbering, easily winded pivotman are gone.
Not only has he produced a team-high 27 points and 24 rebounds in Illinois' first two games -- not to mention 4 assists after handing out 7 all of last season -- Pruitt has been able to attack the defensive glass, flip an outlet pass and then speed upcourt to be a legitimate part of the Illini's emphasis on transition offense.
Then there's Pruitt's improved free-throw mechanics, which he developed with help from Grover and his staff.
Though they haven't shown up in his stats (7 of 13 from the line), Pruitt junked his painfully long left-handed stroke for a simpler, quicker flip that reduces his margin for error.
"It worked a lot," he said, "so I hope it'll keep working."
Pruitt, a lifetime .506 shooter, hopes it'll work so well he won't be able to hear the Assembly Hall crowd when he toes the line.
"I think sometimes when I shoot my first free throw it gets me rattled," Pruitt said. "Because even before I'll shoot a free throw, when I get the ball, the crowd will go, 'Uh-ah.' I can hear them talking."
Illinois (2-0) vs. Arizona State (0-0)
When: 10:30 p.m. at Lahaina Civic Center
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WIND 560-AM
The skinny: The Illini are a better seed than the Sun Devils, who went 8-22 last year, but this should be a fight to the finish. Arizona State brought in McDonald's All-American guard James Harden (6-4, 218), Duke transfer Eric Boateng and other youngsters to join Wooden Award preseason top-50 pick Jeff Pendergraph (12.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg last year). ASU's three-freshman lineup could experience first-game jitters at the outset, but Illinois needs to think more about its own slow start Friday against Hawaii. If not for Calvin Brock's explosive 11-point, 8-rebound effort off the bench, which included back-to-back putback dunks in the first half and the game's winning hoop with 0:05 to go, the Illini would be 1-1.
-- Lindsey Willhite