'Wow' the buzz on prized Illini freshman

CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois welcomes back all five starters and its top two subs from last year's squad.

But that group bowed out in the NIT quarterfinals. Why have these Illini been ranked as high as No. 9 nationally in the preseason magazines?

In large part, it's due to the long-awaited arrival of freshman Jereme Richmond.

Three years and 11 months after committing to the Illini, the program's first McDonald's All-American since Dee Brown already has made a profound impact on a roster that doesn't have a single player who knows what it's like to win an NCAA Tournament game.

“When you first see him, you're going to say ‘Whoa,' said senior point guard Demetri McCamey. “Because he's going to make a big play or a big block that he's just going to get so high above the rim, you're going to be, ‘How can a kid jump so high?'

Richmond provided a few ‘Whoa' moments during Tuesday's full-team workout, but not just for his athletic ability.

During a rapid-fire stretch of a 3-on-2 drill, Richmond drove the baseline and fed a teammate for an open jumper.

Then the 6-foot-7, 205-pound 18-year-old switched to defense and rotated from the weak side to take a charge, even though he's battling a back injury.

After teammates helped him to his feet, Richmond returned to offense and caught McCamey's alley-oop pass for a powerful dunk punctuated with a scream to the heavens.

“His versatility is probably his biggest strength, Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “He can really pass the basketball, he can really post up, so you can have him as a possibility at point guard and you can have him inside also.

“I'm worried about what position (he'll play) and can he learn everything? That's a lot of pressure on a young man and I keep asking the coaches, ‘Where should we start him? Can you let him try to play (the) 1, 2, 3 (and) 4? Or do we try to focus on a couple things at a time and, as he evolves, let him do a couple other things.'

At this juncture, Richmond believes he fits best as a small forward, which makes him one of the three perimeter guys in Illinois' motion offense.

“I don't really have a preference, he said. “I've always said wherever Coach sees fit as the best lineup, the best place to put me in the game, then that's what I'll try to do to the best of my ability.

If Richmond emerges as a starter by the time Illinois opens its season Nov. 8 against UC Irvine, it likely comes at the expense of senior Bill Cole.

Clearly Cole won't give up his spot without a fight, but he recognizes how talented Illinois' 11 scholarship players are.

“We truly feel like we're loaded from top to bottom, Cole said. “I think the seniors have put in their mind that we want to go far in the tournament.

“To us, that's at least Sweet Sixteen, even though we think we can probably go farther. I think anything short of that would probably be a failure.