For many head basketball coaches, the fourth year is a defining one.
Usually, for the first time, they have a team of players they recruited who were hand-picked to fit their system, and many are veterans who are ready to produce.
But Bruce Weber's story is a little different. The fourth-year Illinois coach, whose team will face Arizona today in the second half of the Hall of Fame Challenge in Phoenix, is only now in transition.
He already won at Illinois with players who were mostly recruited by former coach Bill Self, who bolted to Kansas in 2003 despite leaving a full cupboard of talent in Champaign.
Weber turned them into his guys, taking the Illini to the Sweet 16 in his first season, to the championship game in his second, and to the second round last season.
Four Illini became NBA draft picks.
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So when the fourth-year transition topic was mentioned to him this week, the normally genial Weber expressed some tension.
"I don't agree with that 'your own guys' thing," Weber said. "I coached all these guys for three years, so I don't know about that. That's kind of baffling to me. They were more my guys than his guys."
Besides, Weber proved before he came to Illinois that he can coach. After an 18-year stint as an assistant under Gene Keady at Purdue, Weber took Southern Illinois to the NIT in his second season as a head coach, and to the NCAA tournament in Years 4 and 5.
"He's a good coach, if you look at his record," Arizona's Lute Olson said. "He's been a good coach wherever he's been at."
He's also held his own on the recruiting trail. While Weber does not have any McDonald's All-Americans, he pulled in a Texas 5A player of the year (Warren Carter) and six consensus first-team All-Illinois picks, including the 2004 Chicago player of the year (guard Calvin Brock) and the 2004 Illinois Mr. Basketball runner-up (Shaun Pruitt).
But now, because Self left the roster so full of young talent, Weber is just now getting around to a bit of a rebuilding job. He's also been thrown a few obstacles.
Weber tried to open the season delicately, scheduling five soft home games, then two winnable games in Chicago before hosting Maryland on Tuesday. But injuries to guard Jamar Smith (ankle), forward Brian Randle (groin) and a four-game suspension to guard Rich McBride did not help the transition.
"These kids know what we want," Weber said. "They worked hard and they know the system. But to not have Randle and Smith and Rich McBride … in the practices, there's no continuity and it hasn't been very easy."
McBride had three games under his belt when the Illini (7-1) hosted Maryland in the ACC/Big Ten challenge, but still played with first-game unevenness. In Illinois' 72-66 loss, he made just 2 of 9 three-pointers, frantically attempting to take away momentum from Maryland's 8-0 start, and scored eight points with no rebounds.
"I've been forcing the issue a little much," McBride said. "I'm just trying to improve."
While he and his teammates do, Weber will keep prodding.
"I've just got to keep helping the guys and see if I can survive the end of the day," Weber said. "I'm still looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe around Christmas we'll get everybody back. I still feel good that we have a chance. But right now, it's hard."
Rim shots
● Olson announced a tighter nine-man rotation plan for today. He said he would use his five regular starters, with help inside from Jordan Hill and Bret Brielmaier against the rugged Pruitt. Nic Wise and Daniel Dillon will be the guards in his rotation, although Olson said he would test other players as the game goes on.
● With Gonzaga and Texas in the first game today, Olson said he did not think there would be a better four-team combination in any doubleheader played this season. "I don't think there will be a problem in motivating any of the four teams," Olson said.
Today
● What: Hall of Fame Challenge: UA vs. Illinois (after Gonzaga-Texas)
● When: 3:15 p.m.
● TV: ESPN
● Radio: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
