Deron Williams knows what Big Ten tournament success looks like. He’s been there, done that.
During Williams’ three seasons on the court (2002-05), the Illini first-ballot Hall of Famer went 8-1 in the Big Ten tournament and was part of two title teams.
Wednesday print:
'The work he puts in on the scout team doesn’t get much attention — particularly this season with the #Illini ensconced in a “bubble” of their own making at Ubben Basketball Complex — but it’s no less important.' — @srrichey pic.twitter.com/h6GI5yIheu
— IlliniHQ (@IlliniHQ) March 10, 2021
Only one of the eight wins was decided by fewer than eight points. The average margin of victory was 13.1 points, though the games weren’t that close. Illinois was a monster, one that routinely stomped the rest of the Big Ten.
“We didn’t feel like there was anybody that could beat us on any night,” Williams told The News-Gazette this past Friday.
It’s been a long time since that sentiment has been present at Illinois. For the team or the fans.
In the past 14 Big Ten tournaments, Illinois played for only one title, losing to Wisconsin in 2008. The team made the semifinal round just three other times and hasn’t since 2010.
The drought appeared like it might end in the 2019-20 season when Brad Underwood’s team went 13-7 in the Big Ten and 21-10 overall. Then, COVID-19 hit and any hope for a Big Ten tournament title evaporated when the tournament was canceled last March.
The current team is in the middle of its best season since 2004-05. After Saturday’s 73-68 win at Ohio State, Illinois is 20-6 overall and finished 16-4 in the Big Ten for its most league wins ever in a single season. The Illini are ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
Wednesday's @news_gazette sports section features 16 pages of @IlliniMBB coverage, with work from @srrichey, @BobAsmussen and @mdaniels_NG in a Big Ten men's basketball tournament special section. #NGMedia @APSE_sportmedia pic.twitter.com/NyPq0WKD9N
— IlliniHQ (@IlliniHQ) March 10, 2021
Williams, a longtime NBA standout who retired in 2017 after 12 seasons and three All-Star appearances, has kept tabs on his alma mater this winter.
What does the two-time Olympic gold medalist think of Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and pals?
“I feel like they are getting there,” Williams said.
Williams appeared on a national radio show earlier last week, sharing his thoughts on the Illini.
“The one thing I talked about was their confidence, especially Ayo’s,” Williams said. “His confidence right now is at an all-time high. It seems like when he gets out on that floor, he knows he’s the best player on the floor on that night. It’s fun to watch.”
The same traits were said about Illinois during Williams’ playing days in Champaign. But it didn’t happen overnight. The team went from 25 wins to 26 to 37. With a coaching change after the first season, going from Bill Self to Bruce Weber.
“We went through some ups and downs,” Williams said. “My sophomore year, my first year with Bruce, we went through some ugly moments. We struggled a lot early on in the Big Ten.”
They figured it out. Illinois won its final six Big Ten road games in the 2003-04 season to take the conference regular-season title.
“That’s where our confidence started to build,” Williams said, “and we took it into the tournament.”
Following the plan
What happened to Illinois basketball after 2005?
“I feel like we had a bunch of down years,” Williams said. “I think once we changed ADs from Ron Guenther, I think things went down even further. The guy, I don’t remember his name, don’t want to remember his name, I feel like he set us back a couple years.”
The guy Williams referenced, Mike Thomas, was fired in 2015 and was eventually replaced by former Illini tight end Josh Whitman.
Two thumbs up from Williams for the hire.
“Since Josh has taken over,” Williams said, “you can see the program turning around.”
Whitman hired Underwood in 2017 as John Groce’s replacement.
When Underwood took over, he talked about Illinois’ potential.
“I don’t know what the timetable was,” Underwood said. “This is a great job. This is a place you can have the ability to have success and win championships. I believe that. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have come.”
Every good team has a glue guy. Da'Monte Williams is that — and has been that — for the #Illini. He does the little things. Rebounds. Takes charges. Dives on the floor for loose balls. Defends. Williams has embraced that role in his time at Illinois. — @srrichey pic.twitter.com/Yy5hR5DUzF
— IlliniHQ (@IlliniHQ) March 9, 2021
Williams is a big fan of Underwood.
“I think Coach Underwood is doing a fabulous job,” Williams said. “Hopefully, he’s here to stay for a while, so we can have that stability of a good coach and a really good recruiter starting to bring talent back to Champaign.”
Williams likes Underwood’s ability with Xs and Os and his style.
“He does a good job of motivating guys,” Williams said. “He’s one of those tough-love guys where he gets after guys on the court. But his players also love and respect him and love to be around him. That’s definitely key in the college game.”
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) and Illinois center Kofi Cockburn (21) leave the floor at the end of the game in an NCAA basketball game at State Farm Center in Champaign on Tuesday, Feb.16, 2021.
Challenge accepted
Giorgi Bezhanishvili’s first Illinois team won just 12 games. And lost a school-record 21.
Two years later, he is an important part of a top-five team.
“It feels really, really awesome,” Bezhanishvili said. “I’ve been here through a lot.”
How did it get fixed?
“From the coaching staff to the players to the managers to the whole program, we put a lot of work in to get to this point,” he said.
Illinois is again a contender in the Big Ten and beyond. Like it was 16 years ago. And 16 years before that special 2004-05 season in the 1988-1989 season.
“We’re rocking the Illini right here,” Bezhanishvili said. “It is a lot of pride to be part of this, part of UI, part of this team. I feel like it really shows on the court, it shows off the court, just how guys are walking down the street.”
Back in the day
Jack Ingram was the top reserve for the 2005 national runner-up team. The Tulsa transfer had followed Bill Self from Oklahoma to Illinois, then played two years for Bruce Weber.
He made a string of critical plays late in the regional-final comeback against Arizona, getting a steal and setting a screen to free Williams for a game-tying three-pointer.
Ingram follows the current Illini closely from his Indianapolis home.
He is thrilled to see the program again competing at a high level.
The lean times for his former school were a surprise.
“The university and the fan base that we have is amazing,” Ingram said. “It’s been 16 years since we’ve had a team on a national level.”
He offered an explanation.
“It’s not easy,” Ingram said. “You kind of get there and the foundation of those kind of programs is the culture. It’s lightning in a bottle almost. If you’re able to have that culture as the foundation, then you get really talented players.
“Over the last 16 years, we’ve had maybe the culture but maybe not quite the talent. We haven’t had that right combination.”
He sees a change with the current program. In a good way.
“Just look at the Michigan game,” Ingram said. “Without Ayo, they were able to really step up and have a lot of guys fill that role. It was amazing to watch. I enjoyed that entire game like everybody.”
The dominance against the Wolverines impressed Ingram.
“There was nothing fluky about the way they went in and took it to Michigan,” Ingram said. “‘We’re going to be tougher, faster, stronger and we’re going to be the more aggressive team.’ Michigan wasn’t able to deal with that.”
Though the makeup of the two teams are different, Ingram sees similarities between Underwood’s Illini and the ‘04-05 model.
“Just the intensity of everyone, flying around, anticipating on defense and making it hard for the other team,” Ingram said. “We scored a lot of points in ‘05 and we had a lot of offensive talent, but what really drove that team was how tough we were to score against.
“That’s probably the biggest growth I’ve seen in the current team. Their intensity and the defensive level at the beginning of the year was probably an area they really needed to improve. I’ve seen a lot of improvement.”
Another similarity between then and now is the speed of transition from defense to offense.
“I love to see that,” Ingram said. “I love to see Kofi get down on fast breaks and get slam dunks.”
The current team has two of the top players in the country: Dosunmu and Cockburn. The ‘05 team had Willliams and Dee Brown.
“Ayo and Kofi are the best inside-outside combination in the country,” Ingram said. “They play different than we did, but it’s so fun watching them play. They are finding new ways to get both those guys and the rest of the team in the right spots.”
Ingram likes Illinois’ chances this weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“I don’t think I would take anyone over this Illini team to beat them in the Big Ten tournament,” Ingram said.
Illini for life
Growing up in nearby Tuscola, Matt McCumber always rooted for the team in C-U. His family has had season tickets for more than 40 years.
McCumber was part of the program from 2001-05, serving as a manager.
“It was great timing,” said McCumber, who now lives in Dallas and works in medical sales.
He remains close friends with many of the players from the early 2000s.
What made those teams special?
“The first thing is they had unbelievable talent,” he said. “They had great depth at every position.”
But there was more.
“They were the most competitive people I have ever been around,” McCumber said. “Whatever they were doing, it didn’t matter. Playing cards, bowling, out at an establishment late at night, it was a competition to see who could win at something. Whatever it may be. It carried over to practice.”
The practices were like games. Or tougher.
The hard work paid off in the games. On the rare times the team got behind, there was no sense of panic.
“They always knew what they needed to do to get back in the game,” McCumber said. “They had a great bond.”
McCumber stayed involved in basketball after leaving Illinois, working for Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M, Rob Judson at Northern Illinois, Chris Lowery at Southern Illinois and Weber at Kansas State.
He has followed the team closely since ‘05. He’s not sure why the program dipped.
“There just seemed to be a disconnect,” he said. “Things that had gone on in the past of how we won weren’t there anymore. They started losing close games. We didn’t have that issue during those glory years.”
The close losses over the years cut into the team’s confidence. And the talent level started to slip too.
“It snowballs,” McCumber said.
The snowball has started rolling in a positive direction. Better talent, improved coaching and success in close games is evident again.
“The swagger is back,” McCumber said. “That’s what Coach Underwood has brought. They are feared again.”
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