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The action started when point guard
Deron Williams (The Colony,
Texas; The Colony High School) was chosen as the No. 3 overall pick
by the Utah Jazz. With that selection, Williams becomes the highest
drafted player in Illini history, surpassing Kendall Gill, who was
taken fifth overall in 1990 by the Charlotte Hornets. With its
sights clearly set on taking Williams, Utah made a trade earlier in
the day with Portland to move up from sixth to the third spot. Along
with being the top draftee ever to play at Illinois, Williams
becomes the 13th first-round draft pick in school history and joins
Gill as the second Illini to be drafted in the NBA lottery since it
began in 1985. Williams earned consensus second-team All-America
honors during the 2004-05 season. He started every game and ranked
third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points. He reached
double figures in 25 games, with five games of 20 or more points.
Williams was at his best during the NCAA tournament, averaging
14.7 points and 8.3 assists. He was named Most Outstanding Player of
the NCAA Chicago Regional and earned NCAA Final Four All-Tournament
Team honors.
Arguably the nation's most unselfish player, Williams led the Big
Ten and ranked 11th in the nation in assists, averaging 6.8 per
game, and became the first player in Big Ten history to lead the
conference in assists in each of his first three years. He shattered
the UI school record for assists in a season with 264 this past
year, which is also the third-highest total in Big Ten history.
Williams ended his Illini career ranked No. 2 on the school's
all-time assists list with 594 (seventh in Big Ten history). He
ranks 35th on the Illini all-time scoring list with 1,111 career
points and ranks eighth on the UI career 3-point field goals list
with 163 treys.
Fast-forward a couple of hours and the good news continued for
the Orange and Blue when the Houston Rockets selected guard
Luther Head (Chicago, Ill.; Manley High School) with the 24th overall pick
in the first round, as Head became the 14th first-round pick in Illini annals.
Head was a consensus second-team All-American during his senior
season and was recognized as one of the nation's most improved
players. He started every game and led the Illini in scoring at 15.9
points per game. He reached double figures in 36 of 39 games, with
12 games of 20-plus points. Head excelled in the postseason, earning
Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors and selection to the NCAA Chicago
Regional Team and NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.
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 Head became a sharpshooter from behind the arc, setting a school
record for 3-pointers in a season with a Big Ten-leading 116 treys
on 41 percent accuracy. He also showcased his all-around game,
ranking second on the Illini in steals and third in assists and
rebounds.
Head ended his career ranked 19th on the Illini all-time scoring
list with 1,295 points, is fourth on the career 3-point field goals
list with 209 treys and ranks ninth on the career steals list with
158 steals.
This marks the second time in school history that Illinois has
had two players selected in the first round. The first time occurred
in 1989, when Nick Anderson (11th by Orlando) and Kenny Battle (27th
by Detroit) were both first-round choices. This is also the third
draft in the last four years where Illinois has been represented in
the first round, as Williams and Head join Frank Williams (25th pick
by Denver in 2002) and Brian Cook (24th pick by the Los Angeles
Lakers in 2003) as recent first-round selections.
"We are so proud of both Deron and Luther and all that they have
achieved," Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said. "In the discussions
I had with NBA personnel, one thing I heard from them repeatedly was
how impressed they were with how Deron and Luther carried themselves
in the workouts and interviews, the charisma that they showed, and
the poise and businesslike manner in which they approached
everything. In looking at the draft, I don't know if you could have
asked for better situations for them in terms of the teams they are
going to. Deron is just a perfect fit to run the system at Utah, and
Luther will be able to compete for time on a playoff team at
Houston.
"This was a great night for our program," Weber continued. "Our
coaches and players are excited and happy for Deron and Luther, and
I know all the Illini fans are as well. We wish them all the best as
they begin their NBA careers."
[Derrick Burson, assistant sports information director,
University of Illinois]
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