The
message boards were lighting up with
criticism for Illinois coach Bruce Weber and the four seniors within
minutes of the game's conclusion, and to call the loss a
disappointment might be the understatement of the season.So what
should we do as fans and followers of the Illini? Should we join the
chorus of hate and cry for a change on the bench? Should we throw
these four seniors under the bus -- questioning their desire and
skill and will to win? Or should we all take a deep breath -- step
back for a second -- and realize these are 21-year-old kids who have
represented our favorite Division I university well the past four
years?
While the careers of Bill Cole, Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey and
Mike Tisdale will never rate with the reigns of Dee Brown or Brian
Cook or Cory Bradford, these four young men have never been in
trouble and have delivered some special moments for Illini Nation.
I was able to spend time with each senior in the locker room
about 30 minutes after the game ended and asked each senior the same
question: "What are one or two of your favorite memories from your
time as an Illini?" The answers were similar, but just the question
seemed to bring a smile to each face and reminded me of some good
times the past four seasons.
Mike Tisdale, the 7-footer from Riverton, remembered scoring 31
points against Northwestern during his junior season and the
excitement of ESPN Game Day in February of 2010 -- an all-day event
that took place before Illinois throttled a good Michigan State team
that would eventually advance to the Final Four.
Mike Davis, the Maryland product who committed to Illinois about
as late as you can -- August of 2007, remembered the run to the
conference tournament title game his freshman year: Illinois beat
Penn State, Purdue and Minnesota in close and exciting fashion
before succumbing to Wisconsin on Sunday. Davis also spoke about
Game Day in 2010 and remembered the unbelievable comeback victory at
Clemson during December of 2009.
Bill Cole, the Peoria Richwoods graduate some Illini fans never
considered worthy of a scholarship, loved the Eric Gordon game his
freshman year, as well as the NCAA tournament experience his
sophomore year. Like the other seniors, he loved the Game Day
experience during his junior year. Cole also spoke about the joy of
wearing the orange and blue, and when asked if he became discouraged
by fair-weather or bandwagon fans who seem to be so negative, he
replied: "We know who the real Illini fans are, and we love them."
Demetri McCamey, the St. Joseph's guard who has tried to move out
from high school teammate Evan Turner's shadow, had more memories
than any of the others: He remembered scoring 31 against IU at the
real Assembly Hall in the Eric Gordon game in January of 2008; he
remembered his game-winning shot at Northwestern in February of '09
along with the win on the road at Ohio State; Demetri spoke about
the Clemson comeback his junior year and the Game Day experience;
and this year, the North Carolina win and the great shooting game in
Seattle against the Zags of Gonzaga is a game he says he will
remember forever.
