Its record-breaking 100th season is less than six months past, but Illinois men’s basketball is looking forward, rather than back.

With three of last year’s starters trying their luck in the NBA, only guard Dee Brown and forward James Augustine are guaranteed to be back on the court. The seniors know they’ll need their younger teammates to step up if this team plans to repeat its recent success.

“We have two very good seniors, but we have a lot of question marks,” head coach Bruce Weber said. “Can we mix in guys that can be productive? Last year, I said we’d be as good as our seniors; this year I think we’ll be as good as our juniors.”

Juniors Rich McBride, Warren Carter and Marcus Arnold are going to have to be ready to play. Weber also expects good things from sophomore Brian Randle and redshirt-freshman Calvin Brock.

But Weber warns that fans shouldn’t expect this season to start as magically as last season did.

“It might not come over night; it might come over a course of time,” Weber said. “They need some playing time and confidence, so we’re going to have to be patient and kind of get a feel of what our team is about.”

Weber said he is concerned that players will have as much of a hard time moving on after last season as the rest of the Illini Nation. He said he has spoken with the team about breaking away from the shadow of last year’s NCAA championship run, and that the young players are anxious to create their own image.

“We’ve got to put a closure to it, and we’ve talked to the team about it in our meetings,” Weber said. “This is a new team, it’s a different team, and you’ve got to accept that. If you’re looking for last year, we’ve got to create our own image, our own personality.”

Booted

Brown is finally almost back to 100 percent after breaking his foot at an NBA pre-draft camp in June. He’s been working out consistently, although Weber said coaches and athletic trainers worry that Brown might be pushing himself too far.

Last week he was sore after working out with teammates and playing in more pick-up games than Weber would have recommended. Weber said the guard is starting to realize that recovering from an injury after 14 weeks is not a quick process.

“It’s gotten to the point where we need to let him decide, and he’ll pull himself out,” Weber said.

Augustine suffered a sprained ankle last month, but is expected to be full-go when practice starts Oct. 14.

All talk

Weber said he’s put last spring’s bantering with Brown behind him. When Brown submitted his name for the NBA draft, he told the media that Weber wasn’t offering the support the guard wanted.

Weber said that while he was initially hurt by the comments, he understands Brown may have been soliciting a response from his coach, the media or the NBA.

“I know Dee, I know sometimes he talks to motivate (the media), sometimes he talks to get headlines, and sometimes he sends a message,” Weber said. “Then I’ll send a message back. But I think he’s fine, I think he’s excited.”

Chester chat

Weber said he is excited about what he’s seen in workouts from freshman guard Chester Frazier, who has a shot at some significant minutes this season. Weber said the Maryland native had success playing in Austria and Slovenia this summer, and has shown dedication throughout the preseason. However, Weber is cautious to warn that it’s much too early to tell how much of an impact he’ll have.

“He’s still a freshman, and you don’t know what’s going to happen until you get him in front of 17,000 people and TV cameras and different defenses and all that stuff,” Weber said. “I think he’s great in transition. Can he be good in half court? The half court is a different thing.”

Dee goes behind the scenes

Weber said he’s happy to see Brown interning with the DIA’s sports information department this semester. Brown has been working at football games and doing office jobs like any other intern as he fulfills the final requirement for his sports management major.

Weber said both sports information – the DIA’s media relations department – and the guard are benefiting from the experience, as Brown brings even more publicity to Illini sports.

“Dee’s kind of the pro. He’s kind of got celebrity status,” Weber said. “In a way, he’s kind of a rock star. He goes to grade schools, and they have to stop the school and everybody comes out. It’s good for him, it’s all part of the Dee Brown marketing program, and it helps our program also.”