Derrick Rose is hard to read. The Simeon High School star – expected to sign with either Indiana or Memphis – became even more ambiguous this week, when he added Illinois to his short list of prospective schools. Two months ago, Illinois didn’t even make Rose’s top five list. But Rose’s brother, Reggie Rose, who accompanied the prized recruit on the visit, said things have changed.

“If Illinois wasn’t on the list, we wouldn’t even be down here,” Reggie Rose said.

Throughout much of Friday night’s Orange and Blue Scrimmage at the Assembly Hall, Rose, who was dressed in orange and black patent leather Nike shoes and an orange t-shirt, sat expressionless. There was one thing, though, that especially piqued the top-rated point guard’s interest during the men’s basketball team’s annual scrimmage.

While the scoreboard featured highlights of Illinois’ comeback against Arizona in the 2005 NCAA Tournament Regional Final, Rose intently watched as Deron Williams sank a three-pointer to tie the score at 80 as the Illini overcame a 15-point deficit for the improbable overtime win.

It also didn’t hurt that following the scrimmage, Reggie Rose, who did all of the talking for his brother Friday, said he doesn’t want Derrick to miss out on anything.

“The decision that he’s going to make, it’s not like he’s going to a candy machine and just picking up some type of candy; it’s a life decision,” Reggie Rose said. “Before we just make the decision, we just have to make sure it’s going to be the right decision, that was the main thing about coming back down here to take a second look.”

Derrick Rose will announce his choice school in an invitation-only press conference on Nov. 4, Reggie Rose said. The Illinois visit was Rose’s last before the fall signing period begins Nov. 8, Reggie Rose said.

The pair originally did not plan on spending Friday night in Champaign, but changed their minds and opted to attend Saturday’s practice at the Ubben Basketball Complex. Reggie Rose said they were going to take a “real thorough look” and see how “the players interact with each other, the way the coaching staff interacts.”

After visiting Memphis many thought Rose would sign with the Tigers, but Reggie Rose said the decision to come to Illinois was not based off anything that happened on that visit. He said it had more to do with visiting Illinois, and giving it the same kind of attention the other schools received.

“What happened was that last year when we came down for the Midnight Madness, it really wasn’t planned, it was a spur of the moment thing,” Reggie Rose said. “We came up, and we never got to take a visit like all the other schools we’ve been to.”

But he did add: “Sometimes you think the grass is greener on the other side, but when you go take that look, you say, ‘It ain’t like we think. So let’s go take another look.'”

Taking a look becomes even more important for Rose now that Eric Gordon snubbed the Illini for Indiana. Although Reggie Rose said it was “scary” when the two joined forces for Mean Streets Express, the duo’s AAU team, he said the situation went “kind of haywire” and “it is up to them if they want to play together.”

“A decision like that, sometimes you need to be selfish off the court; sometimes you have to think about you,” he said.

Reggie Rose said that by Derrick coming to him and asking to visit Illinois a second time showed the recruit’s maturity and that if he had made a mistake in not visiting Illinois earlier, he was trying to correct the situation.

“We’re just going to take it step by step,” he said, “and just let it soak in for a week.”