With their one weekend away from the NBA, Dee Brown and Luther Head chose to return to Champaign and the Assembly Hall for the Illini’s game against Northwestern. The duo, whose names and faces are synonymous with Illinois basketball, sparked excitement for a team and its fan base that has witnessed injury after injury this season.

Brown, the charismatic former Illini point guard now with the Utah Jazz, arrived in Champaign late Friday and “hung around” practice and infused the team with energy, head coach Bruce Weber said.

Head, a guard with the Houston Rockets, snuck in the back door after the game had started and will also be in town on Monday to spend some time with the Illini.

Brown stressed the importance of returning to Champaign.

“I have so much support for my teammates still, my coaches,” he said. “I love Coach Weber. I love the program. I love the fans. Anytime I can come back, I will always be down here.”

Both, though, stressed their support for Smith, along with the hope that he can bounce back from the accident. Head said he learned of the accident after those in the Houston Rockets public relations department told him. The former Illini said they tried to get in contact with Smith, but were unable.

“Everyone makes mistakes, that’s what everybody has to realize,” Brown said. “Being an athlete, you make a mistake, it gets blown out of proportion. Things happen, but I’m here for him. I know people make mistakes, I make mistakes. He can call me any time.”

Although Smith and Head never were teammates, Smith was drawn to Head’s style of play and is always asking Weber and graduate assistant Jeremy Izzo to give him game film on Head. The two talk frequently and Smith said he sees Head as a mentor. Because of his busy schedule, Head said he was going to call Smith after the Northwestern game and see if he “could hang out with him for a little bit” before returning to Houston.

“Things happen, but with things like this you have to try to forget about it and try to let go,” said Head, who is averaging 11.3 points per game with the Rockets. “You know you can’t just stress on it and stress yourself out.”

While Smith’s future with the Illini is uncertain, Head feels that in time the fans will be able to forget about the accident.

“He’s a good kid and everybody knows how good he is on the court,” Head said. “Hopefully, people will see that and try to give him a second chance. “

But even with all of the off-court distractions, Brown said he knows Weber will have the Illini ready to play once the postseason rolls around. He even sees Illinois getting an NCAA tournament berth.

“That’s not even a question,” Brown said. “The question is what the seed’s going to be.”