No-quit attitude common theme in this season’s road to Final Four

By NCAA Tournament Guide Staff

Bruce Weber used to never get headaches. This season, though, amid the injuries, the recruiting woes, the car accident and the stress of securing an NCAA Tournament berth, he had them four or five times a week. It may have been unusual, but so too was the music that resonated from the Illini coaching staff’s offices each day. They began turning to music to keep calm in light of the trials this season brought. The year was a struggle, and with each passing day, one never knew the next player that would be hindered by an injury.

Just two years removed from the Illini’s trip to the Final Four and their 37-win season, it was hard for fans to sit back and watch their team try to hang with Ohio State, but even more so when they struggled against Michigan and Iowa, middle of the pack Big Ten teams at best. That’s what made this year so frustrating, for fans and those who sat on press row, alike.

It seems like only yesterday that Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head took the college basketball world by storm as they held the top spot in the AP poll for 15 straight weeks. When I look at the dominant presences of Ohio State, UCLA and Florida in this year’s tournament, I remember that’s the way Illinois used to look to the rest of the country. They were the ones with the best backcourt in the nation and a National Coach of the Year to boot.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Florida try to win back-to-back titles, and I certainly enjoyed watching UCLA take down No.1-seeded Kansas and its leader Bill Selfish, who has yet to coach a team to a Final Four. It was watching North Carolina, yes, the hated Tar Heels who crushed Illinois’ dreams of winning its first-ever basketball national championship, which reminded me of the Illini’s come-from-behind victory against Arizona in the Elite Eight in 2005. Down by 16 points early in the second half, North Carolina used its deeper-than-one-could-think-possible roster to spur its comeback against USC, who I am still trying to figure out how it rose to national prominence. But I digress. The Tar Heels showed the resolve of a Roy Williams team in refusing to quit, battling for every possession and taking advantage of second chance opportunities with short tip-ins. To say the least, I was impressed.

But as I thought about their no-quit attitude, I thought of Bruce Weber following Illinois’ first-round loss to Virginia Tech. Even in light of letting a 13 point lead evaporate, Illinois still fought to the end, just as USC did on Friday night. Of the four Illini teams he has coached, he said this year’s team “maybe had the most heart of any since I’ve been here.”

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While it may have been difficult to watch this season unfold, Weber’s team exhibited some of the same great qualities reminiscent of the 2005 team. Not many teams, at least to my knowledge, have had significant injuries to most of its starters. Then, there was the car accident that put Jamar Smith’s future in jeopardy and Brian Carlwell in critical condition with a severe concussion. It wasn’t the program’s finest moment, but it occurred at a time when the Illini were peaking and finally shrugging off their worst injuries.

Carlwell’s recovery hasn’t been as quick as doctors and trainers thought. As for Smith, Weber tries to see or talk to the sophomore guard every day, whether in person or by phone call or text message. Knowing the importance of the relationship, Weber said he often catches himself at night looking to check in with Smith. I see it as a tribute to the type of coach, and more importantly, type of person Weber is. He won’t quit on Smith, and he didn’t quit on the Illini.

They continually battled, but as Weber often says, “Life isn’t fair.” No one knows that better than the Illini. They didn’t quit, but as is the case in March, the better team eventually wins in the later rounds, whether down by 16 points or not. It’s hard to tell where Illinois is headed, but you may get a better idea after you read the story on page 6, but if I had to make a guess, I would say it’s going to move forward, especially with Weber leading the way. It’s just my hope, that in the coming years, Illinois can once again be the ones outscoring opponents 20-5 in the final four minutes of a game as it did against Arizona.

Here’s to the teams that are headed to Atlanta for the Final Four, but also to Illinois finding its way back one day. Enjoy our final NCAA Tournament special section, complete with coverage of those still in the tournament field and Illinois’ first-round loss to Virginia Tech.

Erin Foley is a senior in Communications. She can be reached at [email protected].