THE ILLINI

Well, last night the Illini typified their entire season by going down 14, then up 12, then losing by three in the NCAA tournament. I can't say that I had drunk the Kool-Aid with this year's team. They were too in awe of Dee Brown too often and did not develop as a team as they needed to. This is a predictable result for a team that had too big a "generation gap" to overcome. I had them losing to UConn in the Sweet 16, but I was not shocked that they lost to Washington.

That being said, William Rhoden in the New York Times (no free link available) wrote a very nice column today about how Dee Brown should get a shot in the NBA because he has "common sense," is "selfless," and has his "head on straight and . . . priorities in order." Rhoden also discussed the fact that Dee is a good guy and plays the game the right way. I hope that someone gives Dee a shot at the next level. As Rhoden said, he will not be a "star," like Stephon Marbury, or "dynamic" like Steve Francis, but he is a stable player with which to build. Besides, Starbury and Franchise have both been cancers on every team they've been on. Dee will never, ever be that.

Thanks for the memories Dee and James.