Sidebar: A few housekeeping notes

I have been inspired by a user comment to get this blog up and running again. A few things have changed since my last post in April, so let me give some background for the new perspective that you will see in this blog.

*I am now a homeowner. Given that I am still single (but not available...sorry ladies =P), that means that I can put top priority on the viewing of Illini sports events in the comfort of my own home (including on the Big Ten Network).

*On August 1st, Brumby decided to kill the Illiniboard. That IB is now pretty much just a bunch of Weber haters and political malcontents, so my TouchdownRejus posts are going to diminish and my year-long hiatus from the Scout board is over. Kudos to frankfrangie and JackLyman for finally putting together a high-quality operation over there. I also have a membership with Rivals and for my money Brad Sturdy is still the best source of insider basketball info.

*Illinois football has ripped out my heart and stomped on it five times this season. That team is dead to me until further notice, with the notable exception of my man Rejus Benn, who is still a godsend. I also must advocate the immediate resignation of Ron Guenther, as there is no path forward on the basketball renovation/new arena and the football scheduling is killing us.

*I will be pulling for my man Dee Brown on my local Washington Wizards team. They are perhaps the worst team in the NBA right now but I will watch for his sake.

*Jamar Smith, Brian Carlwell, and Rodney Alexander are all no longer members of the Illini basketball team. I wish them well in life but I won't be looking back or pondering any what-ifs with those players this basketball season. I will say that Brian Randle was one of my favorite players and I will miss him.

*Everyone knows that this Illinois basketball team isn't exactly loaded with talent and we are eagerly anticipating the four new players in our solid 2009 recruiting class. Our three recruits in 2010 may be even better and we are back on the upswing. The goal this year is to lay the foundation for the future and to erase the painful memories of 19 losses, awful shooting, poor team chemistry, and embarrassing off-court incidents from the last year. One notable milestone during the season will be the on-court debut of Alex Legion (expected) on December 20th.

*I am going to take that future-oriented approach and thus my theme for basketball this year will be: Illini Basketball: The Foundation. I'm going to try to avoid projecting future wins and losses (unlike what I've done in past seasons) and not stress out over the inevitable ups and downs. I'm also going to avoid the long-standing debate over Weber's job performance. Analysis will focus on younger players, the overall team dynamic, and long-term trends. I will try to be optimistic about our players' potential but I won't drink Kool Aid when it comes to ugly realities on the court.

*Numbers don't lie. I'm much more mathematician than basketball guru. I won't calculate efficiency scores but I will study the box scores and cumulative statistics. I'm also a seasoned observer of sports and try to give unbiased observations without an agenda. I will admit that I am pulling for Rich Semrau and don't fully understand Bill Cole's role on this team. Otherwise I am pretty fair-minded and won't take the intellectually lazy approach and blame everything on Chester Frazier (who is almost never the worst player on the court).

*Illinois basketball season starts on November 14th and I can't wait!