Feb. 6, 2003

By Steve Richardson

Illinois coach Bill Self tied for the Big Ten Conference regular-season title in each of his first two seasons as coach of the Illini after a successful stints at Tulsa and Oral Roberts. Self is the first Big Ten Conference coach since 1912 to win Big Ten titles in each of his first two years at the school.

Self has taken Illinois to the Elite Eight in the 2001 NCAA Tournament and to the Sweet 16 in 2002 after coaching Tulsa to the Elite Eight in 2000.

Q: You have several freshmen contributing to your program this season. Can you talk about them? Guard Dee Brown for one.
BS: "I said all along that Dee Brown would be as important a guy as we would ever sign at Illinois. Not because of points or he's fast, but because he affects everything else. He affects recruiting. He affects the mood in the locker room. He affects toughness. He's got his hand print on everything we do."

Q: Is it unusual to have to have two freshmen starters at guard? You also have another Williams who is starring.
BS: "Deron Williams plays a lot like Frank Williams (who played for the Illini last season). He is unbelievably skilled with the ball. Deron is different than most freshmen. There's a saying the longer you play the game the slower the game becomes. The game is already in slow motion for him. He has a Big Ten body already."

Q: Are you surprised these kids have played so well? They haven't been intimidated.
BS: "It is different (for them). It is not difficult for them. These guys were expected to be in this situation."

Q: How good is this Illinois team?
BS:"I wish we had Archibald (6-11, 250-pound Robert, who played last season), the one guy who could anchor the middle. If we had the one big guy to go along with the speed on the perimeter, I would say this is a team which could be pretty good. I still think we are a recruiting class or two away from having athletes 1-10. But certainly we are a lot quicker than we have been in years past here."

Q: You have been critical of some of the close officiating this season in the Big Ten. Why?
BS: "The last two years I have been here and as an outsider before, I had always thought of the Big Ten as a very tough, physical league, almost to a fault at times. But of late, the officials are making more calls I would consider touch fouls than earlier in the year. In order to be a physical league, you have to be able to play that way. The Big Ten has had six teams in the Final Four the past four years I have to believe it is because how the game is called in the NCAA Tournament is similar to how we have called the game in the regular season (of the Big Ten)."

Q: You have put a lot of emphasis on relationships with your players, haven't you?
BS: "As a coach you always have to figure out ways to get better. I don't think you can ever be critical of players until you look yourself in the mirror. I try not to get on guys until I look at tapes. I obviously make a lot of mistakes. I have probably watched more tape this year than the eight or nine years I have been a head coach. I have gone back and watched tape of the Tulsa days and why we were successful. I think you can always look at ways to improve yourself. Coaches need to mature as well. I know I have plenty of room for improvement and to mature as coach and make better decisions. But really to me coaching comes down to how you handle your guys. Are they motivated to be at that magic level over a period of four months? You can't do that unless there are relationships. I probably spend more with player relationships than I do with Xs and Os."

Q: Is the style of play changing in the Big Ten?
BS: "I think our league is getting faster. I don't know that translates into more points. You look at that Oregon-Texas game last year in the NCAA Tournament. That was fast and athletic but the final score was still 72-70. Fast translates into more pressure, more denials, more havoc and stuff. I think our league is getting to the point we can create more havoc and do some things we haven't done in the past. There are really some good guards in our league and some good young kids."

Q: Do you like the Rating Percentage Index used by the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee to select teams at-large for the tournament?
BS: "I think scheduling still is not a science. Your schedule is based on who is returning. I don't think the RPI of our schedule is as strong as in the past. Some of the teams are having down years which normally are good."

Q: The Big Ten appears to be wide open this season. What do you think?
BS: "I would be surprised if the winner (of the Big Ten regular-season title) didn't have four or five losses. Nobody is head and shoulders above anybody. And it is hard to win on the road."

Q: A third freshman, forward James Augustine, has had a major impact on the program. Can you talk about him?
BS: "We had James in camp last year. And James hurt his ankle in camp. We thought he was a good athlete. But we weren't really sure. Then he goes to ABCD and makes the all-star team. We really got on him after we had him in camp. Then he was hurt half of his senior year in high school. We thought he could be a good player. He is skilled and he can run and he can jump. But if he stays healthy he has a chance to make an impact. He is probably the best athlete on our team."