TALKING ILLINI HR 1

The Chicago Sun-Times Herb Gould is Talking Illini with Boz & Mr. G! They break down the loss to Minnesota, and the changes the team needs to make to get back on track.

TALKING ILLINI HR 2

In-studio guest Brandon Paul talks about his game, and gives his thoughts on the Fighting Illini squad. Then Brandons coach and mentor, former Bull Dickey Simpkins, talks about Brandons game. Plus Fighting Illini Head Basketball Coach Bruce Weber previews the season.

Brandon Paul

AAU 17U 2008 National Championship 6th Place – Team NLP



LeBron James Nike Elite Basketball Academy – Team Champions



NBPA Top 100 Elite Camp – Team Champions



Ranked #1 in the Illinois Class of 2009 by ChicagoHoops.com



Ranked #1 in the Illinois Class of 2009 by Rivals.com



All-State 4A First Team by Associated Press (AP)



All-State Second Team by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association



Warren Most Valuable Player Award



Warren Harold Myers Award (Leading Rebounder)



All-Conference (NSC), All-Lake County Waukegan News-Sun



All-Area Daily Herald, All-Area Chicago Sun-Times



First Team Pioneer Press All-Lake Shore Team; Best Pure Shooter



Player of the Week: NIKE Comcast MeTV Sports – February 15, 2008



Player of the Week: Daily Herald – January 4, 2008



First Team All Tournament / Pontiac Holiday Tournament, Dec 29, 2007

Dickey Simpkins

Dickey Simpkins established himself as one of the premier prep players in the Washington, D.C. area, one of the country\'s basketball hot beds. Simpkins achieved success while playing for Friendly High School (Ft. Washington, Md.), and grabbed All-County, All-Metropolitan, All-American Honors which led him to be selected to the McDonalds Capitol Classic Team (1990). In addition to playing high school basketball, Dickey also played AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball where his team won Washington, D.C. area Championships \'87, \'89, & \'90. After high school, he then landed a full scholarship to play basketball for Providence College, in the Big East, one of the top conferences in Division I basketball. While playing for Providence College, Dickey was selected to play in the 1991 Olympic Festival where he won a Gold medal, he was named to the Big East All-Tournament Team \'92 & \'94, and ranks 15th in career points. Dickey graduated from Providence College in 1994 with a B.A. in Marketing/Art.

In the 1994 NBA Draft, Dickey was selected in the first round (21st overall) to the Chicago Bulls. He went on to play 6 seasons with the Bulls where he was a part of the best NBA team record ever (1996) and three NBA Championship Titles \'96, \'97, \'98. Since 2000, Dickey has been playing international professional basketball in various countries, which include Greece, Puerto Rico, Russia, Lithuania, Spain, and the Philippines. During his international career some of his achievements include being named to the Puerto Rico Basketball League All-Star Team \'02 & Puerto Rico Basketball League Championship Title \'05, FIBA Europe Championship Cup North \'03, and Lithuania League All-Star Team \'04.

Click Here to visit his website

Bruce Weber

The Illinois basketball program has enjoyed unprecedented success both in the Big Ten and nationally under head coach Bruce Weber.



Illinois is the 11th-winningest college basketball program in the nation during Weber\'s tenure, totaling 152 victories over the last six years. With 152 wins in just six seasons, Weber already ranks third on the Illinois career coaching wins list.



Weber has won 72.7 percent of his games while in charge of the Fighting Illini (152-57). He owns the highest winning percentage of any coach in Big Ten history who has coached at least six seasons in the conference. His 152 wins, meanwhile, are the most in Big Ten history by a coach after his first six years.



Weber has earned a solid reputation in the college ranks and with NBA personnel as a coach who stresses player development and fosters an unselfish brand of basketball where the most important facet is team chemistry. Weber strives for an up-tempo motion offense coupled with hard-nosed man-to-man defense, traits that translate well to the NBA game.



Illinois has had four players selected in the NBA Draft under Weber, as Deron Williams (No. 3, Utah Jazz) and Luther Head (No. 24, Houston Rockets) were taken in the first round of the 2005 Draft, and James Augustine (No. 41, Orlando Magic) and Dee Brown (No. 46, Utah Jazz) were chosen in the second round of the 2006 Draft. Utah\'s selection of Williams at No. 3 overall in the 2005 lottery made him the highest-drafted player in Illinois history. Illinois\' total of four NBA draft picks over the last four years ranks eighth among NCAA schools.