Nov. 14--Illinois coach John Groce said he had no hesitation about bringing back Darius Paul to the program after he served a one-year suspension.
"It's a tribute to him maturing," Groce said Thursday. "I know he used the phrase, 'It's humbled me.' It's made him appreciate things more. He's made the most of it. That's why we're awful excited about the progress he's made."
Paul was one of four players to sign with the Illini on Wednesday, but he is the only one who was already part of the basketball program. The power forward from Gurnee, Ill., had transferred to Illinois after a stint at Western Michigan, only to face a suspension after failed drug tests by the basketball team and an arrest for underage drinking.
Paul, the brother of former Illini star Brandon Paul, is spending the season playing at Lamar State junior college in Texas.
Darius Paul will have two years of eligibility when he returns to the Illini next season.
"He's been with us and practiced a year," Groce said. "He's in much better shape now. Mentally he's in a different place."
Layups: Guard Kendrick Nunn was described as "full go" for Friday night's opener against Georgia Southern. The sophomore had been hampered in the preseason by a knee injury. Groce said Nunn's minutes will be "managed" with the first six games coming within a 15-day span. ... Illinois named Tracy Abrams, Nnanne Egwu and Ahmad Starks as captains. Abrams is sitting out for the season with a knee injury. Starks is a transfer from Oregon State. ... The student section Orange Krush is encouraging fans to hold another "Orange Hush" at the opener. The fans are to remain silent until the first Illinois basket is scored, a tradition traced to Groce's alma mater Taylor University.
