Nov. 14--CHAMPAIGN -- For the first time since John Groce arrived at Illinois, the Illini don't need to wear "Hello, My Name Is ___" stickers.
In his first season, players were getting acclimated to Groce, his assistants and his system. Last season, nine new players joined the roster.
For Year 3, Groce has a blend of heady veterans to go with a couple of experienced transfers. Eleven of 13 scholarship players were on the roster last season.
"I am excited about how things have gone" in the offseason and preseason, Groce said. "We're older, so we're much further along than we have been. It certainly doesn't guarantee anything."
The Illini are aiming for a second NCAA tournament invitation in Groce's third season, improving upon last season's NIT second-round exit. The quest begins Friday night at the State Farm Center against Georgia Southern.
After ranking 11th in the Big Ten last season with 64.2 points per game and a dismal 41.1 shooting percentage, including 31.7 percent on 3-pointers, the Illini believe they will score more effectively.
Rayvonte Rice, who led the Illini with 15.9 points per game, will have some of the burden alleviated by transfer guards Ahmad Starks (Oregon State) and Aaron Cosby (Seton Hall).
"It's obvious our offense has gotten better," center Nnanna Egwu said. "Before the games (last season), you would say: 'Ray's going to be the leading scorer. He'll have this many points.' This year, you really don't know.
"The one thing about the players, we're all aggressive. It kind of depends who wants to step up and do it. You're going to see scoring from a lot of people this year."
Said Groce: "I dealt (Rice) some tough cards to play, and he played them well. The fact that we have more shooting, better passers, multiple offensive weapons, the person who is going to benefit the most from that is Ray."
Even without point guard Tracy Abrams, sidelined for the season with a knee injury, the Illini have more depth and skill than last season.
Freshman forward Leron Black wowed the crowd in an exhibition victory with 15 points and could quickly become a fan favorite. Sophomore Malcolm Hill, a versatile 6-foot-6 guard, provided a spark last season when he started the last 12 games and has the potential to become a star.
"He's really talented," Groce said. "The game is starting to slow down for him. He's bigger. He's stronger. He understands what to do more. He's got a chance as long as he stays humble and hungry."
The Illini understand their chances of returning to the NCAA tournament depend heavily on maintaining the defense that ranked 11th nationally last season. They held opponents to 62.2 points per game and 42.1 percent shooting while forcing nearly 12 turnovers a game.
Egwu, who Groce said does not receive enough recognition, averaged 2.1 blocks and 6.1 rebounds.
"(Opponents) look at our defense and how hard we play," Egwu said. "That's the culture Groce really changed."
A return to the tournament would be a positive indicator for that culture. Either way, Groce said the program is where he hoped it would be at this point.
"The keys for me, by the time we get to the third year, were do we have more talented people and players," he said. "Do we have the type of guys we can coach? Is our culture more advanced? It's not even close. That's why we're making really good progress."
