More Than the Illini in Illinois Hoops

With a 28-0 record and the nation's number one ranking, the considerable Orange and Blue shadow has stolen most of the spotlight in Illinois for college basketball this season.

A pair of players in the Chicago area and another pair in Carbondale are helping their teams this season. Quemont Greer has DePaul off to a 17-7 record and Vedran Vukusic of Northwestern has helped the Cats to a modest 9-11 record that includes home upsets of Indiana and Iowa and Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston have Southern Illinois pacing the Missouri Valley Conference for the fourth year in a row.

Since Dave Leitao took over at the beginning of the 2002-03 season, DePaul basketball has seen a continued resurgence, as the Blue Demons are 17-7 and 9-4 in Conference USA. The Blue Demons went to their first NCAA tournament in four years last season and only their second trip to the NCAA since 1992 and advanced to the second round.

This season has seen continued improvement. Greer has taken on the role of the DePaul's go-to player and leader this season. As a junior, Greer averaged 12.6 ppg and 7.4 rpg and was DePaul's third option at best. He has raised those averages to 19.2 ppg and 7.5 rpg this season, good enough for second and 10th in Conference USA. He has posted six double-doubles and has the Blue Demons in a tie for third place in the conference.

Earlier in the season, Greer posted eight consecutive 20 points games, the first Blue Demon to accomplish the feat since Terry Cummings in the early-'80s. He has scored 20 or more points in 12 games this season. Greer has won Conference USA's Player of the Week award four times.

Vukusic has helped Bill Carmody turn Northwestern from an also-ran into a respectable program. He is in the top 10 in three statistical categories in the Big 10 and leads NU in points per game, free throw percentage, and blocks. In the upsets over Indiana and Iowa, Vukusic helped spark the 'Cats to victory with 49 points and shot 7-16 from three-point range and 10-12 from the line. Vukusic helped NU to a fifth place finish in the Big 10, it's highest since 1983. The 'Cats are currently in seventh in the Big 10.

In a season of inconsistent performances by his team, Vukusic has been a constant for Carmody. He has scored in double figures in all but three games this year. As it stands now, Northwestern would play Purdue in the Big 10 tournament. With a junior-dominated lineup and Kentucky transfer Bernard Cote waiting in the wings, Northwestern can point towards 2005-06 for a run at their first NCAA tournament appearance.

Southern Illinois has been through three basketball coaches in the last three seasons. But Brooks and Hairston have been the constants that have led SIU to three-straight Missouri Valley conference championships. They are on the verge of their fourth and could become the first team to accomplish that feat since an Oscar Robertson led Cincinnati team won six in a row from 1958-63.

In their four seasons in Carbondale, Hairston and Brooks have been to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament and been a part of 102 victories. Brooks is the reigning MVC Player of the Year and is averaging 14.3 points per game for a 23-6 Southern team. He is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and is the Salukis’ all-time leader in steals. Hairston is posting 9.8 ppg and 3.6 rpg.