After a few practices into the greatest season in Illinois basketball history in the fall of 2004, then-head coach Bruce Weber said a few words that will always stick with me.
“We are so far ahead of where we were last year.”
For those who don’t remember or were too young, Weber had taken over as head coach of the Illini prior to the 2003-04 season after the departure of ever-popular coach Bill Self.
Even though he had a talent roster of future NBA players Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, James Augustine and Roger Powell, Weber still needed to teach the new offense which was transitioning from the high-low of Bill Self to his motion offense.