The following column was written by senior writer Jason Grodsky.

Usually this end of the year column is reserved for graduating seniors to say there farewell and thank yous, but the senior class here in the sports department at the Daily Illini is a little thin and as the longest employed person in sports and someone who is moving on I’m going to do the honors.

I feel very grateful to have worked at the DI for the three years I’ve been here and to have had the opportunity to a side of Illinois athletics that few get to see. But it’s my time to step down and move on to bigger and better things and let some of the up-and-coming writers take the reigns and lead the way.

I’ve bled Orange and Blue since the day I was born and grew up watching Illini sports and sitting in the crowds at Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall. When I first started working at the paper as a freshman who came a whole two miles away from his house to go to college, I never thought it would take me to the places I’ve been and allow to meet some of the most interesting characters this campus has to offer.

This year alone I’ve gotten to travel to Maui and sit five feet away from the greatest basketball player of all time. The football team’s magical run took me to Pasadena to chat it up with some of the best sports journalists in the world today (even if getting there took a 54-hour Greyhound bus trip from hell). And the best part of all of those trips and the countless others I’ve taken to cover games: I was getting paid to do it. Well, if you call what gets deposited into my bank account every two weeks getting paid.

Getting to where I am couldn’t have been possible without the help from certain people along the way, so I’d like to take the chance to thank them.

First off I’d like to thank former sports editors Erin Foley, Mike Rodriguez, Dave Just and Steve Contorno, all of whom have helped me refine my writing. Erin you taught me the ins and outs and took a chance on a kid who loved sports and gave me my big break. Mike and Dave, you two were probably the most entertaining guys to work under, and Steve, we may not have seen eye-to-eye on everything but I know you’ll make a great Editor-In-Chief.

To my partners in crime: Dan Johnson, Mike Theodore, Alex Symonds, Adam Harris and Jermey Werner. Thanks for making this past year one all never forget. From football practices, to the list of questions we came up with at the Western Illinois game, to the trip on Route 666, to the “bucket o’ beers” in Indianapolis, to not remembering the DI Sports Desk bar crawls, it’s been a great ride and I know you’ll keep up the quality of the sports section and surpass what I’ve done.

A special thank you the Illinois Division I Hockey team and head coach Chad Cassel. Covering you guys was probably the best time I had covering a team. Congratulations on a well deserved ACHA National Championship this year. Figures, I come in after you guys win a national title the year before and then the year I stop covering you guys you win another one. Guess I was the bad luck charm.

A big shout out to all the guys on the Illinois Division II Hockey team (yes, there are two teams). Playing with you guys the last two years has been indescribable and I’m looking forward to another year of late night practices and bus trips next year. I told all of you guys I would eventually get you into the paper.

To men of Alpha Sigma Phi, you’ve made the studying part of college bearable. You truly are gentlemen and scholars, with hearts beneath your vests. My times at the Ole Gal will never be forgotten.

A lot of credit has to be given to a group of guys that I’ve spent a very large portion of the last five-plus years with talking sports and getting into all sorts of shenanigans with. You know who you are and there are too many memories and moments to even start mentioning. I know we have another summer to remember ahead of us, even if Fat City is gone. Lets just all try to stay out of the hospital this year when August rolls around.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family. You all have supported me over the years and helped me reach my goals. I’m still convinced that you guys are the only people who even read my articles. A special thanks to my mom who has pulled my all my clips of the things I’ve written to make me an organized portfolio.

The biggest thank you is reserved for my grandpa, John Maurer. You’ve been my inspiration. Without you I wouldn’t be where I am today and I would be clueless in the world of sports, you’ve taught me pretty much all I know and I love you for that.

Finally, thank you to anyone who read any of the things I’ve written. It’s been a pleasure and trust me, I leave you in good hands.

When I went to ESPN.com this morning, it was somewhat vindicating to see some support for what I wrote about last week. NCAA lists five major violations against Sampson, Indiana Staff The NCAA alleges Sampson broke five more recruiting rules. This includes breaking rules during which he was already under sanction.

As I wrote last week, I do not think that Kelvin Sampson should be allowed to coach in the NCAA at least for a given period of time. There needs to be stricter penalties for those who cheat so that they don’t think its ok to do so.

When I went on to espn.com this morning the two big stories were about steroids in baseball and this. What happened to going on to ESPN.com to see highlights from a baseball game, or a preview of a good basketball matchup.

Some may counter that ESPN is sensationalizing this news. I on the other hand think that its cheating that has gotten out of hand and that leagues and organizations should clear house of anyone who knowingly cheats the rules.

Well, this is probably all we’ll hear from Daily Illini writer Jason Grodsky. With the Maui Invite completed, I’m sure Jason will be on the beach sucking down (virgin) pena coladas and getting caught in the sun rays. Here’s a few observations from our corespondent. Aloha!

MAUI, Hawaii – It’s all over here in Maui.

No surprise Duke has won its fourth Maui Invitational title and has still never lost when playing in the tournament. Heck, Duke even won the charity free throw shooting contest and the EA Sports March Madness 2008 video game tournament before the actual tournament began.

With Thanksgiving tomorrow I can gladly be thankful for being able to spend my break on the beach and watching great college basketball at the best in-season tournament.

Here are my final thoughts and observations from the tournament and my stay here in Maui.

Brock earns All-Tournament Team honors

            Junior guard Calvin Brock stepped up big for the Illini during their four game stay in Hawaii and was selected to the 2007 Maui Invitational All-Tournament team, joining former Illini Marcus Griffin and Frank Williams as the only Illini earn the honor. Williams and Griffin were selected for the All-Tournament team in 2000 when the Illini finished second.

            Brock hit the game winning shot with five seconds left to allow Illinois to escape its first game against Hawaii on Friday night, and finished the trip averaging a team high 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

            Weber rewarded the Chicago native by giving him his first start of the season in Illinois’ final game against Oklahoma State. Brock then thanked his coach by scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Illini’s 65-49 win.

I spoke too soon about Randle’s health

            I may have jinxed Illini senior forward Brian Randle when I talked about him being fully healthy and taking full advantage of it.

Randle entered the Illini’s final game playing the best and most consistent basketball of all the Illinois players, averaging 15 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on the trip.

But Randle left the Illini’s game against the Cowboys with a left leg contusion seven minutes into the first half and did not return. He pulled up lame after fighting for a rebound on the defensive end and had taken to the team’s locker room. Weber said he should be OK.

Defense and rebounding: That’s the Illini way.

            The most impressive stats of the tournament the Illini put up were on the defensive end.

            Illinois held its four opponents to shooting a combined 42 percent from the field and less than 39 percent from the three-point line. The Illini forced an average of 12.75 turnovers per game and had 22 steals in their four games.

            The more impressive stat was Illinois’ rebounding.

            The Illini out rebounded their opponents 159 to 109 and 93-to-30 on the offensive boards.

            Illinois’ best offensive weapon in its four games was a missed shot, which often times created a good scoring opportunity for the Illini with the help of an offensive rebound. In the Illini’s loss to Duke, they outscored the Blue Devils an amazing 31-6 on second chance points.

LSU-ASU best game of the tournament

            Most the games in Maui weren’t very close. Not until the final day was a game really decided in the final minutes.

            The best game came in the morning on Wednesday in front of a sparse crowd at the Lahaina Civic Center in the fifth- and sixth- place game between LSU and Arizona State.

            The Tigers trailed by three points with less than six seconds remaining, but sent the game to overtime when Marcus Thornton hit a three-pointer from the right corner with 2.5 seconds left in the game.

            Arizona State was able to prevail 87-84 in a seesaw overtime and send the Tigers home with a tough luck loss.

Congrats to the Silverswords

Host school Chaminade got its first win in the tournament since 2001 on Wednesday. The Silverswords defeated the Princeton Tigers 74-70 in the seventh- and eighth-place game, ending its 13-game losing streak in the tournament.

Chaminade had come close to pulling off a couple of upsets earlier in the tournament, playing the No. 13 ranked Marquette Golden Eagles tough before falling 74-63 in round one and just coming up short against LSU on Tuesday in a 78-72 loss.

The win over Princeton was only the fifth win in the Maui Inviational in the school’s 24 years of hosting the tournament.

            If you’re wondering what a Silversword is, it’s a plant that is only found on the island of Maui at the Haleakalā National Park at an elevation of 2,100 to 3,000 meters above sea level.

It’s a small world

            When I first sat down at the media table for Illinois’ first game of the tournament I was greeted by an elderly man who worked for a local publication on the island.

            We started talking and after awhile I learned the man was actually a graduate from the U of I. Even more amazing was that he is a former Daily Illini reporter.

            After spending my time in Maui I’ve decided that he made the right choice. Who wouldn’t want to spend their time getting paid to watch sports and scribble a few words down while being in paradise?

            The only set back I can see is having to wake up at the crack of dawn to watch the Illini play football for those 11 a.m. CT kickoffs which would be almost before sunrise on the islands.

The Daily Illini’s Jason Grodsky continues his tiring work of walking around in perfect weather, hitting the beach and watching great college basketball. Keep it up, Jason. There’s only a few days left.

MAUI, Hawaii — It’s the third and final day of the Maui Invitational and Illinois is in the third- and fourth-place game of the tournament after losing to No. 10-ranked Duke on Tuesday night.

But despite the loss the Illini learned a lot about themselves in their first big test of the season, while I learned that Maui has a lot more to offer away from the court.

Fouls plaguing the Illini

            Illinois opponents are spending more time at the free throw line than David Hasselhoff spends in the sand. The Illini have committed a combined 43 fouls in the first two games of the tournament.

            While the fouls are mostly a result of the tough, physical defense the Illini play, they recognize that it’s getting them in trouble and keeping some of their key players off the floor in big situations.

            Senior forward Brian Randle said the team is just going to have to adjust and realize it can’t be sending its opponents to the charity stripe as often as they have.

Healthy Randle is trouble for opponents

            For the first time in his college career Randle looks to be 100 percent healthy and he is taking full advantage of it.

            After being limited by injuries throughout his time at Illinois, Randle is starting to reach his potential that everyone has been talking about, earning the praise of ESPN television college basketball analysis Jay Bilas.

            In his blog, Bilas took notice of Randle’s ability to defend and get to the basket, and calls him an “All-Big Ten caliber leader.”

            Through two games Randle has scored a career high 17 and 16 points, leading the Illini in both games. If he keeps up his play in Illinois’ final game, he could find himself on the All-Tournament team.

Smallest big time gym

The Lahaina Civic Center isn’t much to look at. It sits in between the local post office and police station and has a unique set up, with a lot of concourse section outside in the open.

The gym only seats 2,400, which isn’t bigger than most high school gyms. But despite its size the little gym on the Maui coast can definitely get loud and the laid back atmosphere of the tournament is reflective of the island’s culture.

Another reason to hate Duke

            I admit I haven’t seen a lot of opposing fans, but right now Duke’s fans are some of the nations most obnoxious and annoying fans.

            Heaven forbid a call doesn’t go the Blue Devils way because if it doesn’t the fans won’t let it go. And what’s with the little arm and hand shaking behind opposing players backs while they are in bounding the ball. Do they really think the players have eyes in the back of their heads?

            Either way, Illini fans can take remorse in watching a great video on You Tube made by a few Maryland and North Carolina fans. Just click here and enjoy.

There is night life in Maui, but it’s hard to find

            It took me awhile but I finally found out where people go at night.

            For the first few evenings it seemed like everyone pretty much went home and the night life in Lahaina was dull.

            But I finally made my way to Old Lahaina and discovered people up past 10 p.m.

            It’s tucked away off the main highway in Maui, and while it’s no Green Street, Old Lahaina has a great mixture of shops, restaurants and bars that bring a classic feel of the Hawaiian Islands to life. Many of the restaurants and places overlook the ocean and the streets are flooded with locals.

Driving can be dangerous

            Maui has plenty of scenery to look at — you just can’t look at it while you are driving.

            I’m staying about 15 miles away from the Lahaina Civic Center and the only way to get there is by taking one of the island’s many two-lane highways that zigzag along the coast.

            There is literally about 50 feet or less between the road and the ocean, and for the most part all that stands between you and the beach is a few bushes and maybe an orange cone along the side of the road.

            Let’s just say if you take you eyes of the road to watch a sunset — splash!

I still haven’t been leid …

            This is my first trip to the Hawaiian Islands and I was under the impression that I would be welcomed by a Hawaiian native who would place a traditional Hawaiian Lei around my neck.

            Unfortunately I was wrong.

            It’s been four days and my neck is still bare. The closest I’ve been to getting leid was the coach’s press conference, but there weren’t enough to go around, and apparently they didn’t get the memo about the Daily Illini being the nation’s premier college newspaper for sports.

            Oh well, I’m going to a Luau for Thanksgiving, that’ll probably be my best and last shot. (Editor’s note: We hope you get lucky, Jason.)

Jason Grodsky is a senior writer for The Daily Illini.

Around campus I have gotten some responses today about my column.

The most recurring comments have been:

1) But they’re amateur athletes

2) How are we supposed to pay them? Where is this money coming from

And it really makes me angry to hear this.

First off, the only reason they are amateur athletes is because the NCAA bestows them with the title amateur athlete. They put in all the work of a professional, but they receive little to no benefits.

But what about the free education they’re getting?

Well yes, some of them take advantage of that, and that’s great. I support student athletes. But official stats released from the NCAA say that 40% of the nation’s Division I football teams are graduating less than 60% of their players. To me that sounds like a decent percentage are being paid in an education that they don’t even want.

Now who pays whom? Well first off I think it all starts off with royalties. Currently college athletes are not allowed to make money off of their own talent and likeness. The NCAA doesn’t let them do it.

Take this scenario for instance. If you are to go out and buy a #42 Illini basketball jersey right now, are you buying just any Illini basketball jersey? No! You’re buying specifically a Brian Randle jersey, but Brian Randle is not allowed to make a cent off of his own jersey. Why is that fair?

The NCAA and its institutions are able to exploit an athlete’s likeness and give him absolutely nothing in return for his jersey sales under the guise that he’s an amateur athlete and are thus not allowed to get paid. But once again, they don’t have to be amateur athletes; the NCAA just says they are.

Now as far as actual programs paying their players I think the best way to do it is have a scale set up for all of Division I saying that a starter who has played or started for a certain amount of years is entitled to making a certain amount of money. In addition, if a player wins a special award he should get a bonus.

So, for instance, let’s say that Rashard Mendenhall wins the Heisman trophy this year; the NCAA pays him a bonus for winning that award.

The last argument I get that really gets me angry is that they are already earning stipends and getting free stuff thrown at them from boosters. These arguments come from the same people that are calling them amateur athletes! I’m sorry, I can’t accept the fact that because athletes are getting paid illegally by boosters that’s the reason that the NCAA shouldn’t pay them. I hope that under my plan by signing contracts and earning money these under the table deals involving boosters could be stopped once and for all. I think they’re despicable.

Last, I want to apologize to the women’s soccer team. Regardless of the fact that you really don’t earn a lot of money for the school, you are still a great group of people and wish you all the best of luck.

Cheers and go Illini!

Kevin Spitz

Several Gators and Buckeyes went–that was to be expected after those players jacked up their value during Final Four runs. A tall Texas stud went, a slew of freshman, a “hip-hop” Chinese dude, people from around the globe, even a Hawkeye from Iowa.

But (as expected) no Illini.

So what’s next for the Class of 2007?

Warren Carter will get picked up as a free agent, most likely by a team that he has connections with (Jazz, Rockets, Magic) or a team that had less than two picks in last week’s draft. He’s no lock to make the team, but he has two things that can’t be taught: height and athleticism. My guess is he finds his way into he development league, where Roger Powell and Frank Williams have proven that they can play at the next level. Carter’s jump shot is decent from spots on the court, but he needs to be a bigger presence in the post. The fundementals often escape the Texas product–traveling violations and ball handling plagued him–and though he was the Illini’s scoring leader, he was hardly clutch. It’d be interesting to see how many of Carter’s points were scored in the first few minutes compared to the rest of the game.

Rich McBride’s skills are too common for him to play on at a near-NBA level. He has NBA three-point range, but lacks an intermediate jump shot and an ability to drive the lane. McBride was a shooter, not a scorer, and his game doesn’t translate to even the D-league. If he wanted to play on I’m sure he could internationally.

So with no Illini getting the call on Thursday for the first time in several years, what are the prospects for the ‘08 draft?

Next year’s senior class consists of Brian Randle and Shawn Pruitt. Pruitt entered his name into the draft this year, but did not sign an agent and pulled out before the deadline. There was speculation from some at the beginning of the season that Randle, who was on the preseason Wooden watch list, would have left after last year, but groin injuries and a subpar season made the jump impossible.

Both, I think, could be first rounders next year.

Following a draft with so much talent (and with lots of freshman leaving) it’s only likely that the talent will most likely be down next year. Maybe I’m being optomistic, but Randle and Pruitt should both be at the top of the Big Ten next season, and comparable to the nation’s elite.

If Randle shows the talent that landed him on the Wooden watch list, he should be the best player in the Big Ten next season. He’s big, he’s athletic, he can create, he has a solid intermediate jumper, he plays good D, he can drive and, hopefully, he’s finally healthy. What he lacks, and this may have been caused by his injury, is a desire and willingness to make things happen for the entire game. He should call for the ball on every play. He should be dictating where the offense goes. With a subpar offensive point guard in Chester Frazier, it’s difficult to get Randle the touches he deserves. He needs to start out with the ball at the top of the key and that’s where the offense should begin. But he needs to show a fire and passion for the game that seems to only slip out after a big dunk. Dunking the ball is great, but scoring 20 points a game is better and it’s what this team needs.

Pruitt will be one of the top two centers in the Big Ten next season. The way he has progressed along with the touch he has down low should equal a double-double average for the big man. The question is does his game translate to the pros. He’s tall, but he’s not that tall. At 6′10ish'’ Pruitt lacks ideal size of NBA center. He doesn’t have great ball handling or a shot away from the hoop, so he has little prospects of becoming a forward. But he does have a pressence in the block and decent strength and athleticism. If he has the season I anticipate he can have, and if he can work on his free throws, I believe Pruitt can be a late first-round pick.

But this is all speculation. Afterall, the Illini’s best chance to get drafted next season is Jeff Jordan. His dad is running the Bobcats.

In the past five years, the debate over whether or not Illini fans call Champaign a football or basketball town has been pretty fruitless. The football team hasn’t had success (minus a 2002 Sugar Bowl following the ‘01 season and ‘99 Micronpc.com Bowl) in almost a decade. The basketball program, on the other hand, has come within points of a national title, is a perennial Big Ten contender, has accumulated more trophies than it knows what to do with and has built one of the fiercest and most intimidating home courts in the Midwest.

So why bring up the question now, following football’s second straight two-win season and another 20-plus win season (and another tourney appearance) for basketball?

In the past week, Illinois football has sold out another area of the stadium. The horseshoe extensions have followed the horseshoe (south endzone) and Block I in finding season ticket buyers to capacity. The new student section is almost filled up, too. Undoubtedly, this surge in ticket sales comes after the signing of a very impressive recruiting class and the promising program head coach Ron Zook is building.

Still, Memorial Stadium has only seen a handful of Big Ten wins in past years and hasn’t produced a winning home environment since 2001. And despite the hype surrounding the upcoming season, it still seems like a lot tickets being sold for a team that rivals only Indiana for patheticness in the conference (and Indiana beat Illinois the past two years).

Not to take any credit away from the marketing job that the athletic office has done to push ticket sales or the renovation project, but I think the recent splurge in Memorial Stadium interest is because Illinois, at heart, will always be a football school.

The Midwest is known for creating kings on the gridiron. The Big Ten conference breeds big boys who like to hit and pound the football, an appealing brand of football for an area overwhelmed with blue-collar workers. Defense and power running are staples, and the Rose Bowl, the postseason spectacle the conferece sends its best to every year, is the most historic and notable bowl in college football. It’d be difficult for any school in the Big Ten to call itself a basketball school over football (outside of Indiana, but it took Hoosiers and Bobby Knight to change that).

Not to mention it’s every Illinois Pop Warner pipsqueeks dream to one day play in a high school state championship on the terf at Memorial Stadium. Every year, the University plays host to eight (a number that has grown from five in recent years) championships for the various classes of Illinois high school football. So even the prep school kids and suburbanites are drawn to Illinois football in a magical way.

Still, basketball got plenty of converts in the last few decades after years of dismal football teams and mediocre bowl appearances. The lore of the hardwood game was tough to deny when Illinois put Final Four caliber teams on the court, hung banners from the raptors and packed Assembly Hall every game. Paint the Hall Orange, back-to-back (-to-back-to-back-etc.) winning season and superstars like Kendall Gill, Frank Williams and Deron and Dee allowed Illini sports fans something to fill the gaping hole left by football’s inadequacy.
But now, with the hopes of a winning team and bowl appearance whispering accross Illini nation (along with an overexagerated decline in basketball), and football is back as front runner. And while it’d be nice to become a Wisconsin-like school where football, though king, is closely followed by basketball (and hockey for that matter), right now it looks like one can only be up while the other is down.

And that one is football.

Illinois center Shaun Pruitt declared for the NBA Draft on Tuesday, hoping to evaluate how he ranks in the eyes of pro talent scouts. Pruitt’s consistent play (11.4 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game) was one of few bright spots in a season of downs. Pruitt would have been the premiere big man in the Big Ten in the 2007-08 season, as he has improved every year he has stepped on the courts.

Because Pruitt did not hire an agent, he can choose to return to the Illini.

It is unclear whether the Aurora, Ill., native declared to give himself more exposure so when he does come out in 2008, he will be a household name, or if he actually thinks he will be drafted. Initially, it sounded like the former, but statements like, “I thank my family, the athletic department and all the fans of the Illini basketball program for the support I’ve received throughout my career,” make it sound like this might be permanent.

Bruce Weber learned his lesson from the last time one of his junior not-so-draft ready players declared pro early. He was all praises and very supportive of Pruitt’s decision, unlike in 2005 when Dee Brown said he was going to go pro (along with Deron Williams and Luther Head) and Weber made it very clear that Brown was not ready in his eyes. Not this time.

But is Pruitt NBA ready? He has established himself as a good post player, with touch on his shots. But at 6′10′’ he could get manhandled by NBA centers because he isn’t a very good ball handler. Plus, on the frequent occasions he got double teamed last season as it became more and more clear he was the Illini’s biggest scoring threat, he failed to find the open man and pass the ball out, often turning the ball over trying to back a player down.

Remember, too, that Pruitt needs to be one of the 60 best players coming out of college basketball to get drafted. Unlike the NFL Draft, the NBA version only has two rounds. Consider the amount of foreign players and high-prospect college freshman (a la OSU’s Daequan Cook) that get drafted each season, and Pruitt has to be an elite player to be picked up. Even then, his contract most likely will have no guarantee. Is that worth it? If Pruitt stays for one more season, in a Big Ten year without Greg Oden, Pruitt can shine, especially if he gets help from Brian Randle. Then, he could be a top 15 pick. So you have to wonder if this is the right decision for the big man.

Read more about Pruitt entering the draft in today’s edition of the Daily Illini, available at dailyillini.com.

Rumors are circulating that Michael Jordan’s son, Jeffrey, was spotted on campus recently. Jeffrey supposedly will tryout for the Illinois men’s basketball team as a preferred walk on.

There’s not much to this post, just wanted to keep the rumors going and spark some offseason interest in Illini basketball.

Oden shoots over Al Harford in the NCAA Championship game. (AP Photo)

It has been reported that Greg Oden has confirmed he will declare himself eligible for the 2007 NBA Draft.

Oden, along with teammates Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook, will leave THE Ohio State to pursue a career in the pros.

The official announcement will come Friday. Oden will sign with an agent while Conley Jr. will be represented by his father, Mike Conley Sr., and can pull out of the draft if he does not think he will be a lottery pick only because it is his father representing him. Ironically, Conley Sr. is likely to represent Oden as well. Cook will not sign with an agent for now, but instead will test the waters and see where he will fall.

Oden has only played for Ohio State for one year, but in a less-than-full season, he met and exceeded every expectation and helped lead the Buckeyes to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament.

Conley Jr. is the best point guard to come out this year, and the lack of talent at his position might have pushed him to take the plunge and go pro.

Cook, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, averaged just under 10 points a game.

All three were freshmen.

Thad Matta has to wonder where his team will be next year. Did he sell his soul for a championship and missed his chance? Or will the program rebound with the recruits coming in next year?