Illinois senior forward Brian Randle has the battle scars all over his body from a career slowed by trips to the operating table.
One on his hand is from a broken bone suffered one day in basketball practice that led to a redshirt season during the Final Four run in 2004-05, another is on a shoulder. That was a result of diving on the court for a loose ball during his freshman season.
Then there are the scars from surgery to repair damaged muscles in his groin and abdomen. Apparently, the second of those operations allowed the 6-foot-8, 220-pounder from Peoria Notre Dame High School to play pain-free this fall. As Illinois nears the season opener against Northeastern on Nov. 11, there's just one final rehabilitation project: Randle's head.
"I wish he could just play and have some success and start feeling good about himself,'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "You have to appreciate what he has gone through -- four surgeries and numerous other injuries. It never seems like life has treated him fair, and it's probably easier for him to frown than smile.
"We have to keep a smile on his face, and we're going to have to challenge him to do that. We're not going to let him pout. He's beyond that. Life has taken him on so many twists and turns. The heck with it. Go smile, enjoy it and make the most out of it.''
While Weber has more options on a 16-man roster than a year ago when injury and a car accident reduced the possibilities, Randle is the key ingredient. Illinois doesn't have another player like Randle, an explosive athlete who can create scoring opportunities with his burst to the basket. His dunks highlight the highlight reels, and Randle also earned a spot on the Big Ten's all-defensive team in 2006.
"He's just so talented athletically,'' Weber said. "He can change games with run-outs, tip-ins, dunks and drives to the basket. If he makes a shot, that's icing on the cake.''
While he was limited in the offseason recovery from the second groin surgery, Randle also worked on his shot. Entering the season, Randle works on his attitude and body language.
"I know I hang my head too often or get down on myself,'' Randle said. "Basketball is too fast to worry about the last play. If I've missed a shot or lost a turnover, I can't let it affect me too many plays down the road.''
A preseason Wooden Award candidate last season, Randle began last season with promise but finished it with an aching body and low morale. He averaged 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds but missed 12 games while dealing with abdominal and groin pain while also battling plantar fasciitis. Randle likely strained one part of his body compensating for the other.
His parents just want to see "the sparkle in his eyes,'' said his father, Charles, who felt his son was also buried under the weight of trying to shoulder too much responsibility during a trying season last winter.
Randle's body appears strong and healed. The surgery performed in April actually left a muscle unattached to reduce the strain on his groin.
"It's something they wanted to do in the first surgery,'' Randle said. "They thought they could heal it and have it right first time doing it the other way. We don't know exactly why they wanted the muscle unattached. That's what the experts came up with.''
A graduate in agricultural finance who is pursuing a graduate work in sport management, Randle prepared as well as he could for the season. He ran the hills near his East Peoria home this summer while his father held the stop watch. In the weight room, his marks are not only the best on the team, they would rival anyone at last summer's NBA predraft camp, Weber said.
"He would have been one or two in the whole thing,'' Weber said. "Physically, he's as good as anybody.''
As a co-captain, Randle carried the expectations for the team on his shoulders last season. When things went wrong, he felt as a leader that he let the program down. Injuries slowed the team. It got worse. A February car crash left two players out for the rest of the season. Randle blamed himself.
"It's how I felt in being in a leadership role, trying to set an example,'' Randle said. "When things aren't going as you thought they should, you don't understand why. I do feel like I didn't do enough to keep things moving smoothly. I should have taken a more active role in stopping things before they happened.''
There's only so much one player can do. Like everyone else, Randle must learn what's out of his control. But he's a team-first guy.
"I've told these guys before that regardless of where I go in basketball, I love this program and this team,'' he said. "I'll do whatever it takes. I want to give them every opportunity to succeed.''
Randle knows this is it.
"I woke up and almost had an anxiety attack'' before preseason practice began, Randle said. "This is my last year. There's no more work to get better for another college season. It's at the end. I'm really looking to enjoy it. I'd really like to get a championship and push as far as we can in the postseason.''
That may leave Randle and his critics smiling.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more Illini coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.
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Illinois senior forward Brian Randle has the battle scars all over his body from a career slowed by trips to the operating table.
One on his hand is from a broken bone suffered one day in basketball practice that led to a redshirt season during the Final Four run in 2004-05, another is on a shoulder. That was a result of diving on the court for a loose ball during his freshman season.
Then there are the scars from surgery to repair damaged muscles in his groin and abdomen. Apparently, the second of those operations allowed the 6-foot-8, 220-pounder from Peoria Notre Dame High School to play pain-free this fall. As Illinois nears the season opener against Northeastern on Nov. 11, there's just one final rehabilitation project: Randle's head.
"I wish he could just play and have some success and start feeling good about himself,'' Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "You have to appreciate what he has gone through -- four surgeries and numerous other injuries. It never seems like life has treated him fair, and it's probably easier for him to frown than smile.
"We have to keep a smile on his face, and we're going to have to challenge him to do that. We're not going to let him pout. He's beyond that. Life has taken him on so many twists and turns. The heck with it. Go smile, enjoy it and make the most out of it.''
While Weber has more options on a 16-man roster than a year ago when injury and a car accident reduced the possibilities, Randle is the key ingredient. Illinois doesn't have another player like Randle, an explosive athlete who can create scoring opportunities with his burst to the basket. His dunks highlight the highlight reels, and Randle also earned a spot on the Big Ten's all-defensive team in 2006.
"He's just so talented athletically,'' Weber said. "He can change games with run-outs, tip-ins, dunks and drives to the basket. If he makes a shot, that's icing on the cake.''
While he was limited in the offseason recovery from the second groin surgery, Randle also worked on his shot. Entering the season, Randle works on his attitude and body language.
"I know I hang my head too often or get down on myself,'' Randle said. "Basketball is too fast to worry about the last play. If I've missed a shot or lost a turnover, I can't let it affect me too many plays down the road.''
A preseason Wooden Award candidate last season, Randle began last season with promise but finished it with an aching body and low morale. He averaged 7.4 points and 5.0 rebounds but missed 12 games while dealing with abdominal and groin pain while also battling plantar fasciitis. Randle likely strained one part of his body compensating for the other.
His parents just want to see "the sparkle in his eyes,'' said his father, Charles, who felt his son was also buried under the weight of trying to shoulder too much responsibility during a trying season last winter.
Randle's body appears strong and healed. The surgery performed in April actually left a muscle unattached to reduce the strain on his groin.
"It's something they wanted to do in the first surgery,'' Randle said. "They thought they could heal it and have it right first time doing it the other way. We don't know exactly why they wanted the muscle unattached. That's what the experts came up with.''
A graduate in agricultural finance who is pursuing a graduate work in sport management, Randle prepared as well as he could for the season. He ran the hills near his East Peoria home this summer while his father held the stop watch. In the weight room, his marks are not only the best on the team, they would rival anyone at last summer's NBA predraft camp, Weber said.
"He would have been one or two in the whole thing,'' Weber said. "Physically, he's as good as anybody.''
As a co-captain, Randle carried the expectations for the team on his shoulders last season. When things went wrong, he felt as a leader that he let the program down. Injuries slowed the team. It got worse. A February car crash left two players out for the rest of the season. Randle blamed himself.
"It's how I felt in being in a leadership role, trying to set an example,'' Randle said. "When things aren't going as you thought they should, you don't understand why. I do feel like I didn't do enough to keep things moving smoothly. I should have taken a more active role in stopping things before they happened.''
There's only so much one player can do. Like everyone else, Randle must learn what's out of his control. But he's a team-first guy.
"I've told these guys before that regardless of where I go in basketball, I love this program and this team,'' he said. "I'll do whatever it takes. I want to give them every opportunity to succeed.''
Randle knows this is it.
"I woke up and almost had an anxiety attack'' before preseason practice began, Randle said. "This is my last year. There's no more work to get better for another college season. It's at the end. I'm really looking to enjoy it. I'd really like to get a championship and push as far as we can in the postseason.''
That may leave Randle and his critics smiling.
John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more Illini coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.
