No matter how many years he plays with Deron Williams.
NBA basketball newsNo matter how many years he plays with Deron Williams. Carlos Boozer will have a hard time getting used to the scene. He will head to the court for warm-ups in Chicago only to be greeted by dozens of orange No. 5 jerseys in the stands.
“All you see is orange,” Boozer said. “You don’t even see jerseys, you just see orange. It’s like, ‘Is this a Bulls game or an Illini game?’ ”
Even the color-blind would have a hard time missing the Illinois fans who turn out every season to pay homage to Williams and the team he helped lead to the NCAA championship game in 2005, before he ever became the heir apparent to John Stockton in Utah.
The greatest numbers, of course, are found in Chicago, but Williams draws crowds in Indiana and Milwaukee as well. Even games in New York, Charlotte, North Carolina and Washington have turned into 50- to 100-person alumni events since Williams came to the Jazz.
“It’s love,” Boozer said. “I think it shows how proud they are of one of their own doing well in the NBA.”
For one night, however, the orange could be crushing. Instead of Illini fans flocking to see him, Williams will be delivered to them, with the Jazz set to play the Bulls tonight
in a preseason game that might as well be a homecoming at Assembly Hall.
It will be the second trip back to Champaign in a little more than a month for Williams.
He was celebrated last month for the Olympic gold medal he won this summer as well as for a $300,000 donation he made to endow a basketball scholarship in his name.
Williams was one of 30 players selected to have his jersey honored and also played in an alumni game that was attended by more than 15,000 fans and reunited several members of the 2005 team, which went 37-2, including Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head and Roger Powell.
“It was great,” Williams said. “We had a lot of people that hadn’t been back since they left the school, so it was definitely a big positive. Hopefully, we can do it every year.”
So much interest is expected that the Jazz are flying in a second member of their public relations staff for the weekend. Williams has largely played down his return, but Boozer said it would be another chance to celebrate Williams’ accomplishments.
Since leaving Illinois, Williams has been the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft, selected second-team all-NBA last season and led the Jazz to consecutive 50-win seasons and victories in three playoff series.
“In the league it’s like he took his game to a different level,” Boozer said. “I think it’ll be fun for him. It’ll be fun for us to be there to be a part of it, too.”
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of distractions there for him,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan added, “but a lot of good memories there for him as well.”
Williams said he had known for more than a year that Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor was trying to schedule a game in Champaign. Before practice Thursday in Lakewood, Colo., Williams enjoyed a humorous exchange when asked about the Illini experience.
“Greatest fans in college basketball,” Williams said.
“That’s a bold statement,” shot back Jarron Collins, who played at Stanford.
“You all wouldn’t want to come in there and play, I guarantee you that,” Williams answered. “North Carolina came in there and played, they didn’t like it too much. Wake Forest, when they were No. 1, they came in there, they really didn’t like it too much.
“It’s a tough place to play there, buddy. Definitely one of the top five toughest places to play in college basketball.”
As much as he has come to be identified with Illinois basketball, though, Williams did consider playing elsewhere coming out of high school in The Colony, Texas.
He was set to visit Georgia Tech but learned the day he was supposed to leave that Jarrett Jack had committed to play point guard. Williams also was planning a trip to Maryland before learning that Gary Williams wouldn’t even be in town to meet him.
Now Williams says he knew he was headed to Illinois all along. There were still bumps in the road, however, with Williams admitting he entertained thoughts of transferring after his freshman year, when Bill Self left to coach Kansas.
But Williams credited Brown and Jerrance Howard, now an Illinois assistant coach, with keeping him in orange. “They expressed how much they wanted me to stay, how much they needed me,” Williams said. “They felt we could win a championship.”
Williams came up one victory short at Illinois, but the day still could come with the Jazz. Although the Bulls are officially hosting tonight’s game, the Jazz might as well be the home team with Williams making his return.
“I’m definitely excited,” Williams said. “It’ll be a fun game to be a part of. It’s a chance to be in front of the Illini fans again, so it’s going to be fun.”
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