We get so wrapped up charting the way players mature and develop in their own abilities, we forget that coaches also go through their own process of change.

Mike Locksley, who calls offensive plays for the University of Illinois football team, admits he has endured a growth process as he looks for the best way to sort through a long and complicated play sheet.

Once upon a time, he may have had favorite plays and tried to match them to the nuances of a particular defense. He may have tried to outthink a defensive coordinator, choosing the one play the opposition would never anticipate.

Nowadays, though, Locksley is basing his play-calling on a different element.

"I've gotten into calling plays based on players," he said Sunday at Illinois' Media Day gathering. Coach Ron Zook's Camp Rantoul calls for 23 practices today through Aug. 22 and the first of those begins at 2:30 this afternoon.

Curious how players have improved since the end of spring practice, Locksley is anxious to see what new toys he has to work with.

When Illinois was winning its way to the Rose Bowl last season, Locksley based much of his play calling on the players in whom he had the most confidence.

That's why of the 918 offensive plays Locksley called, 773 of them went to either tailback Rashard Mendenhall, quarterback Juice Williams, receiver Rejus Benn or backup tailback Daniel Dufrene.

When the season begins Aug. 30 against Missouri, Locksley is likely to once again turn to the players who have earned his trust.

With Mendenhall gone to the Pittsburgh Steelers, that means Williams, Benn and Dufrene are first in line to have Locksley call their number After that?

"Now the challenge for the rest of them is to prove to me you're a play-maker who deserves to be on that call sheet," Locksley said.

Benn, who is healthy for the first time in a year, will be used in creative ways to ensure that the ball is his hands as often as possible.

You may recall that as a true freshman, the heralded receiver from Washington, D.C., suffered a separated shoulder in an intrasquad scrimmage last August in Rantoul. As a result, he was off-limits to contact in every practice the rest of the year and was withheld from all drills this past spring.

"When you think about it, he had only 14 contact days last year," Zook pointed out. "That's amazing. You have to be hit, but where is that line? We try to be smart and make sure we're not overdoing it. I don't believe in the old days where you go out and just try to beat the crap out of each other. It's a long season."

Benn played the entire season with his arm in a brace that restricted his reach and allowed him to catch only passes thrown within a two-foot square near his face. He could not reach his hands over his head and had to limit the use of a mean stiff-arm.

Still, despite the restrictions, Benn was the leading receiver with 54 catches, had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and, behind Mendenhall, was recognized as Illinois' most dangerous offensive weapon.

"I'm so anxious to show what I can do," Benn said Sunday. "I haven't had contact since the Rose Bowl. I couldn't even sleep last night. That's how pumped up I was to get into camp."

Benn, who ripples with muscle after a long summer in the weight room, described the Illini offense in his own terms.

"We're a passing team now," he declared. "Juice has gotten better. He's more of a quarterback. Our passing game is going to take off."

Locksley laughed when informed that Benn had labeled the Illini a passing team.

"We are who we think we are," Locksley said. "Who we've been over the last two or three years, I don't see us changing. We've strived for balance in our offense." Illinois has led the Big Ten in rushing each of the past two seasons.

"Balance doesn't necessarily mean we'll be 50-50 run to pass. It means being able to do both effectively to win a game," Locksley said. "If a team is going to bring everyone to the line of scrimmage and play 'Bear' defense like USC did (in the Rose Bowl), we have to throw the ball and not force runs.

"What you are hearing from (players like Benn) is that we're going to find a way to balance our offense by improving our effectiveness to throw the ball. That's what we need to come away with at training camp.

"If teams force us to throw the ball, we will do it and do it effectively."

Defenses stacked against the run as a compliment to Mendenhall, who rushed for 1,681 yards in a stellar season. Now, Dufrene leads a contingent of runners who will try to make sure Illinois still is a threat to run the ball.

And like Mendenhall did one year ago, Dufrene has spent the off-season working with strength and conditioning coach Lou Hernandez to reshape his body. He has gone from 195 pounds to 215 and says he has retained the speed that helped him average 6.3 yards per carry as Mendenhall's backup last season.

Now, the search is on to find the two or three more play-makers who can give Locksley flexibility in his play-calling.

It might be a young receiver like Cordale Scott, the big Ohioan who coaches will get their first look at this afternoon. It might be Chris Duvalt, the coverted cornerback who was a star this spring at wide receiver. It might be freshman running back Jason Ford from Belleville, who is the unknown quantity in the running back derby.

Or it might be tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, who emerged as a downfield threat in the spring before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The sorting out process begins today. Thursday will be the first day in pads and Zook said the team's first real scrimmage could come next Tuesday. The team will definitely scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 16 when the university gives renovated Memorial Stadium a test run. But school officials will not open the stadium to the public that day.

Locksley has had success leaning on his most reliable play-makers. These next few weeks will give players a chance to show they can be one of them.

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or at 421-7983.