CHAMPAIGN -- A certain amount of freshman frustration is expected, even welcome, Illini coach Bruce Weber said Friday.

But, as Illinois gets ready to play Presbyterian Saturday, some of it is just plain regretful.

The regret comes when Weber talks about freshman Joseph Bertrand, whose surgically repaired knee continues to be an issue that will keep him out of the lineup into December.

"It looks like it's going to be at least another two or three weeks of not being a part of practice," Weber said.

A bone bruise and swelling in both the knee and calf have created complications that are keeping one of Illinois' four prized freshmen on the sideline.

"He was probably trying to push it faster than he probably should have," Weber said of Bertrand's attempt at a quick recovery from arthroscopic surgery on Sept. 11 to repair a torn meniscus.

"The bone bruise came from knocking or banging it into someone else and the swelling is a little complication from the knee (surgery). I feel bad for the kid."

With Bertrand unable to make a regular-season splash, much of the early focus has been on two other freshmen guards, D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul.

Paul has gotten off to a blazing start, averaging 21 points in two Illini victories.

But Richardson has encountered some challenges. First came a hyperextended elbow in practice nine days ago. Then came some self-doubts related to ball-handling and turnovers, Weber said.

And while that's a problem, Weber said it's not all bad.

"The elbow has probably affected him more with his shooting than the ball-handling," Weber said. "He has handled the ball his whole life, but now he's worried about pressure and someone getting after him. That's still good for him. It's good for him to deal with these situations, to deal with some failure.

"We just want D.J. to get through the funk, relax and play. Like a lot of freshmen, he's going through some growing pains."

While Weber wants his freshmen to succeed, he knows they inevitably will have to work through some adversity. And that includes Paul.

Weber said that despite the quick start, the coaching staff is keeping an eye on Paul's shot selection and on his intensity.

"And a little conditioning," Weber added. "He played unbelievably for the first 14 or 15 minutes of the first half (scoring 20 points against Northern Illinois Tuesday), but he went so hard that he didn't have anything left to give. And we're playing at a faster pace than we have in the past.

"I have to do a better job of using our depth, but they have to push themselves in practice to keep up with the conditioning. They're going to have to be in pretty good shape."

Weber said conditioning will be crucial if Illinois is going to continue to play an up-tempo style that so far has them averaging 88 points a game.

"There is conditioning, there is practice conditioning and there is game conditioning," he said. "It takes a while for guys to get in game shape. And as we play better competition and go away from home, you have that adrenalin part of it, too.

"It's early. We have a long way to go and we have a lot of learning to do."

Junior guard Jeff Jordan becomes eligible Saturday after serving an NCAA-imposed two-game suspension for participating in an unsanctioned 3-on-3 tournament this summer. That came during a period of time when Jordan did not plan on being with the team.

But he asked to rejoin the squad this fall and Weber agreed to his request.

"Jeff really pushes the ball," he said. "His attitude has been great. He appreciates being here."

Jordan, who did not participate in the team's early conditioning drills, has worked to regain his stamina, too.

"He can't yet go for long periods of time, but we'll just let him keep working at it," Weber said.

Presbyterian College, located in Clinton, S.C., figures to hit the Illini with a full dose of zone defense.

"Forty minutes of zone," Weber said. "It's good for us to deal with that and prepare for certain teams in our league and hopefully we can continue the energy we have portrayed so far."

This game -- as well as Tuesday's 8:45 p.m. home game against Wofford -- are on-campus contests that are part of the HoopTV Las Vegas Invitational. Then Illinois heads to Las Vegas and plays Utah at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27 at the Orleans Arena. If Illinois wins that game, it would play either Bradley or Oklahoma State at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28.

 

Presbyterian at Illinois

Time: 7 p.m. Saturday

Broadcasts: Big Ten Network; WTRX-FM (93.7)