Always- I do like Malcolm Hill's potential quite a lot. Got a chance to be really good. One of the few guys I've watched that I feel is actually being undervalued in terms of recruiting rankings. But that's also a product of not being a Chicago guy. There are guys rated ahead of him that shouldn't be. Malcolm has some Evan Turner to his game - versatile, initiates contact, gets to the line 10-12 times a game. Of course, ET has a unique inner drive - he's always wanted to be great. And he reshaped his body in college. Turner had an NBA body by his sophomore year. You don't know if Malcolm Hill has that edge, but I've seen signs of it, and I know he's told the Illinois coaches he wants to be great. That's a start. To answer your question, Patrick Smith (his longtime coach with Southwestern Illinois Jets) told me this morning that Malcolm is recovering and resting at home and doing much better. They're hoping he will be recovered from the arm injury in time to play his high school season as a senior. Hope that helps. Klee

O&B- Your priority is still a PG. You need a dynamic one, or this system doesn't run like it's supposed to. That could be any number of guys - Tyler Ennis, Jaylon Brown, Wes Clark, Xavier Rathan-Mayes (more of a combo guy but could play PG in a pinch). Demetrius Jackson's high on that list but will be a tough get. And there are others, that's not a comprehensive list. Speaking of priorities, you will see that Keita Bates-Diop (2014, Bloomington U High) is a priority this weekend, when I expect you'll see three Illinois coaches watching him in Milwaukee. You don't put three coaches at the same event unless a kid's a priority. The Illinois coaches just hit the road this afternoon for the second window of the July evaluation period. Klee

Tyler- There's a chance. Good relationship there with the family. Syracuse is still your concern, but things change if the Orange lands another PG. That's something to keep an eye on. But he's the type of dynamic PG that John Groce would flourish with. Klee

JE- Thanks for writing in. Not sure I understand your question. Pretty general there. Don't expect it will take 3-4 years to get into the "top tier of the Big Ten." I wrote a few months ago you're at least 2-3 years from competing for a conference title, and I think people are starting to see why. It's going to be a process rebuilding perception of the program. I expect John Groce and this staff is going to win big at Illinois - but it will take time to get there. That's the quick answer. Klee

Anonymous- Not to speak for him, but it's a safe bet Brandon's just ready to play again. I'll talk to him soon and get his take in Sunday's News-Gazette. His broken jaw was wired shut longer than they intially anticipated. He's going through shooting and ballhandling workouts, but it will be some time before he returns to contact drills. The MVP vote by the players was a not-so-subtle indication they want more from some upperclassmen. If Illinois is going to exceed expectations next season, those guys will have to lead the way. If you read D.J. Richardson's comments to me last week, you'll see the players enjoy the new staff quite a bit. Klee

Anonymous- Demetri McCamey played about eight minutes, scored four points and had one assist and one steal in their first summer league game. The Bulls play again Wednesday night. "They really like me," McCamey told me the other day. "They called as soon as I came home from overseas." Jamar Smith had 11 points with three 3-pointers for the Celtics. Boston's gone heavy with the Big Ten on its summer league roster. E'Twaun Moore (25 points last night), Jared Sullinger and Jamar Smith (the roster's sixth man, really) have played well in July. Klee

Anonymous- First, John Groce didn't speak publicly about Jabari Parker because he knows he can't under NCAA rules. Hopefully that answers your second question. For your first question, Groce and Thomas aren't against one-and-dones. They would take a great one-and-done talent in a heartbeat. Both men would prefer a player to stay four years, obviously. Groce is in favor of MLB's rule that requires players to turn pro after high school or stay in school for 2-3 years. For your final question, Illinois was well aware Jabari Parker was going to be extremely difficult to land. This wasn't a surprise. Klee

J- I am, yes. I enjoy watching the best athletes in the world do what they do. Not sure where you get that about Derrick Rose. During his recruitment I never got the impression Derrick Rose was anti-Illinois, as you say. He was actually fond of the program. I remember talking to him outside Ubben Basketball Complex and he had very pleasant things to say. And I remember talking to him at an AAU event during the summer before his first (and only) season at Memphis. He A) talked about how the pickup games at Memphis were highly competitive and said he was nervous about whether he could earn playing time B) asked how Illinois' offseason was going. Turns out, he earned playing time at Memphis. And yes, I'll cover the exhibition game. It's hard to believe the Bulls-Jazz exhibition at the Assembly Hall was four years ago. Even harder to believe that was Derrick Rose's rookie season - his second or third exhibition game as a pro. I remember Deron Williams landing on Derrick Rose's foot and limping off the court. That made you nervous, but the injury wasn't serious. Looking forward to the NBA returning to C-U. The Bulls-Cavs game is Oct. 12 - concidentally, the first day of practice for Illinois. Klee

Dave- Thanks for mixing it up. These questions get repetitive. Don't expect size will be an issue. I've always thought speed and quickness are the most important qualities on a basketball roster - more so than size. And this roster has plenty of both. The Heat won a title without playing a true center most of the time. I do expect Meyers Leonard is more advanced than he's been given credit for. It might not be an immediate impact, but I expect he'll play more than most people expect. Thanks for the question. Klee

Tony- This staff will emphasize Chicago, but it won't overemphasize Chicago. You saw with the Paris Parham hire that it felt like it needs more help in Chicago than initially expected. You can still make headway in 2013. But like John Groce has said, there's a lot of ground to make up there. Take a guy like Demetrius Jackson, for example. He's been recruited by Notre Dame since his eighth-grade year. This staff has been recruiting him to Illinois for roughly four months. That's an uphill battle. It should get "easier" in '14 and '15. You've seen this staff spend more time on '14s and '15s in July than it was able to do it April. Klee

Ray- To answer your question, right now the chances with Jahlil Okafor aren't good. They never were. In 2014 you've got a better shot with a guy like Sean O'Mara, the big man out of Benet, in terms of in-state targets. Klee

Anonymous- Just to be clear, Marcus Jackson deserves the credit for covering Kendall Gill's golf outing and doing an excellent job with it. As for your question, connecting with former Illini has been a top priority with John Groce. He's reached out to a number of them, from Dee Brown to Trent Meacham to Bardo to Gill to Colangelo to others in between. I expect the new staff will take a different approach to on-campus reunions with former players - more likely, they will host reunions in the fall, during football season, instead of during the basketball season. Groce goes into coaching mode during the season and won't do as much off-the-court stuff. Colangelo was involved with the hiring process. He spoke with Mike Thomas on a handful of occasions. The alums I've talked to - those that have met Groce - have all come away with a positive first impression. He'll need to win games to win them over completely. Klee