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Former Illinois shooting guard Crandall Head committed to SMU on Thursday.

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MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Multiple times during the past month -- in the wee hours of the morning, when he couldn't sleep -- Bruce Weber grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand and began to text.

Often he'd send four or five messages. Other times it was 10 or 20. Eventually, Weber plans to respond to every text he received the week after he was fired from Illinois.

The problem?

There are more than 1,000 of them.

"I've got about 200 left to return," Weber said. "Coaches I didn't even know were contacting me. Former players, guys that are playing in Europe … so many people reached out and said, 'Thank you. You did things right. You affected me.'

"It made me feel so good. I was basically being eulogized every day."

Weber stops and chuckles.

"Somebody actually told me, 'You got to live through your own wake,'" he said.

Weber's time at Illinois may be finished, but his career is far from dead. Twenty-two days after his nine-year run with the Illini came to an end, Weber was hired to replace Frank Martin at Kansas State.

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Crete-Monee senior point guard and former Illinois recruit Michael Orris committed to Kansas State on Thursday.

Orris, a 6-3 point guard, previously committed to Kansas State coach Bruce Weber when Weber was at Illinois. Orris was released from his Illini letter of intent recently.

Orris chose the Wildcats over interest from Green Bay, Marquette, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Valparaiso and Virginia.

“People know the kind of relationship I have with coach Weber,” Orris said by phone. “Going through the process, it was the right fit at Kansas State. Coach Weber is awesome, and I can’t wait to play for the program.”

Orris originally committed to Creighton in May of 2011, and he decommitted from there in June after his former high school coach and recruiting advisor was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor. He later committed and signed his letter of intent to play for Bruce Weber at Illinois. He asked for his release from new Illini coach John Groce.

“It’s been a long journey to get here,” said Orris, who was gratefully for the help of his former AAU coach Scott Lidskin in his recruitment. “I’m just happy the Lord provided for me and gave me this opportunity to go there.”

Orris averaged 12 points and four assists during his during season.

Former Illinois guard Crandall Head said Wednesday he plans to visit SMU next week, but he is also still considering attending DePaul next year.

Head, a sophomore shooting guard, left Illinois after the school’s first semester in December. He did not enroll in junior college in the spring and will have to sit out all of next season wherever he transfers.

Head said his visit to SMU came about because of his relationship with former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard, who was recently added to Larry Brown’s staff at SMU. Howard recruited Head at Illinois.

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Junior defensive end Jarrod Clements and junior defensive tackle Merrick Jackson have committed to Illinois, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Clements, who is 6-2 and 270 pounds, attends Trotwood-Madison High School in Trotwood, Ohio. He also had offers from Louisville and North Carolina State.

Jackson, who is 6-2 and 320 pounds, attends Althoff Catholic in Belleville, Ill. Jackson also has offers from Indiana and Missouri.

Illinois now has seven commitments, including four in state, in its Class of 2013.

Former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard said Monday his departure from the Illini’s staff was best for the program and himself.

Howard, a former Illinois assistant and player, spoke publicly Monday for the first time since leaving Illinois and joining Larry Brown’s staff at SMU. Howard had been an assistant under former Illinois coach Bruce Weber for five seasons and was named the Illini’s interim head coach when Weber was fired in March.

Illinois named John Groce as Weber’s full-time replacement, and Groce decided to not retain Howard on his staff. Howard was still under contract with Illinois until he resigned to join SMU’s staff.

“It was difficult,” Howard said of leaving Illinois. “I thought it was the right thing for Coach Groce to move in a different direction. I think it was the best decision for everybody. Change is hard. Sometimes with change, the best thing is to start from scratch.

“I didn’t want the players to use me as a crutch. If they didn’t like something, I didn’t want them coming to me complaining every time. I think it was best for everybody.”

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Illinois set a school record by having four players selected in the first two rounds of this year’s NFL draft.

Illinois senior offensive lineman Jeff Allen and senior safety Tavon Wilson became the third and fourth Illini players taken in the draft on Friday. Allen was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round as the No. 44 overall pick. Wilson was taken by the New England Patriots in the second round as the No. 48 pick.

In the first round on Thursday, defensive end Whitney Mercilus went to the Houston Texas as the No. 26 pick and wide receiver A.J. Jenkins was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 30th pick.

Illinois hadn’t previously had more than two players selected in the first two rounds.

“It means a lot,” Allen said of the four draft picks. “We’ve always had talent. We’ve had great players taken in the draft. To have four players in the first two rounds is unbelievable. It’s something you can’t describe. I’m just so happy for all my teammates right now.”

Allen, who attended King High School in Chicago, will join former Illinois teammate Jon Asamoah on the Chiefs’ offensive line. Asamoah was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round in 2010 and started 16 games for them last season.

Wilson had 81 tackles, including 51 solo, and one interception last season for Illinois.

The Illini had four players taken in the draft last year. Three of those picks came in the first three rounds.

Bolingbrook junior quarterback Aaron Bailey committed to Illinois on Thursday, according to his high school coach.

Bailey, who is 6-2 and 216 pounds, is ranked the No. 37 athlete in the Class of 2013 and the 11th best recruit in Illinois by ESPN Recruiting.

Bailey was recruited by a number of other schools an athlete and not a quarterback.

“He wanted a chance to play quarterback,” Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow said. “That’s something Illinois saw him as. Other people projected him as a wide receiver, defensive back, this and that.

“People who think he’s can’t play quarterback don’t know him. They don’t know anything. They can ask anyone we play against. We run the ball 85 percent of the time. Trust me, he can throw it.”

Bailey was 58-of-131 passing for 1,039 yards, seven interceptions and 10 touchdowns last season. He also rushed for 1,983 yards and 30 touchdowns on 257 carries.

Bailey, who was an ESPNChicago.com all-area selection, led Bolingbrook to the 2011 Class 8A state championship. He threw 140 yards and rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the state title game.

The Illini now have five Class of 2013 commitments, including three from in-state.

Illinois senior Derek Dimke is considered by many analysts to be among the top-5 prospects at his position leading up to this week’s NFL draft.

If Dimke played quarterback, safety or almost anywhere on the field, he would be guaranteed to hear his name being called at some point over the three-day draft, which begins on Thursday. But because Dimke is a kicker, there’s a chance he may go undrafted despite being one of the premier college players at his position.

Such is a life of a kicker, and Dimke gets it.

“For a kicker, it’s a little bit different than other positions,” Dimke said by phone on Sunday. “There’s a lot of great kickers out there, and there’s only one kicker on a team. It’s a matter of performing at the right place and at the right time and being patient.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen (in the draft). I’ve talked to a lot of teams. A lot of teams have showed interest, and I’m getting positive feedback.”

What has attracted teams to Dimke is his kicking accuracy from every distance. He was 39-of-46 in field goals and 89-of-89 in extra points during his three seasons starting for the Illini. He was 15-of-17 from 30-39 yards, 10-of-13 from 40-49 yards and 2-of-3 from 50 yards and beyond. His career long was 52 yards as a junior against Missouri.

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Chicago’s King High School has always been touted for its basketball history.

From Marcus Liberty to Rashard Griffith to Leon Smith to Thomas Hamilton to Jamie Brandon to Imari Sawyer, the list of basketball stars to come through the Chicago South Side school has been plentiful.

King’s football program is a different story. It isn’t nearly as known, but Jeff Allen plans to change that.
Allen, who graduated from King in 2008 and started four years on the offensive line at Illinois, is expected to be selected somewhere in the opening rounds of the NFL draft next week.

“We have had some decent players from our high school program go onto college,” Allen said of King. “We just haven’t had any great players. That would be an honor for me. We’ve had some great players throughout time, but they obviously played basketball. To be included in the same sentence with them would be an honor.”

Always one of the bigger kids growing up, Allen gravitated toward football at an early age. His dreams of the NFL started not too long after he began playing when he was 9 years old.

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Illinois coach John Groce and new assistant Isaac Chew made the rounds at Chicago area high schools on Monday and Tuesday.

The coaches hit up Curie, Orr, Proviso East and Whitney Young on Monday. Their first stop was at Simeon on Wednesday, and they planned to visit up to four or five other schools before the day was done.

“It was the first two days I could be out,” Groce said by phone after leaving Simeon. “I wanted to make sure we establish we’re very interested in Chicago and continue to build relationships with people we already know and meeting others we need to get to know better. The state of Illinois is very important to us, and Chicago is a big part of it.”

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Senior offensive lineman Christian DiLauro has committed to Illinois, according to a source familiar with the situation.

DiLauro, who is from Green High School in Green, Ohio, is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds.

Illinois now has four Class of 2013 commitments. Foster joins running back Kendrick Foster, offensive tackle Jesse Chadwell and safety Dillan Cazley in the recruiting class.

Prospect senior guard Mike LaTulip said he will remain a preferred walk-on at Illinois after meeting with new Illini coach John Groce on Friday.

LaTulip, a 5-foot-11 combo guard, was recruited by former Illinois coach Bruce Weber. He originally committed to the Illini in September.

LaTulip averaged 22 points and four assists and made 77 3-pointers during his senior season.

“I had a fantastic day, and I’m without a doubt sticking with Illinois,” LaTulip said. “The new coaching staff across the board was phenomenal.”

LaTulip is Illinois’ lone Class of 2012 recruit. Crete-Monee point guard Michael Orris received a release from his letter of intent from Illinois on Friday.

A native of the city, newly named Illinois assistant Isaac Chew gets Chicago.

With that comes his understanding that his Chicago roots may get his foot in the door many places in the city, but he still has to put in the time and effort if the Illini are going to be consistent players for the area’s premier talent.

“It’s about spending time and developing relationships in the city, the south suburbs, the western suburbs, the entire state,” Chew said on Thursday. “That’s what the goal is. We want to do whatever possible to maximize our ability to get the best players.

“The one thing I will say, and people often say it outside of Chicago, people who are from Chicago wear it like a badge of honor. We want our own to do well. It’s how the city is built. I think generally people want the state school to do well because it is the state school. This is about the state, not the city.”

Chew has relationships with some of the area’s most influential coaches, having recruited the area while an assistant at a number of schools, including most recently at Missouri. Chew said he knows Mac Irvin Fire club Mike Irvin and the Irvin family, Illinois Wolves club coach Mike Mullins, Whitney Young coach Tyrone Slaughter, Proviso East coach Donnie Boyce and a number of other coaches. He said he looked forward to developing a stronger relationship with Simeon coach Robert Smith.

Chew reached out and spoke with Chicago Public League Coaches Association president Vince Carter on Thursday.

“I think it is a good hire,” Carter said. “You got to feel comfortable with who you hire. I know Isaac more than the other guys. I think the idea that somehow the Public League coaches have to say it’s okay is just ridiculous. The coaches just want to know who you are. Once they learn who you are, you’re fine. I think that’s all they want.”

Boyce was bullish on the hire.

“I think it’s a great hire for U of I,” Boyce said. “He has ties to the Chicago area and helped build Murray State’s great season with the recruits he brought into the program. Also, he has been in our gym and to our games numerous times this season recruiting Sterling Brown. I think he will make his presence well known in the Chicagoland area.”

Chew said he was drawn to the Illinois position partly because it would allow him to return to Chicago more often. Chew attended Proviso East High School for three years and transferred to Wells, a Chicago public school, for his final year.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to come home,” Chew said. “Throughout my professional life, it’s the first time I’ve been able to come home. I think coach [John] Groce wants to do a great job in that area. I think with his energy, style of play, player will be attracted to Illinois.

“This is not about me. This is how your work together, and that’s more important than anything. The staff I’ll be a part of at Illinois with coach Groce, coach [Dustin] Ford, coach [Jamall] Walker, if we have the same vision, same infectious energy, we’ll be able to do what we’re trying to achieve.”

Chicago native Isaac Chew has been the final assistant added to new Illinois coach John Groce’s staff, according to a source.

Chew joins the Illini after one season as an assistant at Missouri. He also previously was an assistant at Murray State for four seasons, an assistant at Indian Hills Community College and an AAU coach for the Kansas City Pump ‘n Run.

Chew grew up in Chicago and starred at Wells High School in the Chicago Public League. He was the Public League Blue West Player of the Year during his senior season. He played collegiately at Iowa Lake Community College and Avila University in Kansas City.

Groce named Dustin Ford and Jamall Walker, who were assistants to Groce at Ohio, to his staff on Monday.

Groce announced Tuesday he would not retain Jerrance Howard, a four-year Illini assistant and former Illinois player. Howard is still under contract with Illinois and will not be paid for his two remaining years if he takes a position at another school, according to a school spokesperson.