Illinois’ Williams Finds Himself in Lead Role--Thanks to Coach Self

One move begat another, and the effect resonates still.

Move No. 1: Bill Self replaced Lon Kruger as coach at Illinois after last season.

Move No. 2: Self made Frank Williams the go-to guard and relegated Cory Bradford to the second option.

How did Illinois became co-champion of the Big Ten Conference, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional and one of the nation’s most entertaining teams?

Look no further than Williams, an intelligent ball-handler, dangerous shooter and tenacious defender. The more often the ball is in his hands, the better the Illini play. His career-high 30 points in the 80-64 victory over Kansas on Friday merely was the latest in a season of highlights.

“When Coach Kruger left, we all made a commitment to each other that we would continue to work hard and believe in ourselves,” Williams said. “When Coach Self came in, he was the last piece of the puzzle.”

Williams, a sophomore, put the pieces in their proper places. He sat out in 1998-99 as a partial academic qualifier and Bradford averaged 15.4 points and was Big Ten freshman of the year.

Last season, both players started and Bradford led the team with another 15 points a game.

Enter Self, who saw something special in Williams.

“[Kruger] probably doesn’t get enough credit for Frank’s development,” Self said. “Frank probably had to be broken initially, and it’s not fun being the person who had to do the breaking. Now he’s as unselfish as any guard around.”

“I think that Frank and my personalities jibe real well. I think we have a good balance. We let him have the freedom to create in the team concept.”

Meanwhile, Bradford’s scoring has suffered. Expected to be one of the Big Ten’s best players, he is averaging 9.5 points and shooting 37%.

However, he is a top defender who held Jeff Boschee of Kansas to one-of-seven shooting Friday.

*

Self is the first coach to lead two different schools to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons.

He took Tulsa to the regional final last year. Self’s NCAA tournament record is 7-2.

*

Arizona forward Eugene Edgerson redshirted last season to focus on earning his degree and teaching credential in four years. Edgerson, 6-6, 237, taught kindergarten.

“Sometimes those 5- and 6-year-olds get the better of you, but all in all it was a great experience,” he said. “I love to teach.”