McCamey on verge of promotion

Bruce Weber admitted Sunday that he’s about to crack under the pressure. He cant’ take it anymore. It’s time for a change.

In the lineup.

His assistant coaches have been telling him that freshman Demetri McCamey needs to be  starting. And after the team’s third consecutive home loss, Weber might be ready to make the move.

“I would think so,” he said. “The coaches said they wouldn’t show up if I didn’t. If we want them to come to the game, we should start him. But he’s got to get better.”

McCamey made his strongest case yet for a promotion with his career-high 18-point performance in the 68-64 loss to Penn State. He kept the Illini in the game in the second half and did what few others have attempted of late.

Besides hitting four 3-pointers, McCamey attacked the basket and made things happen with a couple of layups that challenged the Penn State defense. The one he made along the baseline by switching the ball to his left hand at the last second was a thing of beauty.

McCamey finished seven of 12 from the field and had five assists and two turnovers. Not a bad line for a reserve. The next likely move is for McCamey to replace Trent Meacham on Thursday at Wisconsin.

Weber didn’t specifically identify that swap but he’s talked about a combination of McCamey and Chester Frazier since the preseason.

McCamey even had the ball in his hands in the closing seconds against the Nittany Lions. With a chance to tie the game, he penetrated and came up short on his shot. He might have been able to draw a foul had he gone harder to the basket but McCamey said he feared been called for a foul himself.

“I wanted to try to get to the basket, try to get fouled or a layup to tie the game,” he said. “I think I could have taken one more step. I thought (Geary) Claxton was going to take a charge, so I threw up a floater.”

McCamey has been inconsistent, a point Weber has made over and over. But he’s progressing. He’s averaging 20.6 minutes and 6.2 points. He has 35 assists and 28 turnovers. In two Big Ten games, he leads the team with a 14-point average and has only two turnovers.

“He has definitely made strides,” Weber said. “He still has breakdowns defensively and with decision making, but we’ve probably got to get him in the lineup.”