Bruce Weber envisioned a backcourt of Jamar Smith, Alex Legion and Demetri McCamey.

It may not be Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, but it certainly would be instilled fear into Big Ten opponents.

Weber will have to make due with just McCamey, at least for the first semester.

Smith was kicked off the team in late-July and Legion won’t be eligible until the end of the first semester after transferring from Kentucky at the break a year ago.

``Our mindset going into the offseason was that we were going to have one of the best shooters in the country back,” Weber said. “That we were going to have Jamar, Alex and Demetri and some solid guards with experience with Chester (Frazier) and (Trent) Meacham.”

Without Smith, Weber realizes his young big guys may have to assume more responsibility than anticipated.

Guys like Mike Tisdale, Mike Davis and Bill Cole – who combined to average less than 28 minutes per game last season.

Weber said that junior college forward Dominique Keller (6-7, 230) could make an immediate impact because he’s already been a proven scorer in the juco ranks.

``He can score, but you just don’t know,” Weber said.

He’s also concerned about the pressure Legion may have on him once he becomes eligible.

``It’s going to be tough either way for him,” Weber said. “If we’re doing well, he’s going to have to fit in. If we’re not, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on him because people will think he’ll be able to save our season.”

Legion is talented, but fans have to realize it’s going to take some time for him to get adjusted.

Weber said that the 7-foot-1 Tisdale has made significant strides, adding about 40 pounds since his arrival on campus a year ago, but he had a minor setback recently in which he had surgery for a muscle hernia that will put him on the shelf for a couple weeks.

``In a way, it might help him,” Weber said. “It’ll help him continue to gain weight and also make sure he doesn’t get worn down this year.”

Weber also said that Davis needs to give consistent effort and also mentioned Richard Semrau, a one-time high-profile recruit that hasn’t really played due to injuries.

``He’s the most athletic of our big guys,” Weber said.

EDGAR PLACED ON LEAVE

Southeast Missouri State coach Scott Edgar was placed on leave, but denied knowingly violating any NCAA rules.

"I deny any allegation that I knowingly violated NCAA rules," Edgar said in a statement. "Through almost 30 years as a college coach, I have worked to build and maintain my good name and reputation for integrity.”

Edgar will remain on leave until the NCAA Division Committee of Infractions rules on the case, which likely won’t be until later this season.

The Southeast Missourian highlighted a few of the alleged violations that took place:

- Members of the staff – including Edgar – watched players play pick-up games.

- Edgar and one of his coaches arranged for extra benefits for two players.

- Edgar provided false and misleading information to the school and the NCAA enforcement staff regarding the allegations.

TOP RECRUITS PULL TRIGGER

A pair of the nation’s top recruits, Jordan Hamilton and Ryan Kelly, ended their recruitments on Thursday.

Kelly, a North Carolina kid ranked 11th in the Class of 2009 by Scout.com, chose to remain close to home and picked Duke while Hamilton (Scout.com., No.13) opted for Texas.

RANDOM NOTES: Great to see former Missouri State coach Barry Hinson land a job at Kansas. He'll work in the basketball office in an adminstrative spot and also do some fund-raising before getting back into coaching next year. Hinson would be a star on TV, but wants to get back into coaching. ... I forgot to mention freshman guard David Gibbs yesterday when talking about UMass. Doug Wiggins will not be handed the point guard job next year when he becomes eligible. It’ll be a battle between the talented freshman and Wiggins. Whatever the case, UMass coach Derek Kellogg will have backcourt depth for a couple years in a row with a nucleus of Ricky Harris, Anthony Gurley and Gibbs.