It's a big week for Illinois basketball, which returns to a renovated State Farm Center on Wednesday.
It's also a big week for how we cover Illinois basketball, as beat writer Marcus Jackson transitions out of Sports and onto A-1 as our community reporter. Staff writer Scott Richey will take his place after Wednesday's game against Notre Dame.
"Ever since I can remember, sports has played a major role in my life, whether as an active athlete or covering them for The News-Gazette," Jackson said. "I'm looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone a bit and connecting with people in the community outside the sports world to learn more about them and to be able to tell some of their stories.