Illinois basketball player Brian Carlwell is expected to leave the hospital today, making a quick recovery from the serious head injury he sustained in a car crash this week. He might even sit on the bench when the Illini take the floor again on Sunday against Northwestern, the Chicago Sun-Times reports:"That would be a great step for him,'' [a university spokesman] said, adding that it's even possible Carlwell might return to the court this season. ''I don't think anybody's expecting that. People shouldn't get their hopes up that he'll be back this season. He still has a ways to go, but he's doing well.''
Teammate Jamar Smith, who was driving the car, has left campus. He has been cited for improper lane usage and could face additional charges, although police say the investigation could take two weeks or more. As we reported Wednesday, questions are being asked about why it was a neighbor -- not Smith -- who alerted police. The Sun-Times says Smith is "tacitly suspended from the team," which would seem to indicate that coach Bruce Weber thinks this was more than a case of a car spinning out of control in a blizzard.




