Has the light gone on for guard Demetri McCamey?

''I think so. I hope so,'' Illini coach Bruce Weber said at Big Ten media day Thursday at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare. ''I'm cautious on it because he hasn't done it consistently. But he has definitely shown some signs of becoming the player that everybody envisioned him being.''

The most obvious sign is McCamey's svelte new body. He's a sculpted 210 pounds, down 13 from last season.

''Stopped the fried food for most of the summer,'' the junior from St. Joseph's said. ''I went from fried chicken to baked chicken, from French fries to rice and green beans, stuff like that. The chicken was the toughest.''

That has helped McCamey go harder at both ends of the floor. And it has moved him closer to his goal of being the all-around leader Illinois will need to build on its solid 24-10 record of last season, which was marred by a disappointing first-round loss to Western Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

''He looks 10 times more athletic,'' center Mike Tisdale said. ''It's not that he wasn't before, but now he gets up and down the court on defense. He's jumping, dunking the ball more, things you didn't necessarily see last year. Losing the weight's helped him a lot.''

McCamey led the Illini in scoring last season (11.5 points) and earned third-team All-Big Ten honors. But his rare combination of skill, quickness and muscle left everybody wanting more. Including McCamey, whose ultimate goal is to join high school rival Derrick Rose and Illinois predecessor Deron Williams in the NBA.

That goal looked a long way off early last season, when Weber made his point about McCamey needing to work harder by refusing to start him in the Illini's first two games. Even when McCamey erupted for 23 points in the third game, a 69-63 victory at Vanderbilt, Weber challenged him to keep it going rather than focusing on a good effort in a tough road venue.

The prodding is still there, but it's gentler this season.

''Before, I had to blow up on him,'' Weber said. ''Now, I'm just consistently pushing him. Maybe I'm asking for too much. But as a coach, that's what your job is -- to get the most out of the guys.

''I don't think he'll ever be a defensive stopper. But if he has a dream of playing in the NBA, you've got to be able to guard somebody.''

To help McCamey shed his lazy ways, Weber has found a trio of helpers in freshman guards D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Joseph Bertrand.

''That's one of the best things about the freshmen,'' Weber said. ''They pushed Demetri in conditioning. He doesn't even win. He's just trying to not get blown out. Before, he just kind of went through the motions. Now, he realizes that's what he has to do to really become a dominant player.''

Richardson, who's tracking to start at shooting guard, has the all-around potential to be an especially strong motivator for McCamey. In the frontcourt, junior Alex Legion, who lit up Assembly Hall at the Orange and Blue scrimmage last weekend, is the leading candidate to start at small forward alongside Tisdale and power forward Mike Davis.

If all the pieces fall into place, Illinois has the potential to have its best team since the 2005 Final Four squad.

But as the point guard, McCamey shapes up as the key. And from his conversations with 2005 stars Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, McCamey is intent on using his improved body to respond to Weber's urgings.

''They said they'll always have coach Weber's back,'' McCamey said. ''He helped them out tremendously on and off the court. They told me he's a good guy to listen to.''

And a guy who consistently will deliver his message about consistency.