Quote:
Originally Posted by Madturkillini
For me one thing is for sure. It will hurt to see the Top 3 Illinois kids from 2014 class:
KBD in Ohio State jersey
Okafor in Kentucky jersey
CA in MichState jersey
As far as programs go, I think the coach is more important than the school. Calipari will bring in 5* talent wherever he goes. Ohio State was not a great basketball program before Matta came, but they instantly became one. If Groce was as good a recruiter as some of us believe, he would have shown that in Ohio even. A great recruiter would be able to land some 4* talent to Ohio, and some 5* talent to Illinois.
Having said that, he will do fine though in long term, I believe. If I was a great player, I would love to play for a coach like Groce because he really sounds like a hardworking, honest man, who will strive to help his players develop. But in today's world 5* recruits are just looking for the right person who will inject them to NBA in 1 season, and apparently they don't see Groce as one, including KBD.
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Maybe not great but they were very, very good. O'Brien coached the Buckeyes to the 1999 Final Four, 2000 and 2002 Big Ten regular-season co-championships, the 2002 Big Ten Tournament Championship, four 20-win seasons and a school record four-consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (1999-2002). Much better than Illinois' history in the years just prior to Groce taking over.