Haven't heard this before....please elaborate.
John Groce at Illinois
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Haven't heard this before....please elaborate.
Because stuff like this is just ridiculous. Of course Thorne being out sucks and Nunn missing a couple games. But every team goes through odd things and need to figure it out.
I'm not on one side or the other regarding Groce really but JCL missing the Europe trip has been detrimental to the team? Gimme a break
89illinigrad
- Chicago
So missing extra practice and games that would have helped his development and maybe taught him how to play better defense is not detrimental to the team?
Yeah, it's actually JCL missing most of the summer and practice time that was the detriment.
HoopCity
- Huntsville, AL
Were there better coaches that wanted to come to Illinois when Groce was selected for the position?
If Groce was not any good Thad would not have had him as an assistant if that was the case.
So what inside information do you have that Groce was not very well liked? I never heard that from my inside information!!
For anyone to succeed they need to recruit some 4* - 5* players, no matter what position they play as they make every one around them better.
Look around at all the teams, they all have offense that is heavy on shots for guards with inside emphasis. We have just lost out on the big men we went after with exception of Finke. Leron and Big Mike's injuries really hurt us.
+1. I think we can all agree that 1) JG most likely will return next year (not a given but very probable and fair based on the spate of injuries), 2) we'd have a much better team this year with MT, LB and TA healthy, 3) if we're a bubble team in 2017 and don't land a very good recruiting class, then JG is gone and 4) JG has not proven himself to be a great coach yet; the jury's out on whether he'll even succeed at UI.
Assistant Coach John Groce=2006 Rivals National Recruiter of the Year.
Somehow people keep forgetting this fact...
In addition to the other factors, Lou also took over the Illinois program 40 years ago. Before social media, before YouTube clips of every player and team were out there, before every major-conference and most minor-conference games were on TV somewhere, before message boards for us to all obsess over this.
IMO, even all other things being equal (which they weren't between Henson and Groce), there just isn't the shelf life today for a coach to get their feet set and be showing program success that there might have been 40 years ago.
Kind of revisionist eh? who did not like him at X? Pretty sure Doellman, cage, Sato, Sean Miller, Burrel, Lavender, Chris mack and others would argue with your statement... we were there at team camp the day they got the tOSU job. No one had anything but good to say as Sean took the reins and they cleared out the offices. Who were the good roster pieces he inherited at Ohio?. I thought he recruited all but a few pieces of the team that beat Georgetown in his 2nd year. His offense is built around big that run the floor and heavy on skilled wings usually one of whom is a deadly accurate 3 ball shooter. Walt (who is currently on staff with the Illini) transferred from tOSU to Wright State then Ohio for accuracy sake.
Good post. This is what is really starting to annoy me is that now people are just making stuff up.
Can we just add HoCs post from a little up this page to the front page? Because I'm pretty sure most outside of the lunatic fringe on either side of the argument would agree completely with it.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
The sad part about this thread is: it's only going to get worse. We're missing so many players that we just are not a good team right now. I know a lot of people want us to be a good team this year and some still, despite the injuries, expect us to be a good team this year. But we aren't.
We most likely are not going to win very many games in the B1G this year, so I fully expect this thread to get crazier and crazier as the year goes on.
I'm personally with a few of the others who say: I haven't seen anything from Groce to say, "Yep, he's the guy", but I haven't seen anything from him to say he's definitely not the guy either.
There's no possible way to make an informed decision about his career here based on this season. People can be mad that our second stringers can't beat other teams first stringers. That's fine, I guess, but not rational.
He absolutely deserves another year to show what he's got. And I for one hope we have an awesome season next year and he's here for years to come.
We most likely are not going to win very many games in the B1G this year, so I fully expect this thread to get crazier and crazier as the year goes on.
I'm personally with a few of the others who say: I haven't seen anything from Groce to say, "Yep, he's the guy", but I haven't seen anything from him to say he's definitely not the guy either.
There's no possible way to make an informed decision about his career here based on this season. People can be mad that our second stringers can't beat other teams first stringers. That's fine, I guess, but not rational.
He absolutely deserves another year to show what he's got. And I for one hope we have an awesome season next year and he's here for years to come.
Yeah, we should keep him in mind when a new head coach is looking for assistants.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I like Groce, I agree he will likely have at least 1 more year, next year should be a tourney team. If he gets a strong 2017 class recruited, along with the pieces already in place from the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes, I feel we will be back to the top teams of the B1G going forward. And worrying more about seed than getting in on selection Sunday. I guess I am feeling optomistic this morning.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I would like to see Groce succeed, as I think we all would. I would like to see a shake up of his staff. I don't know enough to know who to let go and who to hire. I am thinking an emeritus type of asst coach, Keady did for Lavin. Let Groce recruit and motivate, do the press conference.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
Would need a strong assistant coach to help with running the program and the coaching part. But you are right. He would come and would be able to recruit the class of 2017.
Didn't the previous coach win coach of the year.
And coached at Illinois for 7 seasons thereafter.
His game is Bruce Weber...
His name is Bruce Weber...
His name is Robert Paulson...
His name is Bruce Weber...
Omg fire matta!
haaha listening to Raftery and I was thinking of several fanbases...thought the same thing.
I have a feeling if we fire JG we will end up seeing him go to some other low tier high major and succeed. (Probably in the Big 12)
He will have used his time at Illinois to learn and readjust his recruiting and coaching strategy and will make some bad team good.
He will also land a 5 star and several high 4 stars with a string of good luck because heaven knows he is due for good luck.
Lastly, no injuries.
He will have used his time at Illinois to learn and readjust his recruiting and coaching strategy and will make some bad team good.
He will also land a 5 star and several high 4 stars with a string of good luck because heaven knows he is due for good luck.
Lastly, no injuries.
89illinigrad
- Chicago
Add to that that most of those recruits will probably be from Illinois.
There's a reason Howard hasn't been given a chance to be a head coach. He's been a lead recruiter at big time basketball programs, but hasn't moved up. I understand the affinity for former players, but being an alum doesn' t necessarily make you the best coaching candidate.
Extend Groce!
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