Color me skeptical about the legality of his recruiting success at WKU
This. You can't tell me that WKU should be attracting that level of talent all of a sudden without any "help"
Color me skeptical about the legality of his recruiting success at WKU
If Mark Few has an early exit of the Tourney I bet a lot of Zag fans would want him out? Could he be a possibility? Thoughts?
If Mark Few has an early exit of the Tourney I bet a lot of Zag fans would want him out? Could he be a possibility? Thoughts?
He went 293-166 at Mississippi State which is the most wins in team history. He had 20+ wins in 10/14 seasons with 6 NCAA tournament appearances and a winning conference record. That doesn't seem that bad to me.
If Mark Few has an early exit of the Tourney I bet a lot of Zag fans would want him out
I'm going to say that Groce will be back next year to coach his recruits, uh, for at least next year. You all can call me on it if it does not happen. Not a problem.
Mark Few is going to have a statue built someday outside their arena. That's not even worth discussing. Never happening.If Mark Few has an early exit of the Tourney I bet a lot of Zag fans would want him out? Could he be a possibility? Thoughts?
It's amazing how just a few close wins at home against winthrop and maryland change the entire narrative...
It's amazing how just a few close wins at home against winthrop and maryland change the entire narrative...
Ohio tournament run one of the 5 worst things ever to happen to illini basketball.
Flip two games out of every 19 from losses to wins and I'm not sure there's any coach who's ever been fired anywhere.
KenPom has a "luck" rating, ranking teams by how reflective their record is of their efficiency margin, essentially like the pythagorean W-L record in baseball. Illinois is 48th out of 351 D-1 teams. We've overperformed in close games thus far.
I'm unable to view the 1991 newspaper article, but I'll take your word for it. Out of curiosity, what was the penalty for his act? It just seems that most articles about him recruiting or coaching don't mention this fact even when I do a google search of "Rick Stansbury gives money to recruit" or "Rick Stansbury NCAA sanctions."https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/112755506/
Had to go way back in the archives for that one but there it is.
It wasn't that bad but it wasn't that good. He took a mess of talent (ill-gotten talent of course) and did very little of substance with it. He's not a good coach. He's in the Rick Barnes zone, but at least Barnes can get good players without cheating.
Am I crazy for just not being inspired by any of the names out there right now?
At this point, I kind of hope you're wrong. Does anyone think we could have a legit shot at Mike Brey?
I've been thinking about Keatts and what an upside he could have. Indications are that he may be both a great recruiter and a great coach, but we really don't have enough evidence to KNOW either. Of course, by the time that evidence is clear, he'll have a new contract somewhere else, if we don't get him.
Then again, if he flames out, we will be 3 or 4 years farther down the road, nay the superhighway, to obscurity.
Meanwhile, Cuonzo Martin would likely come in and recruit reasonably well, maybe even very well, and would likely have the team winning its share of games, maybe even having a great season if the recruits mesh really well. But I don't see him keeping us at the top of the Big Ten, or competing for the conference championship at all frequently -- he just hasn't done that anywhere else, even with great recruits. But he's not likely to flame out and drive the program any further into the ground. Odds are good that if we hire him now, and then eventually fire him in a few years, it will be because we've stopped making progress and need someone to further elevate us.
I guess what I'm saying is that right now -- as much as we may miss a potential diamond in the rough -- the prudent choice would be to hire a solid choice who will right the ship, get solid recruiting classes, and bring stability back, with some chance of greater upside. Once we are there, THEN we can start thinking about the next step to greater success. And at THAT point, we won't have to be looking for diamonds in the rough, we'll hopefully be able to attract established coaches with proven credentials in both recruiting and coaching.
So as much as Keatts intrigues me, Martin would be the better choice. Mussleman is probably somewhere in between -- possibly higher upside than Martin, but not as much of a known quantity.
Mark Few is going to have a statue built someday outside their arena. That's not even worth discussing. Never happening.
Jerrance Howard is one of the best recruiters and he's been surrounded by some of the best coaches during his career. I think he could be a head coach.
I actually feel better about the names this time around as opposed to last 2 hires.
Jerrance Howard is one of the best recruiters and he's been surrounded by some of the best coaches during his career. I think he could be a head coach.
John Groce was actually named the top recruiter in the country while an assistant and coached under Thad Matta. Now this is the top thread on IL!
Pass...he needs prove himself as a head coach first.