Joe Henricksen had a good segment on Sportstalk today discussing Chicago recruiting. In summary (no surprises):
- Self was "The Natural," instantly connecting with everybody. The best he's ever seen.
- Weber worked harder than anybody he's ever seen, but always sat in the back of the gym and never really connected with people.
- Groce and his staff seem to have pulled back after the big misses. They haven't consistently worked to develop the relationships. He didn't really say anything specific, but I get the sense that Henricksen doesn't see Groce figuring out Chicago.
Whitman really needs to understand what the next coach is getting into in terms of Chicago recruiting and what type of coach can crack the door open again. Of all the candidates mentioned thus far, I think Cuonzo is the only guy who's actually landed a top Chicago player. Can he do it consistently? I'd be much more bullish on him if he's the guy that could recruit Chicago well.