If Groce is fired, the recruits can ask for (and receive) a release from this NLOI.
Most likely Whitman will ask them to wait until they meet with the new coach before granting the release.
Wisconsin 57, Illinois 43 POSTGAME
If Groce is fired, the recruits can ask for (and receive) a release from this NLOI.
Most likely Whitman will ask them to wait until they meet with the new coach before granting the release.
My point exactly. Once the Groce-train departs, it's not as if the recruiting class gets a golden ticket to shop around. And to think that these guys committed solely to the head coach, and not to the program as a whole, is crazy.
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I will stick up for Groce in regards to defense. His 1st 3 years the teams were pretty good defensively. I think it's this group of athletes are a little soft . That her Nana Egwu is the best defender Illinois ever had
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
So he's soft, I agree. I don't think I've ever seen a player worse at rotating and helping out on defense. He was way too tentative against Happ last night. He should have been taking it strong to the hole instead of delaying and getting the ball stripped so often. Try to get Happ in foul trouble for cripe's sake.
Agree with most of your post, but obviously you haven't played, or apparently don' know much about basketball. Even the best players have bad nights shooting. Malcolm had a bad half shooting. Even the best players have bad nights shooting. Koenig is pretty much clutch hit 1 out of 10 three pointers in a recent game. NBA all star Jimmy Butler was 1 for 13 from the field in a game last week. Did they "choke"? No, they just had bad shooting nights, in basketball, that happens.
+5. Russell Wilson didn't "choke," he just had a bad throwing night from the 1-yard line.
At this point it all falls on Groce. This is his team.
0 intensity from players who know that their coaches' jobs are on the line and this is how they're playing? Really? What more do you need to see?
A shoddy workman always blames his tools and in this case the workman is responsible for his tools too. Dang, I picked bad tools, but it's all the fault of the tools?
Actually, this group has shown at times that they have talent.
The B1G is incredibly soft this year. Do you really believe that overall Northwestern has really out recruited Illinois over the past 4 years? That's the difference between having a good coach and not. One team is competing for a regular season championship and the other is just trying to stay out of last place.
So for the remaining Groce Apologists left on this board, one question: How bad would it have to get before you would finally concede that Groce needs to go?
Let's just stop already with the talk about the lack of talent to compete in the ultra-soft B1G this year. That was the B1G's best team at SFC last night? Really? Did they look totally invincible to anyone?
If Collins and Northwestern sweep the Illini this season, will that finally be enough to get the final Groce Apologists to finally concede their coach "ain't the guy"?
Even for those who still want to blame the players, who is responsible for the players on this team after having been the head coach for almost 5 seasons. :hand:
After a triple OT loss last year, Rutgers can't wait for the Illini to show up in Piscataway this year... Could be a battle for last place in the B1G...
Just because this one never gets old... With Beckman it was The Lasagna, with Groce it will be The Ladder...
Not only do we completely lack an "attacking" offense, Crispin made a very valid and similar point about our defense. He said Illinois constantly "chases plays" on the defensive end. That really is our defense in a nutshell -- seems like we're constantly 2 steps behind on D and we routinely see our guards chase the ball around the perimeter until opposing teams have an open shot that we desperately leap to contest. Rinse and repeat.
If the commits ask out of their NLOIs due to a coaching change, and stand firm in that request, it will be granted. So they can certainly leave should they choose to.
Nnanna Egwu was tasked with far more than almost any defender anywhere has been in recent memory. The drop-off in defense is almost entirely attributable to the loss of one of the best rim protectors this school has had or will have, and his range defensively was dang impressive when it came to hedge and recover as well.
illynifan34
That's a winner!!
- OH
Not sure why you stick up for the defense, if it took the best ever for the team to be good defensively, he's not coaching defense well.
Well, if Groce's defensive "scheme" depends on on one super defensive player, then he darn well better recruit a guy who can play that role. Or develop a new scheme. Don't tell me "Thorne and Black but they got hurt". Neither is a defensive superstud. You gotta get aguy and if you dont you gotta figure out how to defend another way. The matador capes are not working.
Yes, I would agree with that. Replacing Nnanna with Mav in the same defensive scheme is near-criminal. Not fair to Mav and we have seen the results.
Yay!
I'm going to +1 every time I see someone reference "matador capes".
Another +1 if they say the defender should shout olé as their man drives to the rim for a layup or dunk.
The Illini system: capes and ladders!
Not really. That coach was Gene Bartow, and he was released from his contract so he could accept the offer to replace John Wooden at UCLA.
I know we lost but I got some dirt on the Wisconsin program. Had dinner the other night with a friend of mine who is best friends with the family of a star player on Wisky. He was telling me that the entire team hates Gard. They still wish they had Bo as their coach so not sure how Gard will do going forward without Bo's players but it will be interesting to see how it shakes out.
Maybe if the Illinois players hated Groce they'd play better.
...released from his contract 4 years early, and after an 8-18 season.
The point still holds - we haven't tolerated this amount of proven mediocrity in a loooong time.
Gene Bartow left Illinois after 1 year to go to UCLA as has been mentioned. He was 52-9 in his 2 years there with a sweet 16 appearance and a 3rd place in the NCAA tournament.
Lou was 14-13 his first year. Finished bottom 1/2 his first five seasons. Definition of mediocre.
Comparing Groce to Lou is silly, CBB is a very different world now than it was in the late 70s.