illini80
- Forgottonia
Agree. Mark Smith may be more important than tilmon imo. He is said to favor us depending on the hire. It's all a crapshoot. There are no guarantees no matter the hire as far as this set of recruits is concerned.
The Illinois Coaching Search
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hooraybeer
- Pittsburgh, PA
sidenote you know our recruiting has been down when the most devoted fans in our fanbase believe that a consensus 4* recruit impacts our ADs thinking on a coaching search
illini80
- Forgottonia
I'll have to go back and watch it again I guess but iirc he was specifically asked about walker and that was his answer.
So Whitman is the smartest guy in the room, but he gives Bennett a requirement to keep Walker?
This is a silly rumor.
Is Mike Drop another assistant coach?
All of this is true. However there are some competing facts.
1) Tilmon is the overall gem of a great class. The best player at a position with minimal depth.
2) Part of the sell of the job is the great class a coach can inherit. Without Tilmon, the quality of the class sinks considerably. The sell then becomes that much harder.
3) It's in the new coach's and our program's best interest for immediate results, that Walker is retained for Tilmon and potentially smith, as well as future metro area talent. Long term, we lose our connection to that area, there's a chance that Ford and Martin clean up.
Tl:dr, the leverage is not really tied to one single person, but the immediate success of our program under a new coach kinda depends on it, or we get set back a year at least. I should also probably add that the reason you go after a Bennett or Miller is because even if Tilmon does fall through you feel like they can recover from that first year.
Soxfreak64
- Bloomington
You make this hire with a long term vision. If you have a great coach in hand, you don't risk alienating them by demanding they retain an assistant that might keep one really nice recruit. This is a process.
If Whitman doesn't see that, my faith is gone. Thankfully, I think he's smart enough to avoid tying his future to one recruit that already publicly wavered on the Illini.
At least, I hope so. Tilmon is a great player. Mark Smith shows great promise. This entire recruiting class combined isn't worth settling for a lower tier coach that agrees to keep Walker.
If Whitman doesn't see that, my faith is gone. Thankfully, I think he's smart enough to avoid tying his future to one recruit that already publicly wavered on the Illini.
At least, I hope so. Tilmon is a great player. Mark Smith shows great promise. This entire recruiting class combined isn't worth settling for a lower tier coach that agrees to keep Walker.
I hope this does not end up like the last coaching search as I have reminded on here before. As a lifetime illinois fan I think we want to think of Illinois as a top spot for coaches to want to be, but in reality we seem to never be able to attract our top picks. I wish we were like Kentucky or Kansas or Duke, where every coach would be excited to take that job, but unfortunately other coaches do not seem to look at us in that same light. I really hope Whitman can pull off something great here, but the story is starting to look like the same old situation again. Maybe we should have kept Groce for another year or made Walker the coach? Hopefully we can still get Miller and keep Walker? I have my fingers crossed and nervously wait for the answer. Go Illini!
afpharmdawg
- Colorado Springs
Yes but has to work for free
the national
- the Front Range
The whole keeping walker for Tilmon seems bizarre to me, unless as others have suggested, that the money we are offering the new coach is contingent on keep him(them) by the Boosters. I can honestly see that being a real scenario.
In addition, if said booster is from the STLMetro, they might understand how important it is to keep at least a foot in the door with Cuonzo trying to close us out. If we let Walker walk and Cuonzo gets him, we have lost Major footing in STL. It means no Tilmon but also lots of future recruits as well.
(Edit: Fivestar beat me to the punch)
In addition, if said booster is from the STLMetro, they might understand how important it is to keep at least a foot in the door with Cuonzo trying to close us out. If we let Walker walk and Cuonzo gets him, we have lost Major footing in STL. It means no Tilmon but also lots of future recruits as well.
(Edit: Fivestar beat me to the punch)
haasi
- New York
The question in my mind is whether a precondition to *talks* with Bennett was whitman saying that Walker would not need to be kept on board. Whitman might reasonably not want to risk that becoming public if he wasn't at all confident that bennett was engaging in anything other than an attempt to leverage higher salary at UVA.
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Hence, 4-5 million might get they're attention
Don't have the exact quote, or which press conference/interview this was but -
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2017-03-16/tate-what-walkers-next-move.html
Hmm. Maybe I missed something.
Even that sends the wrong message though. Of a meddlesome athletic department with eyes on short-termism and public perception.
I, for one, refuse to believe this is possible.
Deleted member 4723
D
Guest
The problem with making statements in absolute terms is that you have no wiggle room when proven incorrect.
It's getting breezy.
What coach wouldn't want to come into a great recruiting class. If I was to be the next head coach I would want to retain walker and keep the class. Good shot at winning right away. It is odd to have that as a factor to getting a new coach but hey that's why I'm not an AD. I'm all in with Whitman.
KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
- Chicago, IL
Unless the new coach really hates Walker or thinks he challenges his authority, they really should keep him. He's a huge asset to the program for current players and for prospects, and for keeping Missouri down.
illini80
- Forgottonia
Whatever I heard or read, he left plenty of wiggle room. Said it was the new coaches decision.
Edit Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.
The way Martin and Keats took their respective offers almost in the spot makes me think we never reached out. Wouldn't you at least hear the pitch from Illinois if, for no other reason, to try and wring a little extra $$ out of your preferred offer? I know I would. Especially Martin. Our job has to be at least equal to Mizzou in that we will be recruiting the same territory. And I think we are even superior because we have a more talented roster currently, play in a better conference (which he played in)and have the potential to turn Chicago into fertile recruiting ground. Not saying he wouldn't ultimately choose Mizzou, but why wouldn't he at least listen to us? Keats with NC State makes a little more sense, but, again, why not at least see if Illinois makes you a godfather offer?
All of this makes me think Whitman has his guy and he is of a higher caliber than those 2.
All of this makes me think Whitman has his guy and he is of a higher caliber than those 2.
Deleted member 4723
D
Guest
Whew... I see the board has swung back to the pessimistic world is ending missing out on all of the candidates and hiring some guy walking down Green St from the optimism of landing one of Monty or Archie on Monday. This place is ridiculous sometimes. (on both ends of the spectrum)
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