Fair points.
I hate to beat up on him, but Weber is a great coach at a program like Southern Illinois or Dayton or Marquette or Dayton or possibly Kansas State, but not at Illinois. We are a demanding fan base and I feel the Chicagoland media market has always been out to get us (they certainly enjoyed that Loyola game), and the CLP, which has lost importance, was never friendly to us.
We were lucky to have Self. He was never going to stay, and I don't recall who was available in 2003. Weber was on the rise and I will never take that 2005 season away from him. I've been pontificating on "what could have been for Illinois" but even if Weber had recruited better in 2004-2006, and even if he hadn't had some of the player issues that unfortunately occurred, I don't think he was the coach our fans would accept. Whether it was 2012 or 2020, he wasn't going to be Lou Henson.
As for Groce, I do specifically recall that when it became apparent that Weber had to go, nobody wanted the job. Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens both declined, as did several other potential coaches. Groce was a nice guy but he belongs at a place like Akron. And even if Kendrick Nunn hadn't punched his girlfriend in the head, potentially Groce would have a few better seasons, but likely in the long run the same result. But who knows? Maybe Nunn has a senior season like Ayo had his junior season and we go in a different direction.
This is why are so lucky to have Underwood. He recruits and develops players and he wins. He was insulted by Oklahoma State's offer and so far seems very satisfied with us. I think he can take Illinois basketball to a consistent contender in the Big Ten and competitive in the big dance. And I think he stays, which can't be said Lon Krueger nor Bill Self.
That's sort of how why we hired Weber. After Lon Krueger for 4 years then dumping us for the NBA, and Bill Self for 3 years then jumping ship for Kansas, I think there was a realization that we are not UNC or Kentucky. If we land a UNC or Kentucky (or Kansas!) calibre coach, we may quickly find ourselves on the market when he leaves us.