Coaching Carousel

[JustPassing]

I can promise all of you there are far more than the two great assistants we have that are out there and working/dreaming to be a part of our squad. Good luck men! I’ll never like Kentucky basketball before or after the moves regardless.

Who would think that our football staff would have turned out as stellar as it has? Now it’s possibly Brad’s turn to hire a couple zingers.

Very hard to believe that OA and Chin are the only two out there for us.

Do not like it, but not the end of the world IMHO.

Chance for BU to shine again.

 

[618Illini]

The Goodman article said no room for OA without shuffling the staff as is. Barbee was in a non-recruiting admin role so it’s implied another coach in staff will move into that role.

If Chin joined then another assistant would need to be fired.

Im just guessing the Chin rumors are tied to another school. Arizona? Idk

Barbee and Joel Justus are the two believed to be leaving and Chin Coleman is definitely rumored to be coming here. Just not a done deal

 

[DocMorgan]

Powell would definitely help ease the blow but I highly highly doubt we bring back Dee.

We need to at least secure Chin for the upcoming season. Losing them both both would be a huge blow this late in the coaching hire cycle.

I am not saying that we need to bring Dee back, but I sure wish I knew why it seems like he has been banished.

 

[logjam]

This...

One reason I was pretty high on BU from the beginning was that he seemed to have the tenacity and the toughness that is required for an Illinois coach to be successful. For a number of reasons it is simply harder to recruit and win at Illinois... but it certainly is not impossible. Perhaps BU was built for such a time as this!

Also got to start coaching tree sometime....this is it. BU knew this was coming last year when they got raises. He's got people in mind.

 

[illinihawk16]

Very hard to believe that OA and Chin are the only two out there for us.

Do not like it, but not the end of the world IMHO.

Chance for BU to shine again.

Agreed.

Much like any other breakup, you may be really upset at first and feel like there's nobody else out there for you....until you find somebody else you catch feelings for.

 

[Whitewaterr]

To all the Kentucky fans checking in: this is what we're usually like. Welcome to a day in the life!

 

[chrisRunner7]

This is proving to be the craziest offseason that I can remember... and it's not even May yet.

 

[FollowMeDontFollowMe]

If we poach Powell from Gonzaga after taking Gentry does that mean that we are to them what Kentucky is to us?

 

[illini80]

Also got to start coaching tree sometime....this is it. BU knew this was coming last year when they got raises. He's got people in mind.

I’m sure he does too and they might be really good. But its hard to think it won’t take them some time to build new relationships. It took us at least 2 years with OA and CC to really get rolling. Sure BU is still the HC but he’s not the guy beating the bushes and finding the Curbello’s of the world.

It will be what it will be and we are just along for the ride.

 

[Dbell1981]

What is everyone freaking out about? Our best recruiter for the last 3 years is getting ready to have a banner hung in the Assembly Hall! Ya I said it, #--- State Farm! This orange kool-aid is Goooode!

 

[IndyILL]

Yep... I'm thinking OA has realized that he is not cut out to be a head coach. If that is true what's his best play but to be a highly highly compensated assistant coach. In this scenario... Kentucky makes a lot of cents!

 

[spillini]

Also got to start coaching tree sometime....this is it. BU knew this was coming last year when they got raises. He's got people in mind.

Always gotta have irons in the fire

 

[the juiceman cometh]

Remember when everyone was convinced this off-season was going to be phenomenal, we were going to bring in TyTy, Boakye and Nimari (or conservatively at least 2/3)? We were going to clean up in the transfer market?

 

[AirNeezy]

Also, I don’t want to cheer for or support a team that sacrifices their standards and morals for the sake of a “loaded team”. 98% of these men will need their degree and life is slightly larger than college basketball.

I 100% understand where you're coming from. But you'd be hard pressed to find a top level college program to cheer for that doesn't sacrifice standards or morals to at least some degree. 99.9% of top level recruits come to school for one reason and one reason only, to play ball.

Michigan, Duke, Virginia are schools that you could argue have higher standards than our beloved Illinois, but they don't have these kind of qualms from their administration.

 

[bluemountain]

Revisionist history. Never won more than 8 games at USF, left them with an academic fraud scandal involving his brother, fired 3? games into his last season I think.

We were not in the best position either when he was hired, if he could've gotten a better gig, he would've. Kentucky could've hired him back then, but didn't. But it is what it is, c'est la vie. I'm honestly more pissed at Whitman than anything at this point really.

Back up the Brinks truck for the Rev.

Not sure why people would be pissed at Whitman. We pay very well, but if Kentucky offers $2M for an assistant, not sure how we can possibly compete with that.

 

[illiniCA]

Not sure why people would be pissed at Whitman. We pay very well, but if Kentucky offers $2M for an assistant, not sure how we can possibly compete with that.

Have to see what the number ends up being but that would set the bar for assistants of all schools moving forward

 

[Boomauer]

Reading some of these posts I'm like..

Fragile is right.

 

[illinibb76]

WE have only won a few battles for 4 and 5 star kids. I thought everyone earlier was pointing out how good the staff was on identifying talent early before others got in on them and then they went up in the rankings. The portal is full with good players and there are good young coaches/recruiters who would give anything to be here on this staff. It will sting if we lose both coaches but oh well we regroup and move on. In a short time people will get excited about who replaces whom ever leaves! Go Illini !

 

[zuma]

Let it all play out. Could be many waves ahead, who really knows. I don't like the direction the college game is going at this exact moment but my opinion doesn't matter and I sure as heck can't fault anyone for taking a raise or using leverage etc

 

[FollowMeDontFollowMe]

Not sure why people would be pissed at Whitman. We pay very well, but if Kentucky offers $2M for an assistant, not sure how we can possibly compete with that.

Why not? Let’s say Illini are comfortable paying $800k hypothetically. What’s $2 million? As a vested interest in the success of the program and brand would you pay $1.2 million to for the benefits of keeping him?

Players staying vs leaving
Fan excitement
Marketing
Etc

OA leaving isn’t a cost free action. The team will now need to recruit a replacement. Rerecruit the players. There is an opportunity loss in the marketing that implicitly comes from the Illlini outbidding UK.

Pay him $3 million and flex.

This isn’t a hostage situation; it’s the free market and the market sets the rate.

Not everyone is in a position to pay the market rate like this, but the Illini certainly are.

 

[WeWillWhen]

Would Erik Pastrana be an option? Former BU colleague at South Carolina and assistant at SFA. Now on Okla St staff facing a postseason ban and loss of scholarship for something that happened before he got there.

 

[Deleted member 6376]

Why not? Let’s say Illini are comfortable paying $800k hypothetically. What’s $2 million? As a vested interest in the success of the program and brand would you pay $1.2 million to for the benefits of keeping him?

Players staying vs leaving
Fan excitement
Marketing
Etc

OA leaving isn’t a cost free action. The team will now need to recruit a replacement. Rerecruit the players. There is an opportunity loss in the marketing that implicitly comes from the Illlini outbidding UK.

Pay him $3 million and flex.

This isn’t a hostage situation; it’s the free market and the market sets the rate.

Not everyone is in a position to pay the market rate like this, but the Illini certainly are.

The correct answer.

 

[illiniCA]

Where does this money come from though? Seriously I don’t know

 

[Pikeillinifan]

Why not? Let’s say Illini are comfortable paying $800k hypothetically. What’s $2 million? As a vested interest in the success of the program and brand would you pay $1.2 million to for the benefits of keeping him?

Players staying vs leaving
Fan excitement
Marketing
Etc

OA leaving isn’t a cost free action. The team will now need to recruit a replacement. Rerecruit the players. There is an opportunity loss in the marketing that implicitly comes from the Illlini outbidding UK.

Pay him $3 million and flex.

This isn’t a hostage situation; it’s the free market and the market sets the rate.

Not everyone is in a position to pay the market rate like this, but the Illini certainly are.

Everyone loves capitalism until the market rate for salaries goes up

 

[IllinistuckinGopherland]

Why not? Let’s say Illini are comfortable paying $800k hypothetically. What’s $2 million? As a vested interest in the success of the program and brand would you pay $1.2 million to for the benefits of keeping him?

Players staying vs leaving
Fan excitement
Marketing
Etc

OA leaving isn’t a cost free action. The team will now need to recruit a replacement. Rerecruit the players. There is an opportunity loss in the marketing that implicitly comes from the Illlini outbidding UK.

Pay him $3 million and flex.

This isn’t a hostage situation; it’s the free market and the market sets the rate.

Not everyone is in a position to pay the market rate like this, but the Illini certainly are.

It’s not about whether or not you could pay him $2M. And it’s not about whether or not he adds $2M in value.
The question is, can you go find a guy for $800K who can deliver value that is within $1.2M of what OA delivers. If you can, then that’s a better value.

People often think their employer should pay them based on the value they create, but it’s not the case. You only pay them up to the amount that you think you could hire someone else of equal talent.

If we’re paying $800K for this role, we will get a solid replacement.