Coaching Carousel

Status
Not open for further replies.
#551      

Tevo

Wilmette, IL
Believe me, I'm down that we lost our two best asst. coaches, but by some of the comments on here...you'd think that Underwood really doesn't do anything and that the program is run by others while he just sits around all day.
Like MOST bosses, amirite!?
 
#552      
If Orlando and Chin leave...they continue on as footnotes to calimari's legacy....until something new develops...OA legacy good recruiter for BU and calamari, bad head coach. Chin... did good for Underwood...now say, UK continues to downtrend...and Illinois stays legit...Orlando and Chin will be at DePaul in a few seasons...lol...I...L...L...
This is funny, do you really think Kentucky will continue a downward trend?.(It's Kentucky)..they'll be a top 5 team next year..wait till the roster is finished
 
#554      
The Chicago network is not as important as it used to be, and will become less important. It's all about prep schools now. High school players with any potential at all are transferring to places like Oak Hill Academy, LuHi and Prolific Prep, private schools that specialize in giving them the best chance of getting recruited to the best/most colleges. Look at our own roster, more prep school grads than ever.
True to some extent, but rarely do kids spend all four years at prep school. Many relationships get started when kids are 13/14/15 and still at home. Also, with the exceptions of Khalil Whitney and Amari Bailey, it seems to me that most Top 50ish level Chicago kids stay home rather than going to prep school -- Parker, Okafor, Alexander, Brunson, Ayo, Steward, Christie, Hopkins, AJ Casey, JJ Taylor, yadda-yadda . . .
 
#561      
Serious questions - what are these prep schools? Are they just private schools with fancy basketball programs? Who pays the tuition? Are the same as those "prep schools" for students after they graduate high school but before university? Asking for a friend.
It depends. Some are long-standing private schools that have developed national-profile basketball programs over the years. Some are boarding schools, some not; some religious-affiliated, some not. Generally, they have very good academics, and the athletes are expected to perform at levels similar to all other students. Monteverde, Brewster and Sierra Canyon come to mind. These schools have good alumni/donor networks, with a lot of kids getting scholarships (not just athletes), particularly those from less-advantaged backgrounds with particular talents.

Others are pure basketball factories that have limited facilities (access to a gym and weight room), and only a couple dozen student-athletes enrolled. The organization typically send kids to a local parochial school or online school a few hours a day for what seems like a minimum-requirements education. Kids typically don't pay much (or anything) for the experience, which is "sponsored" by shoe companies and "donations." Findlay Prep (closed), Hillcrest Prep, Huntington Prep and Prolific Prep come to mind. If you are getting the sense that I think these outfits are all kind of sketchy, you're right.

IMG is a unique animal unto itself, built from the ground up as an athlete-focused school, that has relatively decent academics coupled with amazing facilities. Some kids pay, but the most promising get scholarships. Again, you can guess where the money comes from.

And yes, quite a few of these schools will accept kids for a "post-graduate" year between H.S. and college. Kids who are "late bloomers," rehabbing from serious injury, or who need a year to repair an academic issue, are the ones who typically go this route. It worked for a friend's kid who graduated from a large North Suburban school, did a year at a New England Prep, and now is on the squad at Harvard.
 
Last edited:
#564      

Tacomallini

Washington State
This is funny, do you really think Kentucky will continue a downward trend?.(It's Kentucky)..they'll be a top 5 team next year..wait till the roster is finished
COVID year sucked for all, but especially one and done programs who rely on the summer to gel a "new" team together every year. I'm sure Kentucky can finance their way back to prominence.
 
#566      
My mistake. Jimmy Collins, Rob Judson and Norm Roberts all brought in considerably more top 30 recruits than Orlando Antigua's grand total of zero.

Repeating that he is the best recruiting assistant in the country doesn't make it so.
I'm just trying to point out that losing a quality guy isn't just no big deal. At some point, it makes some difference... I would love to know how many top 30 recruits Collins, Judson, and Roberts brought to Illinois. I don't remember it being a ton...
 
#567      
Serious questions - what are these prep schools? Are they just private schools with fancy basketball programs? Who pays the tuition? Are the same as those "prep schools" for students after they graduate high school but before university? Asking for a friend.
Some of these schools have been around quite a while, others more recent, some well-established, others more dubious. Whatever their story, a lot of them have gotten into the business of high-end basketball, attracting top talent. I read an article a few years ago (sorry, no link) about how the academic standards D1 teams had to maintain, and the penalties if they didn't (per an NCAA rule), meant coaches were recruiting more at prep schools that better prepared players for college classes. For parents looking to get their kid-with-athletic-potential a college scholarship, these prep schools are the best ticket.
 
#568      
Serious questions - what are these prep schools? Are they just private schools with fancy basketball programs? Who pays the tuition? Are the same as those "prep schools" for students after they graduate high school but before university? Asking for a friend.
"Prep" is generally another name for "high" schools, but the modern usage relates to a school, usually private, that provides a more challenging academic environment to its students. Parents pay huge bucks to send their kids there, because graduating from a prestigious high school can enhance the kid's chances of getting into prestigious colleges. Part of the seedy underbelly of high school sports, though, is that high schools are not allowed to recruit students, particularly for athletics. It's a badly kept secret that some private schools absolutely do that. The seedy part of it is that private schools tend to have predominantly white student bodies, so they may offer grants to minority students to offset their tuition in the name of diversifying the student body. If those kids are also good at sports, so much the better. I spent 25 years in the college admissions and recruiting game, and saw this play out many times in private high schools I visited all over the country. It's really not all that different from college athletics recruiting.
 
#569      
I agree we will be fine. BU is a quality head coach, JW is a quality AD, and Illinois basketball will continue to compete. I believe this. I also believe that had OA and Chin stayed 2 or 3 more years, we would be in even better shape, and we'd be more likely to finally experience a national championship. Not saying it would have happened for sure, not saying it won't happen because they're gone, I just think the odds are better if they'd stayed a little longer while the program established itself a little more. And the fact that our quality head coach and quality AD were willing to pay AO over $1 million a year for 4 years does indicate my opinion on this is not unfounded. It can both be true that we are fine, but we could have been better off.

I'll also never understand why highly optimistic people are so bothered by the doom and gloom takes. If the world is all sunshine and rainbows, why on earth let someone expressing concern on a internet message board let you down? I think this is how people vent, and that's all good, man. Just like it's all good that everything is hunky dory on your end.
Because persons have opinions they want to express. Likely not a vent or rant. In most cases the opinion is a bit over the top with marginal facts or logic thus some persons with other opinions, more facts, better logic chim in.
It is the way it is.
 
#571      
I'm just trying to point out that losing a quality guy isn't just no big deal. At some point, it makes some difference... I would love to know how many top 30 recruits Collins, Judson, and Roberts brought to Illinois. I don't remember it being a ton...
It's correct that Antigua did not recruit any top 30 guys, and that we have had plenty of ACs that have in fact gotten top 30 guys. However, Antigua seemed to have a lot of connections to guys that were undervalued by the recruiting "experts."

Oh and Jimmy Collins brought many top 30 guys to IL.
 
#572      
The fact of the matter is that AC/Recruiter at UK is an easier job than at U of I. If the money is the same, you take the job at UK. Your work/home balance will likely be significantly better. (even if its still trash) Every McD AA type player will listen & consider UK. These guys can have a class pretty much locked up before summer. If they don't, they can still get top 50 talent at the last second without any trouble.
Think about the time and energy BU, Chin. & OA put in trying to get Khalil Whitney (I know, I know...) to U of I. One phone call from Cal's staff on a Friday and he was signed by Monday.
People want to argue its a lateral move? Talk about drowning in Orange Kool Aid...
 
#573      
I believe that kids are starting to realize they don't have to go to KU, UK, Duke and UNC to get to there ultimate destination
 
#574      

sacraig

The desert
The Office Reaction GIF
 
#575      
It's correct that Antigua did not recruit any top 30 guys, and that we have had plenty of ACs that have in fact gotten top 30 guys. However, Antigua seemed to have a lot of connections to guys that were undervalued by the recruiting "experts."

Oh and Jimmy Collins brought many top 30 guys to IL.
I'm not doubting you, but would it have hurt if Collins had left before Henson retired?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.