College Hoops Coaching Carousel
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pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
I am a huge fan of Brad … But what I’m not a fan of with Brad is the constant flirting with other programs … I got K State last year … He gets a pass for that … But he’s actively looking at every open job every year … After all we’ve done … That’s frustrating to hear
And as far as Sean goes … He’s a major upgrade … And while I’m a fan of Brad, I can’t sit here and say I wouldn’t prefer Miller … I don’t think there’s a single thing Brad does that Miller doesn’t do better
I’m not saying by sharing all this today that Brad is gone and it’s a done deal … I’m just sharing what I’m hearing … Good and bad …
I mean I’m chill like pru.1906 ftw.If Mike Gundy is still the football coach at Oklahoma State, no amount of mutual enmity between a coach and his superiors and donors means they aren't a "long term option".
But more than that
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I'll be extremely happy if BU stays AND the supposed rumors of him habitually trying to find another gig are overblown. I'll be mildly happy with a sense of pessimism if he stays because of logistics alone and we have no idea what next offseason will bring. I'll also be extremely happy if musical chairs lands us with a coach the caliber of Sean Miller.
The only disastrous outcome is Underwood leaves us, bruising our program's pride and reputation, and we end up with someone worse - effectively erasing the turnaround BU provided. I have every faith in Whitman, but the second you lose a coach like Underwood who's already here, that last possibility at least becomes somewhat realistic. And therefore, given a choice, I'm keeping BU for sure.
Interesting. Didn't he turn down OSU when they hired Holtmann, or am I misremembering?
I am a huge fan of Brad … But what I’m not a fan of with Brad is the constant flirting with other programs … I got K State last year … He gets a pass for that … But he’s actively looking at every open job every year … After all we’ve done … That’s frustrating to hear
And as far as Sean goes … He’s a major upgrade … And while I’m a fan of Brad, I can’t sit here and say I wouldn’t prefer Miller … I don’t think there’s a single thing Brad does that Miller doesn’t do better
I’m not saying by sharing all this today that Brad is gone and it’s a done deal … I’m just sharing what I’m hearing … Good and bad …
yelling?
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Well looking every chance you get and being nominated or pursued for a position are two different things. Especially given the fact JW has done so much to please Underwood. Personally I would not like what BU is doing if true if I were Whitman and it would make me question his commitment or gratitude to the Illini.
Seriously? Whitman pulled Underwood from OK State after he was there one single season. You don't think he could land someone good from a high major again? The inferiority complex with some of our fans is pretty incredible sometimes.
You have to do more than look at one year in a bubble. It was a down year to us because we had high expectations, and the potential was there if everything clicked. But in reality, we replaced 90% of our team and probably finished in line with what the national expectations were to start the season.
But the program is absolutely on an upward trajectory, especially compared to where it was when BU was hired.
Oof, sry. I just threw up in my mouth a little bitI’ve heard other schools besides Texas would be very interested …
One scenario … Muss goes to Texas .. Brad goes to Arkansas …
Yep - he did … Mainly because OSU wasn’t going to allow him to vacation and golf when he wanted to … Yes I’m being serious lol
Ok, I'll concede that "public" is a spectrum. And message board rumors are on the far left side of the spectrum compared to an official press release published on ESPN, for example.
But it just depends how much trust you have in our insiders. I do believe they're tied into the DIA so I think there is substance to what they're saying. But otherwise yes, it's just 10 pages of entertaining message board chatter.
I'm here for it. My boss probably wouldn't be...if he knew...
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Wait ... I also don't think Underwood will leave, but why can't you even imagine that a coach would leave Xavier for Illinois?! Two of our most recent coaches left much better programs like Florida and Oklahoma State to come here...?
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Yeah, I mean if you have a billion bucks you can do a lot of things, but the Waltons have something like $300 billion between them. It's an unfathomable amount of money.
Xavier is a basketball school that pays A TON … They’re building a brand new practice facility and they’ve got rich boosters …
With that being said … They ain’t no Illinois
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, I'm not downplaying Xavier as a great job and I will die on the hill that Cincinnati is one of the most criminally underrated cities in America ... but Florida and Oklahoma State aren't exactly chopped liver! Self, while coming from a mid-major, was arguably also the hottest coach on the market when we snagged him. Other than Mike Thomas being a failure and a brief spat of insecurity by RG after Self bolted, Illinois Basketball has more than proven itself as a great destination job and has not had to settle on who we want.Xavier is a basketball school that pays A TON … They’re building a brand new practice facility and they’ve got rich boosters …
With that being said … They ain’t no Illinois
Seriously, the more I think about it, when you look at the other hires ADs have been able to make to our basketball program ... Mike Thomas' multiple strikeouts were a clear indictment on HIM and not us.
JJE
- Bethalto, IL
To me Brad has seemed to be the quintessential "Illinois" guy. Hard working to relate to the fan base but has some major swagger to relate to recruits.
I'd hate to see him go, if he goes. No doubt it's a part of the business to see what's out there, but man if I'm JW I'd be irritated. It's a tough business, but there's gotta be some level of loyalty if you're taking care of your coach.
I'd hate to see him go, if he goes. No doubt it's a part of the business to see what's out there, but man if I'm JW I'd be irritated. It's a tough business, but there's gotta be some level of loyalty if you're taking care of your coach.
I think Miller probably holds out for something bigger. Decent chance Kentucky, Michigan, and Michigan State all open in the next few years. Self won't coach forever either. No inside info, just my hunch that he would hold out for something bigger.
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
He needs either (a) better antiperspirant (b) undershirts, or (c) at least wear dark shirts
The fact that we're disappointed after a 20 win season and an NCAA Tournament appearance should be evidence enough. Do you realize the place this program was in prior to BU coming here? We've been to 4 tournaments (counting the Covid year), we have a Big Ten regular season championships(if Kevin Warren had any backbone, it would have been two) and a Big Ten Tournament championship. He lost 85% of pretty much everything coming into this year and STILL got 20 wins out of this group including wins over Texas, UCLA and MSU....all of which are still playing.
Yes, we are closer to a Final Four than when he first got here and if the FF is your baseline.....there's a LOT of coaches that you'd be eliminating from being considered a success... probably about 99% of them actually.
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