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.
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.