Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Agreed. Even if you for some reason think Arizona is a slightly better job in isolation (I don’t, FTR), the Big Ten security/money vs. the Pac-12’s shaky future would probably give us the edge.
College Hoops Coaching Carousel
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Well that all changed quickly
Yes this is going to be the new norm and fans need to get used to it. Sadly don't see much getting used to each other anytime soon. It's going to be mesh on the run or be left outside
Brad wants Texas, Josh wants Sean Miller. I see no reason why they can’t watch the Texas-Xavier game together. Might as well share popcorn while they’re at it.
rbillini
- Redondo Beach, Ca
So we just need a point guard that can argue with his coach and throw lob passes at the same time.
It's clear the coach we really need is the one who brought that 5'8 dynamo to Kansas State in the first place. Sometimes to go forward you need to go back...
I was young when Kruger left but I can't believe many were ready for him to go. Regarding Chicago didn't the coaches up there freeze him out since they wanted Jimmy Collins to get the job?
he was 81-48 38-28 in big ten which includes the 98-99 season where we only had 3 upperclassmen and only won 3 big ten games, he started to get us back to where we were going to be a yearly contender and Self took over.
I thought Kruger was great, of course it was great getting Self but Kruger is no slouch
Well that might very well be; and I hope it is. You’re right he was at Arizona over a decade. AND there’s some degree of risk with anyone who comes in. So there’s that…
It’s just the idea that he “loves” Xavier but he’s willing to talk. (And that’s probably most coaches these days.)
Yet, this is literally the same thing
Whitman/others are supposedly frustrated with Brad about. Unless, there is something I am missing here.
Are we a destination school to the extent that Arizona was for him? Who knows?
I distinctly remember messaging my then girlfriend (now wife) simply “LON IS GONE….
It was a punch to the gut to me. I also remember winning the NCAA pool and getting a bunch of extra credit in my math class bc I picked Krugers Florida team to the final four in 1994. So Lon and I had a history.
Who pays or does one get the drinks the other popcorn?
Should be a good game to watch
I agree with this take. I have always felt that if Kruger had stayed he would have gotten Illinois to a final 4. He did it at Florida and Oklahoma. Why not Illinois. As for the Chicago recruiting. The Chicago public schools have always been a hard sell for Illinois. You can go back to the 60's. Cazzie Russell, a Chicago high school legend, went to Michigan and took the Wolverines to at least one final 4. His teammate Joe Allen went to Cincinnati, when Cincinnati was at least still somewhat relevant on the national scene. There is a who whose of players from Chicago and suburbs, both public and private schools, who have played elsewhere as we all know. Kruger on the other hand seemed to move from job to job. So we will never know.
The (only) person who decides what a ‘better’ place is (or even means)... is Coach Underwood.
The (only) person who knows on what basis and measure a place is ‘better’ is Coach Underwood.
He is both the preeminent decision-maker (on defining the ‘better’ part – not necessarily with the power to control his Illini situation) AND the metric/measuring-stick setter.
He could go to a place that makes no sense to Illini Nation but is 'better' because only he himself (or his family) ‘knows’ that's what they want for him (and them) going forward. Or so he would be thinking. He could possess a sense of having fulfilled his ‘dream’ of coaching for the Illini already now and be ready for a new and fresh challenge. This is an intelligent and passionate man who happens to coach a sport we here all love.
None of us can make decisions about the next five years based upon what happened the last five years. Those years mean nothing going forward. He is a changed man. The College Game is a changed sport. He is coaching players that are different from before. And programs and team rosters in total are now changing with the frequency of trying on different clothes in the changing room of a clothing store.
You follow your best instincts and make the best decisions you can in the moment. And you hope that wherever you land (in this case) – Champaign or elsewhere – that you will be among friends and you can thrive at a profession you love. And then when you look back upon things years later that you know you made the right choices.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. This is the same guy who said Texas Tech was a lateral move, and who did they "have" to hire because nobody wanted to go there? Swing and a miss sometimes. Its all opinion.
Post Of The Day! If the rumors are true that Brad is interested in Texas, I would think that JW has made back channel talks with Miller’s agent, if he wants Miller. JW is smart enough to have a guy or two to immediately fill if Brad leaves. This weekend will heat up the drama depending on how far either Xavier or Texas goes.
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sacraig
- The desert
In fairness, we made this same argument about Groce. Also in fairness, Underwood has been orders of magnitude more successful than Groce so my first statement isn't very fair.
sacraig
- The desert
It's clear the coach we really need is the one who brought that 5'8 dynamo to Kansas State in the first place. Sometimes to go forward you need to go back...
I am genuinely astounded with the number of people on here who would be ok if BU left and are so so confident an UPGRADE is coming in..... WTF have you only been watching UI BB for like the last 4 years. So, you are ok with losing the guy that took us from being a rotting stinking carcass of college BB to a BIG title, BIG tournament champs, 4 20 win seasons in a row, 3 Dance appearances in a row, and can actually id talent and recruit.. Are you just someone needing instant gratification, and that gratification being set by your standards. Seriously this mentality is no different than Skyy's mentality when he walked on us.... these BB results don't MEET MY expectations so BU should take a walk, no big deal. Grass will be greener. Any of you espousing these beliefs ever had to work hard or bust your @$$ to produce results that other people get to judge. Insane talk.
I believe Joe Allen went to Bradley. If I'm wrong , I apologize in advance. George Wilson from Chicago Marshall went to Cincinnati where he won a National Championship.
Especially then, there was/is a not insignificant portion of the Illini fan base who place nearly the same importance on landing bigtime Chicago recruits as winning games. Kruger was just not going to play the games needed to get close to the big guys. He was sure that he could win with his guys and that confidence was well placed. There was never any concerted interest in getting rid of him, but there was some grumbling because even if we had a good five months during the season, some people would complain about how we were "losing" over the other seven months.
Govoner Vaugn Fan
- New Orleans
I loved Lon and was depressed when he left. I don't know many fans who were glad to see him go, but the general sentiment was that it was hard to compete with an NBA head coach offer and most fans understood why he would go.I distinctly remember messaging my then girlfriend (now wife) simply “LON IS GONE….
It was a punch to the gut to me. I also remember winning the NCAA pool and getting a bunch of extra credit in my math class bc I picked Krugers Florida team to the final four in 1994. So Lon and I had a history.
chrisRunner7
- Spokane, WA
Lon Kruger leaving and my wondering who would be hired next caused me to go seek out Brumby's Illiniboard back in the day... crazy how time flies
It's clear the coach we really need is the one who brought that 5'8 dynamo to Kansas State in the first place. Sometimes to go forward you need to go back...
Kostas
- Naperville, IL
Josh is staying, right? Yeah, I'm good.
As others said, you want loyalty, get an alum (Josh) and/or pay for it.
Thankful to Brad and he can assemble a staff, but maybe constant roster flexibility (as needed in NIL era) isn't his jam. Plus, style of play dropped off a bit after upperclassmen and tactician left.
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