For sure there will be pressure to move in that direction, but that's also the point where the whole thing stops being "name, image and likeness" and becomes pay-for-plat/traditional employer-employee relationship. I think that's very likely to happen at some point, but I'm also confident the NCAA will fight it every step of the way.
Illini Basketball
- Status
Looks like the only thing we can agree on is the Skyy wasn't good enough, and that Epps, for a freshman, showed promise for the future (provided you want to consider only offense). Miller is not, at this point in time a good player (ast 1.7, to 2.1, fg%33.5, 3p%31.6). Curbello, apparently we weren't the only ones who couldn't get the most out of him (see St. Johns' staff), and that "dynamic talent" accounted for less than stellar stats (ast 4.3, to 2.7, fg%42.4, 3p% 29.4). And as much as I'd have liked Podz to have stayed, you can't tell me that watching him last season in the limited action he saw that you could have forseen the jump he took, although one shouldn't discount the fact that he did it in a much less competitive conference.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
I can attest that they are aware. AJ told me plenty of BU stories.
I wish the boosters didn’t matter but they do and without their money the program would be in trouble. Thanks for letting me know Brad has toned it down, I was unaware. And third my cousins friends uncles brother used to call his player that word all the time too and they stuck it out cause they were tough and wanted to get better. For context the clip Terrance just Tweeted doesn’t bother me at all. Brad gets paid to coach however he likes and if he thinks that’s what it takes for the guys to run the plays he calls and be successful so be it. But he better keep winning or we will replace him with Miller when he goes to Texas, K St or wherever.
I hope so, but Vecencie putting him that high worries me. Most mock drafts predictions I pay no attention to, but Sam talks with not only plenty of college coaches, but also NBA front office people and scouts in forming his opinions.
Do you have a source to provide us that Whitman disagrees with the way Brad coaches at times?
This board is Groundhog Day every March and April now.
Two years ago it was "How are we going to replace our ACs?" "is Kofi going to come back? Is he really gonna follow our ACs to UK?" "Are RJ and Podz gonna make it to campus?" "The sky is falling!". Kofi came back, we found great replacement ACs (P.S. How have OA and Chin done at UK?), and we got a share of the B10 title.
Last year it was "What are we gonna do without Kofi?" "The most minutes we are returning is Hawk" "This we be a total rebuild year". We landed TSJ and Mayer, beat some top teams, won 20 games, made the tourney, and developed key pieces like Sencire and Ty. Granted there was still plenty of disappointment, but the outcome was still much better than we expected right after the loss to Houston.
When Brad & Co. resolve the issues yet again, will some of you finally learn to trust the staff? Don't preach about the culture you want our team to have, when you act like a punk early in each offseason.
Two years ago it was "How are we going to replace our ACs?" "is Kofi going to come back? Is he really gonna follow our ACs to UK?" "Are RJ and Podz gonna make it to campus?" "The sky is falling!". Kofi came back, we found great replacement ACs (P.S. How have OA and Chin done at UK?), and we got a share of the B10 title.
Last year it was "What are we gonna do without Kofi?" "The most minutes we are returning is Hawk" "This we be a total rebuild year". We landed TSJ and Mayer, beat some top teams, won 20 games, made the tourney, and developed key pieces like Sencire and Ty. Granted there was still plenty of disappointment, but the outcome was still much better than we expected right after the loss to Houston.
When Brad & Co. resolve the issues yet again, will some of you finally learn to trust the staff? Don't preach about the culture you want our team to have, when you act like a punk early in each offseason.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I support BU and want him to win games, but I'm not convinced that his style of tough love is conducive to player development and team chemistry. The example you cite is totally unnecessary in my opinion, and I also have a problem with some of his "tamer" shots he has taken at his players. Mark "Oooh Mr. 5 star" Smith, Trent "Mirror Muscles" Frazier, Ayo "Cat Woman" Dosunmu, etc.
I'm not saying that players shouldn't get tough love or be open to tough criticism, but I think there is a better way of going about it. And let's be honest, for all of us managers out here in the real world, if any of us talked like that to our employees we would be out the door immediately. And yes, I get it, coaching a college or pro team isn't the same as managing corporate employees, but still think there is a more effective way for BU to go about it.
In this age of transfer portal, I have a hard time seeing Brad building a better program over time (than the heyday of Ayo and Kofi). The lack of trust and development of freshmen is real, hard to entice these kids to stay when you’re not giving them a chance to succeed, soon enough this is going to impact the recruiting pipeline.
ginabackes00
CrazedUIFan
Someone can correct me if I am incorrect, but Adam Miller's decision to transfer wasn't because HE was unhappy with Underwood. There were even rumors he could transfer back because Underwood and him had a good relationship.
Curbelo...there isn't a staff yet who has gotten the most out of him. And honestly, I felt he had a lot of leeway as a freshman, probably more than most coaches.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Lots of old men yelling at clouds lol
I don’t know Whitman personally. Just heard the optics sometimes, like the tv clips floating around, were off putting to some and we don’t want to be the school with the red faced curse word coach as some would say. But like everything else on this board, who the hell really knows.
I talked to God about this and He said He had nothing to do with this and asked me to let the Board know.Epps is entering the transfer portal
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Young ones, too, I'd wager.Lots of old men yelling at clouds lol
You have officially moved on from beating a dead horse to beating a decaying skeleton of a horse.If every player that transfers out stinks or is soft, and Illinois sees more transfers out than any other Big Ten school (other than I guess Minnesota), wouldn't that mean our staff is seriously misevaluating talent/character?
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
It's not Loyalty After Dark.
It's Daylight Savings Time Loyalty ("DSTL")
a.k.a., the Dysfunctional Season To Lament
Unconfined to the depths of night. 24/7 until early November.
Wait til y’all find out that BU and Scott Drew are really really close friends!
Stop 0440. Stop it with this blasphemy. If I see any more evidence that he is actually a good coach and person I may explode.
Does this mean Epps was a player to be named later in the Mayer Dainja trade?
Yet the next coach couldn't get the best out of curbelo either so maybe it's not a coach issue
I find the last few years of Groce's and Underwoord records to be relevant as well:
| Groce | |||||
| 2013–14 | Illinois | 20–15 | 7–11 | T–8th | NIT Second Round |
| 2014–15 | Illinois | 19–14 | 9–9 | T–7th | NIT First Round |
| 2015–16 | Illinois | 15–19 | 5–13 | 12th |
Underwood
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- Status