Coaching Carousel (Basketball)

Status
Not open for further replies.
#151      
Poe's Law
Heisenbobble said:
Oopsies! Looks like he paid his dues before becoming an assistant for his dad:
View attachment 41038
Imagine if Tyler did that!
Click to expand...
If Underwood had a 5 year show cause, Tyler wouldn’t have had a choice but to “pay his dues”.

Also, there were only 3 assistant coaches positions at the time. So most coaches weren’t going to hand over a recruiting role to their kid without a ton of recruiting connections.

I don’t have enough access to the team to know if Tyler is doing a good job or not. If he’s responsible for the offense, the advanced metrics say he’s doing good enough to give us a shot at a final four.

But our defense has been porous the two seasons and Brads teams have struggled with out of bounds plays going back to his first teams. I hope evaluates his staff and makes some adjustments to help us improve in those areas. If not I’m afraid we’re doomed to continue this discussion.
 
#152      
sacraig
Poe's Law said:
If Underwood had a 5 year show cause, Tyler wouldn’t have had a choice but to “pay his dues”.

Also, there were only 3 assistant coaches positions at the time. So most coaches weren’t going to hand over a recruiting role to their kid without a ton of recruiting connections.

I don’t have enough access to the team to know if Tyler is doing a good job or not. If he’s responsible for the offense, the advanced metrics say he’s doing good enough to give us a shot at a final four.

But our defense has been porous the two seasons and Brads teams have struggled with out of bounds plays going back to his first teams. I hope evaluates his staff and makes some adjustments to help us improve in those areas. If not I’m afraid we’re doomed to continue this discussion.
Click to expand...
Regardless of why Kellen Sampson paid his dues, he still did. He still earned it.
 
#154      
the juiceman cometh
Heisenbobble said:
Oopsies! Looks like he paid his dues before becoming an assistant for his dad:
View attachment 41038
Imagine if Tyler did that!
Click to expand...
Yes it really is impressive that Kellen Sampson launched his career by building a relationship with Indiana and Oklahoma without any assistance from his dad. Also impressive he was able to parlay an AC job at an Appalachian St. team with a horrible record in the time he was there to a job at Houston, a higher profile school. Must have really nailed that interview.

1000016149.jpg
 
#159      
OrangeKrush1981
Oates is special, it has to be admitted. In-game, after-game --- I have no connection to him, but I grumblingly had to admit that he acted every bit a winner.
 
#161      
The Galloping Ghost
I'm reticent to wade into the Tyler Underwood debate as goodness knows it's been fraught both here and on social media, but here's my perspective. It was a tremendous opportunity when the NCAA allowed coaches to expand their assistant coaching ranks from 3 to 5 on July 1st, 2023. We're a basketball school, that experienced several years of sustained success with one of the best ADs in the game. We had the chance to bring in some experienced and knowledgeable coaches.

Instead, on the very same day the ruling came down, we promoted someone with only two years as the Director of Recruiting and Scouting and zero coaching experience and someone with two years as Video Coordinator and two years as Assistant to the Head Coach, with, again, zero coaching experience. Considering we promoted them the same day as the ruling, it's pretty clear we didn't even want to interview anybody else. Take the nepotism out of the equation and you still can't tell me we used these two incredibly valuable positions in the best possible way.

Look, I know we don't have infinite finances, but it feels like we completely punted on the chance to make the coaching staff the best it could be. And, yeah, when those two guys with zero experience get the keys to run the offense and defense, if there's any sort of struggle, it's not too shocking the fanbase will point to them and wonder if it was the right move. Because it simply wasn't.

We're the University of Illinois. We're one of the best basketball programs in the country. We shouldn't be any assistant's first gig.
 
#163      
OrangeKrush1981
And allowing accusations of favoritism to be made? That is something the Illinois program ought not allow to arise.
 
#164      
Seppuku
the juiceman cometh said:
In what way?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing in the sense that Kelvin Sampson's son (Kellen), who is also an assistant coach at Houston, actually worked at multiple other (and smaller) schools where his dad didn't work, and had to go through a number of lesser positions before becoming assistant coach at Houston (see post #108). This is in contrast to Brad Underwood handing his son a job as assistant coach at UofI as his first ever coaching job.
 
#166      
FrankNitty30
The Galloping Ghost said:
I'm reticent to wade into the Tyler Underwood debate as goodness knows it's been fraught both here and on social media, but here's my perspective. It was a tremendous opportunity when the NCAA allowed coaches to expand their assistant coaching ranks from 3 to 5 on July 1st, 2023. We're a basketball school, that experienced several years of sustained success with one of the best ADs in the game. We had the chance to bring in some experienced and knowledgeable coaches.

Instead, on the very same day the ruling came down, we promoted someone with only two years as the Director of Recruiting and Scouting and zero coaching experience and someone with two years as Video Coordinator and two years as Assistant to the Head Coach, with, again, zero coaching experience. Considering we promoted them the same day as the ruling, it's pretty clear we didn't even want to interview anybody else. Take the nepotism out of the equation and you still can't tell me we used these two incredibly valuable positions in the best possible way.

Look, I know we don't have infinite finances, but it feels like we completely punted on the chance to make the coaching staff the best it could be. And, yeah, when those two guys with zero experience get the keys to run the offense and defense, if there's any sort of struggle, it's not too shocking the fanbase will point to them and wonder if it was the right move. Because it simply wasn't.

We're the University of Illinois. We're one of the best basketball programs in the country. We shouldn't be any assistant's first gig.
Click to expand...
This, and it cost us two VERY GOOD recruiters. One, who is an excellent defensive coach and one who is an ace player development coach.

Underwood and Hamer were bad hires. Period.
 
#167      
Illini2010-11
The Sprouting Divot said:
The unsettling thing here is that Kelvin !!!!ing Sampson knows enough to avoid the appearance of impropriety and Underwood doesn't.
Click to expand...
What irks me is that Brad saw this play out here with Lovie hiring his own son, and still decided to go this route. If Tyler spends even two to three years coaching elsewhere before getting an assistant role here, the perceptions of many would be different.

Tyler very well could be a good coach (not enough evidence for me to make an unbiased assessment), but any appearance of nepotism can be used as a scapegoat when there are bumps in the road. It was just an unforced error by Brad, IMO, to elevate Tyler when he did. I also think it was a disservice to Tyler as well. Just an unfortunate situation that could have been avoided had Tyler started his coaching career somewhere else.
 
#168      
the juiceman cometh
Seppuku said:
I'm guessing in the sense that Kelvin Sampson's son (Kellen), who is also an assistant coach at Houston, actually worked at multiple other (and smaller) schools where his dad didn't work, and had to go through a number of lesser positions before becoming assistant coach at Houston (see post #108). This is in contrast to Brad Underwood handing his son a job as assistant coach at UofI as his first ever coaching job.
Click to expand...
He was had jobs with 2 schools his dad coached at and then a Stephen F. Austin team that went 18-11 when he was there and a Appalachian St. team that went 37-55 when he was there, then hired to work for his dad (fun fact, Kellen's last year ar App St. they were #331 in Kenpom! Good thing he proved himself there!). If you don't think Kellen got his current job due to nepotism, I have a bridge to sell you.
 
Last edited:
#169      
BfosterL
OrangeBlue98 said:
If Buzz goes to Maryland, then we have a good situation.

If Underwood doesn't want to make the needed changes and A&M wants him, then take the buyout money and get a coach who can take the program to the next level. I trust Josh Whitman to make that call if needed.

If Underwood wants to do the necessary things to move the program forward, then let's get them done and move forward.
Click to expand...
I think BU is great for Illinois and don't want to see him go anywhere.... That said, Texas AM is NOT paying close to a $26 million buyout for BU.
 
Last edited:
#170      
The Sprouting Divot
the juiceman cometh said:
He was had jobs with 2 schools his dad coached at and then a Stephen F. Austin team that went 18-11 when he was there and a Appalachian St. team that went 37-55 when he was there, then hired to work for his dad. If you don't think Kellen got his current job due to nepotism, I have a bridge to sell you.
Click to expand...
Of course he did.

But he avoided the appearance of it by going elsewhere first.
 
#172      
foby
the juiceman cometh said:
He was had jobs with 2 schools his dad coached at and then a Stephen F. Austin team that went 18-11 when he was there and a Appalachian St. team that went 37-55 when he was there, then hired to work for his dad. If you don't think Kellen got his current job due to nepotism, I have a bridge to sell you.
Click to expand...
And given their success I'm sure no one gives a crap who he has on staff. Would be the same for us if our level of success was that high.
 
#175      
BfosterL
hooraybeer said:
every day without major changes to the staff puts us further behind. will be really surprised and disappointed if JW allows this to drag on
Click to expand...
Do you really think JW micro-manages his coaches like that? No good college coach is going to work under an AD like that nor should they. I assume after the 2023-2024 college football season you expected JW to tell BB what adjustments he needed to make on defense and coaching changes related to the same.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back