Totally forgot that. I guess I meant more the current version of BU because I feel he has reinvented himself to some degree during his time here. Wish Leron would have stayed!
Illinois Hoops Recruiting Thread
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Steve Krafcisin says hello
that one still kills me. I thought we could been something that next year. I loved Leron black's game!
Well, this Lockport Porter class of 77sends greetings and salutations to him as well!!
Honestly, I think Weber is really the only coach that's an interesting question of if he would have done better with NIL and the instant portal.
Groce is an obvious no, young Self would have been incredible with these rules, and I think He son and Kruger are both good with those rules.
Weber was probably clean to a fault with his recruiting and it cost him when he kept striking out on the top end talent and then would lose the guys ranked a bit lower as a result since they would commit to a Purdue or Wisconsin type team while Weber was focused on the Eric Gordon's of the world.
Weber was pretty good at the actual coaching part imo and reminds me a lot of Matt Painter. If you simply improved his recruiting with money he might have been able to sustain some success. However, he also seemed stubborn so maybe he would be like Shaka and struggle because he refused to use the portal.
Used to get a lot of strange guys going pro that had no chance of getting drafted before NIL.
I feel like a lot of kids surround themselves with the wrong type of people and they get blatantly incorrect advice on when to go pro(see Kofi). In Black's case he had a medical redshirt but had been in college for 4 years so it's possible he graduated and just wanted to try to play professionally(which he did do in South America), but yeah he probably would have been better off sticking around and picking up a graduate degree or certificate in a 5th year and then going pro.
Jeremy Richmond is the all time most baffling one imo. Never any shot he was getting drafted after his freshman year and he actually might have had a chance to get drafted after his sophomore year if he kept his head on straight and improved. Nearly 8 pts and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes as a freshman isn't terrible production to build off of and McCamey, Davis, and Tisdale were all out of eligibility.
He could have probably become the go to guy on a starting lineup that could have actually been pretty good running out Richardson(jr.), Paul(jr), Bertrand (so), Richmond(so), and Leonard(so).
Richmond went pro because he didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t welcome back for his sophomore season.
Always thought Leron was one of our great what-ifs.
Richmond was a classic case of being a head case. A bad decision but not so baffling to me considering the history of the person making the decision.
Another decision I really didn't like for either party was Giorgi. I understand he was stuck behind Kofi - really unfortunate for him - but he was actually a really solid college player who didn't really have any business going pro when he did.
I guess Leron has gotten into coaching... He was the Player Development Coach for the Trailblazers this year. He's on Linked-in..
I had no idea... Good for him.
Not that strange when you think about it tbh. He'd gotten his degree early, as many players do. Was engaged. And playing in college did not pay money. He knew he wasn't going to the NBA but figured on a pro career playing abroad, and decided to start on that road a year earlier.
In the pre-NIL context it was still rare, but made sense to some extent. Nowadays it would be an absolutely crazy thing to do.
He is not wrong.
Rumor has it if you hold a replica illinois football helmet up to your ear you can hear him yelling in all caps that Aaron Bailey is an All-B1G caliber QB.
So FN rich of that guy talking accountability.
The next time that guy looks in the mirror will be his first time.
Thanks for the laugh.
The next time that guy looks in the mirror will be his first time.
Thanks for the laugh.
He's not wrong....he's an a$$. Both things are true. Mostly just an a$$.
I can see how you can make that call. For some strange reason I like the guy! Speaks his mind! And to add to it…. glad we have Brad!
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Brad really understands communication as a spokesperson and head coach. We sometimes joke about it, but he's good at being genuine, an advocate, but also staying in his lane. He's elite!For some strange reason I like the guy! Speaks his mind! And to add to it…. glad we have Brad!
Coaching is a strange profession in how coded the language is. There's a lot they don't talk about to stay out of trouble or say almost nothing meaningful to avoid offending some constituency. It's refreshing to hear coaches speak out, but I get why they don't or water down their thoughts. Cronin isn't going to solve the AAU issue, and if wanted to, there are probably better ways for him to do it than venting in a press conference. Still, he's not wrong and maybe saying it out loud makes a difference.
Cronin wants to be a taskmaster. He has a little man's complex. It's not working in 2026.
Cronin's won nothing as a coach. Yet, he'll try to brag about his own accolades. Never once mentioning the players. When things go wrong....it's always the players. Never ever him.
How about someone ask him about Mara? Mara who he didn't give the time of day in 2 years. The Mara that was the biggest disruptor in NCAA basketball, a national champion and a Top 10 NBA draft pick less than a year after leaving the little man for a program with a coach that knows how to maximize his players and create an environment that players want to be in.
How about someone ask him about Donovan Dent? Who suddenly retired from basketball entirely after a year with Cronin.
The one thing Cronin had right? He doesn't belong in the same breath as Izzo. Not even the same book. A joke he even mentioned Izzo in his sad lame attempt to try to put himself over.
College basketball will be better the day Cronin is gone.
Cronin's won nothing as a coach. Yet, he'll try to brag about his own accolades. Never once mentioning the players. When things go wrong....it's always the players. Never ever him.
How about someone ask him about Mara? Mara who he didn't give the time of day in 2 years. The Mara that was the biggest disruptor in NCAA basketball, a national champion and a Top 10 NBA draft pick less than a year after leaving the little man for a program with a coach that knows how to maximize his players and create an environment that players want to be in.
How about someone ask him about Donovan Dent? Who suddenly retired from basketball entirely after a year with Cronin.
The one thing Cronin had right? He doesn't belong in the same breath as Izzo. Not even the same book. A joke he even mentioned Izzo in his sad lame attempt to try to put himself over.
College basketball will be better the day Cronin is gone.
Maybe I’d buy this if the broader point was on the portal and NIL.
But everytime a coach or analyst says something like this, I feel like there’s a segment of bball fans who automatically agree and it comes off as very “my generation was better”.
Yes, there is more Europeans, but that’s mostly due to basketball becoming more of a global sport. I think the competition and level of play is only growing - at all levels across the world.
Every all American was American (all Americans
) born this cycle - and it’s widely considered one of the best draft classes ever - and all those guys are American players.
Last edited:
BU said the other day that NIL is great. But the portal needs fixed. And I agree*. Coaches and professional athletes in every other league are bound by their contracts. Right now there is no device in place to regulate player movement and the result is unsustainable and chaotic.
*Actually, as a fan I kinda hate NIL but concede that it's probably the most ethical and just way forward for the sport.
I know this is a sound bite and there may be additional context, but continuing to complain about this is really lame IMO. Mick Cronin (and other coaches) is equally if not more accountable as a CBB recruiter and a coach as the "system" he is referring to is (in which he is a part of).
It feels like coaches you hear complaining about this year after year are the same coaches who underperform year after year. I don't recall Tier 1 coaches complaining about it, just recruiting around it (as they should).
It's like buying a luxury car that has very well-published mechanical issues, and then complaining about it after you buy it. The purchase is between two parties pal, and no one tricked you into buying the car. It says right there in JD Power that the Lexus won't fail you, yet you went with the Range Rover with well-documented crappy air suspension and electrical issues.