So if coach leaves will Fletch probably stay?
2017 Coaching Carousel
- Status
618 Illini
- Chicago
We should get the Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg... Then Illinois could truly be "Chicago's Big Ten Team/School"
Reilly O'Groce laughs at the fools who think this is over.
Nothing will ever be easy for Illinois, ever.
Nothing will ever be easy for Illinois, ever.
haasi
- New York
LOL! And here you were hours ago calling my 2016-17 year of the long shot post a hot take...
It was a hot take! That's a compliment in my world.
Back to seeking a new coach, who's up now at 9:15PM?
haasi
- New York
Well, if the thread is low-traffic tonight, then this is S&C's chance to try and form a jankovich/musselman train
Guess we could see an Avery Johnson train
This has me cackling like a hyena. I never expected this mashup of Illinois hoops and pigskin.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Alright, so I want to ask an odd question.
I agree that normally it makes no sense to fire Groce early. Sets the other coaches out trying to steal our recruits, signals the end of anything to our players, etc, etc.
But . . .
What if Monty Williams was already lined up?
What if JW could fire JG and slide Monty in immediately.
Team gets to play a few games for the new guy.
Recruits get to see the new guy.
He can start recruiting and re-recruiting the 2017 class.
What if, because Monty can be immediate?
Would that actually be useful or still dangerous?
I agree that normally it makes no sense to fire Groce early. Sets the other coaches out trying to steal our recruits, signals the end of anything to our players, etc, etc.
But . . .
What if Monty Williams was already lined up?
What if JW could fire JG and slide Monty in immediately.
Team gets to play a few games for the new guy.
Recruits get to see the new guy.
He can start recruiting and re-recruiting the 2017 class.
What if, because Monty can be immediate?
Would that actually be useful or still dangerous?
You can't just have some new dude off the street come in and start coaching the team in mid-February. Doesn't work like that.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Why not? Seriously. What do we have going here?
I do realize that it is not ideal, but I just don't feel like we have much to fear.
And maybe something to gain
A basketball season is a process that starts in the offseason. You can't just install a new playbook overnight.
A new coach would just be pantomiming the old coach until he got a full offseason to install stuff. Monty Williams has no idea what we do, he doesn't know the players, it's not just plug and play.
He did achieve the highest seed Cal has ever gotten in the tournament. That's something.
All this train talk...
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
OK, let's go with that for a minute. Because you're almost undoubtedly right.
Does even so, does installing him hurt? It doesn't probably help game planning, but I personally am sort of done there anyway. Yes, it hurts, but its true.
Does it help or hurt the other aspects? Getting a story in front of recruits, getting started on the future. Its not a real passion of mine, I'm just looking to speculate on something different than whether or not Keatts can translate to P5 this year or should wait.
What is the downside of just playing out the string with Groce? Because that transition would be a mess.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
Nothing horrible, but he is imo dead man walking, which means that every coach who wants any of our 4 commits is in their ear telling them so, creating doubt and uncertainty. I am just pondering a way to give the recruits a positive Illinois story and get started on the new era. And wondering if it has any legs at all. Because I know its an odd thought, I said that right up front.
If Monty is lined up already, I would bet that he could get some messages out to people even if he couldn't say something face to face.
This season is lost and it really doesn't make any sense to have Monty (if he is the guy) come in and coach. He doesn't know anything about the players and he'd likely have a different philosophy and terminology than Groce and it makes no sense to do that with about one month left of the season. What if Monty loses every game because players are confused about what they should be doing on the court? Do you think that would help or hurt recruiting? Additionally, do you think Hill and the other seniors are going to play as hard for Williams as they would for Groce? I doubt they would intentionally be lazy, but Groce is the only coach they've known and it's their last season. Let them finish that era together.
As another poster pointed out, teams don't make sweeping changes in the middle of the season. Even when a coach retires or is fired mid season, a trusted assistant is appointed interim coach.
"Foggy"
mattcoldagelli
- The Transfer Portal with Do Not Contact Tag
Just another feature of the great coaching search website that Second and Chalmers is just too lazy to make.
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