And IMHO he has.
2017 Coaching Carousel
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And IMHO he has.
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
Again, only a BTT trophy and maybe 2 wins in the Dance, or somehow get to the dance and run to the Sweet 16, is the minimum that will get Groce...... all the way up that ladder.
To me,as a fan, the most important factor is to find a coach with an exciting brand of basketball to watch. I don't get that warm feeling from Bennet or Cuonzo. Holberg fits that bill so that is who I am hoping for.
GortTheRobot
- North Bethesda, Maryland
Honestly, I think most people predicting Groce will stay seem to be trying to soften a blow they hope won't come. I can't imagine anyone, after the last five years, advocating for him staying another season.
The thing that concerns me is that a late run and a few wins in the BTT will convince people he should stay. While I would like to see it, for the students, it is fool's gold. I have no faith in Groce's ability to build and sustain this program.
The thing that concerns me is that a late run and a few wins in the BTT will convince people he should stay. While I would like to see it, for the students, it is fool's gold. I have no faith in Groce's ability to build and sustain this program.
Keatts fits this bill as well, if you're really big on that style. Personally, I just want to win.
Yeah, I kind of like Keats too but he is a bit unproven and I am not sure we can afford to gamble again. Holberg's has a track record at a P5 school and has NBA street cred.
Winning basketball=fun basketball. Sure, I would much rather have a winning team that gets up and down the court rather than a winning team that plays in the low 60's. But really I just want wins.
OrangeAndBlues
- Indianapolis
Seconded. Bo Ryan seemed to do just fine.
peace davids
- Colorado
My point got a little far fetched. We absolutely need solid recruiting to compete in this conference. No, we cannot ignore Chicago and rely on a magical system. But I'm tired of seeing teams with "lesser talent" outperform us. I want a coach that is going to get more collectively out of their players than their individual rankings combined.
You know, like 5 fingers make a fist... aaaaaaand I'm out.
if he finally figured it out, wins out, and makes a run to the sweet 16, you still want to fire him?
Not going to happen.
I'm not sure he's figured anything out yet. The players are giving a better effort, but does he need the threat of getting fired for his players to play well? That's not a winning strategy.
OrangeAndBlues
- Indianapolis
It's not going to happen. Stop trying to make it happen.
We're on a mild hot streak and that's fun and all. Enjoy it. But it doesn't make him suddenly a good coach. WE ARE ILLINOIS. Demand better. This is a sad standard people are pushing.
We're on a mild hot streak and that's fun and all. Enjoy it. But it doesn't make him suddenly a good coach. WE ARE ILLINOIS. Demand better. This is a sad standard people are pushing.
Thank you.
The only thing Groce has been successful at is lowering expectations for Illinois basketball. That's the only reason we're even entertaining the thought of keeping him.
look, I doubt he has figured out anything to be honest. I think he just came to the point where he had to try something different. So even if he is retained, I'm sure I'll be back here next year wondering why Frazier/Smith(I hope he chooses Illinois) is not getting enough playing time.
Not saying he makes it. Just saying what happens if he does.
First, I cannot stand Groce as a coach. I think he and his staff have largely been incompetent the past 3 years.
With that said, I have been really impressed with the team's organization and play the past two games especially in the second half. In most of my heart I want a new coach, but there is a part of me that feels he finally has a decent point guard (lucas -solid! lots of hustle) and some nice pieces in Nichols, JCL, Black Finke and Jordan to build around. Whoever is the coach will have no choice next year but to play some freshman and hope a couple can step up. Can Groce figure it out? Im not confident. But if somehow we get 5 more wins we might find out.
With that said, I have been really impressed with the team's organization and play the past two games especially in the second half. In most of my heart I want a new coach, but there is a part of me that feels he finally has a decent point guard (lucas -solid! lots of hustle) and some nice pieces in Nichols, JCL, Black Finke and Jordan to build around. Whoever is the coach will have no choice next year but to play some freshman and hope a couple can step up. Can Groce figure it out? Im not confident. But if somehow we get 5 more wins we might find out.
Agreed Hoiberg would be FUN. I wonder if we have the horses going forward?
Lucas has made a huge difference on offense now we have a creator and a guy who can run the team and on defense he is pressuring the ball and not getting beat every trip down the floor. I do like the shortening of the bench and not worrying about making everyone happy.
Hopefully Whitman won't be fooled by a run against largely weak teams. We have a lot of data over the last 5 years regarding Groce's coaching ability. These last few games shouldn't be weighted much more heavily than the previous 100 games. I fear we might get a false positive on Groce if we just look at a small sample size. That's how Thomas got fooled in the first place!
Without a point guard
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