And honestly, this is not a rebuild.
There is plenty of talent here. Last year with the injuries is the only season since 07-08 where missing the tournament was remotely justifiable based on the available talent.
2017 Coaching Carousel
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And honestly, this is not a rebuild.
There is plenty of talent here. Last year with the injuries is the only season since 07-08 where missing the tournament was remotely justifiable based on the available talent.
I was a Theus guy in 2012, I'm not gonna lie about it.
I'm a big fan of Ben Jacobson. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, I don't think we have a chance at him.
Cuonzo Martin seems to be in the majority of "rumors" on twitter. I guess I wouldn't mind him. Recruiting would pick up instantly, but I'm not sold on his coaching.
Hopefully Whitman has an ace up his sleeve, but I could also see him keeping Groce around for another year unless we win <15 or so games.
Cuonzo Martin seems to be in the majority of "rumors" on twitter. I guess I wouldn't mind him. Recruiting would pick up instantly, but I'm not sold on his coaching.
Hopefully Whitman has an ace up his sleeve, but I could also see him keeping Groce around for another year unless we win <15 or so games.
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The correct lazy unsupported narrative for Jacobson is "he won't be able to recruit", not "he won't come here". Just FYI.
I think we'd have an 10x better chance at getting Jacobson than Martin. And I'm optimistic about our chances landing Martin
I disagree. IIRC, after UNI's win over Kansas in 2010, he drew a bunch of high major interest, but instead signed a school-friendly 10 year deal, and said something to the effect of "I don't want to leave" or "I'm not going to leave". He's basically a god up at UNI.
Maybe things have changed, but he's got UNI rolling these days, so it'd likely have to be a dream job and a boatload of money to pull him away. I don't see Illinois buying out his contract and ponying up the necessary money for him, because he isn't considered a "sure thing". Although, Whitman is a stud so who knows.
I'd bet there'd be a much better shot at Cuonzo, mainly because of the home state draw. That and I think he knows he'd kill in-state recruiting. I also think he'd be drawn to coaching Tilmon (assuming he'd stay), the hometown 5-star kid.
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IlliniFan12
- Cedar Falls, IA
Cuonzo's teams at Missouri State, Tennessee, and California have each finished every season with an improved record from their previous season under him. Exact opposite of Groce.
You would have to get someone with no ties to the bluebloods. (Self grew up a Kansas fan living in Oklahoma. He also started his coaching career there as a GA. This is why he left for Kansas, not because UI is some middling stepping stone)
Midwest guy who you know will stay at Illinois with proven track record, proven recruiter, and you have to realistically ask yourself this question; Can he bring a national championship to Illinois.
Midwest guy who you know will stay at Illinois with proven track record, proven recruiter, and you have to realistically ask yourself this question; Can he bring a national championship to Illinois.
No offense, but this is the most overrated, unnecessary criterion ever. If you are a very successful coach at Illinois, especially a great recruiter with a track record, you will always have schools like KU, UK, DUke, UNC, UCLA, etc. or the NBA, that will come after you. You deal with it when time comes, and even if you lose the coach to one of these schools, you go out and make another great hire.
Self did very well while here and left the cupboard more than full. The reason we are in this predicament is not because of Self, but because we hired as the next coach someone much less talented who would have stayed at Illinois forever.
There is not a single great coach, great recruiter, with a track record who will come to Illinois, have great success, and you can guarantee that he will stay at Illinois. There is no such guarantee.
It'll never happen, but Dana Ford at Tennessee State will be the latest and greatest low major coach to be poached by the high major, less fortunate's in the months to come. Illinois roots, unbelievable recruiter and good pedigree.
I think he would need a lot more seasoning to make the jump to HM. Next step is probably a stint at a Mid Major
Hasn't Archie turned down comparable jobs as 2016 vintage Illinois?
I mean if this 2003 Illinois or even 2012 Illinois I would feel better about our chances.
GortTheRobot
- North Bethesda, Maryland
I've become so superstitious about coaches, that while I like Archie Miller, I can't get past the fact that he, like Groce, was an asst. at tOSU. And Cuonzo, like Weber, was one at PU, besides being a player.
Illinois basketball may have me wearing garlic necklaces while leaping over sidewalk cracks soon.
Illinois basketball may have me wearing garlic necklaces while leaping over sidewalk cracks soon.
I understand the notion of coaches not seeing the Illinois job as a very attractive landing spot because of our obvious struggles over the past years.
However, don't forget about the fact that we have a newly renovated basketball facility that rivals any other school in the country as well as a new AD who is a clear go getter. I think we might be able to attract some big time names as long as were willing to pay big time money.
However, don't forget about the fact that we have a newly renovated basketball facility that rivals any other school in the country as well as a new AD who is a clear go getter. I think we might be able to attract some big time names as long as were willing to pay big time money.
I don't think you are looking at this correctly. We have a coach that will NEVER see the tourney without buying a ticket. In my opinion he could recruit the top class in the nation and still find a way to finish 10th in the conference. You never hold an entire program hostage to players, the coach is the program and right now, the program is in the toilet.
Yeah, we do have some things that should make us attractive. Part of what makes the job potentially appealing or unappealing is recruiting Chicago. Some coaches simply do not want to wade into that, while others might see it as a big opportunity. I think a guy like Martin could probably do pretty well pulling kids out of Chicago and St. Louis.
The problem with that is Ford should have been an assistant at Illinois instead of Illinois state. We've got no one on staff that descends from a good Xs and Os coaching tree. He got the opportunity to learn from Greg Marshall and Tim Jankovich.
homesickalien
- Springfield
We had a good look at this back in February of this year. Obviously some of these guys aren't at these places anymore, but here's a list from Vermillion Slim post #1797 in the John Groce at Illinois thread.
"Below is a list I put together waaaay back on page 47. Obviously Marshall and Miller are long long shots, but they would of course be in the discussion if Groce were let go.
I personally still think Groce just needs a seasoned assistant on his staff to offer some new insight. To that end, I would love to see us pick up a div. 1 coach who gets fired in the next three months.
1. Gregg Marshall: Wichita State: 52
Pros: Obvious
Cons: Buyout, likelihood of coming
2. Archie Miller: Dayton: 37
Pros: Obvious
Cons: Likelihood of coming
3. Ben Jacobson: Northern Iowa: 45
Pros: Best winning percentage at N. Iowa in modern history; good performance in good conf.
Cons: Likelihood of coming; low-diversity of playing/coaching experience (all in Iowa and North Dakota)
4. Bryce Drew: Valpo: 41
Pros: continued winning tradition at Valpo; good family coaching history; Roger as assistant; former professional player
Cons: Only college experience is at Valpo
5. Jerod Haase: UAB: 41
Pros: Bringing UAB back to top of CUSA; strong college pedigree at Kansas and N. Carolina
Cons: CUSA is weaker than in the past and UAB has always been fairly good; some fans may not like his background at Kansas and N. Carolina
6. Keith Dambrot: Akron: 57
Pros: Has 20+ wins at Akron each of the last 10 years; been to NCAA tourney 3 times; LeBron swag
Cons: Age (old); college pedigree
7. Mike Lonergan: George Washington: 50
Pros: Been successful at all stops; brought GW back to prominence
Cons: Only coached on the east coast; some may think GW’s recovery has been too slow
8. Dan Majerle: Grand Canyon: 50
Pros: 3x NBA all-star; NBA assistant coach; Has Grand Canyon at 17-2 this year with a win over San Diego State
Cons: Grand Canyon’s competition is pretty abysmal; might jump for pro job if he has success at a high major
9. Russell Turner: UC-Irvine: 45
Pros: UCI has improved in every year since he’s been there; took them to their first NCAA tournament last year; diverse assis. coaching background including 6 years with the warriors
Cons: Relative unknown; coaches in fairly weak conf. the warriors only made the playoffs once while he was an assistant
10. Will Wade: VCU: 33
Pros: Took over struggling Chattanooga program and improved them for 2 years; has started off relatively well at VCU; assistant at VCU under Shaka during final four run
Cons: Age (young); lost all big non-conf games this year
11. Matthew Driscoll: North Florida: 51
Pros: Slowly built North Florida into a solid program; strong assistant coaching background
Cons: Took 6 years to make North Florida relevant in a bad conf.
12. Mark Montgomery: Northern Illinois: 45
Pros: Has NIU competing for the first time in forever (or ever) in the MAC; NIU improved each year under his direction; longtime Izzo assistant
Cons: Probably still a few years away as record at NIU was bad the last 4 seasons
13. Chris Beard: Ark. Little-Rock: 43
Pros: Has A-LR at 17-2 with some decent non-conf. wins; Successful Head coaching experience at many levels
Cons: Has an odd coaching background; 1st year as div. 1 head coach; almost exclusively coached in Texas
Others: Leon Rice (Boise State); Steve Pikiell (Stoney Brook); King Rice (Monmouth); Dana Ford (Tennessee State)."
"Below is a list I put together waaaay back on page 47. Obviously Marshall and Miller are long long shots, but they would of course be in the discussion if Groce were let go.
I personally still think Groce just needs a seasoned assistant on his staff to offer some new insight. To that end, I would love to see us pick up a div. 1 coach who gets fired in the next three months.
1. Gregg Marshall: Wichita State: 52
Pros: Obvious
Cons: Buyout, likelihood of coming
2. Archie Miller: Dayton: 37
Pros: Obvious
Cons: Likelihood of coming
3. Ben Jacobson: Northern Iowa: 45
Pros: Best winning percentage at N. Iowa in modern history; good performance in good conf.
Cons: Likelihood of coming; low-diversity of playing/coaching experience (all in Iowa and North Dakota)
4. Bryce Drew: Valpo: 41
Pros: continued winning tradition at Valpo; good family coaching history; Roger as assistant; former professional player
Cons: Only college experience is at Valpo
5. Jerod Haase: UAB: 41
Pros: Bringing UAB back to top of CUSA; strong college pedigree at Kansas and N. Carolina
Cons: CUSA is weaker than in the past and UAB has always been fairly good; some fans may not like his background at Kansas and N. Carolina
6. Keith Dambrot: Akron: 57
Pros: Has 20+ wins at Akron each of the last 10 years; been to NCAA tourney 3 times; LeBron swag
Cons: Age (old); college pedigree
7. Mike Lonergan: George Washington: 50
Pros: Been successful at all stops; brought GW back to prominence
Cons: Only coached on the east coast; some may think GW’s recovery has been too slow
8. Dan Majerle: Grand Canyon: 50
Pros: 3x NBA all-star; NBA assistant coach; Has Grand Canyon at 17-2 this year with a win over San Diego State
Cons: Grand Canyon’s competition is pretty abysmal; might jump for pro job if he has success at a high major
9. Russell Turner: UC-Irvine: 45
Pros: UCI has improved in every year since he’s been there; took them to their first NCAA tournament last year; diverse assis. coaching background including 6 years with the warriors
Cons: Relative unknown; coaches in fairly weak conf. the warriors only made the playoffs once while he was an assistant
10. Will Wade: VCU: 33
Pros: Took over struggling Chattanooga program and improved them for 2 years; has started off relatively well at VCU; assistant at VCU under Shaka during final four run
Cons: Age (young); lost all big non-conf games this year
11. Matthew Driscoll: North Florida: 51
Pros: Slowly built North Florida into a solid program; strong assistant coaching background
Cons: Took 6 years to make North Florida relevant in a bad conf.
12. Mark Montgomery: Northern Illinois: 45
Pros: Has NIU competing for the first time in forever (or ever) in the MAC; NIU improved each year under his direction; longtime Izzo assistant
Cons: Probably still a few years away as record at NIU was bad the last 4 seasons
13. Chris Beard: Ark. Little-Rock: 43
Pros: Has A-LR at 17-2 with some decent non-conf. wins; Successful Head coaching experience at many levels
Cons: Has an odd coaching background; 1st year as div. 1 head coach; almost exclusively coached in Texas
Others: Leon Rice (Boise State); Steve Pikiell (Stoney Brook); King Rice (Monmouth); Dana Ford (Tennessee State)."
homesickalien
- Springfield
I threw this list together back then as well...
"Bryce Drew
Brad Underwood
Tim Cluess
Rick Byrd
Keith Dambrot
Ben Jacobson
Russell Turner
Will Wade
Kevin Keatts
Vermilion had some of the same names, but this is a good starting point."
"Bryce Drew
Brad Underwood
Tim Cluess
Rick Byrd
Keith Dambrot
Ben Jacobson
Russell Turner
Will Wade
Kevin Keatts
Vermilion had some of the same names, but this is a good starting point."
This is a good catch and a long shot but also someone who I think could become a factor. Colangelo was instrumental in getting him into coaching and the 2 are close. If anyone could get him to leave the West it's Colangelo
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The Sprouting Divot
Invisible and Bulletproof
- Miracle Mile
Calling my shot here - our next coach will be Billy "Highpants" Donovan.
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Whitman has to be making a list, amirite?
GortTheRobot
- North Bethesda, Maryland
I know it won't happen, but watching MSU and WSU, I would LOVE Gregg Marshall to come to Illinois. He should be a BIG coach, and go head-to-head with guys like Izzo all the time.
On a separate note, I love the fact that WSU has a middle-aged pg.
On a separate note, I love the fact that WSU has a middle-aged pg.
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