Spot on, couldn't have said it better.
2017 Coaching Carousel
- Status
Spot on, couldn't have said it better.
Illini1221
Peru,IL
To me the home run is Archie Miller. Witman seems like he can do some good negotiating so I feel like that could happen.
The jury is still out, but all things considered(coming off a serious injury, basically no off-season, very little time to learn/play in the system, and a relatively unheralded 3* recruit to begin with) he's played pretty darn serviceably so far against two top 25 teams. By the way, he's only 17. He will make his freshman mistakes but I'd say there's certainly reason to believe he could be an above average player down the road.
Sometimes a new coach can inspire a lot of things. I mean, just looking at the previous example of Groce, he inspired a team with less talent then the year before to make it to the NCAA and reinvigorated our fan base with potential recruiting.
Honestly, I think a new coach may be better simply because he doesn't have the "loser" stink on him. Groce does...plain and simple. I'm not sure when it happened, maybe it was during all the recruiting losses or after the loss to Purdue in year 3 but he just can't shake that stink and a new coach will come in with fresh ideas and a clean slate.
First, I'm biased. You can go back to the days after Groce was hired and find my skepticism based on his conference record in the MAC.
But I am with you in that the talent, while not championship caliber is better than this. I ask people who still think Groce has it to envision Hill and JCL in a Brey offense at ND. Envision what these guys would do at Wisky. These are not programs run by HOF coaches, just good coaches.
Of course, on the other hand, most of us (myself included) would not have waited for this version of Brey.
Nevertheless, I would move on. But I would have moved on last year. Injuries provided a cover. But it was always support players rather than difference makers who were injured. Groce continually fails to capitalize on the strengths of his players, thus making the weaknesses more apparent. That is why he should go.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
3 tourneys in first 5 years. Above .500 conference records each of those 5 years. That's a ton better than what we have gotten.
Certainly, but I recognize my impatience. However, that is better than I remembered his start.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
illinoisfan11
- Peoria, IL
I think Martin would be a fantastic hire. Not as excited about the others. Especially Enfield. I said it before, but if we're looking to hire a coach away from an established program, Steve Prohm would be near the top of my list, though I've got no reason to believe he'd be interested.
Heard Martin had an unsupportive fan base at Tennessee which led him out to Cal. He's been able to snag mostly wing players for '17 according to 247. Chicago and B1G background at Purdue makes him intriguing. Archie Miller would be the bigger catch based on his track record and number of recent NCAA appearances over his 5 years at Dayton.
Illini4Reel
- Champaign, IL.
Yes! I agree with you that we should consider Steve Prohm. He's young and would be great.
illinoisfan11
- Peoria, IL
I love watching his teams play. He gets the most out of all of his guys, and they play hard for 40 minutes. Just find a replay of yesterday's game against Gonzaga if you're looking for some proof.
Brey has been one of the most underrated coaches out there for years IMO.
In terms of "locking down" recruits in Illinois...well, that's just not possible, but I'd say Cuonzo would absolutely be the best choice to do so. I really think he'd absolutely kill it recruiting here. In the very least I'd expect him to lock down St Louis, Travis Ford or not.
We all are aware that as soon as we fire John Groce, he will be in the tourney the very next year with whatever mid major/Big 12 team that hires him right?
It's just going to happen.
Seriously though, I won't be surprised to see John Groce end up being really good somewhere else and he simply needed a fresh start and a chance to get the PG he wants.
It's just going to happen.
Seriously though, I won't be surprised to see John Groce end up being really good somewhere else and he simply needed a fresh start and a chance to get the PG he wants.
Correct. If we have enough money to throw around we should be able to get someone pretty good. If we try to do it on the cheap, we end up with another unproven mid-major guy.
Not really, and our last search is a clear indication that it can't. Money is not the primary factor because some of the top names know they will get paid anyway. Illinois offered both Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens lucrative contracts and they still could not get them, They both knew that money would be available at a place of their choosing.
If money was the primary factor, schools with much better network of connections and much deeper pockets (e.g., UCLA, Oregon, Oklahoma State, etc.) would have avoided long searches that did not land their top choices.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
You take that scenario, I'll take "goes back to OSU and haunts us on recruiting trail." I hope you win.
Tevo
- Wilmette, IL
Yeah, it may just be "backup Quarterback" syndrome, and when other teams get a little film on Lucas they recognize his weaknesses and shut him down. But then, teams already KNOW Tate's weaknesses, so we shouldn't be any worse off. And Lucas has a lot more upside, simply because his career is still fresh and he can shoot. I have no idea if he can play defense at all, but we're going to find out.
EDIT: Too slow; WVC beat me to it.
Last edited:
I agree. There was a point, years 4, 5, & 6, where it appeared that he may not have it. He had talent but couldn't get to the tourney. The last 5 years, he has really made himself one of the best coaches out there. Not only do they win, but they are fun to watch. The passing and cutting on the offensive end of the court are possibly the best in all of college basketball.
I think the confidence is a little too high. And im not saying that because I want to see him fail elsewhere--in fact hes the coach I want to see most succeed. whether it be at UI or not.
Like its been pointed out by numerous posters, he has no team identity and his inability to create a cohesive team hurts his overall coaching ability. His lack of game planning is also pretty evident.
The only thing he has going for him is that at the mid-major level, those areas aren't necesary to win multiple games and get a tourney bid.
I want him to succeed, just how I want to see Weber succeed, and similar to how I want Self and KU to miss the tourney every year while he's their coach
.BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
Yeah, I'll never forget them beating us in 2003 to get to the Sweet 16 (we were a 4 seed and they were a 5). That was the year Cookie was a senior and scored over 20ppg, aka Selfies last year. I was very dissappointed, thinking Self's coaching was to blame for our loss.
- Status