Right before I clicked submit I read it to myself and said "I"m not sure if I'm arguing here or confirming what he said, but what the hell...I'll click submit anyway."
tonight's game cant get here fast enough.
2017 Coaching Carousel
- Status
Right before I clicked submit I read it to myself and said "I"m not sure if I'm arguing here or confirming what he said, but what the hell...I'll click submit anyway."
tonight's game cant get here fast enough.
Yeah, for as bad as some of those years were; these past few have been undeniably worse.
schnaurt
- Phoenix, AZ
We were all hoping the end of that season (Nebraska game for me personally) was the low point of the millenium for Illini bball. The 2012-2013 season did a lot to make us think we were trending upwards but at this point, I think we would all agree that season was an anomally.
It WAS that terrible. And it's even more terrible now. We don't have to accept this. In fact, acceptance of this is the only think that will keep it happening.
People act like just firing a bunch of coaches until you get what you want is morally wrong somehow, because firing people isn't nice and the narrative of delusional fans who don't know their program's place is one that everybody loves.
And maybe it is morally wrong, but it certainly works. Teams find their level as they churn though coaches. And for teams who are playing below their level, you either break through and hire Jim Harbaugh or your public humiliation sixth-choice disaster turns out to be Pete Carroll. I don't mean to compare Illinois Basketball with Michigan or USC Football, but Illinois' natural resources in terms of fan interest, facilities, recruiting base, press coverage, successful history all indicate that in an average year, all else being equal, we should be better than schools that don't have as much going for them like Iowa or Wisconsin or Ohio State. The only thing that can break that reality is us accepting that it is not reality.
You shouldn't just fire your coach after every bad year, things only become clear over longer time horizons than that. But if you're the all time top team in the Big Ten in winning percentage (did you know that? I just found that out by looking it up, I expected to be 2nd or 3rd), who went to the tournament 21 times in 25 years (and one of those misses was because the NCAA banned us) until very recently, and who has a brand new arena, and you're sitting there having missed the tournament four times in a row, you should be confident, not frightened or ashamed to think "we can and will do better under different leadership."
Have some pride folks!
Proof that Bruce Weber was a really good coach. Good thing we ran him out of town!
I don't know about a "love-fest," but just admitting that the program is worse now than when he was fired.
Personally, I'd be surprised if the next coach makes less than 2 million, and I'm hard pressed to not say less than 2.5. Whitman understands the passion of the fanbase for the hoops program, and I think he'll be able to find at least that much from donors/B10 money. 5 million won't happen, IMO, but we're going to commit more than we have for Groce.
If the struggles weren't due to more than just talent, I/we wouldn't be having this conversation, IMO. But the reality is he hasn't really EXCELLED in any area.
This is it in a nutshell. Just hasn't done anything to convince people he's the guy who can get us back to the upper level of the league.
That's because Weber set the program in a downward spiral that was hard to reverse. Granted Groce has been unable to reverse the downward trend but once you become irrelevant it is much harder to return to prominence. The task will be immense for the new coach (whoever that may be) and without being able to attract major talent, I think many posters' assertions that we can do it with lesser talent but great X's and O's will remain just a dream. JMO.
It REALLY isn't that hard to fall backwards into moderate success. Tim freaking Beckman practically got kidnapped by a bowl game.
I may embarass myself with this, but watch the game tonight. Michigan isn't going to take yes for an answer, I can feel it. Whole seasons like that happen in college sports all the time.
We've made it look so, so much harder than it is over the last decade.
Tim Beckman found "moderate success"? If you consider getting an invitation to non-name, don't-care-bowl moderate success then Zook and Turner need to be enshrined into the Illinois' Superhero Hall of Fame for going to a Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. Unless that is what we are talking here about for basketball.
Said better than I could have.
I don't think some can separate their hatred of the guy from the results he achieves. Just keeping all those 5 stars happy and moving as a team is excellent coaching.
A name I don't believe has been mentioned. Danny Manning?
He is currently coaching for Wake Forest and has yet to experience a lot of success but he is rebuilding the program and has pulled in solid recruiting classes each of the last 3 years. Before WF, he took Tulsa to the tournament. He has a history of recruiting and coaching Chicago kids while he was an assistant at Kansas from 2003-2012. He is a relatively well-known name as he was a former number 1 pick.
I think he would be attainable because he is currently coaching in the very competitive ACC at a school that will always be tough to recruit to because he is surrounded by Duke, UNC, and NC State. He is really good friends from coaching with Bill Self and knows how good Illinois can be and what it takes to succeed at UI.
He is currently coaching for Wake Forest and has yet to experience a lot of success but he is rebuilding the program and has pulled in solid recruiting classes each of the last 3 years. Before WF, he took Tulsa to the tournament. He has a history of recruiting and coaching Chicago kids while he was an assistant at Kansas from 2003-2012. He is a relatively well-known name as he was a former number 1 pick.
I think he would be attainable because he is currently coaching in the very competitive ACC at a school that will always be tough to recruit to because he is surrounded by Duke, UNC, and NC State. He is really good friends from coaching with Bill Self and knows how good Illinois can be and what it takes to succeed at UI.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
You beat me to it.
Where are we at on Ben Jacobson now that this year's team appears to be a disaster area?
If he is below .500 in conference for the first time in his career, that would take a bit of the shine off the resume.
If he is below .500 in conference for the first time in his career, that would take a bit of the shine off the resume.
He's a god if they can salvage something from an 0-5 start.
Kermit Davis is a bit underrated. He cut his teeth under Tim Floyd and John Brady, so you'd figure he'd know his way around the fever swamps of recruiting. Middle Tennessee has been dominant across two different conferences in recent years and they have claimed some impressive Power Five scalps. Auburn, Ole Miss twice, Vandy, UCLA, and of course Michigan State last year in the tournament.
I don't know if he's the perfect fit for our job, but you could very well see LSU, Ole Miss and Mizzou all open in the SEC this offseason, I think he'd be a fine hire for one of those jobs.
I don't know if he's the perfect fit for our job, but you could very well see LSU, Ole Miss and Mizzou all open in the SEC this offseason, I think he'd be a fine hire for one of those jobs.
Big problems for ex-Keady assistants, they have no idea how to dress.
Cuonzo's out there in khakis. Terrible. :tsk:
Cuonzo's out there in khakis. Terrible. :tsk:
Keady's Khaki Krew
Winning khakis
I've never been a big fan of Jacobson. That being said, if you think that what he does translates to Illinois, I would overlook one bad season. Of course, what is the proper way to move forward and what you can sell to fans are often two very different paths.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
- Status