Coaching Carousel (Basketball)

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#51      
I agree! Brad owns this problem. He is not stupid - I think he will fix it. Part of this was our players were soft. KJ, Ben, Tomas and Tre were not strong defenders. They tried but did not have strength or athleticism.

I think Brad is address that with Ty, Kylan and recruits.

I think we should play the twin towers to maximize defense rebounding and shot blocking. Lot harder to post Tomas inside if big Z is coming to block from behind :).

We are going to miss KJ's and Tre's 5 rebounds per game. Hopefully we can bring in a portal players who can rebound and play tough D.

I have no problem with 5 guys out bombing 3's. The analytics work. See Boston Celtics. You just need players who can hit 3's. Unfortunately last year we did not.
 
#52      
Absolutely and that's my point.

Do you think that Brad is willing to stick his neck out for a guy that he sees as a reason that we're losing games? Do you think that he's going to tie his future with a guy keeping his team from reaching their potential?

Ultimately, it comes down to his opinion versus the crowd that wants him fired, effectively immediately, opinion because you're right ....the buck stops with the head coach.

Now, he could fire him later this afternoon, I have no clue. He didn't fire him after 2023-2024 and if he's so god awful, I'm trying to figure out why he'd run it back with him last year and why he hasn't fired him, YET, this year.
 
#53      
If I recall things correctly, Tyler was fielding calls from both college and NBA teams according to at least one insider. I have zero reason to not believe that, so I'll go with it.

For me, one mark of an assistant held in high regard is whether that assistant is being called/interviewed for promotions. I would say Tyler fits that if the information I remember is correct. I'm clearly not on the inside of these things, and the coaching profession is competitive if not cutthroat. If an assistant is fielding calls, then that makes me think others see him in high regard.

Has Hamer received any sort of calls like Tyler is getting? While I'm not saying you just look at "the market" when looking at a head coach, it would be a red flag for me in that profession to not see one of my assistants regarded enough to get phone calls about promotions. It's just how the profession works.
 
#54      
Changes to the staff will be made. Brad/OA/Geoff are focused on filling out the roster first.
Couldn't bringing in the right AC's help with who we can bring in to put on the court? IIRC, Will Riley had a big thing to do with OA? Did Tomi as well since OA got his brother to UK? Yes, I know OA is a different level, but the AC's we could part with probably aren't doing a single thing to help build the roster right now, right?
 
#57      
That's seems backwards to me. Won't most prospective players want to know who they're going to be coached by? Doesn't bringing in new coaches with existing connections and different schemes change who you might be recruiting?

Good thoughts …

They’re coming to play for Brad …

Sometimes it’s better to have people “work for you” without actually working for you … Think back to when we hired TA and how long that took to really be official … And I think we all know why it took that long …
 
#59      
That's seems backwards to me. Won't most prospective players want to know who they're going to be coached by? Doesn't bringing in new coaches with existing connections and different schemes change who you might be recruiting?
I'd say yes and no. Do they care if Kwa or Hamer are gone? No. But they probably care or OA or Geoff are gone.
 
#62      
But how do you form your opinion of him? Did you come to this conclusion through your own research and efforts, or did you just take one person’s opinion and run with it?
Do we really have to know the guy to see that defense he has been in charge of the last few years is lacking and flat out sucked at times. Some can be blamed on the players but at least 75% of it is on Hamer for his defensive schemes. If you are not good at your job you more than likely get fired or moved to something you can handle. That's just part of the world we live in and it applies to all of us.
 
#63      
I don't take anything any of them say as gospel truth, that was the whole point of my message

I'm also not angry at anyone, just pointing out that everyone is being mislead
Making definitive statements that something is going to happen is somewhat risky. Fine if you want to tell the story after the fact, but people run with stories constantly and then get really angry when the thing they were told to expect didn't happen. Not only this, when you run with ideas of what goes on in the locker room, and you are the only source of that truth, people create expectations in their head which, fairly or unfairly, skews their response when the team doesn't meet those expectations.

Then the rest of the CBB internet laughs and calls Illini fans crazy.

But it's not like this is a new development. It's been happening for the twenty years I've been trolling this site under one account or another, way back to BrooksTaylorFan, betting your beach house, or the rumors heard from a barber. At some point you simply stop listening.
Bolded #1

Bad phrasing. First of all, not all readers are going to take an insiders info the same way. I can tell easily that you take their statements way differently than I do. I don't think anyone is being misled in an intentional way. Feeling misled is 100% dependent upon how much importance the reader chooses to apply to them. Today's possibilities are different from yesterdays, and tomorrows will be different than todays. Things change, sometimes slowly, often quickly. All Illini fans should know this, lol.

Bolded #2

A few may choose to do this. But I think a lot of us, especially those of us who've been around as long as you and I, learn to consume insider statements with some emotional temperance. Here is a sample of many of my feelings while reading insider announcements on IL.

That would be awesome..... if it actually happens!
If that actually happens..... I'm going be super excited!
I'm going to be super excited..... if recruit x announces a commitment.
If recruit x announces a commitment.... I hope he/she actually signs!

You get my drift? I treat any and all 'insider' statements regarding recruits, coaches, DIA, JW, etc... as food for thought, a range of possibilities, topics of discussion. Basically in a nutshell, PURE ENTERTAINMENT. It's become much easier to enjoy this site and my Illini fandom since coming around to this way of thinking. My mindset today is much more tranquil than the hellish roller coaster days of Cliff Alexander!
 
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#66      
I could live with Iowa State / Houston junk yard dog defense and less powerful offense.

Duke / Michigan State / Maryland and Kentucky defense man handled our players. We were not physical enough to avoid turnovers and run our offense.

Get "old and stay old" is critical to next season success.

FLORIDA - Clayton 18 ppg SR, Martin 15 ppg SR, Richard 13 ppg SR, Condon 10 ppg Soph Haugh 10 ppg Soph
HOUSTON - Cryer 16 ppg SR, Sharp 13 ppg JR Uzan 12 ppg JR Roberts 11 ppg SR, Arcenaux 7 ppg Soph
AUBURN Broom 18 ppg SR, Baker 12 ppg SR, Pettiford 11 ppg FR Kelly 11 ppg SR Jones 11 ppg SR
DUKE - Flagg 19 ppg FR, Knueppel 14 ppg FR, Proctor 11 ppg JR James 9 ppg SR Maluch 9 ppg FR - was exception, but had multiple McDAA

ILLINOIS 2025 - KJ freshman, Riley freshman, Tomas freshman Kylan JR, Tre JR.

ILLINOIS 2024 - TSJ GRAD, Marcus GRAD, Quincy GRAD, Coleman SR, Ty Soph

Young teams can make NCAA tourney but unlikely to make deep run.

2025- I think we made "age" and "strength" mistake by not keeping Dain JR, Luke SR , Ty JR and possibly Amani SOPH. Should have balanced "culture" "continuity" with talent. Having 10 new players was too much. I think Brad learned this lesson. We still could have brought in Morez, Kylan, and Tomas. 20/20 hind sight should have passed on Carey (cost us Amani) Tre (cost us Ty), Ben (over-rated). Will and KJ are both 1st rounders but we probably could have done just as well with just one of them.
 
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#68      
Anyone who tries to get on the bar at my watering hole:

Cobra Kai Sweep GIF by IFC
coyote ugly GIF


Anyone?
 
#70      
My issues are less with the honest discussions about what needs to be changed defensively — something obviously needs to be done there — and more so about the sophomoric sniping and juvenile name calling. It reeks of Biff Tannen surrounded by his group of sycophantic yes men lackeys.

I seriously doubt most people here would even know what Hamer’s role on the staff would be without one very vocal, and very influential person’s opinion of him. And I respect that person’s take. He’s connected and has a level of insight that most of us don’t. It’s the rest of you who just accept it at face value and pile on as if his thoughts are yours.

As for the leggings? Come on… that’s middle school girls level of sniping. And I suspect most if you who are piling in that ridiculous train are hardly fine fashion specimens yourself — probably wearing the same worn out hoodie for the fifth day in a row and undersized jeans exposing a massive beer gut. Reeks of jealousy, if you ask me.
Stop name calling, you're all a bunch of middle school girls and probably fat too!

Biff Tannen GIF by Back to the Future Trilogy
 
#72      
Speaking for myself, I don't remember the exact moment when I became aware of him or his purported role as the architect of our defense.

Assuming that is in fact his role, our team came up lacking in this dimension (and others...) this past season, and I personally think the criticism is fair but that some of the more personal and/or unkind attacks sometimes go too far.

If Hamer was not actually in charge of our defense last season, then someone else needs to be the whipping boy and/or find a different role.

Or perhaps his role is merely to publicly catch all of the strays that would otherwise hit their true mark (i.e., other members of the coaching staff).
At one point Chester and Geoff have been in charge of the defense.
 
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