Coaching Carousel

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#452      
Does BU have a history of asst. coaches departing suddenly? I don't believe that he does. The fact he changed his whole defensive philosophy after input from his coaches says to me that he values the input of his fellow coaches and that he isn't a "my way or the highway" type. I think this is a perfect storm of OA getting a chance back at UK and bringing Chin with him as well as Gentry potentially getting an asst. coaching position at his alma mater where he is familiar with Few and spent a few years prior.
I agree. And throw in that Gentry had been with BU previously. If the problem was BU, would Gentry have worked under him again? I guess anything is possible and BU is the problem, but I highly doubt it. And unless you believe BU’s overall success is because of assistants and not him, BU ain’t going anywhere. Just a perfect (or imperfect from Illini’s perspective) storm that Illinois has to overcome.
 
#454      
This board ought to consider that given the sudden exodus of the entire coaching staff, the problem just might be Brad Underwood.
Do you believe he’s the problem?
 
#455      

Deleted member 747802

D
Guest
At the risk of having yet another post removed, the elephant in the room in my humble opinion is that the issue may not be with Whitman or BU but is above the both of them??? Just pointing out, for discussion purposes only. The University's commitment to the athletic program has been mixed at best. The athletic program does not operate in a vacuum. Just sayin' Maybe totally off base, but maybe not. If we are going to speculate, at least this speculation ought to be on the table.
 
#456      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Worst case scenario you dump him after a year when the carousel spins again.

Yeah, it'd be a short term gig. 2 years at the most. If Kofi's coming back, adding a player of Mitchell's caliber could put us over the top. Tempting. And it's not like Underwood is going to have to sacrifice a current assistant in order to hire Mitchell's guy.
 
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#457      
Am I the only one that when I hear "we have to win Chicago, or get someone with Chicago ties." my blood pressure rises? Dating back to Jimmy Collins, how many Chicago kids have we gotten? We have done very well without Chicago kids and NEARLY everyone of them expected us to turn the program over to their family control because we owed them. We don't owe anybody anything. We owe the kids that want to come to the U of I something and that is an opportunity. You either take it, or you don't.
I don't think we have to "win" Chicago. But we certainly have to get our fair share from Chicago. A lot of great prep basketball players in Chicago, and it's geographically close, we can't just ignore it. Especially now that OA's Caribbean pipeline has relocated. And I can't think of a time we've done very well without any Chicago kids, to be honest.
 
#458      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
This board ought to consider that given the sudden exodus of the entire coaching staff, the problem just might be Brad Underwood.
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OK ,lets consider it ......................................

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Still pondering it...............................

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#459      
Is there anyone on this forum who, if they were not an Illini fan, not take a job at Kentucky over Illinois if the pay was somewhat equal?
 
#463      
Is there anyone on this forum who, if they were not an Illini fan, not take a job at Kentucky over Illinois if the pay was somewhat equal?
Yes, in a second. The coaches and players are treated like royalty as long as they are winning.
 
#465      
And another question may be why the Kentucky coaches left. Were they creaned? Did they see the writing on the wall? I really think that we will be better off with the new coaches that Brad brings in.
 
#466      
Wouldn't it be karma for Illini to win NC and Kentucky to miss dance second year in a row.
Let's take this one step further......Illini beat the Wildcats in the ncaa championship game.....think they're be some motivated Illini players and staff
 
#467      
There's a lot of teams who had even better seasons who aren't losing most of their staff.
Not sure what you mean? UK has been going after OA for more than a year. (According to UK fans I work with). That’s the unique nature of this particular move. Really bad luck that OA wanted to take Chin with him.

I’m convinced that Podz choosing Illinois over UK, with Chin being the lead recruiter, was eye opening for some.

I also think that Podz will thrive Underwood’s system and can be a very high volume scorer at Illinois. So I don’t think Chin was the only reason he came here.
 
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#468      
Is there anyone on this forum who, if they were not an Illini fan, not take a job at Kentucky over Illinois if the pay was somewhat equal?
Your point is reasonable...that's how I rationalize Chin...he is chasing his future and connections...at a "Google" vs at "Yahoo"

On the flip side for Chin, he will likely be at the end of the AC bench at KY,...so in some respects it's a step down. He will get exposed to another system which is always healthy if you want to get better as an AC.

ATS, I believe Chins coaching future is more likely in B10 than SEC.
 
#469      

orange100

time to hop on the wife
Can't believe no one suggested that OA and Chin were a PACKAGE DEAL. #Crootin'Bingo
 
#470      
Rap73: “Is there anyone on this forum who, if they were not an Illini fan, not take a job at Kentucky over Illinois if the pay was somewhat equal?”

YES. Or, put another way, YES-YES-YES. It’s this... ‘Thinking That Kentucky Is The Greatest Thing In The Universe” that puts programs like the Ilini always trying to play catch-up. The Illini do NOT have to take a back seat to ANYONE.

Or, said another way, if projecting the idea that a program is somehow deficient is the Central Vision of the program, then the program will always be a 'Lessor'. It all comes down to the thought process of the individual and what they choose to believe (or 'settle for'). If a guy really wants to be somewhere else, so be it and good for him. But The Illini have a proud history of legacy success that does not have to take a back seat to anyone.
 
#471      
I can’t blame OA really - I’m sure he’s got a deep love for Kentucky. Not thrilled with him that he recruited Chin to go with him, but that is what he does- recruit. I’ve unfortunately lost a little respect for Chin. Chicago guy, was literally hardly a college coach when brought on to Illini program. For both guys to go to the same program at the same time after such a great season with a heart breaking ending is just really kinda low. I know it’s a business and I’m a salty fan. But it’s just my feelings about it.

With that being said, as long as we don’t lose recruits over this, I still think we will make great hires and be in great shape for the future.
I'm kind of with you, but in all honesty, I am also a little annoyed with OA only because he is recruiting Chin with him. If he was a head coach, I would get it, but the Assistant Coach recruiting another assistant to tag along with you is weird. Either way, best of luck to them and thanks for their contributions.
 
#472      
I'm kind of with you, but in all honesty, I am also a little annoyed with OA only because he is recruiting Chin with him. If he was a head coach, I would get it, but the Assistant Coach recruiting another assistant to tag along with you is weird. Either way, best of luck to them and thanks for their contributions.
I agree it just seems weird. Assistants leave from time to time and I can get over that but 2 at the same time sort has me thrown off. I can't recall 2 assistants leaving one program for the same other program ever. It just feels odd.
 
#473      
I'm kind of with you, but in all honesty, I am also a little annoyed with OA only because he is recruiting Chin with him. If he was a head coach, I would get it, but the Assistant Coach recruiting another assistant to tag along with you is weird. Either way, best of luck to them and thanks for their contributions.
My guess is Cal either asked about Chin, or asked O for any names, and O simply vouched for him.

If I’m Chin this move probably makes a lot of sense. Lots of 5 star talent in the MIF pipeline and he has a lot better chance of landing those kids at UK and I’m sure he sold that connection to land the offer. You land a few McDAA’s, all of sudden you cement your status as a rock star recruiter and can probably get a better HC gig.

All of that assuming Cal sticks around UK another 2-3 years.
 
#475      
There's a lot of teams who had even better seasons who aren't losing most of their staff.
Yes, those teams staff members were not targeted by Kentucky. There’s a reason these two coaches and the Illini were targeted by probably the biggest program in the country. We had and built something very big. Now, we get to see what Underwood’s program is made of.

That excites me.

Putting aside all emotional attachment, Kentucky is a bigger program. Possibly the biggest. Is that ok? No. I’m going to love watching Underwood put together better teams though.
 
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