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<blockquote data-quote="Second and Chalmers" data-source="post: 1305234" data-attributes="member: 527609"><p>This is not what I'm saying. I'm not foolish enough to hope to turn whatever Verdell Jones' and Taylor Bruniga's happen to wash ashore into a nationally relevant program through sheer force of X's and O's and player development.</p><p></p><p>What I want is balance. Antigua is a terrific hire for that role. Walker and Coleman would be lesser hires for that role. They're all the same role.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There's more an assistant can do than a support staffer, both in terms of scouting and work with the players in practice. So I think Gentry is worthy there on his own merits, plus you have to consider the effect his comparatively small salary would have on the rest of the pool.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Nothing towards Walker personally, but I do confess to feeling like we look like total clowns on the Tilmon situation. And if Mark Smith goes elsewhere, no one will be able to say with a straight face that Walker would be on the staff had we known or if we could do it over. That doesn't mean he isn't a professional basketball coach, he's not some recruit's dad who should be working at the snack bar, and I hope I don't come across as if I'm saying that.</p><p></p><p>But Underwood was given the biggest staff budget in the Big Ten to maximize the ability of the people he puts around him. Walker is not a maximization of those resources, and that's the standard I'm using to judge.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The greatest physicists in the world couldn't split hairs that small. We french kissed the ring with Parham. It got us ZERO. Probably set us back, really, because now we've normalized that Illinois owes them something.</p><p></p><p>Listen, I don't want to sit here and bash this staff. I am all-in on the Brad Underwood era. I'm just trying to explain my thought process to those who are asking questions here.</p><p></p><p>But it starts now. There is going to be a lot of roster turnover in the next 12 months, and we've hired a staff rich with connections to terrific players to fill those spots. Let's get out there and do it! <img src="/inc/shield.gif" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":shield:" title="Shield :shield:" data-shortname=":shield:" /></p><p></p><p>EDIT: Forgot one thing</p><p></p><p></p><p>This is true, but, with experience and familiarity and the process of winning and losing and making adjustments you get forged into a far better tactician and instructor than just "picking it up". Matt Painter can go out and find some good recruiting assistant to get him players, and he'll "pick up" Painterball just fine, but he can't be what Jack Owens was and has proven to be in that role, at least not for a long while.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Second and Chalmers, post: 1305234, member: 527609"] This is not what I'm saying. I'm not foolish enough to hope to turn whatever Verdell Jones' and Taylor Bruniga's happen to wash ashore into a nationally relevant program through sheer force of X's and O's and player development. What I want is balance. Antigua is a terrific hire for that role. Walker and Coleman would be lesser hires for that role. They're all the same role. There's more an assistant can do than a support staffer, both in terms of scouting and work with the players in practice. So I think Gentry is worthy there on his own merits, plus you have to consider the effect his comparatively small salary would have on the rest of the pool. Nothing towards Walker personally, but I do confess to feeling like we look like total clowns on the Tilmon situation. And if Mark Smith goes elsewhere, no one will be able to say with a straight face that Walker would be on the staff had we known or if we could do it over. That doesn't mean he isn't a professional basketball coach, he's not some recruit's dad who should be working at the snack bar, and I hope I don't come across as if I'm saying that. But Underwood was given the biggest staff budget in the Big Ten to maximize the ability of the people he puts around him. Walker is not a maximization of those resources, and that's the standard I'm using to judge. The greatest physicists in the world couldn't split hairs that small. We french kissed the ring with Parham. It got us ZERO. Probably set us back, really, because now we've normalized that Illinois owes them something. Listen, I don't want to sit here and bash this staff. I am all-in on the Brad Underwood era. I'm just trying to explain my thought process to those who are asking questions here. But it starts now. There is going to be a lot of roster turnover in the next 12 months, and we've hired a staff rich with connections to terrific players to fill those spots. Let's get out there and do it! :shield: EDIT: Forgot one thing This is true, but, with experience and familiarity and the process of winning and losing and making adjustments you get forged into a far better tactician and instructor than just "picking it up". Matt Painter can go out and find some good recruiting assistant to get him players, and he'll "pick up" Painterball just fine, but he can't be what Jack Owens was and has proven to be in that role, at least not for a long while. [/QUOTE]
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