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Missouri 79, Illinois 63 POSTGAME
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<blockquote data-quote="dbeverly26" data-source="post: 1438374" data-attributes="member: 515868"><p>I don't think that either Mack or Miller would have entertained taking this job, even if they had been offered NBA money to do so. They (rightly) waited for much better opportunities.</p><p></p><p>If you look at the details of the contracts, Keatts' deal isn't that much below what we are paying Underwood. The base compensation is about $500K apart, which is meaningful but not ridiculous. The buyouts -- both from the previous job and those structured into their current contracts -- are markedly different, but as I understand it Keatts negotiated a lower buyout based on the NCAA axe swinging over NC State's head at the time he signed the contract. And regardless, the buyout that Illinois gave Underwood isn't particularly relevant until you get past the first four years. Absent obvious malfeasance, you can't even entertain firing him after two or three years. This job is a tough enough sell to begin with for a high-profile coach, but if the AD starts showing a pattern of firing coaches early we'll have a tough time getting prospective replacements to step in.</p><p></p><p>There's a yawning chasm in terms of perception of this program between its fans (and especially the fans who frequent this board) and everyone else. Underwood inherited a steaming turd of a roster, facilities that somehow survived a $200MM renovation without getting up to par for a high-major program, hostile relationships with the media and high school/AAU coaches that stretch back to the last century, and an absurdly toxic booster environment that had folks looking for reasons to hate the new coach two months into his tenure.</p><p></p><p>The 'everyone else' determines who will take the job and for how much. There might have been candidates who were a better fit, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Underwood could have been had for less than what we gave him.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="dbeverly26, post: 1438374, member: 515868"] I don't think that either Mack or Miller would have entertained taking this job, even if they had been offered NBA money to do so. They (rightly) waited for much better opportunities. If you look at the details of the contracts, Keatts' deal isn't that much below what we are paying Underwood. The base compensation is about $500K apart, which is meaningful but not ridiculous. The buyouts -- both from the previous job and those structured into their current contracts -- are markedly different, but as I understand it Keatts negotiated a lower buyout based on the NCAA axe swinging over NC State's head at the time he signed the contract. And regardless, the buyout that Illinois gave Underwood isn't particularly relevant until you get past the first four years. Absent obvious malfeasance, you can't even entertain firing him after two or three years. This job is a tough enough sell to begin with for a high-profile coach, but if the AD starts showing a pattern of firing coaches early we'll have a tough time getting prospective replacements to step in. There's a yawning chasm in terms of perception of this program between its fans (and especially the fans who frequent this board) and everyone else. Underwood inherited a steaming turd of a roster, facilities that somehow survived a $200MM renovation without getting up to par for a high-major program, hostile relationships with the media and high school/AAU coaches that stretch back to the last century, and an absurdly toxic booster environment that had folks looking for reasons to hate the new coach two months into his tenure. The 'everyone else' determines who will take the job and for how much. There might have been candidates who were a better fit, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Underwood could have been had for less than what we gave him. [/QUOTE]
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Missouri 79, Illinois 63 POSTGAME
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