Same point, but I'd turn it around a bit. Why would UCLA be interested in Tiley, or why would ANY Power 5 school have Whitman on their radar? I think everyone knows the answer. The only reason they are on our radar is ties to the beloved school. And this isn't necessarily a great thing.
The Illinois AD Search
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Same point, but I'd turn it around a bit. Why would UCLA be interested in Tiley, or why would ANY Power 5 school have Whitman on their radar? I think everyone knows the answer. The only reason they are on our radar is ties to the beloved school. And this isn't necessarily a great thing.
No one would entertain the thought of Whitman? While on a smaller scale he has developed programs where he has went. Since I didn't mention Michael, I'm not going to address him just because you think he's a serious candidate.
Tiley would be a great get for any P5 school. Why UCLA wouldn't be interested is that he didn't work there and the alums wouldn't understand why an Aussie was hired. He could possibly be pulled from Oz because he worked in CU and his wife is from IL with grandparents close by. To suggest that "it isn't a great thing" that IL would be the only match for Tiley as an AD doesn't give him enough credit. He has been highly successful and building rock bottom into something successful wherever he has went and his budget at Tennis Australia is considerably larger than DIA.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Unless you're hiring a well known AD who's had success at other power 5 schools, most schools do hire someone with a connection to their school which makes the candidate attractive only to that particular school. Wisconsin hired alum Pat Richter pre-Alvarez and he is the one who put them on their current path. The ADs at Michigan (interim and current) probably wouldn't be on other schools' radar but those were good fits for them. Pat Hayden at USC? Who else would want him as their AD? In Whitman's case however, I would say that there is a good chance he could eventually move up to a different power 5 school as he has all of the attributes to make a great AD (just hasn't proven it yet at this level). So if he is our guy, we may be getting in early on a guy who may be a great AD in time.
Very solid explanation. Whitman is going to do a great job wherever he goes.
Sorry, don't think this is true. Whether Tiley would do a great job or not is not the issue. I think there's a good chance he might-but he's still in the category of a non-traditional candidate.
He has NO University admin experience. He wouldn't even be on UCLA's radar. To everyone but the U of I and devoted alumni, if you know him at all he's a tennis coach. He's been highly successful, no doubt. Lots of good people out there that have been highly successful in many other businesses. That doesn't mean that a Power 5 school looking for an AD would consider them for the job--especially without personal ties. Most Power 5 schools are going to look for someone with Div. 1 AD experience, at another Power 5 school if it really a great job (like Mich) but more likely the rung below the Power 5 for most everyone else. That's what a normal career path and hiring criteria would look like.
While I myself prefer someone with Illini ties, I don't think it's actually rational. It limits the pool greatly and you may end up with a reach within that very shallow pool.
The newly hired Michigan AD was on our list.
And was probably on a lot of lists; the sitting AD at a "near" power 5 school and a minority candidate to boot.
HoustonIllini
- Houston, TX
Let's not forget that while Champaign-Urbana might be the center of our universe from the UI perspective, I'm not sure I would trade Colorado or Australia for central Illinois . . . OK, I would because I love everything 
and I love to deer hunt and pheasant hunt. But the other guys? It will take a LOT of money. . . .
and I love to deer hunt and pheasant hunt. But the other guys? It will take a LOT of money. . . .Deleted member 569417
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Guest
A P5 program today? Nope.
Ooops! I keep forgetting that. Thanks for the correction.:thumb:
I know this is slightly off topic from the hiring aspect of the AD search, but is anyone else astounded by how brutual the women's basketball program is? Surely the new AD will have to make a change on Bollant immediately right?
I doubt it. Your going to get no good candidates for that job and they are still fairly young. You almost have to ride out Bollant for another year. That is not a good situation though you are right about that.
It's crazy to think that one could make the same three hires in the same year just as Thomas did when he came on board. I don't think it will play out that way but it's possible (and probably warranted). Whomever takes this job will have his or her work cut out for them. Hope they are ready and willing.
I actually saw a reporter on Twitter suggest Whitman for Purdue if Illinois doesn't hire him. Burke is expected to be retiring soon.
ilphotog
The camera never lies
- Champaign
Hypothetically on those 3 of course, but there would actually be 4 hire's under this scenario. Add Women's Tennis who is being led by a interim HC right now.
I knew they were bad this year so I just was looking at their roster. Looks like 5 of their top 6 scorers are either Freshman or Sophomores. Bollant has been a winner every year in his previous 10 years before coming to Illinois. Granted , that was at lower level schools. I know nothing about womens recruiting, but I wouldn't mind seeing him get another year with this young roster assuming they are recruiting OK.
Well, the reason they have all frosh and sophs is mainly because of those that left. The women's basketball situation is exactly opposite of the football. Instead of the head coach being fired and the assistant be interim HC, the head coach fired the assistant and kept his job. I like listening to Bollant and just by listening I can tell he knows his x's and O's, but I cannot for the life of me believe that all the complaints against that program in the lawsuit were solely on the assistant. If they were, then you might as well fire Bollant for not having a clue about what his assistant was doing. In this case, Bollant doesn't look good either way IMO, which is a shame because I think he could turn the program around.
According to Whitman's WashU twitter acct, he's planning to attend a court dedication tomorrow night. So no news till after that if he's the guy?
IlliniOX08
- Bucktown, Chicago
Doubt it would matter a ton other than an awkward position with a former employer. It's not like he'd be leaving a major D1 program that would have a ravenous fan base feeling slighted by him leaving. But, yea if it is him I would hope our admin wouldn't put him in that position unless they really, really need to make an announcement. And since we've gone 3 months, what's one more day?
Now that I'm thinking about it more - it's probably exactly what will happen. Our admin will demand he give an answer and demand an announcement putting him in an awkward position with his potentially former employer.
Think of it this way: how happy would you be if we fired Groce and hired the basketball coach from Wheaton College? Or hired our next football coach from Milliken? The difference between D3 and major D1 is so far apart they aren't even the same thing. D3 has no scholarships. Even NAIA schools offer scholarships!
IMHO D3 is about 6 steps below major D1. NAIA, Division 2, D1 mid-majors with no football, D1 FBS, and Group of 5. Maybe a guy can jump two or three levels, but six? D3 is closer to high school than Big 10 in my book.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
We probably shouldn't think of it that way because the AD and the basketball coach don't have very similar jobs.
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