Don't focus on the talk, or the last handful of games. Look at the body of work.
And the body of work for Cuonzo is better than Groce, but not by a ton.
The Illinois Coaching Search
- Status
Don't focus on the talk, or the last handful of games. Look at the body of work.
And the body of work for Cuonzo is better than Groce, but not by a ton.
Who's the best fit out there? Whitman mentioned a few criteria, didn't he?
- head coach experience
- dynamic recruiter
- appreciates and understands Illinois' tradition
Looking at these criteria, Cuonzo was a lock if he could've done better this season. I'm not pushing him, but I really think he'll still be considered.
Who's the name out there that could almost certainly recruit Chicago and St. Louis better than Cuonzo? I'm pretty sure Cuonzo keeps the recruiting class and adds Mark Smith.
Not pushing Cuonzo, I just want to know who is a better fit.
- head coach experience
- dynamic recruiter
- appreciates and understands Illinois' tradition
Looking at these criteria, Cuonzo was a lock if he could've done better this season. I'm not pushing him, but I really think he'll still be considered.
Who's the name out there that could almost certainly recruit Chicago and St. Louis better than Cuonzo? I'm pretty sure Cuonzo keeps the recruiting class and adds Mark Smith.
Not pushing Cuonzo, I just want to know who is a better fit.
ILLINIShox24
Orange Krush '04 & '05
I think this scenario might play out, but with Cuonzo at Mizzou
Cheez
- Sun Prairie WI
factoring in the prestige of the job, the natural recruiting pipelines, the facilities, the conference, and the support from the administration - Illinois is absolutely a top-20 program. The results from the end of Weber and all of Groce just haven't shown that.
Since Whitman emphasized fit, then he has to be under consideration. It wouldn't be a shocker.
Cheez
- Sun Prairie WI
pun intended?
MrOizo
- Chicago
I'll add: the only scenario where this is not true IMO is if Keatts is our clear #2. If that's the case, I could see a scenario where this is over really quickly with few candidates contacted.
Not a fit, look at Mashall's winning percentages at Winthrop and WSU. He built winthrop and took WSU to another level. Marshall does have the ability to identify talent and coach them up Van Fleet, Baker, Early. This season showed Marshall is a great coach after losing Van Fleet and Baker. The one reason why WSU stays consistent is he is a great defensive coach.
Your questioning whether or not he can step up recruiting. Most mid-major coaches have to step it up and or find assistants to strengthen their weaknesses. Marshall has prioritized recruiting players for WSU out of the St.Louis-Kansas City area in the past. Not sure how hard Groce was in on Landry Shamet but he ended up at WSU.
The problem is Marshall is already a highly paid coach. Pizza Hut and the Koch Brothers could and will probably offer him a raise.
Last edited:
Ha. I'd like to take credit, but just a coincidence. Marshall is a great coach, but I tend to agree with some of the others about whether he would be a good fit.
Serious Late
- Peoria via Denver via Ann Arbor via Albuquerque vi
Ugggggggggh, Cuonzo's friends and family are back or what?
Not. A. Good. Coach.
Quality recruiter, has shown nothing to suggest he can maximize the talent recruited.
That said, the right coach is in the Pac-12 right now!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Not. A. Good. Coach.
Quality recruiter, has shown nothing to suggest he can maximize the talent recruited.
That said, the right coach is in the Pac-12 right now!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Anyone who can coach. I've been watching his team pretty closely the last several months & they look pretty disorganized. They have talent & are playing well below their talent level.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
Alford? I kid I kid.Ugggggggggh, Cuonzo's friends and family are back or what?
Not. A. Good. Coach.
Quality recruiter, has shown nothing to suggest he can maximize the talent recruited.
That said, the right coach is in the Pac-12 right now!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1526 using Tapatalk
I'm more than OK with Marshall. Hard to find a Coach that consistently wins at any sport at any level without emphasizing defense. A good coach has an accurate knowledge of his own strengths and weaknesses (and we all have both), and will cover his weaknesses with his staff. If Marshal comes in and instills a pride in defense and an emphasis on fundamentals, he can find somebody to recruit Chicago.
Ugggggggggh, Cuonzo's friends and family are back or what?
Not. A. Good. Coach.
Quality recruiter, has shown nothing to suggest he can maximize the talent recruited.
That said, the right coach is in the Pac-12 right now!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
My only direct connection to Cuonzo is that my brother-in-law played basketball against him once in high school. I don't know Cuonzo and probably couldn't even pick him out of a line-up. I completely agree with you that he's not a good coach. I really hope the rumor I heard isn't true or that the source got his wires crossed and Cuonzo is actually going to Mizzou. If my source actually ends up at Cal to replace Cuonzo, I'll be amazed. Its entirely possible he was just telling my FIL what he thought my FIL wanted to hear. I'll be more than happy to be wrong about this.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After this season, Cuonzo is too risky. They need to go with a guy who is already a proven consistent winner. They'll have to throw some more cash, but if they are serious about turning illinois around, they'll pay more.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
I've heard that Cuonzo was all but hired last year, but this happened and threw a wrench in the works.
I think Martin is still a candidate this year. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'd love his recruiting, but I wonder about his ability to get results. Obviously his season has been disappointing and I have no clue how that may factor into Whitman's decision.
I would love to have Miller or Marshall but I feel the diamond in the rough here might be Larry Krystkowiak. Have you looked at the trajectory of Utah's basketball program since he took over? Former NBA player, would need to have a good staff recruiting-wise but man does the year over year improvement look good.
MrOizo
- Chicago
I'm not on the Cuonzo bandwagon by any means, but I think Cuonzo can coach. It's just that he has a lot more P5 experience than others we are considering. When you look at Cuonzo's situations, and if we can make the *assumption* that the teams he took over weren't very good, he looks fine to me as a coach. If you consider the teams he took over, where they were at, and how he adjusted offense and defense to the personnel, it's not as if he looks inferior to, say, Keatts.
Mind you, this is just high-level stats...
- How efficient are his offense and defense?
SRS - Points above/below average, where 0 is average and higher = better. Accounts for point differential and SOS.
SOS - Strength of schedule, where 0 is average and higher = better.
KEATTS:
NC Wilmington:
2014-2015: Offense: #200 | Defense: #158 (18-14 | SRS: -2.53 | SOS: -1.92)
2015-2016: Offense: #63 | Defense: #110 (23-11 | SRS: 6.25 | SOS: 0.35)
2016-2017: Offense: #5 | Defense: #214 (21-12 | SRS: 8.05 | SOS: -0.98)
MARTIN:
Efficiency Ratings / Record:
Missouri State:
2008-2009: Offense: #256 | Defense: #179 (11-20 | SRS: -1.9 | SOS: 1.9)
2009-2010: Offense: #35 | Defense: #140 (24-12 | SRS: 7.57 | SOS: 1.4)
2010-2011: Offense: #17 | Defense: #161 (26-9 | SRS: 8.07 | SOS: 1.35)
Tennessee:
2011-2012: Offense: #132 | Defense: #111 (19-15 | SRS: 9.49 | SOS: 6.58)
2012-2013: Offense: #127 | Defense: #118 (20-13 | SRS: 9.00 | SOS: 6.03)
2013-2014: Offense: #29 | Defense: #41 (24-13 | SRS: 17.34 | SOS: 7.84)
Cal:
2014-2015: Offense: #224 | Defense: #142 (18-15 | SRS: 5.36 | SOS: 6.15)
2015-2016: Offense: #84 | Defense: #39 (23-11 | SRS: 15.39 | SOS: 7.87)
2016-2017: Offense: #226 | Defense: #10 (21-12 | SRS: 11.79 | SOS: 6.67)
For comparison:
Illinois Efficiency:
2008-2009: Offense: #160 | Defense: #3 (21-12 | SRS: 14.38 | SOS: 6.73)
2009-2010: Offense: #111 | Defense: #108 (21-12 | SRS: 11.58 | SOS: 9.58)
2010-2011: Offense: #64 | Defense: #88 (21-12 | SRS: 16.72 | SOS: 11.11)
2011-2012: Offense: #180 | Defense: #109 (21-12 | SRS: 9.33 | SOS: 7.99)
2012-2013: Offense: #105 | Defense: #136 (21-12 | SRS: 13.23 | SOS: 10.08)
2013-2014: Offense: #224 | Defense: #54 (21-12 | SRS: 10.33 | SOS: 8.28)
2014-2015: Offense: #92 | Defense: #70 (21-12 | SRS: 12.42 | SOS: 6.93)
2015-2016: Offense: #196 | Defense: #239 (21-12 | SRS: 4.39 | SOS: 7.03)
2016-2017: Offense: #175 | Defense: #136 (21-12 | SRS: 10.34 | SOS: 9.89)
Last edited:
Serious Late
- Peoria via Denver via Ann Arbor via Albuquerque vi
That is one heck of a lucky wrench to have been thrown our way!
:thumb:
You would have thought that with what happened 5 yrs ago with the coaching search that people on this board had learned their lesson...(Brad Stevens, Shaka Smart). No big name coach is leaving a program that he has rolling to come to Illinois to start to build again. Put your $$$ away, not happening. You are looking at Keatts, Martin or some other coach looking to get back to a power conference. Please stop all this Billy D, Greg M or A Miller talk. NOT HAPPENING!
This, plus I loved to watch him out-coach Bobby Knight almost every time.
You can't assume that. He took over winning situations with good rosters at both Tennessee and Cal.
Cheez
- Sun Prairie WI
The biggest obstacles in trying to get the big name coach last year weren't Illinois' results. It was a university that was undergoing massive turnover at the top and an AD that wouldn't offer the support those coaches would require. All of that is gone now, so I think it's fair for Illinois fans to set their sights high again.
- Status