The Illinois Coaching Search

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#2,676      

Illiniwin1

I
Illiniwin1
Illinoy said:
I think Keats is a huge gamble from a conference acceleration standpoint and I see why our AD might not want to go that route; however hiring a qualified African-American head coach will turn heads in the positive way in Chicago.
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That's a very good point but if that were the case then I think they would have hired Cuonzo Martin
 
#2,677      

illinipioneer

illinipioneer
Richmond, VA
illinipioneer
What happened to the whole, "Hoiberg to Illinois 100%"? or did that die and sputter like most?
 
#2,678      

kcib8130

kcib8130
Parts Unknown
kcib8130
ILHoff said:
Missouri made a great hire in my opinion. Cuonzo is now set up with Michael Porter Jr who has proven to be a winner everywhere. Can Cuonzo put anyone with him for one year at Missouri? The next year he gets Porter's brother who plays AAU with Gordon (committed to SLU I've heard that's shaky). Then you have Ramey and Ayo as possible PGs in that class. The next year you have Liddell and Hargrove. Not saying he gets all those guys, but he has been put in a position to be successful. It's really great timing for Missouri to hire Cuonzo. It sounds like Illinois has bigger fish to fry though, and I'm pretty excited about who we'll get.
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Saw a post on Twitter saying that his brother may reclassify to 2017, but it seems way late in the process to do such.

I can see people not wanting Cuonzo at UI, but if you think it's good he's at Mizzou you are on a different planet. Mizzou got their grand slam hire that we are now dreaming of.
 
#2,679      

IntenselyOrange

I
IntenselyOrange
Second and Chalmers said:
Bennett 0%
Miller 1%
Marshall 2%
The Field 97%

I just have an inkling it might be Steve Prohm, and when you people treat that as not a grand slam, I might just have an aneurysm and die and you won't have to listen to my nonsense any more. So, root for that I guess :D
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You've probably outlined your love for Prohm somewhere, but can you briefly describe why he'd be a grand slam? He's done OK, but he's taken over strong programs at Murray State and Iowa State. In fact, at Murray State their success decreased each year (of course, he started with a 1-loss season and a 6 seed). He's done fine at Iowa State, but that team was already rolling. Their top 4 scorers are all seniors, but the incoming recruits do seem strong.
 
#2,680      

golferjohn1970

G
golferjohn1970
illinipioneer said:
What happened to the whole, "Hoiberg to Illinois 100%"? or did that die and sputter like most?
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I don't like Hoiberg if you really break him down he was just above average at Iowa State and he has been a disaster with the Bulls. He likely stays one more year with Chicago before he gets shown the door after next season. Too much $$ on his contract to fire him now.
 
#2,681      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
Obelix said:
Top recruits are national recruits. But people are kidding themselves if they think we will not get top recruits from Chicago or Illinois but will get them consistently from somewhere else. The proximity/state advantage is indeed a benefit, although a slight one.



I like all the tough talk that people over the years bring on message boards. We do not need Chicago, we do not need CPL, we do not need this powerful AAU program, we do not need the other powerful program, let's teach them a lesson... Some lesson we have taught them, I do not see the Mac Irvin Fire's of the world struggling or shedding any tears, yet we have become irrelevant in college basketball.



To be successful at Illinois, a coach needs to be a dynamic recruiter. He does not only need to deal with the powerful HS and AAU programs, he will need to embrace them.
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There are people who still think a good fundamental coach will get you a long way. Unless you have dealt with the beast that is AAU or follow it closely, you'll never truly understand how crucial it is to have a strong presence in that circle to STAY a top 25 team or higher year after year.

This isn't the good ole days where a proper bounce pass and a mid range jump shot will win you conference championships. You need the best and most skilled athletes, therefore you need a coach who will bring them in. I'm with you Obelix.


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#2,682      

Ransom Stoddard

Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
Ransom Stoddard
illinipioneer said:
What happened to the whole, "Hoiberg to Illinois 100%"? or did that die and sputter like most?
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I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't see Hoiberg walking away from NBA money and if he gets fired it's likely not until the end of the season. I'd love to have him, but I don't think any active NBA coach is in play and Whitman (ADJW to the ACC folks) can't afford to wait and see who gets fired at the end of the NBA season.
 
#2,683      

ILHoff

I
ILHoff
kcib8130 said:
Saw a post on Twitter saying that his brother may reclassify to 2017, but it seems way late in the process to do such.

I can see people not wanting Cuonzo at UI, but if you think it's good he's at Mizzou you are on a different planet. Mizzou got their grand slam hire that we are now dreaming of.
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I heard the Porter's are homeschooled and don't even attend Nathan Hale for regular classes. No idea how that works or if it's true, but that might be how he reclassifies.
 
#2,684      

Second and Chalmers

S
Second and Chalmers
IntenselyOrange said:
You've probably outlined your love for Prohm somewhere, but can you briefly describe why he'd be a grand slam? He's done OK, but he's taken over strong programs at Murray State and Iowa State. In fact, at Murray State their success decreased each year (of course, he started with a 1-loss season and a 6 seed). He's done fine at Iowa State, but that team was already rolling. Their top 4 scorers are all seniors, but the incoming recruits do seem strong.
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I share those worries, but poaching a winning coach from another Power Five school is not something that just happens. It's a unicorn of an occurrence.

I think coaches who are coaching excellent teams right stinking now are underrated. Prohm. Jankovich. I was there on McDermott for a hot minute but their collapse without Mo Watson worries me.
 
#2,685      

combes

C
combes
Illinoy said:
all that is a true story, but I'm speaking in terms of replacing yates when he left for (cincy or xavier)?
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When Yates left, it was up to Lou to make a great hire to replace him. He did. That is what a top head coach is supposed to do. Lou was never "on his way out the door." Illinois was really good by the time Jimmy got here.
 
#2,686      

FatGreg

F
FatGreg
Second and Chalmers said:
Yeah, Lord Byron would definitely excite the Chicago AAU scene more.
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I'm personally a Shelley man, though not opposed to Byron. I worry that Keats wouldn't stay more than three years - could easily see him leaving for a job in Arizona or New Mexico with the quote, "I find I am constitutionally ill-suited for the insalubrious climate of the Middle West." One guy I'm not as high in as others is William Blake. Just don't see him recruiting well in Chicago or St Louis.
 
#2,687      

Second and Chalmers

S
Second and Chalmers
RichardH said:
My gut is handicapping things the same way, but to be honest I can't get the 4.8 mil out of my head. If the rumor(s) on possible salary have merit, which I kinda think they do, I would have to believe it would open A LOT of doors for us. I have no problem with a guy like Prohm, Keatts, or even Jankovich. I just think if we have this alleged money to spend then it would be more of a marquee name. Not saying a better coach or better fit, just a bigger name.
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Well choosing a bigger name over a better coach just to find a garage to park the donors money in would be a horrible folly. I hope Whitman is smarter than that slash has enough autonomy from his donors to not do that.

$4.8 million will open many doors. It will not open some of the doors that have been bandied about.
 
#2,688      

RichardKeenesHair

R
RichardKeenesHair
Tony Bennett is the winningest coach in ACC the last 5 years. Gregg Marshall is the winnigest coach period in the last 5. Xs and Os coaches will always find success in college given 1 and Dones and the imprecise nature of scouting 17 year olds

illiniguy24 said:
There are people who still think a good fundamental coach will get you a long way. Unless you have dealt with the beast that is AAU or follow it closely, you'll never truly understand how crucial it is to have a strong presence in that circle to STAY a top 25 team or higher year after year.

This isn't the good ole days where a proper bounce pass and a mid range jump shot will win you conference championships. You need the best and most skilled athletes, therefore you need a coach who will bring them in. I'm with you Obelix.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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#2,689      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
combes said:
Lou was never on his way out the door, and his first great talent came before Jimmy Collins was ever on staff. Tony Yates was the lead recruiter for Levi Cobb, Eddie Johnson, Efrem Winters, Ken (Colliers) Norman and other Chicago area kids. Henson's 1982 recruiting class had two McDonald's All Americans in it (Winters and Bruce Douglas) plus the third best player after them in Illinois (Doug Altenberger).

The breakthrough in Chicago came five years earlier with Levi Cobb out of Morgan Park. The next year Illinois got Eddie Johnson from Westinghouse plus Mark Smith from Peoria.

Henson and Illinois were on the rise after the 1978-79 season and it continued through the 80s.

All of this happened before Jimmy Collins arrived in 1983. Collins was great, no doubt, but Tony Yates was the assistant who got the ball rolling in Chicago. By the time Collins arrived, Henson was entrenched at Illinois and the team was really good. 1984 season was 26-5 and Elite Eight with Henson and Yates recruits. Collins was instrumental in getting the Chicago kids in the mid-80s going forward (Nick Anderson, Lowell Hamilton, Kiwane Garris, Deon Thomas, etc.).
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That is correct. Both Tony Yates and Jimmy Collins were great recruiters, and Illinois got some great talent from both to get the ball rolling. The recruiting landscape has changed though, just having a great assistant is not enough anymore. The emergence of the shoe company sponsored AAU programs and national AAU tournaments has completely changed recruiting.
 
#2,690      

Dirtbags32

D
Dirtbags32
Can we please stop speculating with the NBA head coaches. There's no way they are leaving their jobs mid-season to come coach Illinois or any school. That's something that would only happen in the off-season, and we don't have that kind of timetable.
 
#2,692      

ritster

R
Wheaton, IL
ritster
combes said:
Lou was never on his way out the door, and his first great talent came before Jimmy Collins was ever on staff. Tony Yates was the lead recruiter for Levi Cobb, Eddie Johnson, Efrem Winters, Ken (Colliers) Norman and other Chicago area kids. Henson's 1982 recruiting class had two McDonald's All Americans in it (Winters and Bruce Douglas) plus the third best player after them in Illinois (Doug Altenberger).

The breakthrough in Chicago came five years earlier with Levi Cobb out of Morgan Park. The next year Illinois got Eddie Johnson from Westinghouse plus Mark Smith from Peoria.

Henson and Illinois were on the rise after the 1978-79 season and it continued through the 80s.

All of this happened before Jimmy Collins arrived in 1983. Collins was great, no doubt, but Tony Yates was the assistant who got the ball rolling in Chicago. By the time Collins arrived, Henson was entrenched at Illinois and the team was really good. 1984 season was 26-5 and Elite Eight with Henson and Yates recruits. Collins was instrumental in getting the Chicago kids in the mid-80s going forward (Nick Anderson, Lowell Hamilton, Kiwane Garris, Deon Thomas, etc.).
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This is fact. :thumb:
 
#2,694      

Second and Chalmers

S
Second and Chalmers
Just to kind of get a perspective, let's take a look at what the coaches of the top 4 seeds in the tournament starting today were when they got hired for those jobs:

Hofstra Head Coach
Louisiana Tech Head Coach
Valparaiso Head Coach
Army Head Coach
Internal Assistant
Kansas State Head Coach
Fired Ex-Head Coach of the Washington Wizards
Xavier Head Coach
Illinois Head Coach :(
Southern Illinois Head Coach
Creighton Head Coach
Fired Ex-Head Coach of the Boston Celtics
Kansas Head Coach
Gardner-Webb Head Coach
New Mexico Head Coach
Memphis Head Coach
 
#2,695      

EJ33

E
San Francisco
EJ33
combes said:
Lou was never on his way out the door, and his first great talent came before Jimmy Collins was ever on staff. Tony Yates was the lead recruiter for Levi Cobb, Eddie Johnson, Efrem Winters, Ken (Colliers) Norman and other Chicago area kids. Henson's 1982 recruiting class had two McDonald's All Americans in it (Winters and Bruce Douglas) plus the third best player after them in Illinois (Doug Altenberger).

The breakthrough in Chicago came five years earlier with Levi Cobb out of Morgan Park. The next year Illinois got Eddie Johnson from Westinghouse plus Mark Smith from Peoria.

Henson and Illinois were on the rise after the 1978-79 season and it continued through the 80s.

All of this happened before Jimmy Collins arrived in 1983. Collins was great, no doubt, but Tony Yates was the assistant who got the ball rolling in Chicago. By the time Collins arrived, Henson was entrenched at Illinois and the team was really good. 1984 season was 26-5 and Elite Eight with Henson and Yates recruits. Collins was instrumental in getting the Chicago kids in the mid-80s going forward (Nick Anderson, Lowell Hamilton, Kiwane Garris, Deon Thomas, etc.).
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Combes, thank you for setting the record straight. There are a lot of alternative facts about Lou on this board.
 
#2,697      

illiniCA

illiniCA
DC Area
illiniCA
Obelix said:
That's not true, many Xs and Os coaches had experienced success and failed at their next stop, especially moving from mid to high-major.
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This debate is crazy to me. You need someone who can recruit and coach. You want to win when you have down recruiting years and cant expect to win all the time with out a certain level of talent.
 
#2,698      

haasi

haasi
New York
haasi
Dollars to donuts, Shad Kubla Khan will deliver Coleridge no matter what it takes
 
#2,699      

TownieMatt

T
CU Expat
Chicago
TownieMatt
Second and Chalmers said:
Just to kind of get a perspective, let's take a look at what the coaches of the top 4 seeds in the tournament starting today were when they got hired for those jobs:

Hofstra Head Coach
Louisiana Tech Head Coach
Valparaiso Head Coach
Army Head Coach
Internal Assistant
Kansas State Head Coach
Fired Ex-Head Coach of the Washington Wizards
Xavier Head Coach
Illinois Head Coach :(
Southern Illinois Head Coach
Creighton Head Coach
Fired Ex-Head Coach of the Boston Celtics
Kansas Head Coach
Gardner-Webb Head Coach
New Mexico Head Coach
Memphis Head Coach
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Good post. A lot of true mid-major head coaches (not low-major).
 
#2,700      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
RichardKeenesHair said:
Tony Bennett is the winningest coach in ACC the last 5 years. Gregg Marshall is the winnigest coach period in the last 5. Xs and Os coaches will always find success in college given 1 and Dones and the imprecise nature of scouting 17 year olds
Click to expand...



Yes you can win all the conference games in the world at Wichita State with good Xs and Os, not the Power 5, unless you have the talent to execute it. Tony Bennett is a fantastic Xs and Os coach and has good athletes, thus his success during the regular season.

But regardless, there is one final four to show between both those coaches over the last decade or more. When the tournament comes around, talent will always prevail.


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