The Illinois Coaching Search
- Status
Had a few pieces of second-hand information fall into my lap this morning. Just take it fwiw, probably not worth reading into too much.
- Cuonzo Martin is pushing hard for Mark Smith. Smith to cut list of schools very soon.
- If Whitman doesn't announce the new HC Monday or Tuesday, that means that option #1 (no, I don't know who it is) fell through and we're on to the next 3-ish options. Timing is of the essence for recruiting reasons.
- Cuonzo Martin is pushing hard for Mark Smith. Smith to cut list of schools very soon.
- If Whitman doesn't announce the new HC Monday or Tuesday, that means that option #1 (no, I don't know who it is) fell through and we're on to the next 3-ish options. Timing is of the essence for recruiting reasons.
I'll-considered? OK, maybe any blanket assumption is not a good idea at this point, but I'm gonna go out on that limb and guess Whitman's at least competent. He's a pretty sharp dude, and while the task is a bit tricky due to need for secrecy, dealing with agents and go-betweens rather than targets themselves, $$, and changing landscapes due to things like the Crean creaning, I don't think it's crazy to think he's competent enough to keep Walker's retention with a new staff alive if circumstances permit. He could have just gone ahead and signed Walker up and left that as a precondition for the new hire; that would've been dumb for sure. Since I don't think he's dumb, if the rumor that Walker has been retained is true then I'm inclined to agree with others that it's likely he has his new coach and that guy has agreed to retain Walker. I posted some thoughts/questions the other day (but am too techno-challenged to repost) on what Whitman might've done contractually with Walker to keep his possible retention in play (via possible incentives for him to be retained). Maybe he had no time to do something like that, but at any rate I choose to believe it's far more likely Whitman is at least competently managing the process, both as to Walker's status and overall.
OTOH, if we end up with the hoops version of Beckman, forget all that.
Definitely. Wisely so.
He got universal praise for doing well with a crap roster. He's highly recommended as a coach and a person by Coach Popovich. Many think he would be a great recruiter because of the type of person he is and how he relates to players. All of that said, I do have questions about whether he would have the time to put in the days on the road it takes to be a college basketball coach given his very unfortunate family tragedy (he is a widowed father of 5)
Not necessarily. If Bennett is their top choice and they are still in the tournament, they can't work on that hiring. Same could be said for Marshall or anyone else still playing in the tournament. I would not expect an announcement on Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately because the tournament just started, I imagine the top choices could still be playing.
Sorry, didn't see this; probably could've just + 1 ed it if I had.
A very good coach and well respected. Players love him. Also an African American with pro experience and a lot of connections. Pretty much the same as Lovie.
He was a mediocre NBA coach. But he's beloved by the coaching community, beloved by his players, he's connected to everybody, he definitely profiles as someone who could get players.
But I agree, I don't think he belongs in the pie-in-the-sky tier.
He was a very solid NBA coach who had a bad draw with a bad team. There's a reason they're after him, he's highly respected among NBA people.
Lovie was a much better NFL coach than Monty was an NBA coach.
That only matters so much, but it's true.
Knight was exercising pro-active damage control to keep S. Drew from Illinois.
He'll elevate the narrative to DEFCON 1 if UI does indeed hire Drew. That's his style. And this is one Knight narrative that Purdue fans will be happy to embrace.
Maybe more accurate to say he was considered a good NBA coach stuck with a bad franchise. I should have also added that he was 1 of 3 assistants for USA Basketball at the Rio Olympics
All makes sense but can't hurry on account of recruiting at the expense of the coach selection. I agree it would be nice to think the new guy is already lined up but who knows.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
RE: Alford ... not that it would matter to all fans, but he was a VERY entitled jerk to just about everyone in Iowa City. Very rude guy.
True, but I console myself with the fact that each of these coaches makes more in one year than I will in my lifetime, probably two lifetimes even.
BananaShampoo
Captain 'Paign
- Phoenix, AZ
He'd fit right in with IU fans. :thumb:
Tail #N816FG is getting ready to depart Naples for Willard and an Easy Jet is returning to San Antonio. And of course, FSR411 came from PHX yesterday to Willard. Connect the dots, folks!!
12:35 pm arrival today into Willard for #N816FG
For the record, because Khan lives in Naples and Flex-n-Gate is in Urbana, planes go from Naples to Willard all the time.
The other stuff could easily all be just coincidental noise.
Trakis
- Chicago, IL
And you take his personal life into account, and you have to respect his decision to stay away from college. He's making the right decision to stay in the NBA for sure.
I agree with all of that, that is actually my point. So calling Oregon an elite program in basketball is off the mark.
Not sure if these coaches were right or wrong. They did not take the job, and dealing with Phil Knight might be difficult. Some of them may have regretted it, or would take the opportunity today if presented to them. But the bottom line is that the did not take the job.
I do not think any school likes "sub-optimal" coaching but recruiting at Illinois is not a given. Having a great, dynamic recruiter who can upgrade the talent level is a must.
I am not a fan of Brian Gregory but all these hypotheticals have little merit. Dana Altman failed at Kansas State, I am personally not sure if Altman would have succeeded at Illinois. Reminds me of all these hypotheticals over the years... "Bill Self would not have reached F4 at Illinois", or the popular "Coach XYZ would not be successful, even if he had Calipari level talent." Nobody knows, certain coaches have done well in certain situations. It is not guaranteed that they will succeed/fail in other situations or schools.
That's true. The guy I was hearing from was simply suggesting that our incoming class stands to lose a lot of sparkle if Mizzou is allowed to act before we do on Tilmon and Smith. Hardly a surprise there.
Agree that we can't put the cart ahead of the horse here, even though it might sting up front.
Why would Knight want to prevent Drew from going to a rival of IU when he hopes everyone at the latter at the time he was canned is dead? The guy's gone wacko so why would anyone listen to his rants now anyway?
P.S. Not saying there's no slime attached to Drew; don't know anything about that.
- Status