The Illinois Coaching Search

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#3,676      

IlliniRunIn07

IlliniRunIn07
Tampa, FL
IlliniRunIn07
InterimLoyalty said:
Kedric Prince‏ @KedPrince4 3m3 minutes ago




#illini fans don't count this guy out just yet, Monty Williams
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Ugh don't do this to us. I had already accepted that he was out of it. I know Monty's "mediocre" NBA career has been discussed here, but the guy would be an absolute home run of a pick as I could think of. There are a lot of exciting names out there, and I hope we get one (please no Jankovich), but Monty has always been at the top of my list, assuming he's even a slightly realistic candidate.
 
#3,677      

GoIllini40

G
GoIllini40
RichardKeenesHair said:
Another question I have about Monty Williams is if he does well here how long until he is looking to jump back to the NBA? 2 years, maybe 3? I get the argument that it is a good thing because it means he has done well, but I think we need some continuity
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We don't really need continuity, we need someone to bring us back to relevance. Hiring a Bill Self type would not be a bad thing at all.
 
#3,678      

The Worm

The Worm
CHICAGO, IL
The Worm
illinois_hustle said:
I think you're right, especially with the Ball brothers committed. Hope he does though, because he's a bad coach. His rep here (SoCal) is that of a jerk who thinks he's great when he's clearly not. In fact, the whole family has that rep, and I've seen it first hand during the recruiting process. Just nasty, unhappy people. The Ball's are saving his butt at UCLA.
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The other Ball brothers aren't on Lonzo's level, plus his son is graduating, so I'm not sure how attached he is to the future at UCLA. Sure, he's got a good recruiting class coming in, but a big part of that class, Kris Wilkes, could just as easily get out of that and stay home at Indiana.

To me, Alford's the odds on favorite.
 
#3,682      

KrushCow31

KrushCow31
Former Krush Cow
Chicago, IL
KrushCow31
InterimLoyalty said:
Kedric Prince‏ @KedPrince4 3m3 minutes ago




#illini fans don't count this guy out just yet, Monty Williams
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I really don't get the appeal of Monty Williams. Yah he was an NBA coach, but it's not like the Hornets got any better in the 5 years he coached them and he had a sub .500 record, which is something we fired Groce for. Maybe he could recruit well? He's never been in a recruiting role, he's just coached NBA players. Is there any evidence current prospects even know who he is or that he would be a good recruiter? What is the big draw here? I just don't get it.
 
#3,683      

jmilt7

J
Waukegan
jmilt7
I remember the case very well. I'm not sure how it makes Alford slimy. He believed his player was innocent and backed him up. While a mistake in hindsight, it doesn't make him slimy.
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I always thought it was his hair.
:D
 
#3,686      

Obelix

Obelix
Obelix
The Worm said:
The other Ball brothers aren't on Lonzo's level, plus his son is graduating, so I'm not sure how attached he is to the future at UCLA. Sure, he's got a good recruiting class coming in, but a big part of that class, Kris Wilkes, could just as easily get out of that and stay home at Indiana.

To me, Alford's the odds on favorite.
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Alford is very aware and fond of his Indiana legacy but he is not looking forward to returning as a coach to Indiana or the B1G.
 
#3,687      

illinois_hustle

illinois_hustle
illinois_hustle
The Worm said:
The other Ball brothers aren't on Lonzo's level, plus his son is graduating, so I'm not sure how attached he is to the future at UCLA. Sure, he's got a good recruiting class coming in, but a big part of that class, Kris Wilkes, could just as easily get out of that and stay home at Indiana.

To me, Alford's the odds on favorite.
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The 2nd Ball isn't but the 3rd could be if he grows (can never remember the names...). Chemical enhancements could make that happen ... no proof but sorry have you seen Lonzo's head?
Good point about his son, didn't think about that. Regardless, I don't think Alford can coach ... average at best. He thinks too much of himself to get better either.
 
#3,688      

dweebs19

dweebs19
dweebs19
KrushCow31 said:
I really don't get the appeal of Monty Williams. Yah he was an NBA coach, but it's not like the Hornets got any better in the 5 years he coached them and he had a sub .500 record, which is something we fired Groce for. Maybe he could recruit well? He's never been in a recruiting role, he's just coached NBA players. Is there any evidence current prospects even know who he is or that he would be a good recruiter? What is the big draw here? I just don't get it.
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Yea...I really don't get it either. I think I'd rather get a Scott Drew
 
#3,690      

Smacko

S
Lexington, KY
Smacko
Obelix said:
Alford is very aware and fond of his Indiana legacy but he is not looking forward to returning as a coach to Indiana or the B1G.
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He is at UCLA which has just as much history as Indiana, so I don't get why people think he would be that keen to make the move. He is at a high profile school. He is living in LA rather than Bloomington. He has the Ball brothers on the hook. The PAC-12 isn't that strong, so he has a good chance to have continued success. There are a bunch of reasons to stay, plus I imagine UCLA could match IU dollar for dollar unless they make an offer that is absolutely insane.
 
#3,691      

Sizzler22

S
Sizzler22
I think people are forgetting how much of an impact Monty had on some great players currently playing in the NBA right now. That's the type of guy we need at Illinois. :illinois:
 
#3,692      

Ga65

G
Ga65
When we are talking fit for the job I assume we are talking the difference in recruiting at UI vs Duke or Kentucky. At those schools I would assume it is as much sorting as selling. I.e picking from the players that would love to come that would fit their system. That is probably over simplifying it but it is a much different job at UI (or IU). It would also seem to me that most of these coaches are pretty good at X and O's. The real difference is disciplining the players to follow your system. Be a much different approach for a group of five stars and a mid-major group of two stars, or an NBA team. Suspect JG failed as he didn't instill the discipline. Maybe too nice a guy or not tough enough. If you watch Geno's teams they follow his system or they are not playing. Players never talk about him being a great guy. Obviously much easier if you have your players for four years without multimillion bonus for leaving.

My point is the strengths required in our program must be analysied rather than their current records? It may also be strongly affected by their assistants.
 
#3,693      

Second and Chalmers

S
Second and Chalmers
illinois_hustle said:
Yikes! OK then. I wish him well. He will probably do great back at his level.
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I think he would do well as a builder at some school that's a conference doormat currently.

If I'm Duquesne looking for a way up the A10 ladder, knowing that if I hire an up-and-comer they're going to bolt after one good season and not leave me with much infrastructure, John Groce is pretty interesting to me.
 
#3,694      

illiniguy24

illiniguy24
illiniguy24
peoriabball13 said:
IMO they are about to be elite really soon here. Also my opinion that they are a final 4 lock. I could though be blinded by their jerseys and not thinking correctly. We shall see.
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I don't think they are a lock now that they lost their big man/defensive shot blocker


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#3,695      

EJ33

E
San Francisco
EJ33
Smacko said:
He is at UCLA which has just as much history as Indiana, so I don't get why people think he would be that keen to make the move. He is at a high profile school. He is living in LA rather than Bloomington. He has the Ball brothers on the hook. The PAC-12 isn't that strong, so he has a good chance to have continued success. There are a bunch of reasons to stay, plus I imagine UCLA could match IU dollar for dollar unless they make an offer that is absolutely insane.
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There are all sorts of reasons that UCLA is a better job, but to me the most important is that recruiting at UCLA is A LOT easier. Name a recent coach at UCLA that has struggled to land 5 star talent. That's right - there isn't one.

That's reason enough to stay.
 
#3,696      

Illinoise

Illinoise
Illinoise
dweebs19 said:
Yea...I really don't get it either. I think I'd rather get a Scott Drew
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I trust Josh Whitman and his connections here. If it's Monty Williams, there must be overwhelming evidence that Monty will be able to seriously upgrade our recruiting. He wouldn't be getting the job unless that were true.
 
#3,697      

Ulysses Everett McGill

Ulysses Everett McGill
Ulysses Everett McGill
About every 500 posts or so the words "Sean Miller" appear on this thread. I'm not ignoring these signs. Sean and younger bro Archie want to coach against each other on a regular basis -- the sibling competitive rivalry goes back to bro on bro fights in the driveway, Archie's resentment that Sean got the cool Irish name, yada, yada -- and Sean is tired of sunshine and no winters in the desert. So they've engineered a path where one takes the IU gig and the other "settles" for UI. It's decided in a game of rock, scissors, paper. They've secretly had Delany agree to schedule home and aways for the next 5 years, and already cut a deal with a certain beer company for a piece of the action in promoting pre-game Miller Time events at each campus. Remember you heard it here first.

#bidingmytime
 
#3,698      

illinois_hustle

illinois_hustle
illinois_hustle
To the members who watch more college basketball than I do ... which of these coaches being mentioned has the best offensive and defensive schemes?

So many teams/coaches today seem to embrace the dribble dribble dribble stretch & break your man down 1:1 or hoist a shot style, which I abhor. Although that's pure athlete vs athlete, it's just boring to me. The best Ive seen this season is Jankovich at SMU (probably a holdover from Brown's tenure). Just tons of passing, cutting, screens, and unselfishness to find best shot. That's what I want at Illinois ... our team has been way too ugly to watch for the last 6-7 years or so.
 
#3,700      

IlliniRunIn07

IlliniRunIn07
Tampa, FL
IlliniRunIn07
KrushCow31 said:
I really don't get the appeal of Monty Williams. Yah he was an NBA coach, but it's not like the Hornets got any better in the 5 years he coached them and he had a sub .500 record, which is something we fired Groce for. Maybe he could recruit well? He's never been in a recruiting role, he's just coached NBA players. Is there any evidence current prospects even know who he is or that he would be a good recruiter? What is the big draw here? I just don't get it.
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There are no guarantees with anyone we pick. Half this thread seemed to be us talking ourselves out of wanting Tony Bennet for some reason. Monty definitely comes with his own risks, having never coached in the NCAA before. He is my top target (never really assumed he was realistic), and it's just my opinion, but some of the reasons I want him:

He has a significant amount of NBA experience as a player and a coach. Kind of like with the football staff, it can be a major selling point to recruits. I know kids we are recruiting would have never seen him play in the NBA, but the "I know what it takes to make it" angle is nice. From all accounts, he's an incredibly high character person. That was what I liked about Groce, and Monty wouldn't have a drop off in that regard. He was an assistant for Team USA in the Olympics. Yes, he coached under Coach ShaChevsky, but Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau were the other assistants. To even be thought of as in the same universe as those guys would be a tremendous step up for the program. He had some bad teams in New Orleans, but he started his coaching career in his late 30s. Coaches can get better, and learn from their "failed" experiences. He still made the playoffs twice in 5 years with his bad teams. And while making the NBA playoffs isn't too difficult, I can say the same about a 68 team NCAA tournament. While I don't think we need to look for an African American head coach, I'm going to go ahead and count it as a perk. Having two high quality guys like Lovie and Monty being the face of Illini sports would just make me incredibly proud, and having pride in the program hasn't been the norm the past few years.

Monty could come in and do terrible. On the flip side, we could rehire Groce tomorrow and win the B1G the next 10 years. These things aren't an exact science, but while a lot of people are on the Keatts Hype Train, you can call me the Count of Monty Cristo.

All that being said, I'd put our odds at less than 1%, and that might even be generous. But I am just an idiot with an opinion.
 
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