College Basketball 2011-2012

[SouthSideRyan]

I think we have a much better chance at Smart than anyone else. I still want Grant, but I'm afraid he'll be too cost-prohibitive. Williams makes over 2M/Y as well, I'm not sure he'll leave without a raise, if just as a matter of pride, beyond the fact that he's comfortable there.

[snoodmonger]

ok, i want some, generally speaking, objective opinions on shaka smart or buzz williams to illinois after the year. paying no mind to the small chance that weber is back, what do you think are the odds of either of these coaches leaving their jobs for the illini one?

 

Unless there's bad blood between Shaka and the AD at UI, I'd have to think that one is a no-brainer for UI. With the deteriorating state of the Big East, you have to think BW would be interested, too.

 

Illinois is primed to make whoever takes over there look really good. The roster has a ton of talent, so they're ready to win now. And there's high school talent in abundance nearby. With the right coach, they could be a scary program.

[Old Style]

Buzz Williams is a helluva coach IMO. Would have loved to see A&M hire him after Turgeon left for Maryland. Sounds like we went after him hard, but the cost (salary + buyout) was just too much for us.

[Magnetic Curses]

ok, i want some, generally speaking, objective opinions on shaka smart or buzz williams to illinois after the year. paying no mind to the small chance that weber is back, what do you think are the odds of either of these coaches leaving their jobs for the illini one?

 

Unless there's bad blood between Shaka and the AD at UI, I'd have to think that one is a no-brainer for UI. With the deteriorating state of the Big East, you have to think BW would be interested, too.

 

Illinois is primed to make whoever takes over there look really good. The roster has a ton of talent, so they're ready to win now. And there's high school talent in abundance nearby. With the right coach, they could be a scary program.

 

illinois doesn't even really need to get the jabari parker's or 200k's of the world. they just need to get the kind of talent that they already have, which is to say, a lot. every once in a while, the top recruit in the country wouldn't be too shabby to pull in, especially when illinois high school basketball produces them pretty consistently.

 

but i'm happy with a roster full of 4-star recruits, which is what they have now.

[abuck1220]

k-state losing probably makes the night a net gain for iowa state. k-state's rpi now in the 60s. texas losing one of two games in OK this week would be appreciated.

 

On the plus side for KSU, with games against Baylor, Mizzou, and ISU still on the schedule, they have a chance to play themselves back into the conversation. On the negative side...nothing about the way they're playing gives you any reason to think they can win those games.

 

yep. if they split baylor/mizzou, that's possibly going to bump them ahead of iowa state (assuming they beat isu in manhattan). if they lose them both, they could be toast.

[SouthSideRyan]

It's the brow.

[Smack]

Why would Williams leave Marquette for Illinois? It's a lateral move at best. Marquette has just as much tradition, draws big crowds, and it's not in Champaign. They recruit nationally and it's not like if the Big East dies, which it likely will, Marquette won't adjust and move on. Marquette is a pretty damn good job.

 

VCU on the other hand...

[UMFan83]

Why would Williams leave Marquette for Illinois? It's a lateral move at best. Marquette has just as much tradition, draws big crowds, and it's not in Champaign. They recruit nationally and it's not like if the Big East dies, which it likely will, Marquette won't adjust and move on. Marquette is a pretty damn good job.

 

VCU on the other hand...

 

For real? I don't know anything about anything but I'd be willing to bet that Illinois has a crapload more resources they can use for their basketball program and I'd also assume their facilities are much better as well. Marquette plays at the Bradley Center which is shared by the Bucks and whatever minor league teams they have. IIRC, Marquette gets a lot of undesirable dates for their home games because of this. Illinois plays at its own arena designed for college basketball and is the premier team there. Also I would assume the fact that Illinois is a large state school vs. Marquette being a private school is an advantage as well, but I'm not sure why exactly.

 

I dunno Marquette is nice but I think their program is at its ceiling in terms of what it can accomplish (which is pretty nice). I still believe Illinois has the potential to be an elite power in basketball with the right coach. Its close enough that it wouldn't be shocking for Buzz Williams to turn UI down but I think most would expect Illinois to be the better choice.

[Smack]

Marquette was 11th in the nation in attendance last year. Williams makes more than $2M per year and they've got players on their roster from 8 states and Ontario (indicating a large enough recruiting budget). I don't think resources are an issue. When Marquette plays games, downtown Milwaukee is loaded with Marquette fans.

 

I don't know about graduate salary comparissons between schools but I would wager that Marquette grads on average make a good amount of money and donate a lot back. Marquette grads are in positions of power throughout the community here. It's a good gig.

[SouthSideRyan]

Why would Williams leave Marquette for Illinois? It's a lateral move at best. Marquette has just as much tradition, draws big crowds, and it's not in Champaign. They recruit nationally and it's not like if the Big East dies, which it likely will, Marquette won't adjust and move on. Marquette is a pretty damn good job.

 

VCU on the other hand...

 

Like none of that post was accurate.

[Magnetic Curses]

Marquette was 11th in the nation in attendance last year. Williams makes more than $2M per year and they've got players on their roster from 8 states and Ontario (indicating a large enough recruiting budget). I don't think resources are an issue. When Marquette plays games, downtown Milwaukee is loaded with Marquette fans.

 

I don't know about graduate salary comparissons between schools but I would wager that Marquette grads on average make a good amount of money and donate a lot back. Marquette grads are in positions of power throughout the community here. It's a good gig.

 

illinois basketball is about 3 times more profitable than Marquette. they have a lot of money to spend and can most likely up the ante a significant amount, an amount that marquette couldn't match without taking the risk of running their cash cow into the red.

[Smack]

Great analysis. Which part wasn't accurate? There are verifiable facts to back up what I said...

[Smack]

Marquette was 11th in the nation in attendance last year. Williams makes more than $2M per year and they've got players on their roster from 8 states and Ontario (indicating a large enough recruiting budget). I don't think resources are an issue. When Marquette plays games, downtown Milwaukee is loaded with Marquette fans.

 

I don't know about graduate salary comparissons between schools but I would wager that Marquette grads on average make a good amount of money and donate a lot back. Marquette grads are in positions of power throughout the community here. It's a good gig.

 

illinois basketball is about 3 times more profitable than Marquette. they have a lot of money to spend and can most likely up the ante a significant amount, an amount that marquette couldn't match without taking the risk of running their cash cow into the red.

 

How many coaches are paid more than Williams now? I mean, if you're going to throw another 500k to a million at him and put him in the top five paid coaches in the land, more power to you. That's a little crazy though.

[Magnetic Curses]

Marquette was 11th in the nation in attendance last year. Williams makes more than $2M per year and they've got players on their roster from 8 states and Ontario (indicating a large enough recruiting budget). I don't think resources are an issue. When Marquette plays games, downtown Milwaukee is loaded with Marquette fans.

 

I don't know about graduate salary comparissons between schools but I would wager that Marquette grads on average make a good amount of money and donate a lot back. Marquette grads are in positions of power throughout the community here. It's a good gig.

 

illinois basketball is about 3 times more profitable than Marquette. they have a lot of money to spend and can most likely up the ante a significant amount, an amount that marquette couldn't match without taking the risk of running their cash cow into the red.

 

How many coaches are paid more than Williams now? I mean, if you're going to throw another 500k to a million at him and put him in the top five paid coaches in the land, more power to you. That's a little crazy though.

 

why would that be crazy? you can't expect someone to leave a good job without a decent raise. while it would be impossible for marquette to match any raise, it wouldn't hurt the illini at all, and the money invested in the coach would most likely be returned every penny in revenue.

[sneakypower]

brian from mgoblog had a brief writeup re Weber that helped me to better appreciate the man

Weber watch. The vibe I get from the various Illini fans whose blogs I read or who I follow on twitter is extreme frustration with Bruce Weber. That makes sense after concentrating on Illinois's play. The Illini are like a pack of gazelles: breathtaking to watch run around but utterly incapable of passing the ball. Gazelles have hooves, and this fact explains things. Only two or three of the Illini have hooves. The rest of that is on Weber.

 

I mean, Brandon Paul should be an All-American. Instead he has a lower ORtg than literally every Michigan player with enough playing time for Kenpom to register save Vogrich. If they miss the tourney dollars to donuts Weber is having his hissy fits at home next year*. Because he won't have a job. I'm saying they'll fire him.

 

*[seriously. Weber's fits might be worse than those of Bo Ryan and Tom Izzo. At least Ryan and Izzo seem to have a tangible effect on their teams. The only way Weber's message is getting through is if he's screaming "DRIBBLE AIMLESSLY AND THEN TURN THE BALL OVER." I mean:

 

http://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/261b91122334_147E7/20120212163510_2012-0212-rb-UM-illinois0321_thumb.jpg

[Smack]

It's a little crazy because I don't think he's that good. But if Illinois wants to pay the man 3M per year and pay Weber's 1.5M for the next 3 years then I think you can make it happen.

[Magnetic Curses]

It's a little crazy because I don't think he's that good. But if Illinois wants to pay the man 3M per year and pay Weber's 1.5M for the next 3 years then I think you can make it happen.

 

they can afford the 3.9 lump sum required to buy out weber's contract, pay williams 5 million next year and still have money to burn. money's not going to be an object to MT.

 

but it's interesting how your argument has changed. first it was he wouldn't want illinois and now it's illinois wouldn't want him. ok.

[RationalSoxFan]

ok, i want some, generally speaking, objective opinions on shaka smart or buzz williams to illinois after the year. paying no mind to the small chance that weber is back, what do you think are the odds of either of these coaches leaving their jobs for the illini one?

guy generally in the know at illinois loyalty said that he'd heard that thomas has contacted smart's handlers. shaka apparently didn't say he'd jump at the chance but definitely didn't say no, said it depended on a few factors. only other guy they've reached out to is romar, who said he wanted more money and years than he's got at uw, which is obviously unlikely. same poster said perception at marquette is buzz would leave but only for the right job (some think that means down south).

 

just what i've read. what other jobs are likely to open up after this season?

Edited February 14, 2012 by RationalSoxFan

[Smack]

It's a little crazy because I don't think he's that good. But if Illinois wants to pay the man 3M per year and pay Weber's 1.5M for the next 3 years then I think you can make it happen.

 

they can afford the 3.9 lump sum required to buy out weber's contract, pay williams 5 million next year and still have money to burn. money's not going to be an object to MT.

 

but it's interesting how your argument has changed. first it was he wouldn't want illinois and now it's illinois wouldn't want him. ok.

 

My argument is that its a lateral move. If you're going to 'back up the dump truck' there aren't many people that are going to say no to crazy money. If you would like to wager on Illinois paying Buzz $3M per, or $5M per I would be willing to take your money.

[SouthSideRyan]

99 outside coaches out of 100 would choose Illinois over Marquette. It's not a lateral move.

[Smack]

I forgot, you're elite.

[Guest]

99 outside coaches out of 100 would choose Illinois over Marquette. It's not a lateral move.

 

He's not choosing which school to jump to though, inertia isn't a trivial thing if the difference isn't huge. Personally, I hope Buzz goes there because he's a tool and consolidating my distaste for him and Illinois would be a nice efficiency.

[SouthSideRyan]

99 outside coaches out of 100 would choose Illinois over Marquette. It's not a lateral move.

 

He's not choosing which school to jump to though, inertia isn't a trivial thing if the difference isn't huge.

 

I'm not disputing that. That's why I said outside.

[Magnetic Curses]

It's a little crazy because I don't think he's that good. But if Illinois wants to pay the man 3M per year and pay Weber's 1.5M for the next 3 years then I think you can make it happen.

 

they can afford the 3.9 lump sum required to buy out weber's contract, pay williams 5 million next year and still have money to burn. money's not going to be an object to MT.

 

but it's interesting how your argument has changed. first it was he wouldn't want illinois and now it's illinois wouldn't want him. ok.

 

My argument is that its a lateral move. If you're going to 'back up the dump truck' there aren't many people that are going to say no to crazy money. If you would like to wager on Illinois paying Buzz $3M per, or $5M per I would be willing to take your money.

 

2.5 would be more than enough to get williams and that's less than what matta gets. sure, it's a lot of money, but illinois can and will pay whatever they have to to get the right guy. for the record, i'd prefer shaka to williams and it would only take about 1.5 to get him.

 

if weber resigns and takes a more suitable job with less stress, they won't even have to buy him out.

[illiniguy]

99 outside coaches out of 100 would choose Illinois over Marquette. It's not a lateral move.

 

He's not choosing which school to jump to though, inertia isn't a trivial thing if the difference isn't huge. Personally, I hope Buzz goes there because he's a tool and consolidating my distaste for him and Illinois would be a nice efficiency.

:roll: