NeifiIsMyHomeBoy

Thanks Bukie. Appreciate the recap. I like what he had to say about attacking and not forcing the players into the system, but instead adapting the system to fit the players.

everyone else had class I hope so. FFS A lot of rumblings on Scout about the players mad it wasn't Jerrance. Not sure how much of that is the crazy scout mod team tho. Jerrance will be a great head coach some day...just not now. I hope our players are smart enough to realize that.

He's 32, I think he can afford to be lead assistant under a great coach at an elite program for a few years. The youngest active coach this year was Archie Miller at age 33 for Dayton. I agree a head job is in his future, but right now is a good time for him to venture away from Illinois, get some more experience recruiting nationally, and take over a reputable mid-major in the next 2-4 years. That would put him on a timeline to get to Illinois around his early to mid forties if he is successful and Groce falls flat.

If Meyers needs to leave because of his personal situation, I can't find it in me to complain about that. I think job #1 is to keep Howard. That will go a long way to making sure that everyone else stays. Sorry, I didn't mean to make that sound like an absolute requirement. But if he can convince Meyers another year would do him good, it would be great for the program. We also need to shore up the Hill and James commitments. I've got a bad feeling that Kentucky or Kansas comes calling for Jerrance, but I hope I am wrong. If Jerrance goes to Kansas he's probably kissed any chance of ever being our head coach goodbye. For wanting to work with a Hall of Fame coach at a top program? Are you kidding me? Bill Self is gone, LET IT GO

If Meyers needs to leave because of his personal situation, I can't find it in me to complain about that. I think job #1 is to keep Howard. That will go a long way to making sure that everyone else stays. Sorry, I didn't mean to make that sound like an absolute requirement. But if he can convince Meyers another year would do him good, it would be great for the program. We also need to shore up the Hill and James commitments. I've got a bad feeling that Kentucky or Kansas comes calling for Jerrance, but I hope I am wrong.

MAC Thomas always gets his MAC Man. Like with Beckman, I'm not thrilled with the hire, but he has my support until he proves otherwise. Now job #1: Make Meyers stay.

Seriously....this guy is way out of line. If I'm Groce, I'm headed back to Ohio after reading that. Hello Reggie Theus. so you wouldn't have been much happier if shaka had accepted the job? I'd be thrilled if Shaka took the job, but he's deliberately undermining the candidate for whatever reason. If you're a candidate for a position, and one of your future bosses says you are a "second-tier" candidate, would you still take the job?

Seriously....this guy is way out of line. If I'm Groce, I'm headed back to Ohio after reading that. Hello Reggie Theus.

wait, i thought groce had poopypants like the ad No I said I'd support him, but Thomas had failed in getting a home run hire. Now the BOT is failing. This just keeps getting worse.

If we lose Groce because of the Board of Trustees, I have officially lost all faith in anyone in the administration of the University of Illinois. It's sad how dysfunctional every level of state government is in Illinois.

I understand the Trustee's concern, but I will relieve Thomas on this one.

What has he done to not warrant your trust? His hires haven't even coached a game yet. Made big promises as far as hires go and hasn't delivered. Very publicly shamed two coaches. Hasn't made any progress raising funds for Assembly Hall.

Tell me why I'm wrong Sulley. Someone please tell me what Mike Thomas has done since taking over the job to warrant our trust.

Does anyone really want to look me square in the eye and tell me Mike Thomas is competent? He makes Lord Guenther look like the best AD in the country. I can't look square into crazy eyes. I mean, was he just the luckiest [expletive] in the world at Cincinnati then? That's the theory you're going to go with? There's a reason why everyone with past connections to Thomas didn't want the job. That reason is Mike Thomas.

Does anyone really want to look me square in the eye and tell me Mike Thomas is competent? He makes Lord Guenther look like the best AD in the country. I can't look square into crazy eyes. Oh come on. This is pathetic. Even Seth Davis has said that Thomas is scaring coaches away. Time for you all to wake up and realize if it wasn't for him, and his horrible reputation then Shaka or Stevens would have been the choice and not John Groce.

Does anyone really want to look me square in the eye and tell me Mike Thomas is competent? He makes Lord Guenther look like the best AD in the country.

Even in this awful division I doubt we'll be hanging around by the ASB, unless we get really, really lucky with a few guys. We've had this debate before, but I just don't see why a perennial 90-win team and fielding a competitive team this year is an either/or proposition. You can do both. I have no doubt this plan will work, I just don't see how it was the optimal plan. Especially now that the Cards and Reds have taken a couple of pretty big blows. I've agreed with you everytime you've made this point and I agree with you now. I'm disappointed not only that we're blowing off this year, but also giving the other teams time to reload by the time we're ready to compete. Also, we're coming off a winter where the Red Sox and Yankees pretty much stayed out of the free agent market, something that probably won't happen when we need to go after a FA or 2. With the exception of a few pieces, total roster turnover is necessary. There are too many holes right now, and we don't have the resources available to compete at a high level right now by spending. Prince Fielder is not going to make you a contender five years from now, he's a right now sort of signing. You only make that kind of signing if you're close enough where you think it puts you over the top, not if you think it will put you into contention.

Yes, but they have one glaring issue they can't do anything about....the terrible stadium location. Are they trying to do anything about this? Because they would absolutely own Chicago with a downtown stadium. St. Johns doesn't "own" New York and they play in Madison Square Garden. When it comes to recruiting the CPL the national programs will always have first pick, followed by the Big Ten and then DePaul.

I don't know why anyone thought Stevens was coming. He wasn't going to, he won't leave Butler unless its for IU. Smart hurt, the other guys who said no I am not sweating. What pisses me off the most is that we're going to hire a guy based off two tournament wins. That's not to say he won't be a good coach, but I'd like to see more consideration of names like Marshall and Mack.

I'll support Groce, I'm just very disappointed at how the search played out. I don't fault Smart or Stevens for wanting to stay in their respective locales, however this was an opportunity for Mike Thomas to redefine the Illinois program for the next 15-20 years. He even said that he needed to make a home run hire and he failed to get it done. We've been turned down by everyone, we look like crap and we're the best job available. It's absolutely pathetic.

I wanted Weber gone since 2007. This isn't about Weber, it's about the fact our university hired a bumbling fool of an athletic director who is hiring what was about choice #75 on our list when we fired Weber. I'll support Groce the same way I'll support Beckman, but that doesn't mean I'm have to be sunshine and lollipops about the fact that Thomas once again failed to get it done when he needed to.

No he isn't a step down from Weber. Weber took a top ten program and ruined it. How is he a step up? Anyone can recruit with OSU's booster network, and anyone can finish 9th in the MAC two out of four years. His success wasn't based off of letting criminal play on his team. Listen I know he's not a great hire. That would have been getting Sean Miller a couple years ago. But we couldn't fire Brucie until he had killed the program. So lets all agree that the next basketball coach will be a horrible hire with a three year shelf life who will be run out of town with MAC Thomas when a new competent president is put in place of the university.

No he isn't a step down from Weber. Weber took a top ten program and ruined it. How is he a step up? Anyone can recruit with OSU's booster network, and anyone can finish 9th in the MAC two out of four years.

So now you're ok with Thomas hiring a coach who is even less qualified than Weber was?

Thomas devalued the job and himself so much that no coach wants to work for him. Now we are hiring a guy based off of two wins two weeks ago. Groce is not a step up from Bruce Weber, he's a more expensive step down. Well done MAC Thomas.