2017 Coaching Carousel

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#5,076      
GortTheRobot
I would like to second that Tevo has done a wonderful job encapsulating my feelings about Keatts and his potential in a very thorough manner. Bravo, also, to making a lengthy post concise...that's a nifty trick.

I would love to have a guy like Keatts. If we get him, will he pan out? Well, beyond getting another P5 guy who has established an great track record, who the heck knows who is a sure thing? (Maybe our new AD?)

Anyway, nothing against Counzo, I just think he's another Bruce Weber in terms of "we need some stability." I would rather take a chance that we land a real difference maker, than be satisfied saying, "we got in the tourney" year after year.
 
#5,077      
CAHALL15
bbpeoria said:
I said it when Weber was let go and still for so today...Gregg Marshall is the best candidate out there and IF you can pull him in you are virtually guaranteeing a program with on court success. I am very intrigued by Keatts as well and think he is almost as good a candidate on paper albeit slightly less proven.

I personally don't care about NBA guys at all and would take both of the aforementioned over Hoiberg although I would not consider him a bad hire. I would put Martin in the category of not a bad hire (everyone would love the B1G and Illinois/Midwest connections) either but I hope/think Whitman can do better.

This entire process is very odd as the fan base has months to realize a new coach is likely coming and has had much time to vet out their favorites and shortcomings of candidates for the replacement. It makes Whitman's job that much more difficult imo.
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I'm less excited about Marshall than I initially was a month or so ago. He certainly does have quite the temper and there are questions about whether or not he could relate to recruits. Having said that, his results speak for themselves.
 
#5,078      
Ga65
Remembering Larry Brown at one of the fall practices and wondering if he would be an interiem possibility. Probably pretty expensive but seemed to work at SMU.
 
#5,080      
Paul Kleevage
I don't see Keatts as an option for Whitman based on the Lovie hire. I'm not saying Keatts wouldn't succeed, just don't think it's Whitman's style. There's a few things we can probably assume:

1. Keatts isn't a "big name" hire. He won't immediately generate confidence and excitement with the incoming recruits, the fanbase, or boosters. They'll all expect/want a bigger name.

2. Whitman will have money to spend. Keatts is the bargain hire that fits the mold of previous athletic directors. I see Whitman throwing money at someone that will turn heads. I'm not sure Keatts has the reputation of a Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart at this point. They were considered "can't miss" by most.

3. Keatts doesn't have strong recruiting ties to the Midwest. He might be able to hire a decent staff, but I'm not sure his name is big enough in coaching circles to garner the interest of top assistants regardless of the funds available.

Keatts might be a great "dark horse" candidate that could end up being a phenomenol hire. I just don't think Whitman will try to find the diamond-in-the-rough bargain coach.
 
#5,081      
EfremWinters84
I was at a HS game tonight (here in the heart of ACC country) and Tony Bennett's name surfaced as an early "favorite" from one of my HS coaching buddies. The rumor was that Illinois could double his salary and TB could return to his roots in the Midwest.

With that news in hand, Tony now goes to the head of the line --- ahead of Frank Martin and Archie.
 
#5,082      
FeelYourPaign
EfremWinters84 said:
I was at a HS game tonight (here in the heart of ACC country) and Tony Bennett's name surfaced as an early "favorite" from one of my HS coaching buddies. The rumor was that Illinois could double his salary and TB could return to his roots in the Midwest.

With that news in hand, Tony now goes to the head of the line --- ahead of Frank Martin and Archie.
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Still seems unlikely, but sure is fun to dream :)
 
#5,083      
Obelix
It seems the only qualification one needs to consider a coach the favorite for the Illini job is being from the midwest. :)
 
#5,085      
LurkLongandProsper
EfremWinters84 said:
I was at a HS game tonight (here in the heart of ACC country) and Tony Bennett's name surfaced as an early "favorite" from one of my HS coaching buddies. The rumor was that Illinois could double his salary and TB could return to his roots in the Midwest.

With that news in hand, Tony now goes to the head of the line --- ahead of Frank Martin and Archie.
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That's not really anything we haven't already said about him here, he'd be a grand slam, but nothing you said in your post is really insider info or anything. I think the majority of the board would love to have him, but the odds remain incredibly low.
 
#5,087      
MadSeason
EfremWinters84 said:
I was at a HS game tonight (here in the heart of ACC country) and Tony Bennett's name surfaced as an early "favorite" from one of my HS coaching buddies. The rumor was that Illinois could double his salary and TB could return to his roots in the Midwest.

With that news in hand, Tony now goes to the head of the line --- ahead of Frank Martin and Archie.
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Huge buyout for Tony and this is perfect spot for him to use faux interest in Illinois job for a raise.

I'd still take Martin vs the field at this point. Keatts goes on magical run in NCAAs, things could change
 
#5,088      
Tevo
scil73 said:
I think at this juncture we need stability, two poor head coaches in a row can really damage a program. We cant afford a bust and have a decade straight of no tourney. If Cuonzo means we make the dance but are early exits every year, he will eventually be let go, at this point though we need someone who can get the kids to the dance.
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But Cuonzo has only made the dance in 2 of his 8 full seasons as a D1 head coach... :confused:
 
#5,089      
LurkLongandProsper
OrangeKrus28 said:
Virginia is also a non-blue blood. Stranger things have happened. I have to call a spade a spade. If you are saying the chances of Bennett coming are low, well, then, so are Keatts' chances of coming here. We should already know that Whitman will be shooting for the stars, not going the Mike Thomas route.
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You don't have to come and make every post about how you think Keatts isn't coming here. We get it, dude.

We'll have to jump way past the rumored 3 million to land Bennett. Bennett rumor spawned as a dream scenario and would be an incredible coup. All of these points have been repeated numerous times in the 200 pages, for the record.
 
#5,090      
Sleepy Floyd
OrangeKrus28 said:
Virginia is also a non-blue blood. Stranger things have happened. I have to call a spade a spade. If you are saying the chances of Bennett coming are low, well, then, so are Keatts' chances of coming here. We should already know that Whitman will be shooting for the stars, not going the Mike Thomas route.
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Mike Thomas did not intend to go the " Mike Thomas Route" he went after Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens for basketball and Kevin Sumlin for football. He was not predisposed to hire mid major guys. You could technically consider all of those guys mid majors but they were all big names as well.
 
#5,091      
Tevo
OrangeKrus28 said:
Equal odds of Keatts becoming the new coach. Don't burst that guy's bubble. Tony Bennett is not really far-fetched when you think about it. Illinois is a better job than Virginia, recent success of Virginia withstanding.
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Given the tenuous nature of college coaching (for all but the top top guys), I think he'd be nervous about leaving a program he has built to be consistently in the Top 10 and coming to one that MIGHT be great, but has actually only had three really good seasons in the past 25 years. If he misses on a recruiting class, or has a couple knuckleheads create a scandal or get arrested before he establishes a history here, or simply has a group of players that don't quite gel, he could be back on the road looking for work.

I know, he'll ultimately be fine -- he's done enough to be in demand -- but it's a huge pain, I imagine, uprooting your family and moving to a whole new school. The millions of dollars might persuade him, but I think it would be the money talking, not the "Illinois is a better job" argument.
 
#5,092      
haasi
Tevo said:
Given the tenuous nature of college coaching (for all but the top top guys), I think he'd be nervous about leaving a program he has built to be consistently in the Top 10 and coming to one that MIGHT be great, but has actually only had three really good seasons in the past 25 years. If he misses on a recruiting class, or has a couple knuckleheads create a scandal or get arrested before he establishes a history here, or simply has a group of players that don't quite gel, he could be back on the road looking for work.

I know, he'll ultimately be fine -- he's done enough to be in demand -- but it's a huge pain, I imagine, uprooting your family and moving to a whole new school. The millions of dollars might persuade him, but I think it would be the money talking, not the "Illinois is a better job" argument.
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I'm in the camp that thinks that Bennett would just feign interest in order to get a raise at UVa but not seriously consider coming here - for all the reasons you mentioned.
 
#5,093      
GBPillini
Paul Kleevage said:
I don't see Keatts as an option for Whitman based on the Lovie hire. I'm not saying Keatts wouldn't succeed, just don't think it's Whitman's style. There's a few things we can probably assume:

1. Keatts isn't a "big name" hire. He won't immediately generate confidence and excitement with the incoming recruits, the fanbase, or boosters. They'll all expect/want a bigger name.

2. Whitman will have money to spend. Keatts is the bargain hire that fits the mold of previous athletic directors. I see Whitman throwing money at someone that will turn heads. I'm not sure Keatts has the reputation of a Brad Stevens or Shaka Smart at this point. They were considered "can't miss" by most.

3. Keatts doesn't have strong recruiting ties to the Midwest. He might be able to hire a decent staff, but I'm not sure his name is big enough in coaching circles to garner the interest of top assistants regardless of the funds available.

Keatts might be a great "dark horse" candidate that could end up being a phenomenol hire. I just don't think Whitman will try to find the diamond-in-the-rough bargain coach.
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I think it's hard to determine an AD's hiring style after the AD has literally made one Division 1 hire. Probably need at least another data point before any style could potentially be figured out.

As for point 1. Whitman was hired from a Division 3 school. Obviously there is huge difference between a basketball coach and an AD in terms of "big names" but it would seem odd that that would be the main criteria based on Whitman's career trajectory. Whitman's obviously generated confidence and excitement with the fan base and boosters without being a big name. I mean even John Groce was able to generate confidence and excitement, getting the nickname "JFG" and fans being worried he be poached away by Kentucky or Duke. The problem was he wasn't able to turn that into actual results after year 1. If Whitman does interview Keatts and truly believes he will be a diamond in the rough, then I have a hard time seeing him saying no just because he might not be the most well known, which even that could change depending on what happens in March.
 
#5,094      
LurkLongandProsper
GBPillini said:
I think it's hard to determine an AD's hiring style after the AD has literally made one Division 1 hire. Probably need at least another data point before any style could potentially be figured out.
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Yeah, assuming Whitman's criterion is a Lovie hire for every hire is something I found a little odd as well.

OrangeKrus28 said:
Bennett doesn't play games as far as I can tell. He's a pretty straight shooter. He doesn't need to fake any interest.
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Coaches don't play games, agents play games for coaches.
 
#5,095      
blmillini
Tevo said:
Given the tenuous nature of college coaching (for all but the top top guys), I think he'd be nervous about leaving a program he has built to be consistently in the Top 10 and coming to one that MIGHT be great, but has actually only had three really good seasons in the past 25 years. If he misses on a recruiting class, or has a couple knuckleheads create a scandal or get arrested before he establishes a history here, or simply has a group of players that don't quite gel, he could be back on the road looking for work.

I know, he'll ultimately be fine -- he's done enough to be in demand -- but it's a huge pain, I imagine, uprooting your family and moving to a whole new school. The millions of dollars might persuade him, but I think it would be the money talking, not the "Illinois is a better job" argument.
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Hyperbole aside, you are right. What could possibly be his incentive to come to Illinois? There would have to be some kind of personal motivation and I just don't see it. The same is true for Marshall.
 
#5,096      
nwebb1
89illinigrad said:
I think I saw Mav slips screens twice during the NU game--once for a dunk and one for a layup, both within the span of a couple minutes. Then NU wised up and started defending it better.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
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No kidding. This was maybe the second game of the year I missed. I'm happy to hear that.
 
#5,097      
PlayAZ
Bennett, would look at this program as being a step up I believe....meaning, he could build a easier powerhouse at Illinois with recruiting avenues available, than he could ever dream of at Virginia, where he has to fight against the likes of Duke, UNC, Louisville, Syracuse, and more for top talent... Would be a HOMERUN hire....

C-Martin, has the foundation to hit recruiting trail quickly and gather some talent IMO, both Chicago and St. Louis.....X and O's may be debatable, but recruiting is not, HOMERUN hire as well for Illinois...

G. Marshall, Proven X-O and talent evaluator, can recruit, can coach and makes players better IMO, than most actually think they are capable of...another HOMERUN hire

A. Miller, best young coach out there that we can lure in as far as another stretch hire so to speak....

Darkhorse Coach I would like us to check on.....Tommy Lloyd, Zags asst for 16 years and #1 Recruiter overseas for there talent....
 
#5,098      
Deleted member 336259
Just throwing this out there because as previously stated on the board earlier it is pretty much impossible at this point to know what JW will do with the next basketball coach. Is it conceivable that JW would forego the traditional route of hiring a head coach that was never a head coach before? Is it possible that he could possibly bring in a former player as the head coach? In thinking about what I had seen a couple posts back, JW wasn't the guy that really got anyone excited about the hire but he is for sure, 100%, an Illinois guy. For me, that is the perfect hire. He has ties to the school, community and fans that drive him to want the best for his school. So what if he decided he would take a shot on a former player as the coach if the rest of the coaching staff made sense to do so? I am thinking Roger Powell......doesn't have to be him but am trying to think of why not. Everyone is saying that we don't know what we would eventually end up with if we landed XXX as our coach or we know what we would have (nothing special from what I have read) if we landed XXX. Why not someone like Powell if he can fill out a staff that makes sense? Though not a proven head coach I think we can all agree, and maybe I am wrong, that if the rest of the staff made sense this would be just as big of a gamble as bringing in any other coach..... Thoughts??
 
#5,099      
CAHALL15
PlayAZ said:
Bennett, would look at this program as being a step up I believe....meaning, he could build a easier powerhouse at Illinois with recruiting avenues available, than he could ever dream of at Virginia, where he has to fight against the likes of Duke, UNC, Louisville, Syracuse, and more for top talent... Would be a HOMERUN hire....

C-Martin, has the foundation to hit recruiting trail quickly and gather some talent IMO, both Chicago and St. Louis.....X and O's may be debatable, but recruiting is not, HOMERUN hire as well for Illinois...

G. Marshall, Proven X-O and talent evaluator, can recruit, can coach and makes players better IMO, than most actually think they are capable of...another HOMERUN hire

A. Miller, best young coach out there that we can lure in as far as another stretch hire so to speak....

Darkhorse Coach I would like us to check on.....Tommy Lloyd, Zags asst for 16 years and #1 Recruiter overseas for there talent....
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*Their.
Ckymnstr said:
Just throwing this out there because as previously stated on the board earlier it is pretty much impossible at this point to know what JW will do with the next basketball coach. Is it conceivable that JW would forego the traditional route of hiring a head coach that was never a head coach before? Is it possible that he could possibly bring in a former player as the head coach? In thinking about what I had seen a couple posts back, JW wasn't the guy that really got anyone excited about the hire but he is for sure, 100%, an Illinois guy. For me, that is the perfect hire. He has ties to the school, community and fans that drive him to want the best for his school. So what if he decided he would take a shot on a former player as the coach if the rest of the coaching staff made sense to do so? I am thinking Roger Powell......doesn't have to be him but am trying to think of why not. Everyone is saying that we don't know what we would eventually end up with if we landed XXX as our coach or we know what we would have (nothing special from what I have read) if we landed XXX. Why not someone like Powell if he can fill out a staff that makes sense? Though not a proven head coach I think we can all agree, and maybe I am wrong, that if the rest of the staff made sense this would be just as big of a gamble as bringing in any other coach..... Thoughts??
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Your post is a stretch, with all due respect. Whitman would incur the wrath of not only fans, but boosters. One has at least an idea of a floor and ceiling with the other head coaching candidates other than Keatts whose floor isn't as clear. To completely ignore and/or go with someone without a head coaching record is mind boggling. The others have wins and losses to their name as well as a coaching style. With a new head coach who isn't highly sought out, the picture becomes even more unclear.
 
#5,100      
ILLHangOut
So, has anyone leaked the super-insider info of who we're hiring yet? The suspense is killing me!
 
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