Up until now I've thought that a coaching change would do more harm than good. Now I'm not as sure.
Will another staff get more out of these guys? Better yet, do we have the right guys? I don't think we do. We've got some young talent, but they're too soft. I love Aaron Jordan and his potential. I think he's going to have a career path similar to Kendall Gill. But his missed layup last night angered me more than any one play the entire game. He has to dunk that ball and tear the rim down in the process. There's no excuse for that kind of weak play in a Big 10 game. And DJW just floats around looking timid and lost most of the time. He has the potential to either be a great player or an epic disappointment when it's all said and done. Versatility and athleticism is worthless if you don't know how to apply it to your game, and right now he does not. And even with our extreme lack of depth at PG and C, I don't want Tate or Morgan back for another year. I really don't think that either guy provides us with anything.
What happens to this roster if there's a coaching change? Not that he's the answer, but does Te'jon still come to Illinois if Groce is gone? Does anyone of consequence (JCL, LB, Kipper) leave?
Will another staff stand a chance with the 2017 recruits? That class has the potential to right the ship in a hurry...if we get the right guys. Will those guys come if we're stuck in the current muck of mediocrity? Do they want to be the class to return Illinois basketball to the top of the Big 10? Will they come to Illinois to play for a coach they don't already have a relationship with? It's a bit of a Catch 22 from that standpoint.
And if not John Groce, then who? Would a proven coach be attracted to this job? Groce seems well liked by a lot of young coaches. Would someone like Archie Miller even consider taking over a program that just fired one of his friends and former colleagues? Are you willing to roll the dice on an unproven guy with limited or no head coaching experience? If you go with a guy like Jerrance Howard, is that any different than Groce -- recruiter without a proven coaching pedigree? Would a mid-major coach who has had some success be any different? Isn't that what we've done the past 2 hires? Do you go after a guy like Bryce Drew that some might view as having some questionable recruiting tactics and risk having a bad team with NCAA sanctions? Cleaning house without a plan in place or potential candidates in mind first would set the program back even further.
Having Groce turn this program around in the next year or 2 is the best possible scenario. I'm still holding out a glimmer of hope that he can do that.