knightni Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 That's what... three Zeller brothers that played in major division 1 basketball? That's some gene pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Chris Lowery to Illinois!!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (knightni @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 03:12 AM) That's what... three Zeller brothers that played in major division 1 basketball? That's some gene pool. They should battle the three Plumlee brothers at Duke for Indiana cornfield basketball family supremacy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 As down as I am about weber this is freaking terrible timing with Guenther likely out as AD in June or July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (dasox24 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 03:22 AM) Bruce Pearl is available... I'm not an alum, and I'd chip in $20 to Illinois to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 07:31 AM) As down as I am about weber this is freaking terrible timing with Guenther likely out as AD in June or July. How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitlesswonder Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 07:31 AM) As down as I am about weber this is freaking terrible timing with Guenther likely out as AD in June or July. I didn't think he'd leave initially, but now I'm thinking it's actually pretty likely. With Guenther leaving the writing is probably on the wall and Weber is smart enough to know that next year's Illinois team is likely to be pretty bad. With OU he gets a contract to take him to retirement plus more money per year. OU has better facilities than Illinois and he wouldn't have to deal with Jereme Richmond there. I think he's gone. For Illinois, there's no way they hire an elite candidate (like Smart) under the current circumstances and I imagine they'd lose a recruit or two. They would save money by not having to buyout Weber's contract when firing him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggsmaggs Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Mar 30, 2011 -> 11:46 PM) Oh boy, here we go. I'm not jumping on the "let him go" bandwagon though. Also, skeptical of Duke assistants... Chris Collins has mentoring by two the best basketball coaches in the last 20 years: Coach K and Doug Collins. This is a kid who is built to be a head coach. I wouldn't mind if Weber left. I just don't think he has the wherewithal to deal with the modern-day athlete. Every year, there is a problem he has with a player on his team. My question is the problem the player or the coach? If it's the coach, you have to wonder what's wrong with Bruce. If it's the player, why is Bruce recruiting players with these issues. At the end of the day, it's Weber's fault. He has led Illinois to a very bad place in college basketball: mediocrity. Edited March 31, 2011 by maggsmaggs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Went to McDonald's game last night, and I thought the talent on the court was as bad as I've seen in a McDonald's game. Davis looked agile and should be a top 3 pick after his freshman year. Besides that, there wasn't a single guy out there that was a can't miss prospect. Beal and Rivers are impressive and I'm sure they'll be studs in college, and I actually thought Rock's guy Amir Williams showed a lot of potential. I really hope IU isn't planning on Zeller being a savior, as he appears to be a lot more Luke Zeller than Tyler Zeller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 08:44 AM) I didn't think he'd leave initially, but now I'm thinking it's actually pretty likely. With Guenther leaving the writing is probably on the wall and Weber is smart enough to know that next year's Illinois team is likely to be pretty bad. With OU he gets a contract to take him to retirement plus more money per year. OU has better facilities than Illinois and he wouldn't have to deal with Jereme Richmond there. I think he's gone. For Illinois, there's no way they hire an elite candidate (like Smart) under the current circumstances and I imagine they'd lose a recruit or two. They would save money by not having to buyout Weber's contract when firing him. The team won't be bad next year, too much talent for that. It is just a question of whether they are extremely mediocre like the last two years or the players live up to their potential and they compete for a Big 10 championship. Based on the last two years the former is probably more likely but you never know. Also, I love that Shaka Smart has a fluke run through the tourney and suddenly he is an elite candidate nationally. He has a team that shot 36% from 3 for the year shooting close to 45% from 3 for the tourney and they are taking a ton of them. The guy may end up being a phenomenal coach and I do like his personality and demeanor but he finished 5th in the colonial last year and 4th this year with pretty talented teams. He also lost to Georgia State, USF and Northeastern this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenksismyhero Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 08:44 AM) I didn't think he'd leave initially, but now I'm thinking it's actually pretty likely. With Guenther leaving the writing is probably on the wall and Weber is smart enough to know that next year's Illinois team is likely to be pretty bad. With OU he gets a contract to take him to retirement plus more money per year. OU has better facilities than Illinois and he wouldn't have to deal with Jereme Richmond there. I think he's gone. For Illinois, there's no way they hire an elite candidate (like Smart) under the current circumstances and I imagine they'd lose a recruit or two. They would save money by not having to buyout Weber's contract when firing him. As per usual, the twitter non-sense has made a no-story a story. From Weber directly: "Like most years, (I) received a few interest calls about jobs. Other than that -- no story ..." "On my way to the true coaches' rumor mill -- the Final Four Coaches Convention! Heard last night that I am going to replace Cuonzo (Martin) at Missouri State -- onward to Springfield!" Weber would never leave Illinois until he's forced out. I'm convinced of this. Edited March 31, 2011 by Jenksismybitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:24 AM) Weber would never leave Illinois until he's forced out. I'm convinced of this. I agree with you on this. I guess maybe he would go to Marquette cause its where he's from, but that job isn't opening up anytime soon. Why would he wanna go to Oklahoma? Jeff Capel made the Elite 8 two years ago as a #2 seed, and two sub-.500 seasons later, he's gone already. There's some pressure to win in Norman as well and it's not exactly a basketball powerhouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitlesswonder Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:24 AM) The team won't be bad next year, too much talent for that. It is just a question of whether they are extremely mediocre like the last two years or the players live up to their potential and they compete for a Big 10 championship. Based on the last two years the former is probably more likely but you never know. Also, I love that Shaka Smart has a fluke run through the tourney and suddenly he is an elite candidate nationally. He has a team that shot 36% from 3 for the year shooting close to 45% from 3 for the tourney and they are taking a ton of them. The guy may end up being a phenomenal coach and I do like his personality and demeanor but he finished 5th in the colonial last year and 4th this year with pretty talented teams. He also lost to Georgia State, USF and Northeastern this year. I agree the team has talent, but it's mostly at one position (wing) and I'd be very worried about the C and PF spots. It's certainly possible for them to be good, I just think it unlikely since I thought they would be good this year with fewer question marks than next season will have. I agree with everything you say about Smart. In fact, I think Imrem's column in the Daily Herald suggesting Illinois give up on basketball if they can't hire Smart was the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while....and I read internet message boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:20 AM) Went to McDonald's game last night, and I thought the talent on the court was as bad as I've seen in a McDonald's game. Davis looked agile and should be a top 3 pick after his freshman year. Besides that, there wasn't a single guy out there that was a can't miss prospect. Beal and Rivers are impressive and I'm sure they'll be studs in college, and I actually thought Rock's guy Amir Williams showed a lot of potential. I really hope IU isn't planning on Zeller being a savior, as he appears to be a lot more Luke Zeller than Tyler Zeller. I thought McAdoo was pretty impressive as were Rivers and his Duke parter Cook. From my guys I actually ended up liking Shannon Scott a little more than Williams, he and Craft are going to be hell on other teams defensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:40 AM) I agree the team has talent, but it's mostly at one position (wing) and I'd be very worried about the C and PF spots. It's certainly possible for them to be good, I just think it unlikely since I thought they would be good this year with fewer question marks than next season will have. I agree with everything you say about Smart. In fact, I think Imrem's column in the Daily Herald suggesting Illinois give up on basketball if they can't hire Smart was the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while....and I read internet message boards. Like I've said I've given up on making predictions on Illinois under the current regime until they actually prove it on the court but Illinois will have depth pretty much everywhere next year (assuming Richmond is back) with the C position being the big question mark. Egwu and Leonard have a ton of talent and potential but haven't proven anything yet. At PF you would have Richmond, Griffey, Shaw and Henry can play there a bit. If Richmond comes back I'm not worried about that position because that is where I think he sees the most minutes. On the wings they are fine obviously. And at PG between Maniscalco and Abrams I see no reason they won't get at least competent play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggsmaggs Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:47 AM) Like I've said I've given up on making predictions on Illinois under the current regime until they actually prove it on the court but Illinois will have depth pretty much everywhere next year (assuming Richmond is back) with the C position being the big question mark. Egwu and Leonard have a ton of talent and potential but haven't proven anything yet. At PF you would have Richmond, Griffey, Shaw and Henry can play there a bit. If Richmond comes back I'm not worried about that position because that is where I think he sees the most minutes. On the wings they are fine obviously. And at PG between Maniscalco and Abrams I see no reason they won't get at least competent play. I think there are two huge questions: Who steps up and plays at the 4/5 and who becomes the team leader? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:31 AM) I agree with you on this. I guess maybe he would go to Marquette cause its where he's from, but that job isn't opening up anytime soon. Why would he wanna go to Oklahoma? Jeff Capel made the Elite 8 two years ago as a #2 seed, and two sub-.500 seasons later, he's gone already. There's some pressure to win in Norman as well and it's not exactly a basketball powerhouse. Capel's recruiting had also completely dried up and he had major scandals with his recruits last year which played a major role in his getting fired. I think Oklahoma is basically looking for a coach who will make the tourney most years (which I think Weber would do there, and I still don't think he is a bad coach but it clearly is broken at Illinois and I'm not sure it can be fixed at this point, a change of scenery might do him so good) and most importantly keep the NCAA from sniffing around the basketball program since their last two coaches were Sampson and Capel. The last thing Oklahoma wants it NCAA attention on the basketball program leading to investigation of their sacred football program. Edited March 31, 2011 by whitesoxfan99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 07:49 AM) How so? His contract is up this summer (I forget the exact date) and President Hogan is not a fan so I would be really surprised to see his contract renewed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenksismyhero Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:49 AM) I think there are two huge questions: Who steps up and plays at the 4/5 and who becomes the team leader? I'm hoping it's Brandon Paul. I'm hoping he works really hard on his game in the off season, both physically and mentally. He COULD be a dominate player in the league and make himself a 1st round pick. This could be one of those years where Illinois will surprise people. It's tough being the leader behind 3 seniors. I thought Jay Williams the other day on ESPN 1000 made a good point about Illinois - having a team where your energy/will/win-at-all-costs guys are underclass never works. It's gotta come from the upperclassmen. I could see that team contending for a big ten title. I could see them being mediocre again. No one will know until they start playing games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggsmaggs Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:59 AM) I'm hoping it's Brandon Paul. I'm hoping he works really hard on his game in the off season, both physically and mentally. He COULD be a dominate player in the league and make himself a 1st round pick. This could be one of those years where Illinois will surprise people. It's tough being the leader behind 3 seniors. I thought Jay Williams the other day on ESPN 1000 made a good point about Illinois - having a team where your energy/will/win-at-all-costs guys are underclass never works. It's gotta come from the upperclassmen. I could see that team contending for a big ten title. I could see them being mediocre again. No one will know until they start playing games. Yeah, Jay really insinuated that there was a struggle between the McCameys, Tisdales, Davis and the younger plays. Paul could be tremendous next year; this year he really stepped up his consistency, but still has to shoot better and drive more to the hole and get fouled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 09:56 AM) His contract is up this summer (I forget the exact date) and President Hogan is not a fan so I would be really surprised to see his contract renewed. I know about the Guenther situation and really hope its not renewed. You said the OU/Weber stuff was terrible timing with Guenther leaving soon. Why is it terrible timing? Do you think Weber is scared to be under another AD? His contract runs for a few more years, so it would be hard to fire him immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 10:11 AM) I know about the Guenther situation and really hope its not renewed. You said the OU/Weber stuff was terrible timing with Guenther leaving soon. Why is it terrible timing? Do you think Weber is scared to be under another AD? His contract runs for a few more years, so it would be hard to fire him immediately. It is terrible timing because obviously ideally you want an AD to be in place to hire the basketball coach and i don't want Guenther running the search. They should get try to get Jerry Colangelo involved if Weber does take the Oklahoma job and basically let him make the decision on who the next coach is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 31, 2011 -> 10:36 AM) It is terrible timing because obviously ideally you want an AD to be in place to hire the basketball coach and i don't want Guenther running the search. They should get try to get Jerry Colangelo involved if Weber does take the Oklahoma job and basically let him make the decision on who the next coach is. Gotcha, you meant if Weber did leave now, I think I misread that. Yeah, you definitely don't want an awful lame duck AD hiring the coach. Like I said earlier though, I just don't see Weber leaving on his own. I think he's firmly entrenched in Champaign and is gonna try to stick it out and right the ship. The few jobs he would leave for aren't looking for anyone now. (and might never look in his direction.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fathom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Weber to stay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I like to see the delicate balance between people who hated Weber during the season yet want him to stay. Its a tough situation to be in. Of course he will stay, underachieve, and will be ridiculed for yet another season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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