Joel Goodson "some times you gotta say what the %$&^" "Looks like University of Illinois"- Risky Business 1983

Hope Groce realizes Ohio is Princeton compared to Illinois and he really wants to stay here.

Illinois can't compete in the Big 10?  Really?

I don't think its a Top 20 job right now. If you would have asked me 15-25 years ago I would have said yes but not anymore. In fact, I would guess its on the brim of being Top 30.

I'd put Purdue and Marquette above Illinois without question. Just ask yourself: If you were the top college coach in the country and you had the choice of any job you wanted, how far down the list do you go till you get to Illinois? It's a pretty long list IMO. Longer than people think.

Illinois is not even a top 5 program in the B1G.  They are behind OSU, UoM, MSU, Indiana, and Wisconsin.  They are competing for 6th with Purdue.  They have Northwestern, Minnesota and Iowa in the rear view mirror. I hope Groce does well, but I think Illinois is going to be a hard place to win with the current state of college basketball with one and done.  Illinois has to get the top Chicago players.  Top players like the ones that go to Duke and UNC.  I Know Coach is great at getting players, but Illinois is not  Duke, UNC or Kansas and never will be.  They will struggle to keep up with OSU, MSU and UoM.  I hope I am  wrong and Coach can turn it around but I think he is going to struggle.  Look at Tubby Smith at Minnesota and he came from UK.  In college basketball you get one chance at a top program in most cases and if you fail you end up at places like Harvard or New Mexico for the rest of your career.

The only thing that makes the Illinois job unattractive at this point is their situation with their President.  As soon as that situation is rectified the job becomes a really good one.   Saying it ranks above or below certain jobs in the Big Ten is splitting hairs at its finest.

YOu are nailing it with each post.

FOr the comment that they have to get the top talent out of Chicago.....nosomuch...when they did get that talent with Head, gill, battle and a number of others they were not the juggernaut everyone thought they would be....good yes, elite no. THeir really good teams have come with core players form other places than Chicago. If y but you are saying they could win if they kept Scheyer and those guys at home I agree  but there is such a disconnect between the kids from the Burbs and Chicago Public or Catholic leagues that I have a hard time seeing them on the same team. Same is true when you look at the Summmer teams Mac Irvin Fire vs Illinois WOlves, MeanStreet, Ferrari  and Common BOnd or Full Package.
Chicago is a very clannish place and they are more disconnected than connected. Keep in mind post prop 48 and intensified compliance issues how difficult it is to get unmotivated ballers out of Chicago schools and into U of I.

JG is gonna get a shot...OTOH ....it would be a great stepping stone to tO$U. Because that is what Illinois has become ...your stepping stone to the biggest stage inthe world or the places Kreuger, the LouDoo and others have gone


and jst for the sake of repeating it..their incoming prez is athletics friendly liek McD but only has a 2 year deal

I hope this is a stepping stone for Coach but it really was only a stepping stone for Self and Kruger.  For Henson it was his Career.  But for Weber it was a final four and a couple of B1G Championships and he was only really good with Self's kids.

As far as Chicago goes I agree to some points on how hard it is to get the top player, but if you can't protect you own state how do you expect to go into another state and take their top players.

JG would protect. THe first week he was here he made sure he and Holtmann covered every toruney in OHIO (Adidas It takes Five et al) BEFORE hitting the traditional recruiting tourneys in Indiana and Kentucky that take place at the same time. I have no doubt he would get to Illinois and hit Chicago and Peoria hard and get his hooks into the St Louis area also as a priority. HE would do for Illinois what no other coach has really accomplished in the recruiting arena....but Illinois is a brand that can compete nationally for name players....nice campus, nice facilities....no pro sports presence in the area....

Adolph Rupp moved from Kansas to Illinois to coach HS ball specifically because he desired the Chicago press to help launchhis career. From that stand point if you are really good you will become a media darling in a great major market.

This is the same guy who supports Carbone, and wants the head coaching job to go to his current assistant. Good luck talking sense with him.

We do? How, exactly, do "we" know this?

I wish I were half as confident as many of you all seem to be. I don't feel good about this at all and am really really not happy. I also wish this entire board wasn't already actling like Groce is gone.

And let's not discount the fact that A) They don't have a football program, B) They are in a better league than us presently and could potentially move to a better one if an all-basketball conference came around like I'm hypothesizing eventually for the X's, Marquette's, G-Town's, etc., C) Their enrollment and tuition scale is completely different than ours. It's comparing apples to oranges.