Sad Ending To A Once Promising Season...And a Personal Note
The Illini basketball season basically mirrored the football season from last fall. Great start. High hopes at mid-season for a desirable post-season destination (major bowl game or NCAA Tournament). Then momentum seemed to turn on a dime and both seasons came crashing down in a staggering number of losses. Those mid-season collapses wound up costing both Ron Zook and Bruce Weber their jobs. It was ironic for both situations that fans were kind of excited to start the footbal land basketball seasons after an impressive bowl victory (Texas Bowl over Baylor) and a solid NCAA Tournament win (UNLV). Everyone felt pretty good at the start of both seasons.
The 2011 Illini football team did get to a December bowl game in beautiful San Francisco and came away with a nice consolation prize in a bowl victory. Unfortunately....the 2011-12 Illini basketball team will not be in any post-season after losing 12 of their last 14 games. That is hard to take....and I know the returning players will have a bitter taste in their mouth and will not want a repeat of what happened this year between mid January and early March They will have a chance to take the court again next fall under a new coach...and a will have a chance to make this past season a distant memory.
By the way....a final word about one of the true gentlemen of the college game .....Bruce Weber.
Of all the coaches (basketball/football) or managers (pro baseball) I have ever worked with....he was the most gracious and humble of all. He was generous with his time, always flexible with my interview requests .....and was always willing to share inside and background information on the team that helped me with my radio broadcasts. He made my job so much easier. Plus...he became a good friend over the years.
I understand the bottom-line business of college sports. Wins and losses and national rankings and championships are the foundation of any college sports program. Bruce understood that too.
But I can say that as far as someone who did things the right way....who treated everyone from richest donor to poorest college student the same ..and who was a first-class person who poured his heart and soul into his job and into the lives of his student-athletes...they dont come any better than Bruce Weber. He is #1 in my book in those areas.
The next play-by-play announcer who gets to work with Bruce will feel the same way I do after having spent 9 years of being around him. They will feel very lucky.
I can guarantee that.
I have no doubt that Brian Barnhart is sincere and honest regarding his comments about Bruce Weber. Many people have expressed these same views about Coach Weber. What that tells me is that in this dismissal we have another example of the misguided nature of college sports. I will state my biased view so that my reaction is more clear.My view will also cause many people to immediately dismiss my opinion.College sports and the financial structure of college sports is hopelessly corrupt. It is built upon myth and exploitation.The lack of values throughout the entire system is appalling.The dismissal of Weber should make that apparent to anyone. Examine the myths of character building,excellence and academics and institutional concern for the athletes, who are spun through the business cycle of college sports.How would the dismissal of a man such as Weber fit into any of those ''values'' that are supposed to represent college sports? This is a massive money-making monster built upon lies and supported by tax dollars.It damages the educational efforts of every part of the educational system. The disaster of college sports is well documented in thousands of books and studies and reserach efforts.These facts are ignored as the shame of big time college sports is celebrated as meaningful through propaganda,myth and marketing. Doesn't all of this raise an obvious question for the University,the NCAA,and the media. If Bruce Weber is an example of a man who does it ''the right way'' within the ''rules'' that guide the system,why is he being fired? Are we now demanding that someone be found who will do it ''the wrong way''?
Sadly enough Nick..........in the current society of "instant gratification", there are those willing to walk that tightrope of the "grey area". Some have posted here on the forum that they don't care if the new coach is on the "shady" side as long as he wins. Personally, I agree with most everything you said. It's more fun to win than lose, but cheating to do it is never permissible in my opinion!
You're right though........it's big business now with way too much money involved.
I had almost sworn off reading comments let alone inserting my own, but that is one comment with which I can agree whole-heartedly. One problem, though, is that it appears that higher ed itself has become somewhat corrupted. Still, Bruce Weber is all that is good about college sports -- or at least the ideal of college sports.
I agree that Weber may be an honest and nice man but so is Izzo and look at what Izzo has done at MSU. Sports gives many young kids an opportunity they may not of otherwise had. With some exceptions, many of the student athletes I have had an opportunity to meet over the years were very impressive; balancing school work and sports. I do not believe winning at all cost is good but trying to win is. Weber may be a nice guy but the bottom line was he disappointed many fans, students, and especially the players in not being able to assemble, teach, and coach them to succeed. That is the bottom line and not an excuse for the failure losing 12 of last 14 games. Weber had to go no matter how "nice" he is.
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