(Sports) Editor's Note
Jay Bilas Q&A
Posted by: Jim Rossow
Friday, February 8, 2008 6:35 PM
Our Marcus Jackson caught up with Jay Bilas at Thursday's Indiana-Illinois game, and the ESPN analyst had plenty to say. Here's a sample of their conversation that will run on Saturday's Big Ten page:MJ: Should Bruce Weber be concerned about his job?
JB: Bruce is a really good coach and has been for a really long time. It always makes me laugh, the folks who are critics are the ones who don't know anything about basketball. Anybody can tell they're not winning right now. He did a pretty (darn) good job in all his years here. In the last four years, who's won more than Illinois? The answer is nobody.
MJ: What's your take on the whole Eric Gordon situation?
JB: I think the folks who've got their undies all in a bunch about this are a bunch of babies. That's recruiting. If folks here would have turned Eric Gordon down if the situation were reversed, then I'd listen to it, but I know nobody here would. They'd say, 'Well the young man changed his mind, or the father changed his mind or whatever.' These kids are kids and they're teenagers. And even thought their parents should be held to a higher standard, their parents haven't gone through this before, either. The whole thing is about where a kid wanted to go to college. Can you imagine someone getting all upset about where a kid wants to go to college? That's just stupid. The thing that really makes me laugh is he's only going to be in school for a year anyway.
MJ: What are your thoughts on how the fans have reacted?
JB: For me, if I were a fan at the University of Illinois – you've got a great school, an unbelievable program and a place here that I've rated as one of the top five places in America to watch a basketball game – and you're going to come and waste all your energy on an opposing player? That just makes me laugh. You've got kids here that bust their (butts) for you. To me, my guys would deserve more attention than somebody else.
Comments
While I appreciate Bilas' comments what seems to be missing here is the bottom line information. The fact is that every kid has a right to change their mind. I don't fault Gordon or his parents for that. What the Eastern Seaboard Promotional Network and Mr. Bilas seem to miss is not the "what," but the "how" and maybe the "why."
From what I've gathered in discussions with other Illini fans since this whole dibacle took place its more about the fact that Sampson made no effort to contact the Illini staff about his recruitment of Gordon, which is kind of an un-written law in the Big Ten. To compound things the kid himself continued to string the staff and the fans along until it was virtually too late to recover from losing his commitment.
Finally, a kid learning how important it is to keep their word is one of those life lessons that rank right up there in importance. I don't believe Gordons parents have done him a very good service to allow him to learn that lesson the hard way, if at all.
Posted by IlliniFanFindlay on February 9, 2008 at 10:03 AM
I agree with Jay. It's time to move on. Gordon is a sunk cost. Looking backward slows you down. Time for some fans to turn around and look forward.
Posted by lasmith12 on February 11, 2008 at 11:11 AM
