Nov. 8 Barnhart chat
Thursday, November 8, 2012 - 11:00am
Voice of the Illini Brian Barnhart (he's got a busy weekend) is at your service, taking questions at 11 a.m. each Thursday. Ask him anything Illini - and submit them any time.
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How is everyone? Busy weekend ahead with football and basketball.....and then basketball on Monday night.
Lets get started!
For my money you are the best in the business. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Is it a certainty that Coach Groce will add a fifth scholarship to the class of 2013? As this year's recruiting class gets thinner, might he hang on to the scholarship for 2014? Assembly Hall looked pretty sparse for the exhibitions, what do you expect the crowd to look like on Friday?
Dave,
Thanks for chatting today...and for your compliments!
Dont know which direction John Groce will head in when it comes to scholarships for the next couple of years. Might be a good question for Marcus Jackson...our new basketball beat writer.
I am guessing the crowd will be better on Friday night. One...its a Friday night. Two... it is the regular season opener and I am sure there is come curiousity about John Groce and his team. Three...some fans that might be discouraged with the 2-7 football record are probably ready to doing some cheering (at least after the Illini score 10 points with the "Krush Hush" promotion)
Brian
On Monday the guys on the radio said no way can Illinois fire Tim Beckman because they would never be able to hire another coach after doing so. I tend to disagree. If things are so bad, doesnt MT have to let Beckman go .... who will buy a ticket next year? Thanks for answering
I just dont think as an athletic director you can fire coaches left and right after one year and have any kind of credibility. You have to give the man/woman you hired time to build the program ... the way they want to ...with their own players. Then you look at it after awhile and see where you are.
It really is the only way to do it. Otherwise you wouldnt get anyone of any stature to come coach in Champaign.
Like the idea of the Orange Crush keeping quiet until the 10th point. Curious as to what role the radio/tv crew will have in this?
Interesting idea isn't it? I guess they did that at Taylor University where John Groce played in college. I will be curious to see how that works.
I just hope it is not so quiet that my radio broadcast voice is heard all over the Assembly Hall! Might feel as weird for me as it did when we announced that NCAA tournament game in San Diego a few years ago with Air Force after the bomb threat that delayed the start of the game.... and the game began with nobody in the seats.
Remember that?
Ok. Light load today. Talk to you from the Hall on Friday night...and Memorial Stadium on Saturday.