Tate: Might get worse before it gets better
CHAMPAIGN — Mike Thomas is waving his wand. But there is nothing magical about hiring a new basketball coach. Downward trends are not easily reversed.
That's why I bite my tongue when people suggest that in two or three years, Illinois will be back on top.
If you think success is automatic, let me suggest one of two things: (1) To maintain your optimism, stop reading now or (2) get real and check Las Vegas for the odds. There's heavy money weighing in against.
As necessary as it was, firing Bruce Weber was hard. He's a good man. Now, locating someone who can improve on Weber's 210-101 record could be even harder. It's bad enough that Tom Izzo, Thad Matta, John Beilein, Bo Ryan, Matt Painter and Tom Crean have head starts, but this Illini squad will be gasping for air if/when Meyers Leonard turns pro. This unit could barely operate when he wasn't drawing double-teams.
What Illinois has returning is not upper-division talent. In this era of the three-point shot, this team just finished in a virtual dead heat with Penn State for last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting and three-point defense. Illinois gave up 69 more arc points on 55 fewer shots. Alone, those two facts make it nearly impossible to win. Couple that with erratic ball handling (Brandon Paul ran his turnovers to 109), and help is needed ... and it isn't yet coming.
The upcoming junior class, once so promising with Jereme Richmond, Crandall Head and Leonard, would be void if Joe Bertrand hadn't redshirted. Upcoming seniors Tyler Griffey, D.J. Richardson and Paul are best known for their struggles. After three years, we pretty much know what to expect.
So, it appears that much of the future responsibility will fall on the upcoming sophomores, who offered little this season to lift them out of the mystery class. And before you counter with their high school rankings, remember: We've seen them now.
Be careful what you wish for
I'm drawn to the words of analyst Seth Davis: "This is yet another example of just how misguided criticism of coaches can be. If fans aren't happy — at some point, most of them aren't — their reflexive reaction is to call for a coaching change. In the grand scheme of things, however, the coach is not nearly as fundamental to a program's success as many fans want to believe. All you have to do is look at Steve Alford's record before and after his Iowa tenure, not to mention Iowa's record before and after Alford coached there. It starts with unrealistic expectations ... and Alford was undercut by his then-athletic director, Bob Bowlsby, who refused to stand up to the message-board crowd in Alford's defense."
Alford wasn't fired at Iowa. But he was certainly pushed. His Hawkeyes were 61-67 in conference play with three NCAA teams in eight years, and the fans were up in arms. So Iowa went for the flavor of the day, Todd Lickliter, 131-61 at Butler with two Sweet 16 teams.
Lickliter promptly went 38-57 at Iowa and was replaced by Fran McCaffery, who put Siena in three NCAA events before starting his upstream swim in Iowa City's frozen waters. Former Chicago Bulls guard Bobby Hansen, now a Hawkeye radio analyst, pointed out: "The young recruits on Iowa's list can't remember when Iowa was good. Their memories go back only a few years. And the same goes for our university students. They lost the habit of attending games. It's tough to get back up when you're down."
Tough to rebuild
Hansen makes my point. When a program starts sinking, it is doubly difficult to rebuild.
Next example: Georgia. Like the rest of the SEC, they're under the shadow of Kentucky's one-and-done semi-pro program. Back in 2003, Georgia snapped up Western Kentucky's red-hot Dennis Felton, who was on a 39-5 run in the Sun Belt and would probably have been Illinois' coach if he had waited a year before jumping. By 2008, Felton's Bulldogs were 4-12 in the SEC and, during the 3-13 season that followed, he was replaced.
So Georgia got serious again and went for Mark Fox, the Nevada sensation who was 66-16 in the WAC. Good choice. Or was it? Of Fox's three SEC campaigns, two wound up at 5-11. Oops!
And now we turn to Oklahoma. After Kelvin Sampson outran the NCAA sleuths to Indiana, where he would set that program back for years, Jeff Capel arrived in Norman from a four-year, 79-win venture at VCU. Yes, he had the Commonwealth rolling before Anthony Grant and Shaka Smart. And Capel's Sooners started 25-1 in 2009 before sophomore superstar Blake Griffin suffered a late-February injury. Fast forward two years. Griffin had long since turned pro, Capel went 4-12 and 5-11 in the league, and boom! He gone. Ever-mobile Lon Kruger took the call after Weber turned it down, and the Sooners are right back at 5-13 and wondering where to go from here.
Change was necessary
Enough already. Examples can be found both ways. For good or bad, the change was necessary, both for Weber and for the program.
In the words of Mike Thomas, "we've been running in place for four or five years, and in some cases even regressed. Bruce Weber is a quality person who is everything you'd want in terms of how he represents the university, but it's important that we compete at the highest level."
Thomas cited a drop in attendance "by a couple thousand ... there were a lot of empty seats," and is eager to see the fan base uplifted not only for the games but in terms of excitement needed to influence corporate interests in the proposed Assembly Hall renovation.
This is a major undertaking, and Thomas surprised by indicating that he "would probably" involve an expensive search firm. There had been a presumption that the AD, who has been contacted repeatedly in recent weeks by interested parties, already had a strong working list of likely candidates.
But that indicates how thorough Thomas wants this search to be. It's that important. He is on the line for the university's two most important sports programs. And both those bottles are half-full, half-empty ... and with the possibility of going either way. There are too many complications for either football or basketball to be considered a cinch ... or even likely.
Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.
Everybody hold on, loren says its gonna get worse. Why is it you see no problem, or connection between the problems and the coach? Sure Bruce is a great guy. You are saying I am to be happy missing the ncaa tourney 3 out of 5 years? I should be happy not ending the season in the top 25 for years and years? Players take on the personality and toughness of their coach. See how that worked out? The players on the roster are quality players, they need a quality coach. i hope the next thing Mr Thomas removes from the Uof I is you Mr Tate
Tate is the resident doom and gloom champion of the News Gazette. Illinois has a real chance to have their best basketball team in 6 years next season if the new coach retains all the underclassmen. Yes the team loses Meyers but it returns a ton of talent that in the right coach's hands can be transformed and coached up to be a real winner. Bet on it.
The reality is, it might get worse. Or it might get better. tate is just pointing out a realistic possibility, as opposed to the Weber-haters who are so convinced all we needed to do was fire Weber and now they will get the eternal strong of sweet16 appearances and top 25 finishes they 'deserve'. With the current coach, you have a pretty good idea of what you will get and what you wont get. With a new coach, you JUST. DONT. KNOW. It might get better, it might get worse. He might run a clean program, or he might cut corners. We might keep the current players and recruits, or we might lose some. We might keep the recruiting momentum rolling, or we might see a downswing while relationships are rebuilt. There is just no way of knowing what will happen. Thats the reality. And all the Bruce-hate in the world wont change that. Many programs make new hires every year. Some work out, and some dont. More often that not, they dont, which is why there is so much turnover in college hoops.
Sometimes reading Loren is like listening to a broken record (if you don't know what that is, that's okay because Loren surely still remembers).
Maybe it's just that he's been writing for so long that he's come full circle (possibly multiple times even).
I'm sure we'll be seeing this one again too...
Perhaps UI job isn''t all that special
Tue, 04/29/2003 - 1:00pm
Loren Tate
http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/miscellaneous/2003-04-29/perhaps-ui-job-isnt-all-special.html
Be sure to read it and you'll see how after Coach Self left that the program was surely going to fall off of a cliff.
There is not one serious Illinois player/coach/donor/fan who wanted Bruce to exit in this fashion. Great person who cared about the right things. It's a sad day for everyone yet the change had to be made. Poor recruiting, awful coaching and little player development left Thomas no choice but to release Bruce.
It's time for Loren to quit. He has served central Illinois well for decades and should leave with his head held high. But he has defended the wrong guys and missed the big stories so many times in the past few years it is time to go.
For Loren to write a column like this one is a joke. There is no reason why the Illini can't be competitive next year. They have a solid base with upside. Relentless practice this summer will improve the team. As for getting stud players if Thomas signs the right coach there is no reason the Illini won't be better in two years.
Loren is way off base with such a downer column today. Let's watch and see how this plays out. I'm guessing the Illini will play better next year and years to come without Bruce than with him.
Don’t agree. Making a quicker turnaround in BB is much more realistic than FB. Just because of the #’s needed are so divergent and BB players don‘t need the time to develop as FB players do. Look at Missery with only 7 schollies on their team. If we can make a splash/haul with the next 3 classes coming out of Chitown or that quality of player from wherever, we have a legitimate chance at turning BB around in a very reasonable time frame.
You described the situation very well when you said "What Illinois has returning is not upper-division talent". And, that is the reason Illinois basketball has fallen into mediocrity for far too many years after a run at the national championship in 2005. The talent (and I include attitude and mental toughness with physical tools and ability) is just not there. The players on this team are inconsistent and have enormous flaws in terms of passing, ball handling and shooting not to mention a lack of toughness in the rebounding department. I wish it weren't so, but, after watching most of the games this season, that is my bottom-line assessment.
If the players are better than described above, then Weber's failure was not in recruiting, but in coaching. Either way, he is a wonderful man, but a change had to be made. Anybody who blames Mike Thomas' comments for the failures of this team just doesn't get it or is deflecting Weber's coaching failures at Illinois the last six years.
Old Man Tate just doesn't get it.
Get worse? How is it going to get worse? Win zero NCAA games?
The fallacy is to call Weber a coach with a 210-101 record. The truth is, unlike Self, Weber scheduled a total creampuff nonconference schedule. Worse, once Self's recruits left, Weber showed what he is -- a sub-.500 coach. We can live without that. We can certainly replace that.
Moreover, OMT calls up a handful of examples of things that didn't work out.. But he conveniently ignores all the instances where the coaching change DID work out.
If Illinois' talent is subpar, that's on Weber. Just one more reason for him to go. But I would argue that his style was not suited to the type of players he had -- and he could not adjust. This is a run and gun, slashing team. To have them play possession basketball was just not going to work.
And it didn't.
Told you so.
If you hate him so much, why read his columns? Whats wrong with you? When i find something I dont like, be it a TV show or a columnist or whatever, I just dont watch/read it! Why are you so compelled to read and comment about something you obviously hate. Its dysfunctional. Did someone tie you down in your computer chair and tape your eyelids open and make you read IlliniHQ/ Jeesh.
Mike Thomas may engage an 'expensive search firm' to help identify coaching candidates? This is probably in response to the Board of Trustees who voted against the new football coach based on his race. Thomas seems to be a smart guy. He needs to ensure that he has the documentation for the Board of Trustees to demonstrate that he seriously considered black coaches. Let's all hope that he selects a new basketball coach based on capability and character, not race.
If you are going to quote Seth Davis, maybe you should have noted that he called Illinois a top 10 program. There is talent on this roster, and you'll see the results next year. You should recognize that when your best argument is 'it could get worse', you've run out of arguments. It hasn't been worse since Henson rebuilt the program from rubble, and it's not going to get worse now.
Loren? How do you leave the house? It seems you are afraid of everything. We have been irrelevant for years under Weber. He's taken a top 15 program and run it into the ground during the latter part of his tenure. One tournament win. Not finishing in the top 25 since 2006! Playing in a half-empty Assembly Hall. It can't get much worse than what we've experienced. No, we're not Kansas, Kentucky, or North Carolina, but we are a very strong program and those types of results get a coach fired.
It's nothing personal. Just realize it's the University of Illinois, not the University of Bruce Weber. I'm not sure why you do your best to tell anyone who wants to listen that we aren't a good program, but the facts aren't in your favor. We are a strong program and, with a good coach, can be an elite program. Seth Davis also said Illinois is a top 10 job, if not a top 5 job. I see you omitted that from your article. You and those of your ilk do more damage to this program than you think. Your small-minded way of thinking just serves as one way to hold the program down. I appreciate the work you've done during your long tenure, but it saddens me that your legacy, at least with me, will be a guy who always thought we weren't good enough to try to compete nationally. Illinois is a top 15 program, who was getting top 60 results for a number of years. It was well past time for both parties to part ways.
Am I missing something here? The media (local and nationally) say as if Illini fans are asking to much to have a competitive basketball and football teams. "Expectations are to high" for the Illinois program, good luck to the next coach they say. If your not Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, kentucky, etc. you may as well take a backseat and shutup because, well, you'll never attain that level of success. All of these aforementioned schools are'nt shit without the state of Illinois! They fear the day we land a young, talented, charismatic coach cause that's probably when the days of robbing us of our top instate talent ends for them! If Thomas has a his sights on one guy, then throw everything we have at him to land him, and if it works out, do everything you can to keep him. And as far as downward trends go, Weber was the only thing holding Illinois basketball back, nice guy or not!
Loren the seat of Illinois' current troubles in all the revenue sports goes back to your old friend Ron Guenther. He kept his hand picked coaches well beyond their expiration date. But, that wasn't the worst of it. He gave Zook an extension AFTER A 5-7 LOSING SEASON! He gave Weber a 7 year extension just for making it BACK to the NCAA! 7 years! 4 years ok maybe but 7 years?! Unbelieveable.
As good a man as Weber was and he was a good man in all aspects, he was in over his head. At best he was a lukewarm hire at the time. He didn't excite the fan base. Guenther tried to replace a rock-star (Self) with a no-name folk singer. That didn't make the audience happy. And there were other candidates available. Like Thad Matta for one. What was RG thinking.
Well we know what he was thinking. Guenther wanted loyalty. He was still stuck in the 60's mode of thinking that lifetime careers at one company was still the norm. Loyalty and stability over achievement and production. That equation adds up to mediocrity. Look at what happend to GM.
But, Loren you'd rather blame the fans for un-real expectations. You believe that fans drove Thomas to make an un-fair decision.
Well here's an un-real expectation. Asking donors and season ticket holders to pony up thousands of dollars to watch an inferior product with promises "he'll get it turned around" . The same goes for the casual fan to spend $40 for a single basketball ticket or $60 for a football ticket and $20 for parking...all to watch an inferior and/or declining product on the field or court.
I think we can all agree the production on the court (and field) over the last 5 years spoke for themselves. And economics was a huge consideration as well. Empty seats means lost revenue and it would have been even worse next year.
But what bothers me the most in your column is the pre-determined assumption that we aren't going to get better. That we are who we are and we better just accept it. There is a pre-determined caste system in college athletics and you serfs should just know your place. If that's the case we should not only NOT renovate Assembly Hall but we should leave the B10 and put the wrecking ball to our facilities. Let's not have intercollegiate athletics at all. Let's just surrender and go quietly.
There would be one upside to this. Without Illinois athletics to kick around you'd have to retire. I guess there is a positive to every situation.
Coach Weber is a man of integrity and trust. If you are parent of a college aged teenager he's someone you could trust with your son or daughter. It's very sad that we do not have a University President or Board of Trustees that parents, alumni and students can trust to act with integrity. I wish Loren would ask Mr Thomas if he has been given orders by the Board to hire an African American coach. Someone needs to tell the lawyers that comprise the U of I Board of Trustees that all Illini are looking for the best coach in the country. How quickly everyone forgets that 2005 championship season and game. Remember the regional final in Chicago. Talk about empty seats in the Assembly Hall well I remember aa Assembly Hall with 2000 in attendance just before Lou Henson took over. Everyone agrees that its time for a change but we need to remember the outstanding accomplishments like the first outright Big 10 Championship in 50 years and the 05 year. Loren I agree with your analysis. When working with teenagers anything is possible from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat. Good Luck coach Weber and thanks for being a great person, mentor and leader Thanks for not leaving us in a mess like our sister Big Ten School in Pennsylvania.
Wow, you have to love Ilinois fans. Loren writes a column that is reasonable and realistic. He gets vilified for that?
Bashing Loren doesn't change the fact that Illinois is not a destination program for the elite college coaches. That leaves either a guy that will succeed and use that success to land a better job (Bill Self) or a mid-major "star" that may or may not be able to handle coaching in the big ten. Not an easy task (Ask Tubby Smith).
I would have to agree. Tates article is right on and truthful. Sometimes the truth hurts, but that doesn't make it not so. Whoever takes over the program is going to have their hands full just finding a decent ball handler and passer. Not many coaches around that can compete with the likes of the top 5 in the big ten, and that is if you have the same talent level, which we do not have. Good luck to Weber and keep your fingers crossed that we are not on sanctions in two years.
Weber got fired for not winning--he was kept 3 years too long because he followed the rules--Guenther's rules--- now he has to leave with 3.9 million dollars in his pocket, and we're supposed to congratulate him for running the program into the ground?
The frustration is with Weber the coach, not Weber the person--being a good guy and playing by the rules doesn't give you a pass when you lose 13 of your final 15 games and your team misses the NCAA Tournament 3 of the last 5 years and you win just 2 NCAA Tournament games in 7 years. Weber's failure as a coach can't be defended no matter how nice a man he is.
Facts...
1.Loren Tate is one hell of a writer.
2. Loren Tate has no power other than the ability to voice his opinion in an interesting and, obviously, provocative way.
3. He knows a lot about basketball and is usually right more often than wrong when predicting things.
4. Basketball is the most unpredictable and exciting of the college sports.Examples...did anybody in the country expect Wisconsin to defeat the hotshot Hoosiers with Rob Wilson's (???) 30 points?! Will Joe Bertrand be the guy who scores 25 a game for us next year or be the guy who averages 6 a game? Who in the hell knows? Can't wait to find out!
5. I will be giving to the Ifund again and renewing my nosebleed 3 seats to cheer my beloved team. AND reading Paul Klee and Loren Tate with much enjoyment.
I don't get it, I just don't get it. Why the hatred for LT? So he is a 105 years old and started as a journalist when they were still using stone tablets. He has a point here. Look no further than the Big Ten and Tubby Smith, Tom Crean, and how about Tom Izzo? Izzo's record his first two years were 16-16 and 17-12 with two NIT berths. What if the State faithful convinced their AD to axe him? No championships, no Final Fours, no Big Ten championships. This coaching change will set us back 3-4 years and I'll be on this site reading more LT (yes, even he will still be around) listening to the same people moaning about the coach.
Tate : could get worse,,,what, are you saying this is better now ??
When you get 1.3 million per year, country club memebership, cars, perks, you must do better than 17-15. The only reason it did not happen in earlier years is due to the cost to do it, but it got so bad that it was hey, move on Stubborn Weborn, we will eat the money and we will not even let you get credit for a stickin NIT victory should you get lucky to get one...that is how bad he had worn on all of us, even Tate as he said, it was time.
Look, I watched Breeze Central, they got a 6'6 kid Book, that is better than Griffey, Leonard, Shaw, Egwu, and Maybe Bertrand. Why, he has a quick release, can shoot fades, three's, block shots, fakes, the whole package, and these kids are what Butler gets, and in the end, are not just clone dunkers and bad passers. We did get second tier kids, but Weborn is so stubborn he never changed up to give our kids a chance. He had no consequences for mistakes, as Paul will tell you. He put his money on Sam, which is a joke. I know, I know, Sam hit a three once in a while, well you know why don't you, cause his man was doubling down. They let him run free really could care less that he was out there. He was not threat, and needed to sit. Mistake Bruce, big mistake.
ONE MORE THING,..Loren is true to his friends, I will give him that. Read between the lines. Guenther and Weber were pretty good friends of Loren. This is how a column would be written when your close friend needs to go but you have to write about it. I understand.
It has been said by Loren that Bruce has done nothing different this year than in past years. He is the same coach. Well , in the end, that is actually what got him fired, he remaind the same average coach and game tactician.
Finally, what became apparent to me was that when they won, it was hard to watch, not really entertaining, This is very telling.
THE COMMON DENOMINATOR in all of Tate's examples is HIRING OUTSIDE instead of PROMOTING FROM WITHIN.
Not only are you paying off the outgoing coach's contract, you are setting yourself back with the following problems:
1. Starting over with recruiting / losing recruits because the new guy is new to Illinois and starting from behind in trying to win over previously committed recruits.
2. Will Illinois have to pitch in to pay off the rest of the incoming coach's buyout clause?
3. Going after the flavor of the day (Shaka Khan) will cost $2 million a year. That's a costly, risky bet.
4. No loyalty to Illinois - either they use it as a 3 year stepping stone or they are a prima donna demanding a ridiculous salary (once again - Shaka Khan).
A better alternative is to promote from within when a higly qualified, skilled assistant coach is ready for it.
Vic Koenning should have been promoted to Head Football Coach. He had the full respect of the team and got AWESOME RESULTS with the defense. He likely wouldn't have cost as much, and could have at least kept the defensive recruits intact. Instead he was offered a demotion to co-defensive coordinator by incoming coach Beckman.
Wayne McClain should have been promoted to Head Basketball Coach with a SUCCESSION PLAN in place to turn it over to Jerrance in a few years. We seem to have an inferiority complex at Illinois that says WE ALWAYS HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE. No former Illinois player or Illinois alum could possibly be good enough to coach Illinois. BS! I'm tired of MAC re-treads, other B10 re-treads, or stepping stone prima donnas. Keep it in the family. McClain, Howard, Harrington, Judson (from ISU), and Deon Thomas. They are well known and respected throughout the state and they are orange and blue all the way. McClain favors a more up tempo style of play and Deon Thomas can actually teach the bigs how to post up - a big miss this year with Meyers). And I guarantee you McClain or Howard would not demand $2 million a year to coach at the school they love. They are Orange and Blue e all the way.
Why do so many people get their kicks by running others down? What we need to be is more possitive. 1. Trust our new AD and let him do his job . 2. Make every effort to keep the present players including Leanord and Langford,they all have good skills and can get better. They have 8 months to work on passing, 3 point shooting, driving to the basket, and defense Those that want to be winners will do this on their own 4. Show support to the new coach and next years team by attending the games, cheering with passion, and continuing those contrbutions.
Now you are talking like true ORANGE and BLUE. I agree, why go out and rent a coach for 2 maybe 3 years , and still be dissapointed. Real success starts from within. This why it always come down to money, go pay big bucks for the next great coach and then he leaves or gets fired because of money !
This is so similar to Henson's last season...18-13, ninth place in the big ten, first round loss in the NIT. Lon Krueger had them back in the NCAA tourney the next season and won the big ten the following season with Lou's recruits. Let's hope for a similar turnaround.
While we are doing a little housecleaning, time to move on Brian Barnhart and Jerry Hester. Great people, knowledgeable,,but.....there are more parts to that job. The missing part they both are poor at is VOICE. Brian screams the whole game, no voice articulation, none, just blaring high octane. With Jerry, he is muffolded, his voice is very hard to understand. I know they love Illinios, but listen to tv guys or XM radio and you will see what I mean. Not even close. They need to be replaced.
DaisyJ not sure why you think Mr. Tate and the old AD were/are friends. They really aren't. But yet you can imagine they are just so you can try to keep stirring the pot. And you criticize Tate for integrity and you pull this crap out of thin air. Brilliant.
As for the next hire, this does present an interesting question. Now at MT's press conference yesterday he said he wasn't a very good multi-tasker. Yet he has to conduct one high profile search and one, shall we say, mid-level search. It will be interesting to see which search firm is hired. I wonder if the University will get a break on the fee if the AD uses the same firm that helped land him here?
Tate is closer friends with both Guenther and Weborn then you and I are. Most reporters are, that is how they get their info. They must be careful to keep the distance but keep the commuication door open. Or, do you think that they really write what they would like to ever time out. He must be careful how he says it ,without being too critical. Come on, everyone can understand that. Tell me where I have criticized Tate for Integrity. Understanding where he is coming from is one thing, you and I can say what we think, right or wrong.
As for stiring the pot, it starts with the opening line of Tate's story, he starts the stiring. It was his article. Not sure why you think this way.
I will let Thomas hire who he wants.
Does anyone remember the pre Lou Henson years ? Illini basketball was in total shambles, if we as true Illini fans are going to pay so much attention to some overpaid wind bags in the media then thats what we deserve. Who cares what Paul Klee or Loren Tate think or say. I am sorry to see Bruce Weber go, how many NCAA scandels occured on his watch, how many student athletes graduated. Yes a change was neccesary and I for 1 am glad the decision was made quickly to end all speculation. But just remember the games are played on the court not in the media.
Maybe this all started when the Board threw the CHIEF under the bus!!!! Just maybe what we have here is the early stages of another Wrigley Field goat curse!! If so, maybe we should just have kept Bruce Weber and brought the CHIEF back---what could the NCAA do to us anyway, ban us from the tournament? Knock yourself out NCAA--with Weber as coach we wouldn't be going anyway--looks like a win-win to me!!!! Surely Loren would agree!! And just like the Cubbie fans, we wouldn't have to worry about stupid things--like winning.
Loren I respect your writing but I disagree; I'm truly hoping you're wrong here. I don't believe we'll take a huge step back, but only under one condition - the next coach needs to keep Jerrance on the staff. Because if he's not, I can see a situation where we have multiple transfers from the current freshman crop. If that happens, then we're looking at another 2, maybe even 3 seasons before we get back to the Big Dance because now we'd be looking at a major reconstruction project. And then just imagine - apathy for basketball would be at an all-time high in that situation. I do believe the current freshman class has plenty of talent (especially Abrams), but it needs more of an opportunity (which it didn't get in large part this season) to show and prove what they can do.
The best part of all of this is that after only a few hours, Tate manages to get nearly forty comments on his column. The mostly venemous comments are so full of hate for Loren, and Coach Weber, its laughable. Reading the comments is like watching an episode of Housewives of New Jersey.
The best ones are the comments questioning why Tate is allowed to write, or saying the NG should get rid of him. The fact that all the haters don't understand is that it's his JOB to stir the pot and spark discussion/debate, that is what sells newspapers, draws listeners to his radio show, or draws people to the wesite. The endles stream of comments simply validates that people read his columns. Why would the NG want him to leave, he draws a crowd, brings in readers, and generates on-line page views that translate into advertising revenue for the NG.
And, at the end of it all, you slam him for stating the obvious. It could get better, it could get worse, or it could be more of the same. The history of coaching changes in the NCAA would suggest is that it most likely to stay the same or get worse. It doesn't suggest that's what he wants or is hoping for, it's simply a commentary on the reality of the situation.
Well which is it LT.....first Weber could coach, but he couldn't recruit. Savior Howard appeared and turned that around I thought? Now you bad mouth the past 3 recruiting classes, which I thought were highly rated? So Weber can't coach AND we have average to poor players? Now that we've read the glass is half empty column, maybe he'll write the glass is half full column? Don't hold your breath.
It amazes me that with all of his years experience with Illinois Basketball that Tate is so negative about the position. This program has a lot of talent coming back along with a long history of success. No this program isn't Duke or Kentucky but who is besides them. Because of the whole Bill Self saga everyone thinks that Illinois is some kind of stepping stone. People need to realize that the Kansas job was Selfs "dream job" and that he wouldn't have left just to go to another school if it hadn't been so. Illinois has been somewhat successful with the majority of coaches that they have had. Think about this Illinois has had a #1 seed in its bracket under 3 of the past 4 coaches(Henson "1989", Self "2001" and Weber in "2005. How many other programs can say that? When has Wisconsin or Iowa or Purdue even had one. These are the programs that Tate compares Illinois to in his(2003) article. Also its laughable to think that Brad Stevens wouldn't leave Butler because its wouldn't be a better program. I don't think it would be a good fit for him to come here but not because its not a better job. Butler was nobody till the last few years and could fade back into obscurity very easily with or without him. Even with the success of the last two seasons its not on the same level as the Illinois job.
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