Buehrle>Wood

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Mar 30, 2012 -> 04:41 PM) You've made about 138 seemingly definitive statements in this thread. Care to share a link or something once in a while? Where are you getting this stuff from? You have a funny definition of a definitive statement. Anyways, they interviewed him on NBC. I didn't think he sounded too enthusiastic about Illinois and he was shaking his head when they started to ask him about it.

It doesn't sound like Parker is coming here

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 08:14 PM) No he didn't. Carter, Randle and McBride were the three signed recruits when Weber took over for Self. All three had scholarships and played for Illinois. I was thinking of Palmer. I know he never signed. He may have committed under Weber anyways though, not sure.

Yeah, Weber will be advising Leonard. He's gone. I wonder if Groce will take away Orris' scholi. He hasn't exactly molded into a Big Ten player from what I've read. Weber took a Self recruits scholi, so its not unprecedented.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 06:56 PM) So how do the Illini fans feel about the hiring of Travis Steeles step brother? You know, the same Travis Steele you blame for the Eric Gordon decommit and the sabatoge of your program? What? I don't think anyone blames him for how that played out. He's also not been hired. I don't want him though.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 07:37 PM) 5 years, $1.4 million per. Not bad for both sides. Yeah, the Nebraska guy got a better deal

QUOTE (farmteam @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 07:27 PM) ? He asked Groce about his MAC record. Groce paused for a bit, but he did answer it well. I think it was damn I'm not in Ohio anymore moment.

Lol rick morrisey

Howard is currently meeting with Groce

Well, it is what it is. I'll have to ride or die with this guy. I pray he proves me wrong about him, especially when we play Butler next year. I hope he beats the living s*** out of them.

I font think they will, but I would love that hire

I don't think Jerrance leaves either, only if Groce wants him out. I was just commenting on fathoms post. We have immediate needs and lots of big time in state decisions coming up. We lose out big time if he leaves.

This process just turned into a bigger disaster if Jerrance doesn't return, especially when he makes a killing when he goes to Kentucky

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 07:19 AM) You're telling me people calling for Reggie Theus isn't funny stuff? Top 15 job my ass. It is indeed sad that we have to call for the likes of Theus. However, if Illinois isn't a top 15 job, is ISU a top 115 job?

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 06:05 AM) Yay it's over. Time to win the press conference. BTW, Rock, I like how Buehrle>Wood is suddenly a representation of all Illini fans. Is that supposes to be a shot at me or him? I never claimed such a thing.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 04:05 AM) Groce held out for his top assistant to get what Howard is making to come as coach..............yes JH has 1 yr left on deal but why stay he is not wanted by Groce. I have seen this several places. Groce also wants his top assistant to receive a salary on par with that of current Illinois interim coach Jerrance Howard, whose contract as an assistant runs through next season for $180,000 per year. Per Tribune The salary thing makes it sound like Howard is staying to me. He better be.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 04:34 AM) New coach wants no part of current staff. Howard needs to find a new place to go. Where do you see that? If anything, sounds like he plans on keeping him on.

So the hold-up is that Groce wants more money and years. Ugh. You made 300k last year bro. He also wants all his assistants to make what Jerrance Howard makes. Just walk away.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 01:07 AM) Yeah but in the MAC the champs are crowned in the tourney so actually he has 2 to the previous staff's one. Well I'd say that's just semantics. The guy has done well in tournaments. I've given him that. But if were going for a non exciting hire I would like some more stability and the greater picture doesn't seem to reflect that.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 01:02 AM) What kind of roster did he inherit? Where there still starters from the teams that won games the previous years? One reason coaches bolt, especially to places like Bryant University, is the future doesn't look so great where they are at. I have no idea about Ohio's rosters FWIW. I do know this guy has got that school in the tournament 2 out of the last 3 years and has won 3 games. He also recruited a lot of Ohio State's top players when he was an assitant there. He's certainly not the sexy hire, but probably the most competent at this point, but if I was him, I wonder how much Illinois really wants me. This is a crazy situation. I can't remember a school having such a hard time, especially with the money they have been willing to throw out there. Not sure what he inherited. The guy left for Bryant because it was his hometown I believe

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 29, 2012 -> 12:54 AM) 3rd, 5th, 5th, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 3rd in their half of the MAC under the previous coach. 1 tourney appearance and first round exit. Ohio was an afterthought in the MAC. Groce is trending up big time at least in that conference. Doesnt make him a great hire, but he didnt take over even a halfway decent program, they were improving from bottom of the barrel, but thats about it. They are my alma mater's main rival FYI. Those places are actually better than what Groce has done, considering Groce has finished at best third in his division, I believe once.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 28, 2012 -> 11:37 PM) I think he's probably a better option than the candidates being considered, although I don't think Groce is a bad choice. I think he may be better than Shaka and Stevens. He can recruit, and knows the Big Ten. People are too hung up on his record. If you inherit a mess, it takes a while to clean up especially at a school like Ohio where 4 star recruits aren't going to be lining up to attend no matter who the coach is. I don't think Weber forgot how to coach. If this assistant is as good of a recruiter as some claim, the Illini would have been just fine without making a change. Fwiw, Groce didn't inherit a mess. He inherited a program that won 80 games the previous four years(he's improved on that, but just saying)

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Mar 28, 2012 -> 11:19 PM) So he's a great basketball mind and a great recruiter, how come no other schools are interviewing him for a head job? I think his popularity is back up QB syndrome. Why did Weber get fired? Coaching? Recruiting? I wont comment on why he was fired, but its simply more than a blanket statement like recruiting or coaching. As for Jerrance, he's 29. That's why.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Mar 28, 2012 -> 10:49 PM) I keep hearing Howard can recruit, but can he coach? It is one thing to get the guys there, and it is another to get them to play how they should play. Someone previously said that UI has had three straight top 15 classes, but what do they have to show for it? What about what has happened down there tells anyone that this guy would be a better X's and O's/ manager of people than Webber was? Howard has a great basketball mind. He surpassed the other two assistants very quickly when it came to game prep. What happened with Illinois goes beyond that.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 28, 2012 -> 10:08 PM) Scout has them 11th. There probably are other area HS coaches that you could hire at a cheaper price that would give you similar inroads. I also see zero top Chicago players in those classes (unless you count Richmond), most of those guys went elsewhere. There is always the possibility of getting someone who can actually convince the Anthony Davis and Jabari Parker's of the world to go down to Champaign. That may be why guys like Groce are looking to bring in someone instead of him. s*** camp someone out at Whitney Young each year and you can have 2-3 D1 players. I was using RSCI. Anyways, it takes some perspective. We were landing absolutely nothing before he came in. He alone has landed 3 CPL kids, which is about as many as we have had the previous 15+ years. Jerrance is going to land some top kids too. That's clear. Mind you this was his very first assistant job. Do you think Groce comes into OSU and starts landing top classes without creating prior contacts? Nope. There's a reason people love him. Even on the radio today, they had a few people on from the high school basketball scene talking how great Jerrance has been. They didn't know Groce.