Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jan 4, 2015 -> 01:29 PM) Ford brings the canada connection, which has resulted in zilch. I was really hoping he got the Ohio job when it opened. Also, bring in Dee, like now. Still tearing it up in his league I think. Have to imagine he makes more doing that than he would as an assistant.

You have to assume Kentucky, but I feel like he's been really quiet about his recruiting the whole time so no school would be a surprise.

Illinois sports are so irrelevant. Maybe the worst time in my life. (Born in 82).

In the most important stretch how do you have Black and Tate in the game.

Get a new f***ing coach. Inexcusable errors all the f***ing time.

Two possessions in a row with wide open 3s. Ridiculous. Here comes the drought.

Can they really change a call like that? I assumed they were checking for the elbow.

Setting up for a classic "miss 10 jumpshots in a row and go scoreless for 8 minutes as they take the lead and win" game.

Rose is like 3 for his last 30 shots.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 10:10 AM) I'm not sure I could handle that. I don't want that person to do anything but fail. Agreed. Manziel Jr. Just a big headache.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 08:44 AM) Is there anything dumber than arrest /citation quotas fire police officers? Can't embed, unfortunately:

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 08:22 AM) Two observations: 1) Cutler is not good 2) There aren't many, if any options that are better than Cutler Probably true, but if you can trade him for picks and try to find a QB for the future in the draft, or find some journeyman until next year's draft and put that money in other places, I think you do it.

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Dec 31, 2014 -> 07:58 AM) http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tab...;seasonType=REG So, statistically, Cutler's season was virtually identical to Phil Rivers. Rivers threw for 17yds/game more, but the rest is pretty similar (including tying for most INTs). Rivers choked away a playoff birth against a Chiefs team that was completely beat up. Yet, Rivers is a media darling. He's a great leader, teammate, husband, father,.... So much of the analysis of these players is based on media perception of their personalities. I'm not making excuses for Cutler. I don't have much confidence in him, but I wouldn't have much confidence in anyone not named Brady or Rodgers. A quarter to a third of Cutlers good stats came at the end of blowout games

Derrick for the love of Christ stop shooting.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 05:21 PM) Making the tournament isn't some accomplishment. It's what a bottom of the barrel Illini team should do. It doesn't take a lot of talent to do that. And if we don't make it this year, there's going to be plenty of teams with less talented rosters that grab at larges. Bingo. Especially with the expanded tournament. .500 should not be that difficult to achieve.

Oh, and next year this team isn't much better. It's probably worse. You lose 4 of your top 6 players and replace them with a guard playing PG without much offensive game, 2 back-up mid-major level centers, and some freshman. You have to hope and pray Hill continues to develop into a super star, Nunn grows into an all-Big Ten caliber guy every game, Black can stay on the floor and out of foul trouble and maybe JCL gives you some shooting off the bench.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 05:13 PM) This was the roster after that first year if nobody transfers: Egwu, Abrams, Bertrand, Langford, Djimde, Shaw, Henry, and Orris (if Groce decided to keep him). Yup, lots of high level difference makers in the group. I guess we can just agree to disagree. I don't think that team is all that talented. Groce brought in guys like Rice and Ekey, but they were imperfect. Especially rice in conference play. Add Rice, Nunn and Hill and a sub-.500 in conference record with only a few quality wins isn't that crazy.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 05:10 PM) That team managed a 7 seed a tournament win. But after the four Seniors (Paul, Richardson, McClaurin, and Griffey) graduated, and the four guys transferred (Shaw, Henry, Ibby and Langford), what were you expecting last year? Further, Groce's first team had 7-8 decent basketball players and went through a horrible slump until the win against Indiana because Tyler Griffey couldn't hit water falling out of a boat at the start of B1G play. In year 2, you had 5 freshman (none of whom were instant impact kids) and 2 transfers sitting out. Rice, Bertrand, Abrams, Egwu and Ekey was your starting 5. And even when Hill and Nunn were ready to go, it was a very, very thin roster in terms of B1G talent. Again, no NBA talent. No top of the B1G talent. This year's roster is better. For whatever reason, however, Cosby has been terrible. The Abrams injury has hurt more than we expected. And neither of Morbert has made the expected strides. It's a better team, but with Finke redshirting and Abrams hurt, this roster still only has 10 scholarship players. Next year, the talent continues to get better. Still no point guard, but the overall talent gets better and Groce's initial class gets older. We're all frustrated with the loss today, but to say that Groce's first two teams were extremely talented is very revisionist history. Also, let's not give up on this season and fire Groce after the first B1G game... I didn't say that. And i'm not saying fire Groce right now. But if it's another sub .500 season and a missed tourney bid? Yeah, you better start looking for potential replacements even if he gets another year to work it out. Are you not concerned about the annual trend of his teams losing games against high major programs? Games in which they have a lead in the 2nd half and choke it away? It's happens WAY too much.

And really, how's it Webers fault that Groce's guys can't finish games and play well? Crosby and Starks, Groce guys, are busts. Rice has been great, and god only knows where the program would be without him. Hill looks fantastic at times, and average at times. None of his big guys are worth anything. Nunn is having a typical up and down year. Egwu hasn't progressed at all in 4 seasons. We'll see about Abrams.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 04:59 PM) So you named 5 players, 3 of which were seniors. The team made the tourney and actually won a game that year. How did the roster look behind that? 3 of your current top 6 players? That's not enough? I'm not saying he didn't have a difficult task, but you're making it sound like he brought a program back from the death penalty. That's far from the case.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 04:47 PM) It's not all about talent. Roster construction means a ton and the fact is that Groce had a major overhaul. Sure, the Illini were more talented than teams last year, but had 5 true freshmen? You can't just totally dismiss things by saying the Illini had more talent. Depth, experience, and overall roster construction means a ton. I don't see how one can look at the dumpster fire he inherited and then want him out as his first recruiting class just finishes their first semester of their sophomore year. I don't think the program was THAT bad. It wasn't a good program. It wasn't really trending upwards. But it wasn't at the bottom either. The team tanked, they knew Weber was gone, so it was a lost season. You still had 5-6 starters that Groce used heavily/uses heavily in Paul, Richardson, Griffey, Egwu and Abrams. Edit: and you know his two biggest f***-ups? Not making a damn phone call. To Levert and Brunson. Sure would be nice to have both in the mix this year and next.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 04:21 PM) Yeah, it looks dim now, but the cupboard was left almost completely bare when he took over. He would have had to hit like crazy on recruits to turn the Illini around by year 3. Our backcourt was lined up to be two guys that currently play in conferences I don't know (NIU is MAC?). Mike Shaw is terrible at Bradley. Langford and Ibby I'm not sure of. Henry is doing solid on a terrible Depaul team. Groce had to completely clean house. His in game coaching has left a lot to be desired, but the program is headed in the right direction (the Abrams injury killed). Talent isn't the problem. Illinois has more talent than the majority of the conference, and that's been the case for all 3 seasons. He loses winnable games. It's an epidemic. Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa his first year. Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Purdue, Clemson (NIT, but still) last year. Now Miami, Oregon and Michigan this year. All terrible, season-ruining losses.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 04:17 PM) Barring a complete collapse and last place finish, Groce easily gets another year. I'm sure this is true. But he'll start next year on the hot seat. Significant run in the NCAA tourney or he's gone has to be the expectation next year. No more of this bulls***, give guys 5 years and hurt the program stuff. Get a new guy in here with some talent left on the roster so that when the new guy recruits he's not starting a rebuild, he's adding on.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 30, 2014 -> 04:12 PM) I'm all for firing him if we don't make the tournament. I doubt we will at this point. I think you have to seriously consider it. See what names are out there. Frankly his in-game coaching sucks. He can call a decent play now and again, and he makes decent adjustments, but his rotations and substitution patterns flat out suck. His players aren't very confident in late game situations either. And you just have to win games you should win. You have to. This is a terrible loss. The Oregon game was a terrible loss. Miami is looking like a terrible loss. All games with big leads that are choked away.

I'm starting the exploratory committee for Groce's replacement. 2.5 seasons now of complete choke jobs in big games. It's not like 2 minutes with a bucket, it's 6, 7, 8. It's pathetic.