Heard it on good foundation, that when your coach is fired, mic cronin is getting the job. There are so many insights that i know about him is heheheheh. this guy will make your program even worse. he'll blame everything on the players but he thinks he invented bb. As a uc fan all I can say is "THANK YOU JESUS"!
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Highly doubt that.Comment -
Not gonna happenהמוסד
המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים
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Shaka Smart is the number one candidate and he'd be a fool not to consider it.
He would have access to Chicago recruiting.Comment -
what has cronin done other than talk shit about his own team for giving xavier a beat down?
guy is a globalist pussy. wouldn't want him any where near my team.Comment -
bobby knight
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Shaka has an 8 year deal with VCU. Illinois is not a top program anymore. It's basically a mid-major (and a bad one at that). Illinois cant recruit any decent players from their state at this point. Jon Scheyer for example. He was Mr. Basketball in Illinois. If you're him, what would you do? Go waste away in the awful town that is Champagne, Il, or go play for a nat'l title with Coach K?
Plain and simple, Illinois is dead.Comment -
Yep, they didn't hire a black football coach so the basketball coach will probably be black, or at least they have to go after a black candidate like Shaka.
Shaka is a likable guy, I think he could get the big time recruits from Chicago like Jabari Parker, etc.... Just a question of whether Illinois will throw enough at him to leave VCU.Comment -
A bad mid major? You're an idiot, sir, and I say that with the utmost respect. Hell, they can't recruit but their last 3 recruiting classes have been in the top 25? That makes no sense. If they can't recruit, why did they get Brandon Paul and Jereme Richmond, back to back Mr. Basketball in Illinois?
Weber has hurt the program, but keep in mind that Weber was one of the most sought after coaches in the country when Illini snatched him up, kind of like Shaka Smart is now. They'll get an elite coach just like they have the last 3-4 times the job has become available.Comment -
They will not get an elite coach. It is not a desirable job anymore.Comment -
I disagree with the Illinois being a bad job. They just need to fumigate the basketball program, and start with the coach.Comment -
reminds me a little bit of the Michigan job a few years ago and they still got Beilein. "elite coach" is a bit of an ambiguous term here...not sure if you can compare Smart with the likes of true elite coaches like izzo, coach k, etc.Comment -
Just about every sports job in the Big Ten is desirable, since every team has support of their local communities.Comment -
If you think Illinois is a desirable job then you're the crazy one. Let's see the epic names that are interviewed when Weber is axed.Comment -
It still is a desirable job, but can be a stepping stone for a more desirable job (Bill Self). They are not in the top elite program list (Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, etc.) but are one step down from that. If you don't think guys like Shaka Smart, Brad Stevens, et al will interview for the job, you're crazy. Weber has been criticized for years, but this team was 15-3 a month ago and some really BAD losses has brought this conversation up again. He is not helping the program, but a new coach could revive it almost immediately.Comment -
Yes, its a desirable job for someone who is currently coaching at a mid-major school. No big name coach will be jumping ship or clammoring for this gig.Comment -
Illinois will get back on its feet after they ditch that idiot Weber.Comment -
Make up your mind. You just said it was a bad mid-major and not a desirable job. Which is it?
Big name coach? Give me an example of a "big name college coach" that will be looking for a job at all. The big name college coaches are all pretty set and not going anywhere.
Illinois will likely be the top available job this season.Comment -
Is Illinois a step up from VCU? We'll see what Shaka decides.Comment -
Are you seriously even asking this question?
One final four run for VCU and they are now above Illinois? You have a real short memory pal.
I don't agree with Illinois being this high on the list, but clearly... Illinois is not a bad program. Currently or historically.
Virginia Commonwealth is down at 167.
6th or 167th? hmmmComment -
The 2000s Sagarin rankings
1 Duke 92.63 91.86 93.48
2 Kansas 91.02 90.41 91.69
3 North Carolina 89.35 89.07 89.55
4 Florida 88.81 88.06 89.63
5 Michigan State 88.64 88.57 88.65
6 Illinois 88.33 87.89 88.84
7 Arizona 87.91 87.55 88.24
8 Texas 87.91 87.83 87.98
9 Connecticut 87.82 87.83 87.78
10 Kentucky 87.74 87.54 87.74
11 Wisconsin 87.25 87.21 87.08
12 Oklahoma 86.75 86.81 86.73
13 Pittsburgh 86.58 86.98 86.05
14 Maryland 86.48 86.06 86.97
15 Memphis 86.47 86.44 86.49
16 Stanford 86.27 86.30 86.16
17 Gonzaga 86.15 86.21 86.08
18 Syracuse 85.71 86.52 85.01
19 Louisville 85.71 84.97 86.41
20 UCLA 85.68 86.05 85.20
21 Oklahoma State 85.33 85.04 85.47
22 Ohio State 85.08 85.71 84.41
23 Wake Forest 84.91 84.82 84.88
24 Xavier 84.41 84.07 84.57
25 Villanova 84.35 84.58 84.04
26 Tennessee 84.33 84.55 84.02
27 Cincinnati 84.27 83.37 85.12
28 Notre Dame 84.24 83.94 84.39
29 Georgetown 84.24 83.94 84.42
30 Mississippi State 83.39 83.03 83.67
31 Indiana 83.37 83.12 83.46
32 Marquette 83.24 83.35 83.01
33 Louisiana State 82.85 82.48 83.12
34 NC State 82.76 82.42 82.92
35 Boston College 82.70 83.23 82.03
36 Alabama 82.65 82.57 82.51
37 Missouri 82.38 82.17 82.41
38 Southern California 82.15 81.86 82.28
39 Butler 82.07 81.51 82.59
40 Purdue 82.06 81.46 82.51
Yeah, Illinois is such a bad mid major program.
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The point im making is that there is nothing that Illinois can use to draw a coach like Smart or Stevens away from their programs. Whoever said Stevens was going to interview for the Illinois job is a nut case. Illinois isnt a draw anymore! Illinois players wont go there. Sure Weber got Paul and Richmond. How's that workin out for ya? The problem is Illinois kids go out of state because the state of Illinois as a whole has a pathetic basketball pedigree. If you're supposed to be the best school in the state, you should be able to get big time recruits NOT ONLY FROM ILLINOIS. So when you cant even recruit successfully out of Illinois, what do you expect to do across the country? The job sucks. I know being coach of the University of Illinois sounds nice and all, but right now, it isnt. It sucks. Ask Bruce Weber. My opinion anyways.Comment -
RoadDog,
No offense but you are proving you don't know much. Bruce Weber has recruited Illinois very well the last 3 years. The reason Illinois has sucked the last two years is they have no point guard. That is fixable.
With a good point guard, this Illinois team is a top 20 team. Without one, they are trash. It is simple as that and it is correctable.Comment -
Sure, its correctable. I'm not saying they'll never be a good team again. My point is that Illinois is not the draw it once was. If you think its the same draw as it was when Weber took the job then you are wrong. Illinois as a program is fading and they need someone to shake things up and actually coach these kids. Not treat them like toddlers as Weber has done. I'm just not sure that guy is out there right now, and if he is, I'm not sure he wants this job.Comment -
You are changing your tone too much.
Illinois will be the best job on the market in the off season. And it is certainly a better job than VCU. Shaka Smart may use Illinois as a stepping stone program like Bill Self did, but if he has ambitions to coach one day at a place like Kentucky/Kansas/ETC, he'd be wise to interview for the Illinois job.Comment -
Shaka Smart is not going to coach Illinois. I'd be willing to bet some points on that hahaComment -
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He'll be at VCU for the next 8 years just like Brad Stevens will be at Butler for the next 10 years. Dont forget NC State made Smart a better offer in the offseason and Smart chose to stay at VCU.Comment
