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Illinois Basketball: Top 5 Head Coach Candidates If Groce Is Gone

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 28, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jaylon Tate (1), guard Malcolm Hill (21), guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5), guard Kendrick Nunn (25), and center Maverick Morgan (22) look on from the court against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half at State Farm Center. The Buckeyes won in overtime 68 to 63. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 28, 2016; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jaylon Tate (1), guard Malcolm Hill (21), guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5), guard Kendrick Nunn (25), and center Maverick Morgan (22) look on from the court against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half at State Farm Center. The Buckeyes won in overtime 68 to 63. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 27, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Kansas Jayhawks assistant coach Jerrance Howard during the second half at HP Field house at Wide World of Sports Complex. Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Rhode Island Rams 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Kansas Jayhawks assistant coach Jerrance Howard during the second half at HP Field house at Wide World of Sports Complex. Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Rhode Island Rams 76-60. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Next: 3 Strikes and John Groce Is Out

The No. 1 candidate I have for the head coach position at Illinois is Jerrance Howard.  Yes, those people who said that I was crazy for wanting him as the next head coach; I am continuing to put him at the top of my list.

Howard has zero head coach experience and that is his only downfall.  He hasn’t been the leader of any team he has been with.  With that said, Howard has learned from some great minds.

The current position Howard hold is assistant coach at Kansas.  He is learning every day under Bill Self, who I think is a Hall of Fame coach.

Howard is learning the ropes under Self in the coaching ranks and he learned how to become a great team guy when he played under Self at Illinois.

I want the new head coach at Illinois to be someone who has Illini ties.  This is a great opportunity for new AD Josh Whitman to scoop up a talented young coach.

Wherever Howard has been he has been successful whether it be as a player or a coach.  He was a part of the great Illinois teams in the early 2000’s that made it to an Elite 8 and 2 Sweet 16’s.

After Howard’s playing career he joined the Texas A&M staff that made it to the Round of 32 and the Sweet 16.  Howard then moved on to Kentucky for a season where they made the NCAA Tournament as well.

Howard became the assistant coach at Illinois for 5 seasons, followed by a stop at SMU and now he has been a great asset for Kansas.

Howard’s assistance as a coach has been great, but he has also been known as a top recruiter as well.

ESPN’s Jeff Goodman listed Howard as one of the top recruiting assistant coaches in the nation.  He has been a big time recruiter all over the country, including in the Chicago area.

Howard has been credited with getting many big names such as Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard, Brandon Paul, Cliff Alexander, and DJ Richardson.  He is also currently recruiting Jeremiah Tilmon and DaMonte Williams, two of the Illini’s biggest recruits for 2017.

My ultimate goal is for Howard to come in as the head coach of the Illini with Dee Brown as the assistant coach and possibly Roger Powell as well.

This would be a great trio to have on the court and in the recruiting field.  These guys would be names the players know.  Dee and Roger would bring in the professional playing experience and Jerrance as well as Roger would have the coaching experience.

I know this seems like a longshot but I think it would be the best for the program.  We would own Chicago and the state of Illinois once again.

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