Illinois Basketball: Where does the program go from here?
What the Actual Heck, Illinois Basketball?
When I was a kid, I was fascinated with the books called “Choose Your Own Adventure.” They were fun to read and provided a fun experience. John Groce’s squad had their own type of “Choose Your Own Adventure” situation. This team decided to fight instead of giving up when the going got tough, but against Rutgers on Saturday, they ruined absolutely everything they had worked for.
Fans got excited for once in the five years John Groce has been here, and he blew it, B1G TIME. Rutgers did not just end a career for Malcolm Hill or Tracy Abrams, it officially put an end to the John Groce era. Illini fans do not seem too surprised that they just lost to the worst team in the Big Ten, and that alone goes to show how far down John Groce has put this program. I have never been someone who thinks that this team has good basketball IQ, but with SEVEN former 4-star recruits, this is all on the coach.
What’s Next?
Well, of course, the Illini could win the entire Big Ten Tournament, but they can’t beat Rutgers or Penn State so that seems highly unlikely. It looks like the Illini will play in the NIT (for the third time in Groce’s tenure at Illinois) this season, and that is extremely unacceptable. The Big Ten was down, and they still managed to finish under .500 with the most experienced team in college hoops. The Illini will have the 9-seed and will play either Michigan or Iowa.
Now saying this might make some people mad, but if fans want change, a loss in the first round would effectively force that to happen. Illinois would finish 18-14 (or 17-14 because of McKendree), and that would force Whitman’s hand. Sorry, John. You are a great dude, but your time at Illinois has been disastrous.
Who to Hire?
Oh man. This is THE question surrounding Illini hoops at this point. Many candidates have been mentioned, and fans don’t want to lose this incoming class. Now, these players may not leave if Whitman hires a BIG name (like the Lovie hire) to lead this program. Fans have heard names like Cuonzo Martin, Monty Williams, and Fred Hoiberg floating around.
Personally, my hire would be Monty Williams. Gar Forman stated that Fred Hoiberg would be the Bulls coach going forward, so it looks like he is off the list. Cuonzo Martin has tanked at Cal this season and that might be a tough sell to this fan base with how this season has gone for Cal. That leaves us with Monty Williams.
Williams is a former NBA coach and a current USA Basketball assistant. His wife tragically passed away a year ago and he took a break from coaching. Is Illinois the job that brings him back in? Maybe. Illinois is still a great job. For anyone thinking this job is not what it used to be, you are dead WRONG. There are new arena upgrades, better facilities, a top-10 recruiting class, a great group of generous alumni, an incredible fan base, and Illinois is in a really good power 5 conference.
Next: Good, bad and ugly scenarios 2.0 for Illini
If Williams is hired, I think he has the best shot at retaining this class coming in. He is an experienced coach (in the NBA and professional ranks) who brings class to the university. If Monty Williams and Lovie Smith end up leading these two programs, I think that is ultimately a win-win situation for Illinois athletics.