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Illinois Basketball: Final top 5 coaches to replace John Groce

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce in the second half against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. The Illinois Fighting Illini beat the Minnesota Gophers 76-71. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce in the second half against the Minnesota Gophers at Williams Arena. The Illinois Fighting Illini beat the Minnesota Gophers 76-71. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois State Redbirds head coach Dan Muller reacts after a call against his team as they play Wichita State Shockers in the first half during the Championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Illinois State Redbirds head coach Dan Muller reacts after a call against his team as they play Wichita State Shockers in the first half during the Championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5 Dan Muller

The Illinois basketball team needs someone who knows the state of Illinois well and getting a coach that is at one of the state schools is one way of going about accomplishing that goal.

The Good

Muller has a decent record while with Illinois State. He started with the program five seasons ago and he had to deal with multiple players departing for other programs. But, despite departing players he has managed to keep the program afloat.

This season Muller has the Redbirds sitting at 27 wins this season and potentially getting into the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid. That is an impressive feat that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Muller has also had some success recruiting the state as well. The class of 2013 consisted of two players, one from Proviso East and the other from Normal Community High School. Having connections with these schools, among others, is important.

The Bad

While I like Muller as a coach, he still hasn’t proved much in the way of winning meaningful games. He has only been a head coach for five seasons and he hasn’t made the NCAA tournament unless he sneaks in this year.

Getting a coach into the program who hasn’t won might hurt in recruiting and he might not win at Illinois. That is a major risk to take with Muller.

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