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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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No. 2 Tony Bennett

A long shot of a coaching hire for the Illinois basketball team would be Virginia head coach Tony Bennett.

The Good

Bennett has a decent coaching history. He was with Washington State for three seasons and took them to two NCAA tournament appearances. The first one was a Final 32 run and the second one was a Sweet 16 run.

After his stint with the Cougars, Bennett then came to Virginia in 2008. It took him a few years to get the Cavaliers program back up and running but once they did they were really good.

Bennett has spent eight years with Virginia and will be looking at making the NCAA tournament five times in that span, which includes each of the last four years.

This has been an impressive run for Bennett. His tournament streak consists of an Elite 8 and Sweet 16 appearance. His coaching abilities are through the roof.

Bennett’s ability to cover the entire United States in recruiting has been impressive as well. He has proved he can snag kids from the west coast while still dominating the east coast in recruiting.

Getting a coach like Bennett would be huge for the Illinois basketball program. He is one of the top candidates on my list, but it will take a lot to get him to come to Champaign.

The Bad

None

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