(03-21-2012 12:11 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(03-20-2012 10:13 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  The new illini coach will get a total of at least $12,500,000 over at least a 5 year contract. 2.75 mill spread over 5 years could barely hire you a MAC coach now. Money talks and maybe Shaka walks--read about Danny Hurley who said in January 20212 that he was "not that guy" who leaves a job after the first year and now, only 60 days later he is at Rhode Island...when they want you and back up the brinks truck and make all the other promises--they usually get you.

Illinois is running things the same way businesses go bankrupt. What a mess, full fledge panic mode.

Illinois has the athletic budget and the boosters to pay coaches well. The BTN also pays quite nicely.

More reports "confirming" that Smart has AGAIN rejected the Illness' new offer, approximated to be between $2.5 - $3 million/year.




http://www.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/...offer.html

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

Time for Plan B in Champaign, per The Sporting News.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketb...hing-offer

"Smart" decision......

1) Seems he doesn't think he can recruit in Chicago, and U of I may believe he can't recruit there to a level they want. Why else, if true, would they contact Simeon's coach to be an assistant?

2) He may like his comfort zone. Lot of pressure to produce @ UI. Stay @ VCU a few year's know you have a contract and will be there with something you helped build. More offers will come, more money. The time to jump for most is when your cupoard is becoming bare (may soon be the case for Brad Stevens?) and the one you are going too has a few products already in there.Illini were in disarray, but young and talented, especially if Leonard stays. Many times for some assistants, such as Weber, fall into a perfect situation when a coach leaves a fully stocked team.

UI does look very bad again, unless they can land a big name. I would bet last year Smart jumps on the job in a second. Now, it is a cluster. Again, how do you call a HS coach to be an assistant to be the next Jimmy Collins before you hire a head coach?

And it better be a guy they can rally around if they want short term success. All of Weber's calling out players, claiming "no leadership" may be true. But he recruited them, he coached them. He can blame anyoen he wants, but it was his team.

Why some think he just doesn't want to leave his comfort zone is crazy to me. I think he just doesn't want to go to U of ILL.

Some "expert" said it is a top 10 job in the nation - BS! Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, Indiana & Wisconsin are all better in the Big 11 alone.

I am sure Shaka wants a TOP job in a great area. Chambana is a dump to live in.

(03-21-2012 03:31 PM)RedShark27 Wrote:  Why some think he just doesn't want to leave his comfort zone is crazy to me. I think he just doesn't want to go to U of ILL.

Some "expert" said it is a top 10 job in the nation - BS! Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio St, Indiana & Wisconsin are all better in the Big 11 alone.

I am sure Shaka wants a TOP job in a great area. Chambana is a dump to live in.

That's some quality analysis.

I thought it was the Big 12

(03-21-2012 03:08 AM)IlliniFan89 Wrote:  

(03-21-2012 12:11 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(03-20-2012 10:13 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  The new illini coach will get a total of at least $12,500,000 over at least a 5 year contract. 2.75 mill spread over 5 years could barely hire you a MAC coach now. Money talks and maybe Shaka walks--read about Danny Hurley who said in January 20212 that he was "not that guy" who leaves a job after the first year and now, only 60 days later he is at Rhode Island...when they want you and back up the brinks truck and make all the other promises--they usually get you.

Illinois is running things the same way businesses go bankrupt. What a mess, full fledge panic mode.

Illinois has the athletic budget and the boosters to pay coaches well. The BTN also pays quite nicely.

The reason the Illini won't get a good coach is that because noone wants to do a complete rebuild and obviously thats what Illinois needs right now. Coaches just want to go somewhere they can win right away with little effort, which in my opinion is not really coaching. Nothing wrong with a little work, well in this case a lot of work, but still.

Not that I care ...but they could always try to steal away another MAC coach. Ohio Bobcats are doing very well this year... Maybe the Illness would want to go fishing in the MAC pool again.

(03-21-2012 04:48 PM)HuskieFootball Addict Wrote:  Not that I care ...but they could always try to steal away another MAC coach. Ohio Bobcats are doing very well this year... Maybe the Illness would want to go fishing in the MAC pool again.

Hmmm...let's see.

Is there a MAC coach who is doing a full re-build job, knows and is establishing IL and Chicago recruiting, and who knows and has Big Ten experience...hmmm.

(03-21-2012 04:40 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  The reason the Illini won't get a good coach is that because noone wants to do a complete rebuild and obviously thats what Illinois needs right now. Coaches just want to go somewhere they can win right away with little effort, which in my opinion is not really coaching. Nothing wrong with a little work, well in this case a lot of work, but still.

You always say this like Illinois is going 12-20 every year. They're not. Heck, they won an NCAA Tournament game a year ago. It's not that bad of a situation, there's plenty of talent on the roster (including 6-7 consensus Top 100 kids), and tons of in-state HS talent to recruit from. It might take a year, but it's not a 3-4 year rebuilding process, especially with the HS talent you can pull from in the state of Illinois.

BTW, you still haven't answered my question...who would you hire? Or at least who would you consider a good coach?

Read in the paper that a part of Smart's current contract if he leaves early, the school he goes to either has to give a home and home series or pay 250,000 buyout. I WISH we would do that with our football coach. One of the best contract clauses I've heard of.

(03-20-2012 06:36 PM)UIHuskie Wrote:  

(03-20-2012 06:35 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  There have got to be better coaches out there than Shaka, I refuse to believe this is the best candidate Illinois can zero in on. Frustrating times for our friends downstate.

I'm actually not frustrated at all, and the fanbase isn't either, really.

This is an honest question, too...who do you think would be a better hire?

Ricardo Patton

Surprised Greg McDermott from Creighton hasn't been mentioned.

(03-22-2012 12:15 AM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  Surprised Greg McDermott from Creighton hasn't been mentioned.

McDermott wanted out at Iowa State after struggling for four years there, where he never even managed to go .500 in a season and had an 18-46 Big 12 record. It's probably not a good fit for either McDermott or Illinois.

(03-21-2012 04:40 PM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(03-21-2012 03:08 AM)IlliniFan89 Wrote:  

(03-21-2012 12:11 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(03-20-2012 10:13 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  The new illini coach will get a total of at least $12,500,000 over at least a 5 year contract. 2.75 mill spread over 5 years could barely hire you a MAC coach now. Money talks and maybe Shaka walks--read about Danny Hurley who said in January 20212 that he was "not that guy" who leaves a job after the first year and now, only 60 days later he is at Rhode Island...when they want you and back up the brinks truck and make all the other promises--they usually get you.

Illinois is running things the same way businesses go bankrupt. What a mess, full fledge panic mode.

Illinois has the athletic budget and the boosters to pay coaches well. The BTN also pays quite nicely.

The reason the Illini won't get a good coach is that because noone wants to do a complete rebuild and obviously thats what Illinois needs right now. Coaches just want to go somewhere they can win right away with little effort, which in my opinion is not really coaching. Nothing wrong with a little work, well in this case a lot of work, but still.

What complete rebuild. They have a team of juniors, sophomores and freshman. NIU was a rebuilding. We had almost ZERO

(03-21-2012 03:08 AM)IlliniFan89 Wrote:  

(03-21-2012 12:11 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote:  

(03-20-2012 10:13 PM)cagy cager Wrote:  The new illini coach will get a total of at least $12,500,000 over at least a 5 year contract. 2.75 mill spread over 5 years could barely hire you a MAC coach now. Money talks and maybe Shaka walks--read about Danny Hurley who said in January 20212 that he was "not that guy" who leaves a job after the first year and now, only 60 days later he is at Rhode Island...when they want you and back up the brinks truck and make all the other promises--they usually get you.

Illinois is running things the same way businesses go bankrupt. What a mess, full fledge panic mode.

Illinois has the athletic budget and the boosters to pay coaches well. The BTN also pays quite nicely.

Yeah,but across the board firings and taking on buy outs and targeting one candidate and then upping and upping the offer to that one! It would scare me. And separating yourself (i.e., the athletic department) (although I know it's true) from the rest of the university I suspect is a little scary to at least some Illinois supporters. Illinois is not Ohio State or Texas or USC. I thought they has a little more respect for athletics being a part of the university, not thumbing its nose at it.
We'll see how this new AD works out for them.

(03-21-2012 07:59 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  Read in the paper that a part of Smart's current contract if he leaves early, the school he goes to either has to give a home and home series or pay 250,000 buyout. I WISH we would do that with our football coach. One of the best contract clauses I've heard of.

+1 to the home and home series part

Besides Tole_o I can't think of another university I would enjoy seeing get rejected by a coach more.

(03-22-2012 09:08 AM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(03-21-2012 07:59 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  Read in the paper that a part of Smart's current contract if he leaves early, the school he goes to either has to give a home and home series or pay 250,000 buyout. I WISH we would do that with our football coach. One of the best contract clauses I've heard of.

+1 to the home and home series part

Definitely, imagine blasting Minnesota last year and this year. Plus it wouldn't be at SF cause they don't have the support.