What a mess the Illini Have Become

[Tugg Speedman]

Not only is the Illini a complete mess, but DePaul and Northwestern can never seem to get it together.  The directional schools (southern, northern, etc) are invisible and good luck to Wardle at Bradley on breaking through.

Meanwhile, how about this stat (from below)

Last season, 59 players from the state of Illinois were on NCAA tournament rosters.

How can the state not produce one consistently decent team with all this talent?


Illini hoops fans asking 'What about us?'
John Supinie | Columnist

CHAMPAIGN – Here it is the first day of March Madness, and Illinois basketball fans are reduced to hearing about Illini Madness.

Remember when it was where, not if, the Illini would play in the NCAA tournament. Selection Sunday was nothing more than a day to call the travel agent. Illinois was a regular in the NCAA bracket for three decades.

Then came a slide by Bruce Weber. Fans were appalled that he didn’t continue the roll that began under Hall of Famer Lou Henson, regained some momentum with Lon Kruger and took off under Bill Self. When Self jumped to a powerhouse Kansas, Weber took over the roster and guided it within a basket or two of the national championship.
In those days, the debate was whether the Illini should be included in the list of elite programs.

So as most of us were flipping between four channels and watching another NCAA tournament without the orange and blue, Illini basketball fans found themselves asking the same question. What about us?

The question arose again after the fourth player was arrested in less than a year. Guard Kendrick Nunn was charged with misdemeanor domestic abuse Thursday, less than a week after a teammate was similarly charged.

Illini basketball fans, who remind us this is known as a basketball school, keep asking the question about Illini basketball coach John Groce’s future after seeing athletic director Josh Whitman commit up to $29 million to coach Lovie Smith in an attempt to overhaul a football program that’s struggled for decades.

What about basketball? Illini hoops fans keep asking for respect for the school’s flagship program. They ask anyone who will listen.

During his first official day on the job, Whitman cut loose a football coach who was 5-7 in his first year, then gave support to a coach who was finishing up the third consecutive basketball season in hoops purgatory. It left Illini football fans excited, especially when Whitman made a decisive move by landing Smith, who is a member of the small club of Super Bowl coaches.

Meanwhile, Illini basketball fans ask, What about us?

After the Illini rolled over and played dead in the NIT’s first round last season, the Illini finished with a losing record this season. Not only has Groce’s players failed to perform on the court, they’ve also failed to stay out of trouble outside the lines.

While few in the media have asked the question, it’s time to ask it. What does Whitman see in Groce? Illinois basketball fans want an answer.It can’t be the win/loss record.

Groce’s best season came in his first, when he parlayed leftovers from Weber’s tenure to an NCAA tournament bid after rallying from a slow start in the Big Ten. From there, Groce hasn’t seriously challenged for an NCAA berth.

It can’t be Groce’s recruiting. His best players during Groce’s four years were signed by Weber. Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson carried Groce’s first team. Malcolm Hill, who originally committed to the Illini under Weber, has been the Illini’s best player in Groce’s last three seasons. Labeled as one of the nation’s best recruiters during his time at Ohio State under Thad Matta, Groce has been unable to secure the state’s borders, watching talent flee the state for other programs. Last season, 59 players from the state of Illinois were on NCAA tournament rosters.

Whether Groce was close or not on those so-called near misses is irrelevant. Recruiting is a pass/fail test.

Whether he built a roster capable of handling some injuries (the Illini are terribly top heavy in wings and woefully short in point guards and big men) is up for debate.
On Thursday, when the rest of the country was entertained with March Madness, Illinois basketball fans suffered through Illini Madness. The conversation got ugly again, as the Illini found themselves in the police blotter for the fourth time in less than a year.

Darius Paul, who left the program under disciplinary issues before returning a year later, was arrested in France for mischief in an apparent alcohol-related arrest. He was sent home immediately from an exhibition tour. Forward Leron Black was charged with a felony after police said he pulled a knife outside an Urbana bar in February. Last week, reserve guard Jaylon Tate was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery. Then came the charge against Nunn, who is Tate’s roommate.

Nunn joined the list of suspended players with Tate and Black. Paul was booted last summer, months after star guard Rayvonte Rice and guard Aaron Cosby were disciplined for reasons not disclosed. Rice ended his career last March. Cosby left the program.

Illini Madness actually began shortly after the season ended, if you believe the story from Tate’s lawyer. According to reports, Tate and his teammates threw a party hours after a blowout loss to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament.

So much for the agony of defeat. Illini fans apparently are suffering more than their team. Therefore, they keep asking the question, What about us?

The conversation centers on the possibility of a big recruiting class after the Illini already landed commitments from Peoria Manual guard DaMonte Williams and Belleville East guard Jevon Pickett.

Of course, that line of thinking means the Illini would be obligated to two or perhaps three more years with Groce. So Illinois basketball fans ask, What about us?
This season was already hard to handle. Illini basketball lost money in Springfield while playing four games there during State Farm Center renovations. The Prairie Capital Convention Center lost $400,000, then finally went $200,000 in the red after Illinois absolved $200,000 of the debt. Like the half-empty gym in Springfield, State Farm Center was little more than a ghost town on game day this winter.

Two weeks after Whitman stood up for Groce, Illini basketball fans need to know where this is headed after another day in Illini Madness.

Once again, Illini basketball fans ask Whitman, What about us?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Superbar

[Silkk the Shaka]

We got Jajuan instead of Kendrick Nunn,  looks like we dodged a bullet there

[🏀]

 Groce should've been fitted yesterday. New AD, two arrests in a week, plenty over his career, Friday afternoon, NCAA tournament. Can't believe it didn't happen.

In his defense, Champaign is a dump. It's a rail town with a campus. It reeks of manure on a daily basis and offers next to nothing outside of a Brothers. I

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Groce should've been fitted yesterday. New AD, two arrests in a week, plenty over his career, Friday afternoon, NCAA tournament. Can't believe it didn't happen.

In his defense, Champaign is a dump. It's a rail town with a campus. It reeks of manure on a daily basis and offers next to nothing outside of a Brothers. I

Man you must have hit up the wrong places then. Chambana is so much fun, always have a good time when I'm down there.

[🏀]

Man you must have hit up the wrong places then. Chambana is so much fun, always have a good time when I'm down there.

To each their own, but it sucks like the rest of down state Illinois.

[GGGG]

Groce should've been fitted yesterday. New AD, two arrests in a week, plenty over his career, Friday afternoon, NCAA tournament. Can't believe it didn't happen.

They just dumped a bunch of money getting rid of their football coach.  Groce has one year before he's gone.

[MU82]

In his defense, Champaign is a dump.

Champaign is a dump, sure. But that didn't prevent Self, Kruger and Henson from bringing dozens upon dozens of top-shelf recruits there. Even Weber landed numerous recruits. Illinois has plenty to offer, especially to in-state recruits, and should at least contend for an NCAA berth every year.

Methinks Groce is a bush-leaguer who should be sent packing.

[JWags85]

Man you must have hit up the wrong places then. Chambana is so much fun, always have a good time when I'm down there.

I had fun one time in Champaign, but in my opinion it wasn't different than the fun you could have at any other larger sized school in a college town.  Without the manure smell.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Time in a bottle?  Wrong Groce?

[warriorchick]

Time in a bottle?  Wrong Groce?

Wrong name entirely.  You are thinking of Jim Croce.

Are you perhaps confusing him with Larry Groce, he of the famous '70's hit, "Junk Food Junkie"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQnIL-XPerQ