Former MU Target

[Golden Avalanche]

Right. In fact, when Crean left there were people around here who campaigned for Groce. The guy had very, very solid credentials as an assistant and was considered a top-tier recruiter.

Just want to third the notion that Groce came in highly thought of and any statement to the contrary is either revisionist history or ignorance regarding Groce's long time bona fides as Gargamel's #1.

[brewcity77]

Just want to third the notion that Groce came in highly thought of and any statement to the contrary is either revisionist history or ignorance regarding Groce's long time bona fides as Gargamel's #1.

Groce was one of the hot names at the time, but he wasn't near what Illinois thought they could get. His assistant time was fine but he probably doesn't get the job if not for the Sweet 16 run. Hiring a guy based largely on two wins is a bit short sighted.

You can poke holes in any resume, but at the time it felt like a reach and like he hadn't worked his way up to a Big 10 job. Needed to prove more than one good weekend in March.

[Pakuni]

Groce was one of the hot names at the time, but he wasn't near what Illinois thought they could get. 

John Wooden wouldn't be near what Illinois fans thought they could get.

His assistant time was fine but he probably doesn't get the job if not for the Sweet 16 run. Hiring a guy based largely on two wins is a bit short sighted.

Yeah, but that's not really true. John Groce had a lot more going for him than two wins, and nobody seriously questioned the hire when it was made.
I mean, was his resume lacking compared to guys like Fran McCaffrey or Bo Ryan when they landed Big 10 jobs? How about Billy Donovan when he got the Florida gig?
It's easy to question the hire in hindsight, but there were few if any people who thought Groce didn't have the credentials when he got the job.

[Golden Avalanche]

John Wooden wouldn't be near what Illinois fans thought they could get.

Yeah, but that's not really true. John Groce had a lot more going for him than two wins, and nobody seriously questioned the hire when it was made.
I mean, was his resume lacking compared to guys like Fran McCaffrey or Bo Ryan when they landed Big 10 jobs? How about Billy Donovan when he got the Florida gig?
It's easy to question the hire in hindsight, but there were few if any people who thought Groce didn't have the credentials when he got the job.

+1.

You handle these responses much classier then I would. It's revisionist history digging in to prove a point that shouldn't have been made in the first place.

[brewcity77]

John Wooden wouldn't be near what Illinois fans thought they could get.

That's totally fair 

Yeah, but that's not really true. John Groce had a lot more going for him than two wins, and nobody seriously questioned the hire when it was made.
I mean, was his resume lacking compared to guys like Fran McCaffrey or Bo Ryan when they landed Big 10 jobs? How about Billy Donovan when he got the Florida gig?
It's easy to question the hire in hindsight, but there were few if any people who thought Groce didn't have the credentials when he got the job.

Personally, I thought it was underwhelming at the time. So often teams will just go for the guy that made a Sweet 16 with an unexpected team and act as though they've proven something. Sometimes those work out, more often than not they seem not to. Groce had a really underwhelming resume at Ohio, in my opinion. He was their sixth choice candidate and at that point they were just scraping the bottom of the barrel. Maybe it's a testament to how undesirable the Illinois job is. And rather than saying my actions are to "question the hire in hindsight", I said this at the time:

He's #6! He's #6!

...on Illinois' wish list, that is.

Oh my lord...I didn't realize that. Wow, I'm laughing my ass off at that. And while he may have a rep as a recruiter...well, he has to do it at more than Ohio with castoffs from tOSU. It may well be an okay hire, but I don't think Groce grew up dreaming of the Orange and Blue. For better or worse, I give him 6 years.

Questionable hire then, looking like a poor hire now.

[Golden Avalanche]

That's totally fair 

Personally, I thought it was underwhelming at the time. So often teams will just go for the guy that made a Sweet 16 with an unexpected team and act as though they've proven something. Sometimes those work out, more often than not they seem not to. Groce had a really underwhelming resume at Ohio, in my opinion. He was their sixth choice candidate and at that point they were just scraping the bottom of the barrel. Maybe it's a testament to how undesirable the Illinois job is. And rather than saying my actions are to "question the hire in hindsight", I said this at the time:

Questionable hire then, looking like a poor hire now.

Eek. The arrogance has mushroomed.........

[Jay Bee]

Groce had Caris LeVert coming into Ohio...

..mistake not to bring him along to Illinois.

But the guy was doing good things pre-Illinois.

[brewcity77]

Eek. The arrogance has mushroomed.........

Pakuni said my comments were in hindsight. They weren't.