Groce to Get IL Job

[RushmoreAcademy]

Reports saying that it's going to be Ohio's Groce.
Flavor of the week hire, it appears.  Anybody know much about him?

[Hoopaloop]

Reports saying that it's going to be Ohio's Groce.
Flavor of the week hire, it appears.  Anybody know much about him?

He was on the lists of some posters here 4 years ago for the MU job.  Top recruiter for Thad Matta at Xavier and Ohio State.  Landed Conley and the big fella at OSU.

If MU lost Buzz, he would have been on my list of 5 guys to look at.

[Blackhat]

 Keno still making your list, Chico?

[MerrittsMustache]

Reports saying that it's going to be Ohio's Groce.
Flavor of the week hire, it appears.  Anybody know much about him?

He was 2 Akron points away from being on no one's coaching "wish list" this offseason.

[MU82]

Somebody on another thread said this would be a bad hire, but I don't see why. His resume reminds me of Self's to this point in Self's career at Tulsa. He certainly has more of a history as a recruiter than Shaka.

[Hoopaloop]

Keno still making your list, Chico?

Yes, yes he is.  Absolutely.  Yes, he is definitely still on Chicos my list.  Along with Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Adoph Rupp.

[brewcity77]

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

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

[🏀]

Groce is a nice hire, but well below what Illini Nation expected.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

but he's a white guy?  what happened to Theus?

[Hoopaloop]

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

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

He can recruit.  Give him 5 years to see if he works out.

[mr.MUskie]

Some Illini fans not happy...

If we hire Groce, we are hiring the brother of the guy Kelvin Sampson hired to be IUs video coordinator, right? And this guy was Eric Gordon's AAU coach, right? So we would be hiring the brother of a guy who was likely a key figure in the Eric gordon sabotage/deception/whatever you want to call it right? This sits well with Illini fans?

Groce 34-30 MAC record...The MAC is not up to par conference..

Stevens 73-17 Horizon

Smart 38-16 CAA

[MU82]

What was Buzz's record at New Orleans?

[warthog-driver]

Yes, yes he is.  Absolutely.  Yes, he is definitely still on Chicos my list.  Along with Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Adoph Rupp.

[brewcity77]

Some Illini fans not happy...

If we hire Groce, we are hiring the brother of the guy Kelvin Sampson hired to be IUs video coordinator, right? And this guy was Eric Gordon's AAU coach, right? So we would be hiring the brother of a guy who was likely a key figure in the Eric gordon sabotage/deception/whatever you want to call it right? This sits well with Illini fans?

Groce 34-30 MAC record...The MAC is not up to par conference..

Stevens 73-17 Horizon

Smart 38-16 CAA

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.

[MU82]

Not only Stevens and Shaka, of course. You gotta know the Illinois people at least reached out to Buzz, who very politely (I'm sure) said thanks but no thanks.

[hdog1017]

Did Groce accept the job?  I haven't heard anything, which is a positive result for U of I considering how this search has gone so far...

[RushmoreAcademy]

Don't think he has officially accepted so far...sounds like it's going to happen though... here is the excerpt from the Trib article:
-------------
"Barring an 11th-hour surprise, a national coaching search that began amid such promise will end smacking of desperation. If Groce becomes the next Illinois head coach as several sources expect, he will accept the job knowing at least five other candidates decided it was not for them."

[dwaderoy2004]

Who are the five that turned it down besides Shaka and Brad Stevens?  Is Buzz officially on that list?  Who am I missing?

[MuMark]

Anthony Grant is one.

[🏀]

Who are the five that turned it down besides Shaka and Brad Stevens?  Is Buzz officially on that list?  Who am I missing?

Romar.

[RushmoreAcademy]

Here's the article. No official list, but a lot of guys list.... Buzz is not one of the names mentioned:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-spt-0327-haugh-illinois-chicago--20120327,0,642550.column

[brewcity77]

So the Illinois coaching search is becoming even more of a fiasco. UI put out the info that they would be unveiling Groce at a press conference at 3:00 today, then 15 minutes later announced there would be no press conference. What a clusterf**k.

[MU82]

Ridiculous that Illinois is hiring a guy who had little college head-coaching experience and not all that much success in that job.

Thank goodness, Marquette would never turn to a guy who had, say, a laughable 14-17 record in his sole season as a mid-major coach!

[NotAnAlum]

Did you intend Teal?  While I see you point there are some pretty important differences.
First Buzz was on staff for a year so everyone almost a year to "measure" him.
Second Buzz was a lot younger than this guy so what he had "or hadn't" accomplished has to be measured by age.
Third Buzz was the current players choice.  In the back of their mind MU had to figure that if they kept the Amigos happy they had a NCAA appearence and likely even sweet 16 almost in the bag.
Ill gets none of that.  Big Risk. couldn't happen to a nicer school!

[MarquetteDano]

Did you intend Teal?  While I see you point there are some pretty important differences.
First Buzz was on staff for a year so everyone almost a year to "measure" him.
Second Buzz was a lot younger than this guy so what he had "or hadn't" accomplished has to be measured by age.
Third Buzz was the current players choice.  In the back of their mind MU had to figure that if they kept the Amigos happy they had a NCAA appearence and likely even sweet 16 almost in the bag.
Ill gets none of that.  Big Risk. couldn't happen to a nicer school!

One should add to your list that we had a coach leave in the middle of the night in our case whilst Illinois fired their coach and presumably had a plan to replace him?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Time in a bottle?

[MU82]

Did you intend Teal?  While I see you point there are some pretty important differences.
First Buzz was on staff for a year so everyone almost a year to "measure" him.
Second Buzz was a lot younger than this guy so what he had "or hadn't" accomplished has to be measured by age.
Third Buzz was the current players choice.  In the back of their mind MU had to figure that if they kept the Amigos happy they had a NCAA appearence and likely even sweet 16 almost in the bag.
Ill gets none of that.  Big Risk. couldn't happen to a nicer school!

OK, but what percentage of MU alums/fans were thrilled with the choice of Buzz? That's a rhetorical question. I already know the answer because we had a thread on it a couple months ago -- and the answer was "not many."

Tom Kelly was the Twins' third choice as manager. Two World Series.

Yankee fans HATED the hiring of Joe Torre, who had been a flop everywhere he had managed (including the Mets across town).

Duke hired a nobody from Army who proceeded to have three horrendous seasons and probably would have been fired in today's knee-jerk-judgment environment before he ever had the chance to become Coach K.

Many Ohio State fans responded "Thad Who?"

Al McGuire was hardly a coaching sensation coming out of Belmont Abbey -- where he was 7-21 and 6-18 his last two seasons before coming to Marquette.

The Bulls hired a former stoner who had never been a head coach at higher than the CBA level. Phil Jackson turned out OK.

Shall I go on?

Groce might be a great hire -- just as Buzz and others on this list were. Or he might be a disaster -- just as Dukiet was. Or he might be something in between -- kind of like Weber.

Judging now -- especially those who are making their judgments with such certainty -- is premature at best, idiotic at worst.

Oh, and I'm not now nor have I ever been an Illinois fan.

[Hoopaloop]

The local rag weighs in on the diversity aspect.  Comments at the end of the story show some disagreement with the author, Rick Morrissey.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey/11566810-452/morrissey-illinois-fumbles-chance-to-hire-its-first-black-coach.html

[avid1010]

it's like saying michael jordan got cut in high school...therefore just because you get cut in high school doesn't mean you won't be the next mj....

if you have a better way to evaluate than past achievements let us in on the secret...  obviously there are surprises but looking at the way IL has handled coaching searches and their results along with groce's results wouldn't thrill me.  i think the purpose of a message board is to make premature judgements....

OK, but what percentage of MU alums/fans were thrilled with the choice of Buzz? That's a rhetorical question. I already know the answer because we had a thread on it a couple months ago -- and the answer was "not many."

Tom Kelly was the Twins' third choice as manager. Two World Series.

Yankee fans HATED the hiring of Joe Torre, who had been a flop everywhere he had managed (including the Mets across town).

Duke hired a nobody from Army who proceeded to have three horrendous seasons and probably would have been fired in today's knee-jerk-judgment environment before he ever had the chance to become Coach K.

Many Ohio State fans responded "Thad Who?"

Al McGuire was hardly a coaching sensation coming out of Belmont Abbey -- where he was 7-21 and 6-18 his last two seasons before coming to Marquette.

The Bulls hired a former stoner who had never been a head coach at higher than the CBA level. Phil Jackson turned out OK.

Shall I go on?

Groce might be a great hire -- just as Buzz and others on this list were. Or he might be a disaster -- just as Dukiet was. Or he might be something in between -- kind of like Weber.

Judging now -- especially those who are making their judgments with such certainty -- is premature at best, idiotic at worst.

Oh, and I'm not now nor have I ever been an Illinois fan.

[MU82]

it's like saying michael jordan got cut in high school...therefore just because you get cut in high school doesn't mean you won't be the next mj....

if you have a better way to evaluate than past achievements let us in on the secret...  obviously there are surprises but looking at the way IL has handled coaching searches and their results along with groce's results wouldn't thrill me.  i think the purpose of a message board is to make premature judgements....

Nothing like that at all. Jordan was an extreme, an exception. Schools and pro teams hire coaches/managers with little experience all the time, including Marquette with Buzz.

And Groce does have a successful past. Before he became a head coach, he was a top assistant at major programs and was considered a very good recruiter.

Oh, and one thing I've enjoyed reading is: "If Akron makes one more shot, nobody's talking about Groce today." OK, and if Christian Laettner doesn't make that shot 20 years ago, nobody is talking about that remarkable play still to this day.

But Laettner did make that shot. And Akron didn't make one more shot, Ohio won that game and made the NCAAs and then reached the Sweet 16, where it gave North Carolina a hell of a run for its money.

Again, I have no horse in this race. I just can't believe how quickly and cavalierly people are dismissing Groce, as if it automatically is a horrible hire.

[T-Bone]

Accepted the IL job today. 

Does it help/hurt us in recruiting Chicago?

[🏀]

Accepted the IL job today. 

Does it help/hurt us in recruiting Chicago?

He's only interested in kids that want to get degrees apparently, so no.

[MerrittsMustache]

Accepted the IL job today. 

Does it help/hurt us in recruiting Chicago?

The AAU coaches that were interviewed in The Trib didn't like the hire and claimed to have never heard of him (even though DJ Cooper is a Chicago kid who played for Groce at Ohio). Even though most of the Chicago AAU coaches are a joke, their dislike of the hire will likely help MU's Chicago recruiting, at least in the short-run.

[brewcity77]

The local rag weighs in on the diversity aspect.  Comments at the end of the story show some disagreement with the author, Rick Morrissey.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey/11566810-452/morrissey-illinois-fumbles-chance-to-hire-its-first-black-coach.html

Sounds just like Eugene Kane, pissing and moaning and whining about how unfair it is without offering any suggestions. Instead of putting the names of Howard and Benford out there, he pretty much just says "why not hire a black guy?". Never mind that after Smart, they also tried to woo Anthony Grant and Lorenzo Romar. It wasn't for lack of effort, but their top 5 candidates all said no. And when you look at who was on their list, they clearly wanted someone with head coaching experience. I don't think it's a home-run hire by any means, and more than anything probably says something about the true state of the Illini program (simply not that desirable) but it's not like they all put on their coneheads and said "let's go get a whitey to tell all our black athletes what to do!".

Simply pathetic, ignorant, reverse-racism journalism.