Let's say that next year's roster is all of the returning players plus everyone that signed a LOI with us for 2017. Let's also assume that we end up this year around #70 in efficiency and a 7-11 (T-10th place) finish in the Big Ten. Whitman nails the hire and our new coach is the long-term answer for the program. How big of a rebuild is this? Lovie Smith was a home run hire but went 3-9 because we have a major rebuild required on the football side and he played a bunch of young guys.
Next year we'll have some talent on the roster but it will be a young roster and the returning players will be tainted by years of incompetent coaching. The roster looks something like this:
PG: Te'Jon Lucas (SO), Trent Frazier (FR), DaMonte Williams (FR - redshirt?)
SG: JCL (JR), Javon Pickett (FR)
SF: DJ Williams (JR), Aaron Jordan (JR)
PF: Leron Black (RS-JR), Kipper Nichols (RS-SO)
C: Jeremiah Tilmon (FR), Michael Finke (RS-JR)
You go two deep at every position but there are question marks everywhere. Probably add a 5th-year senior somewhere in the mix but I'll leave that alone for now.
A good coach would make the biggest difference on the defensive end. The bodies are there to have a Top 50 defense (which is a big leap from where we are now), but the huge leap on that end would be in Year 2. I think we have enough offensive talent to win the easy non-conference games while we are learning how to play defense. I don't think we have a go-to star who would beat a strong defense, but I think we would also be Top 50 on offense. There are enough shooters and freshman with a knack for putting the ball in the bucket that Lucas could find them shots.
Overall, I'd expect a return to the NCAA Tournament but something in the 7-10 seed range. Something like 10-8 in a fairly weak Big Ten should be attainable. Basically we'd be able to duplicate Northwestern's season this year. Win the first round game with an improving team and put a scare into a Top 10 team in the second round. After that we are at least a Top 25 team every year and back to being Illinois basketball.
Next year we'll have some talent on the roster but it will be a young roster and the returning players will be tainted by years of incompetent coaching. The roster looks something like this:
PG: Te'Jon Lucas (SO), Trent Frazier (FR), DaMonte Williams (FR - redshirt?)
SG: JCL (JR), Javon Pickett (FR)
SF: DJ Williams (JR), Aaron Jordan (JR)
PF: Leron Black (RS-JR), Kipper Nichols (RS-SO)
C: Jeremiah Tilmon (FR), Michael Finke (RS-JR)
You go two deep at every position but there are question marks everywhere. Probably add a 5th-year senior somewhere in the mix but I'll leave that alone for now.
A good coach would make the biggest difference on the defensive end. The bodies are there to have a Top 50 defense (which is a big leap from where we are now), but the huge leap on that end would be in Year 2. I think we have enough offensive talent to win the easy non-conference games while we are learning how to play defense. I don't think we have a go-to star who would beat a strong defense, but I think we would also be Top 50 on offense. There are enough shooters and freshman with a knack for putting the ball in the bucket that Lucas could find them shots.
Overall, I'd expect a return to the NCAA Tournament but something in the 7-10 seed range. Something like 10-8 in a fairly weak Big Ten should be attainable. Basically we'd be able to duplicate Northwestern's season this year. Win the first round game with an improving team and put a scare into a Top 10 team in the second round. After that we are at least a Top 25 team every year and back to being Illinois basketball.
