It seems the worm has turned regarding the fanbase's opinion of John "F'ing" Groce. Well, Illini fans should just stop crying and suck it up because he'll be at the helm of the program for at least another three seasons.
Why?
Because of the team will most likely finish in top 5-6 in the conference in the next two seasons. The team will be better next season even without Rice. You have to consider the improvement of Nunn, Hill, and Black along with the return of Abrams and Paul as potentially a more cohesive unit, no more 3 against 5 on offense. Although Egwu interior defense will be missed, his horrific lack of basketball instincts will not. If Paul keeps his head on straight, he'll bring a much higher basketball IQ to the team as compared to Egwu. Even though, the staff didn't do much in the development of Egwu, they were basically starting with a lump of clay with a lot of sand mixed in with it. Paul has bball instincts and skills that Egwu never displayed.
Also, Abrams although not the idea PG, he can't be worse than Starks and Tate. He'll definitely shoot as well or better from the perimeter than both of those guys. Although he's not a triple threat offense player, he's at least a double threat i.e. shoot or finish at the rim. Starks couldn't get to the rim and finish due to his size, and Tate can't shoot or beat his defender off the dribble. What Abrams lacks in PG skills he makes up for with leadership, hustle, and tough mindedness.
Like Salty, I would like to see Groce allow Hill to initiate the offensive in the half-court with Abrams bringing the ball up against any ball pressure in the back-court.
Here's a few "I told you so" reminders:
Groce's coaching acumen isn't to the level necessary to compete night in and night out in the Big Ten. He's a young coach with a young staff. Even his special assistant is under age 40. He needs an experience voice on the bench. This is horrible in their ability to make adjustment and adjustments after the opposing coach has made adjustments to their adjustment.
You can't build a program with a revolving door of transfers. I said from the very beginning that Cosby numbers at a cellar-dwelling program like Seton Hall were most likely inflated.
As I said when he committed to the program, Tate doesn't have the talent or skills to effectively play consistently at the Big Ten level. The kid is brutal imho.
The team will be invited to the dance in '16 and '17. His development of the '15 class, his 2017 recruiting class, and the results of the 2017-18 season will dictate his fate for the next 4-5 years afterwards. His extension goes through the 2018-19 season.
Why?
Because of the team will most likely finish in top 5-6 in the conference in the next two seasons. The team will be better next season even without Rice. You have to consider the improvement of Nunn, Hill, and Black along with the return of Abrams and Paul as potentially a more cohesive unit, no more 3 against 5 on offense. Although Egwu interior defense will be missed, his horrific lack of basketball instincts will not. If Paul keeps his head on straight, he'll bring a much higher basketball IQ to the team as compared to Egwu. Even though, the staff didn't do much in the development of Egwu, they were basically starting with a lump of clay with a lot of sand mixed in with it. Paul has bball instincts and skills that Egwu never displayed.
Also, Abrams although not the idea PG, he can't be worse than Starks and Tate. He'll definitely shoot as well or better from the perimeter than both of those guys. Although he's not a triple threat offense player, he's at least a double threat i.e. shoot or finish at the rim. Starks couldn't get to the rim and finish due to his size, and Tate can't shoot or beat his defender off the dribble. What Abrams lacks in PG skills he makes up for with leadership, hustle, and tough mindedness.
Like Salty, I would like to see Groce allow Hill to initiate the offensive in the half-court with Abrams bringing the ball up against any ball pressure in the back-court.
Here's a few "I told you so" reminders:
Groce's coaching acumen isn't to the level necessary to compete night in and night out in the Big Ten. He's a young coach with a young staff. Even his special assistant is under age 40. He needs an experience voice on the bench. This is horrible in their ability to make adjustment and adjustments after the opposing coach has made adjustments to their adjustment.
You can't build a program with a revolving door of transfers. I said from the very beginning that Cosby numbers at a cellar-dwelling program like Seton Hall were most likely inflated.
As I said when he committed to the program, Tate doesn't have the talent or skills to effectively play consistently at the Big Ten level. The kid is brutal imho.
The team will be invited to the dance in '16 and '17. His development of the '15 class, his 2017 recruiting class, and the results of the 2017-18 season will dictate his fate for the next 4-5 years afterwards. His extension goes through the 2018-19 season.
