FaIllinois Basketball Coaching Search Thread

[FirstTimer]

Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber has been fired after nine seasons at the school.

The school made the announcement at a news conference Friday after Weber was informed of his removal earlier in the day.

"It's difficult to make these decisions when you are talking about someone the quality of person that Bruce Weber is," athletics director Mike Thomas said. "Bruce is everything you'd want in a coach as it relates to how he represents the university, his student-athletes, his programs and that makes it much more difficult."

The move comes less than 24 hours after the Illini fell to 17-15 with a loss to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

Weber will receive a $3.9 million buyout that is spread out equally over three years.

Assistant coach Jerrance Howard will serve as interim coach until a successor is hired and will lead the team if it is selected to the NIT.

In his second season at the school in 2005, Weber took the Illini to the national title game against North Carolina. But he could never duplicate that success after the departure of Deron Williams and Dee Brown.

Since that season, Illinois has won two NCAA tournament games and will miss the field for the third time in five seasons.

After beating Ohio State in early January, Illinois was 15-3 before losing 12 of its last 14 games. Weber finishes with a 210-101 record at the school.

"It's really how we were trending. I looked, as I said before, the total body of work, not just the last three or four months or not just the last month, but really the last nine years," Thomas said.

Thomas, who has been on the job since August, has also fired football coach Ron Zook and women's basketball coach Jolette Law.

The opening should attract quality candidates. ESPN is reporting that VCU's Shaka Smart could be the No. 1 target. Smart was an assistant at Akron when Thomas was its athletics director.

Thomas said it would be a national search.

"We will move quickly but we will move diligently," Thomas said. "I am excited about the prospects of this program for the future. Certainly, the key to that is feeling like we have the right person in place to lead what is a very national program that has a history of great success."

Weber could be a candidate at Southern Illinois, where he coached for five seasons after being a longtime assistant at Purdue under Gene Keady. The Salukis fired Chris Lowery last week.

Some "hot names" the Illini are said to be targeting or going after are Shaka Smart and Reggie Theus

 

[Woy]

That's your man, Illinois.

 

[FirstTimer]

Doubtful.

I know Illinois will be pushing for a minority hire.

 

[Woy]

He'd be a good hire too. :shifty:

 

[FirstTimer]

Too white.

 

[spiker]

Shaka Smart

 

[FedEx227]

It is almost 100% that it will be a brother.

 

[Woy]

Too white.

:cano:

 

[Sportsbuck]

If Illinois could find some way to keep the talent in-state at home, this goes for football too, they would be incredible.

The potential for that basketball program given how fertile Illinois is (Chicago in particular) is off the charts.

 

[Sharkweather]

If Illinois could find some way to keep the talent in-state at home, this goes for football too, they would be incredible.

The potential for that basketball program given how fertile Illinois is (Chicago in particular) is off the charts.

This sounds familiar.

 

[Sportsbuck]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/story/_/id/7718478/vcu-coach-shaka-smart-reportedly-turns-illinois

VCU coach Shaka Smart turned down Illinois' offer to become head men's basketball coach, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Smart, 34, had been Illinois' top choice to replace Bruce Weber, who was fired on March 9.

The Sun-Times cited multiple anonymous sources saying Smart informed Illinois AD Mike Thomas of his decision.

Illinois is one of three Big Ten schools never to have a minority football or men's basketball head coach, and Thomas recently talked about the importance of diversity in this hire.

 

[Senser81]

http://espn.go.com/chicago/ncb/story/_/id/7718478/vcu-coach-shaka-smart-reportedly-turns-illinois

LOL at this. Shaka must have another offer on the table, or he's crazy.

 

[FirstTimer]

Well, talk about laying an egg here.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Um...why would Shaka turn Illinois down?

 

[ralaw]

I'm not really surprised by this. IMO Illinois really isn't that great of a job. Smart has everyone but Burgess returning next season. Much like Brad Stephens I bet he has his eyes on another job that hasn't opened yet. VCU has been a really good program for several years and he has security.

 

[FirstTimer]

No idea Larry.

Just read a Trib story saying Illinois might try and get Leonard Hamilton from F$U

 

[calgaryballer]

Um...why would Shaka turn Illinois down?

Shaka makes $1.2 mil at VCU. Weber was making $1.3 mil.

With his style of play, VCU will probably be back in the tourney next year and he can pick his jobs when he wants. If he didn't come in and turn the Illini around ASAP, he'd be back looking for a job

 

[Herm]

Um...why would Shaka turn Illinois down?

It's going to take an elite high major job to get him to leave vcu. I was kind of surprised Anthony Grant took the alabama job, so many times if you dont jump at the first big payday you can pick your spot and wait for that great job.

 

[FirstTimer]

Shaka makes $1.2 mil at VCU. Weber was making $1.3 mil.

With his style of play, VCU will probably be back in the tourney next year and he can pick his jobs when he wants. If he didn't come in and turn the Illini around ASAP, he'd be back looking for a job

FWIW lllinois was supposedly offering around $2.5 million to Shaka

 

[Senser81]

Shaka makes $1.2 mil at VCU. Weber was making $1.3 mil.

With his style of play, VCU will probably be back in the tourney next year and he can pick his jobs when he wants. If he didn't come in and turn the Illini around ASAP, he'd be back looking for a job

Thats kind of a huge risk, don't you think? IIRC, VCU was one of the last teams into the tourney two years ago, and I don't think they won their conference last year. Shaka would be making almost double the money at Illinois, have better facilities, better talent base, better exposure.

I don't know what "elite" program is going to hire a relative unknown like Shaka Smart. Kansas didn't hire Bill Self from Oral Roberts. I think its a big step going from small-time program to big-time program. Look at that idiot from Texas A&M, Billy Gillespie. He was from a major conference and he still couldn't handle Kentucky.

Maybe Shaka will be like the Butler guy...happy to get his payday then fade back into obscurity in a couple years. But its stupid if he's holding out for a
"better" job.