Bruce Weber And The Hottest Seat in America
After the 2004-2005 college basketball season, there was a strong sense of optimism at Illinois.
A brilliant season that saw them finish with a 37-2 and a championship game appearance made most believe coach Bruce Weber would be able to maintain a high level of success for many years to come. Most even thought the season would have a positive effect on recruiting, as Illinois had been having difficulty landing big time prospects from Chicago since the likes of Nick Anderson and Deon Thomas back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Fast forward seven years, and it’s become apparent that wasn’t the case. While he has certainly enjoyed some success, the Illini have most recently missed two of the last four NCAA tournaments, and they appear to be in danger of missing it once again this year. They are 16-11 on the year, and are currently on a five game losing streak, most recently falling 80-57 to Nebraska.
Naturally, the question now becomes if it might be time to part with Weber. He is generally regarded as one of the nicest coaches in the country who runs a clean program year after year, but that alone isn’t reason enough to retain him. He has had some success recruiting, however it just hasn’t seem to translate into wins. Of his two prized recruits from the 2010 class, McDonald’s All American Jereme Richmond, spent one tumultuous season at Illinois before declaring for the draft, going undrafted and facing legal problems. The other, Meyers Leonard, has been testing the patience of Illini faithful since arriving on campus but if he puts it together, could become an elite center.
Whispers regarding Weber’s job security this season were turned up a few decibels when athletic director Mike Thomas could not give him a vote of confidence. They became ear-splitting after Wednesday’s 67-62 loss to Purdue. In what one might chalk up to bottled emotions reaching the surface, Weber had an emotional post-game press conference where, among other things, he admitted that he had been mostly concerned about winning and not at all about developing a culture or toughness. Perhaps even more damning was his open criticism of players.
Should this be Weber’s final season at Illinois, one would think there wouldn’t be a shortage of coaches who would love to replace him. Finding a replacement would be easy. Certainly, coaching at Illinois is still an appealing position. Illinois plays in the Big Ten in a state with tremendous in-state talent every year. In the past 5 years alone Chicago has produced the likes of Derrick Rose, Evan Turner, Iman Shumpert, Anthony Davis and Wayne Blackshear, all of whom chose to attend programs out of state. The top high school Junior in the country, and some might argue the top overall player in the country, Jabari Paker, also resides in Chicago. As do elite sophomores Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander. If the next coach were to somehow break through and establish a solid Chicago to Champaign pipeline, Illinois would easily become a force once again in college basketball.
Finding a quality replacement, however, might prove to be a little more difficult. Would Illinois be able to convince a young, brilliant coach like Butler’s Brad Stevens or VCU’s Shaka Smart to try their hand in the Big Ten? Or would they be convinced otherwise by the heavy expectations, the pressure and the politics involved?
Should Illinois stay with Weber, and hope he rebounds with a quality season next year? I personally think it would be best for all involved to part ways, Weber could excel at another school, and Illinois might just find the coach that can bring them back to elite status.