Illinitalk

Props to John Supinie, who unpacks the drama behind the scenes in the search for the new athletic director at Illinois. I hadn't seen this story when I posted earlier today but it's a good one.

Here is the key paragraph:

Instead, Guenther seems intent on steering the university toward a new A.D. with “institutional history,’’ possibly with input from two lame ducks — Guenther and Easter. Guenther said he wouldn’t be part of the search committee, but seven of the 10 members of the committee have close ties to the current A.D.

This should serve as a start to the reporting that needs to be done on all the maneuvering that is going on behind the scenes.

This is an opportunity for the university to make a very good hire that could propel its athletic programs to success. However, if they botch it, the university could be digging out of a deep hole for a long time. And in my opinion, letting Ron Guenther have a lot of sway over the process is probably not in the university's best interest.

Labels: Ron Guenther, University of Illinois athletic director

Ron Guenther is managing the Illini football program the way the government has managed our money: incompetently. This story from today's Sun-Times confirms this to be true. Please, just make a decision already.

Labels: Ron Guenther

This was a tough Ron Zook-like loss. We win big one week and then turn around and are completely unfocused and lose the next. It reminds me of last year when we beat Penn State and Wisconsin and then travelled to Iowa City and laid an egg. By the way, I'm not sure I want to whoop it up too much that Michigan lost to Toledo today because that loss sure seems to take some of the shine off our performance in Ann Arbor last weekend, even though we beat them handily.

Today we had stupid mistakes early that cost us momentum and I didn't think it looked like we wanted it as bad as Minnesota did, either. We were not crisp and were outplayed by a team we clearly should have handled. It wasn't a gimme win but we should have won.

As for my feelings about the folks on the opposite sideline, this was obviously a big game for Tim Brewster coming back to play against his alma mater. If I recall correctly, Brewster was on Ron Guenther's short list for the head coaching vacancy at Illinois a couple years back. However, Guenther chose Ron Zook over Brewster so it wouldn't surprise me if Brewster wanted this one to show Guenther and the Illini Nation what he can do as a coach.

Call me unimpressed, despite the win.

Why?

The punch Gopher DE William Van De Steeg threw at Benn (ESPN showed it on replay plenty of times) and the late hit out of bounds on Juice. That kind of garbage as no place in the game. And of course the irony is that when Van De Steeg put the hit on Juice late in the game that caused the interception, Mr. Van De Steeg shouldn't have still been allowed on the field in the first place.

Despite this, Illinois should have been better prepared for this game, more focused on the field and come away with the win today. Let's hope we do better against Indiana next week.

Labels: Ron Guenther, Ron Zook, Tim Brewster, William Van De Steeg

I was talking to a good friend of mine yesterday who is an Indiana fan. He told me he felt like we deserved to win the game Thursday night. I told him actually I didn't think so.

Pruitt's poor free throw shooting aside (a senior not icing the game from the line is reason enough for me to say we didn't deserve to win) our team, coaching staff and perhaps most of all our fans acted in a pretty classless way. That should not be Illinois basketball. Win or lose.

I didn't watch the entire game Thursday night but from what I watched and if even half of what Mariotti says is true, our folks need to grow up. Can we at least lose with dignity?

At least Guenther and Weber issued an apology. But waiting until the day after? Does it take that long for them to realize things were a little out of control? Did Weber not see Chester's chest bump? If so, does he approve of what he did? I don't because I don't want our players to have the reputation of a bunch of thugs.

And as for the fans, I'm fine with screaming at Gordon and Sampson. They deserve it. And that passion is what a rivalry is all about. But please leave the profanity out of it. I'd like to be able to take my kids to the games someday.

Finally, a word to Indiana fans: You guys aren't much better. I'm all for a good rivarly and the arguing that goes with it. And if you want to come over here and talk smack in our comment section, that's fine. But leave the classless profanity out of it or your posts will be deleted.

Incidentally, my friend (who graduated from IU) said he was also ashamed of their fan behavior. He said he's sick of hearing the F bomb dropped at their place. After getting up this morning and reading the comments from the IU fans here, I believe it.

It's time to grow up, people.

Labels: Bruce Weber, Eric Gordon, Jay Mariotti, Kelvin Sampson, Ron Guenther

Great win Saturday. Juice has really matured this season. Now if we can just get Rashard back next year...

Something I never thought was even close to possible when the season started and I can't believe this is even a possibility but there are those out there who believe we will not only get a very good bowl game but could be headed to a BCS game. SI's Mandel thinks so.

If you think Zook deserves Coach of the Year honors, click here and vote.

Finally, looks like we need to start preparing for life after Ron Guenther. Hopefully the university doesn't botch this like they did the Chief.

Labels: Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook

Since when does Illinois football get press like this? Since Ron Zook recruited a bunch of studs, many of them from Washington, DC of all places, to come play in Champaign.

Ron Guenther, are you paying attention? It takes talent to compete at this level. Please remember that as it relates to our hoops program. Please.

Labels: Illini football, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook

I’ve been wanting to post this for some time and with the recent news regarding recruiting, Jamar Smith and Quinton Watkins, now is the perfect time. Please note these are my personal opinions, not those of Good Hope Orange or Alma Mater. Below is my opinion on the current state of play for the Illinois hoops program and what needs to be done to right the ship.

Bruce Weber is a fantastic basketball coach. You don’t lead a team to the national championship game without being good at the x’s and o’s. Nor can you get there without great players. Weber had both. Hence his success.

However, since the title game against North Carolina, if there is anything else conceivable that could have gone wrong, I’m not sure what it is. Even though much of what has happened can’t be pinned completely on Weber, it’s time for Ron Guenther to step in and stop the bleeding. This program can still be successful with Weber at the helm but there needs to be a few course corrections in order to get there.

The biggest issue is recruiting. Many of the misses aren’t Weber’s fault. But that doesn’t change the reality that Illinois is two years removed from an appearance in the national championship game, an event that should have propelled the program’s recruiting ability into the upper echelon of programs nationwide.

Therefore it’s not unreasonable, in the wake of the magical 04-05 season, for fans and the university administration (of which Ron Guenther is a part) to expect Illinois to be in competition for the Big Ten title most every year and within striking distance of the Final Four every few years.

However, this is not the case.

It’s important to give a coach the benefit of the doubt. So I’ll use the premise that Weber did all he could with the Eric Gordon situation. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s consequences are extremely damaging.

Therefore, recruiting for the ‘08 class is a true measure of Weber’s capability in this area and so far the results are borderline disastrous as almost all of Illinois’ top targets, even those from within the state, have decided to play elsewhere. Two of them (one a legacy) are even headed out to Oregon.

Illinois’ current and future rosters consist of a hodgepodge of three-star recruits and JUCO players. Some of these players may turn out to do pretty well for Illinois but they are not the top flight players who don’t need insurance policies that Illinois should be getting.

Therefore, it’s not unreasonable, especially given the talent other Big Ten programs like Michigan State and Ohio State are bringing in, to expect Illinois to finish somewhere near the middle of the Big Ten pack the next few years. At a bare minimum we cannot expect Big Ten title runs year in and year out and the occasional Final Four, which, in this fan’s opinion, should be expected given the recent title run.

So what to do? It is time for Ron Guenther to step in and hire a Jimmy Collins-type recruiting assistant for the basketball program. This is the only way to stop the current bleeding.

It doesn’t matter if the current situation isn’t completely Weber’s fault. It doesn’t even matter if it was mostly out of his control. There is no more room for error. Without a course correction and a drastic improvement in recruiting the Illinois basketball program is going to be fighting to stay in the middle of the Big Ten standings year in and year out.

This should not be acceptable to anyone. Not to the fans. Not to the coaches. Not to the university administration. No one. Especially given the recent success of the program.

And, the ultimate success of the program should be laid at the feet of Guenther, who should have been aware of Weber’s recruiting contacts and prowess when he was hired. If he wasn’t, there is a problem with the athletic director.

Speculation time: Will this happen? I doubt it. My impression could be wrong and I would be happy if it is but both men don’t exactly seem to be open to change. Again, I hope I’m wrong.

Which leads me to the next situation: Jamar Smith.

Jamar Smith was convicted of a felony. I realize he has apologized for what he did but that doesn’t change the fact that Weber and Guenther were the ones fighting to have someone convicted of a felony stay on the team, even if he does have to redshirt a year. Therefore, what makes Illinois any different than the Miami Hurricane football teams of the 80’s or Bob Huggins’ Cincinnati basketball teams?

Nothing.

If this kind of publicity doesn’t make them wince, they must not care about the image of the university. I’d be awfully surprised if fans aren’t getting tired of seeing national headlines like this.

I realize all situations are different and sometimes folks deserve a second chance but this is a poor precedent to set for the university and the students, not only because of the DUI but because Jamar Smith is underage. I cannot think of an absolutely worse standard to set for a state university where it’s already difficult to control the booze flow, especially among those who are underage, than to let a high-profile athlete who is under 21 stay on the team after he commits a DUI.

The message this sends to students and student athletes is there are no consequences for their actions and as an alum I’m disgusted by it. Unfortunately this is the latest in a long string of problems our players have had with the law and until a tougher standard is employed, I’m afraid it won’t be the last.

In conclusion, it’s time for Ron Guenther to make a very serious mid-course correction in the Illinois basketball program and hire a recruiter who will close the Illinois border and bring the state’s best players to Champaign.

Guenther and Weber should also rethink their policy for Jamar Smith or at least toughen their policies in the future.

The ultimate success of Illinois basketball hinges on these two issues.

Labels: Bruce Weber, Illinois basketball, Jamar Smith, Quinton Watkins, Ron Guenther

I can't believe the following after reading this story:

1. The university is excusing Guenther's behavior:

Richard Herman, chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus, called Guenther "the ultimate fan."

"I think this was an unfortunate lapse and he is very embarrassed by it and certainly regrets it," Herman said. "You don't get to lapse into being just a fan when you are an [athletic director]."

Herman said Guenther had apologized to Weber and noted his plans to call Carter.

"My own view was it was less directed at any individual but toward the poor play on the court," Herman said.

2. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany didn't come down harder on Guenther:

"When you're on press row, you're better off to act like an objective media person," said Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, who was at press row for first- and second-round games at the United Center. "I'm sure Ron recognizes that. He's an adult and adults make mistakes."

3. Guenther still hasn't said publically that he's sorry. It's all been reported third person. That in my mind is the biggest problem. Just own up to your mistake and move on. Please.

Labels: Ron Guenther

Illinois AD Ron Guenther responded to this column by Gregg Doyel by talking to Loren Tate on Saturday. Obviously I don't have the full story here but it doesn't look like Guenther apologized. Here are a few things he had to say:

I certainly didn't intend for my words to be picked up.

This makes no sense as Guenther was in one of the most public of public places (on press row) and should have known better.

I feel badly that (Doyel) felt he had to print it.

Doyel may be a hack but he's also a journalist (I use that term loosely in this case) who was doing his job. It's not only his right to write down what he sees at a game but it's his responsibility as well.

This is perhaps what upsets me the most. Guenther saying he feels bad Doyel printed that is a cop-out. Instead he should feel bad for how he acted and apologize. If what Doyel wrote was true (and Guenther didn't deny it), he was screaming at Weber and called Warren Carter an idiot. That's bad enough. Not apologizing makes it even worse. How does he still have a job?

Finally, where is the outrage in the media? If a public official did something like this it would be front page news that he didn't apologize.

Labels: Ron Guenther

Gregg Doyel who writes for CBS Sportsline has always struck me as sort of a hack. But I do have to say if what he said below is true in this column that's running on CBS' website about the Illini's loss last night then there are some problems at the top of the athletic department.

About that athletics director ...

His name is Ron Guenther. He sat two chairs from me on press row. If there's etiquette about what behavior is on or off the record on press row, I don't know about it. Here's what I do know: The Illinois AD is smart enough to ascend to the job he holds, but dumb enough to behave so ridiculously courtside, surrounded by media in general and sitting 30 inches from me in particular.

Guenther is a table-pounder, in good times and bad. Since there were very few good times Friday -- even when the Illini had a 10-point lead with less than 4 1/2 minutes to play, they looked awful -- Guenther did most of his pounding in anguish.

If only he left it at pounding. Alas, he did not. Guenther would on occasion rise and stare down an official, or rise and give coach Bruce Weber advice, generally something along the lines of, "Get Randle out of there!" And after one miserable play by Warren Carter -- which isn't nearly specific enough considering his vast array of miserable plays -- Guenther pounded the table, rose from his chair and screamed, "Warren -- you idiot!"

Screamed it, people.

Labels: Gregg Doyel, Ron Guenther

Chief Illiniwek will no longer perform.

Additional background information on this development and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ's).

All of our regular readers know where Illinitalk stands on this issue. This portion of a statement from Athletic Director Ron Guenther sums up the reality of the situation:

"Personally, as an alumnus and former athlete, I am disappointed, however, as an administrator, I understand the decision that had to be made."

We too are disappointed. But the reality is, we knew this was likely coming once the NCAA created their new policy mascot/symbol policy back in 2005. The sanctions imposed by the NCAA on schools that violated their policy left the University with little other choice once the appeals process was exhausted. Score one for the NCAA bureaucrats as they have dealt a blow to institutional autonomy.

One question from the FAQ's stands out to us as one that needs to be answered more definitively:

Q: What will happen with the University’s trademark rights to the name Chief Illiniwek, the portrayal of the Chief and the Chief Illiniwek logo?
A: The University is reviewing trademark laws. No final decision has been made.

It is our hope that the University of Illinois will decide to turn over the trademark rights to the group of former Chief's or to another suitable entity who will honor the tradition of Chief Illiniwek.

Finally, we would appeal to all of you out there, regardless of whether you support the Chief decision or not, to continue to support the University of Illinois and the Fighting Illini Athletics.

Have a good weekend and good luck to the Illini at Northwestern on Sunday! Go Orange and Blue!

Labels: Chief, Chief Illiniwek, NCAA, Ron Guenther, Symbol, Trademark

Thursday is going to be a huge day for Illini football fans who have yearned to see the program turn around. Bob Asmussen will have all the coverage here throughout the week. We expect Zook to sign a top class.

Btw, Ron Guenther will be relieved if this happens because otherwise he's taking a lot of heat for moving the students to the north end zone.

Um, Ron, hello? Why do you think the basketball team has such a great home-court advantage?

Labels: Illini football, Ron Guenther, Ron Zook