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Post by uic53 on Jul 18, 2009 17:32:50 GMT -6
It's starting to get a little late in the summer. Is anybody going to get hired to take the place of Coach Coomes? The longer this drags on the less likely it becomes. Is UIC going to be short a scholarship (again) and short a coach as well? It's not like we are losing a coach with little experience or a guy who's only been here a year or two! UIC is losing the X's and O's guy who actually came up with our schemes and who had 25+ years of coaching experience. Is UIC going to hire a newbie and promote people through the ranks, hire an actual replacement for Coach Coomes, or just not hire anybody? Why do I have the feeling it's going to be somebody just breaking into coaching or just not hire anybody?
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Post by axaguy on Jul 18, 2009 19:22:53 GMT -6
Unfortunately UIC is WAY behind in the filling of a very important coaching position. When I questioned Jim Schmidt about this very same concern earlier this summer I was told Jimmy is looking for the person and it's his responsibility. My thought is that Tracy Dildy will get named top assistant as Coomes replacement and a less experienced guy fills Tracy's spot. This will give Tracy some experience at game strategy and planning that he will need when he is named Head Coach when Jimmy retires in two more years!!!! These are events I personally hope do not come to pass for several reasons but feel they are about to unfold before us. Our basketball situation, which does not appear bright right now, needs an infusion of new ideas, enthusiasm, direction and promise which I don't feel will come if my thoughts are anywhere near correct........though they would be easy choices for the university to make. I fear that our season will be even more dismal than thought because current rostered, eligible players, other than incoming freshmen, at most schools are on campus practicing with their staffs right now. If ours are, who's leading the strategy evaluation??? Jimmy? Tracy? Anyone? Or is our time being wasted waiting for the ever elusive "coach to be named later?" Definitely not the signs of a well run, well prepared staff. Beating the proverbial dead horse again, but we are in trouble..........
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Post by uic53 on Jul 18, 2009 21:06:52 GMT -6
Unfortunately UIC is WAY behind in the filling of a very important coaching position. When I questioned Jim Schmidt about this very same concern earlier this summer I was told Jimmy is looking for the person and it's his responsibility. My thought is that Tracy Dildy will get named top assistant as Coomes replacement and a less experienced guy fills Tracy's spot. This will give Tracy some experience at game strategy and planning that he will need when he is named Head Coach when Jimmy retires in two more years!!!! These are events I personally hope do not come to pass for several reasons but feel they are about to unfold before us. Our basketball situation, which does not appear bright right now, needs an infusion of new ideas, enthusiasm, direction and promise which I don't feel will come if my thoughts are anywhere near correct........though they would be easy choices for the university to make. I fear that our season will be even more dismal than thought because current rostered, eligible players, other than incoming freshmen, at most schools are on campus practicing with their staffs right now. If ours are, who's leading the strategy evaluation??? Jimmy? Tracy? Anyone? Or is our time being wasted waiting for the ever elusive "coach to be named later?" Definitely not the signs of a well run, well prepared staff. Beating the proverbial dead horse again, but we are in trouble.......... My thoughts exactly. This is precisely why I am not renewing my season tickets this year. I'm not paying my money to reward a program that is out of control and is in the process of getting flushed. I'm sorry but if Schmidt keeps letting Collins come back, after losing a scholarship two of the last three years, they deserve what they have coming to them. The program is a joke and everybody knows it except for our administration!! The fact that Collins get s a bounus based on attendance when more than half of the crowd are bussed in school kids is ridiculous! Collins did a nice job in 97-98...over ten years ago. He got lucky that Bailey and Banks were basically forced to come here for a couple years. Other than that....just a terrible job and he would still be stuck in the paper bag if he needed to coach his way out. Kids don't like playing for him and it shows.....year after year! Too bad those that actually run the program dont see that. They had better be careful because Collins only has 2 years left on his contract. He has lost a scholarship two of the last three years knowing that this was still his team. Imagine how out of control his circus is going to be when he knows he isn't coming back!! This program will be lucky to have a couple scholarships left after he's gone.
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Post by Greg on Jul 19, 2009 10:03:07 GMT -6
Hi 53 I hope the administration takes note when a devoted fan like yourself doesn't renew your season tickets. There ultimately has to be successful production by us like any team or business and its been a long time since we've seen it.
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Post by Jason T on Aug 4, 2009 9:34:01 GMT -6
Speaking of renewing tickets, almost 200 bucks for a season ticket this year is a crime, when the Flame basketball program keeps getting worse and worse as the year progress.
I think that $175 on the uicflames site is good til a certain date in August. The new season ticket price is more closer to 200 bucks.
I dunno who will be the new asst. coach who will join Coach C's staff. But I DO know this...Coach C will keep on coaching as long as UIC keeps giving him contract extensions, or til something literally happens to him.
He should've retired this summer in all honesty. But hey, I'd keep working as a Flame head coach myself when I'm making more than 305k per season.
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Post by Jason T on Aug 4, 2009 9:44:16 GMT -6
I bet if you take away all of those school kids who've been coming to see the Flames play in the Coach C era, the actual attendance would be more like 900-1,200 per game.
Actually, less than 1,000 if I don't count the UIC students who live in the dorms. I'll be surprised if there's a student who commutes to classes and still makes it to every Flame basketball game.
I still think that 97-98 team is the best Flame team I ever saw. Even if most of those players weren't recruited by Coach C. I wonder where Thor Solverson is now....the tallest recruited player in that program's history.
Based on how darn smart he was as a student, Thor could probably beat Ken Jennings on Jeopardy 5 years ago. But he couldn't beat ANYONE at 1-on-1 basketball (let alone outplay someone in an actual game).
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Post by Greg on Aug 19, 2009 16:12:22 GMT -6
UIC Names Mark Miller Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Now all of our assistant coaches are former UIC players. Aug. 19, 2009
CHICAGO- UIC head men's basketball coach Jimmy Collins announced on Wednesday, August 19 that Mark Miller, one of the greatest players to ever don a Flames uniform, has returned to UIC as an assistant coach.
Miller fills the void left by Mark Coomes, who retired this past spring after 13 years on the Flames' staff.
"I am very, very happy to have Mark Miller join our staff," said Collins. "He was a tremendous competitor when he played for us. He knows the game of basketball very well and he has wanted to be a part of UIC ever since graduation. We're extremely happy to have Mark back representing this University."
"I am excited to return to my alma mater as an assistant coach, and I can't think of a better program to begin my collegiate coaching career," said Miller. "I look forward to working with the team so that they can be put in a position to continue the level of success I achieved on and off the court as a UIC Flame."
Miller played for the Flames from 1995-98, earning All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference honors each season. In 1997-98 he averaged 19.7 points per game en route to All-MCC First Team accolades and the MCC Player of the Year award, helping the Flames punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history that season.
In three seasons Miller scored 1,458 points in 84 games for a career average of 17.4 points per game. He is the school's ninth all-time leading scorer and, along with Sherell Ford, is one of only two UIC men's basketball players to have his jersey number retired. A banner bearing his retired number 12 hangs at the UIC Pavilion.
Miller, who was inducted into the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, went on to play professionally in six different countries. He earned German League Player of the Year honors in 2000, among his many pro accolades.
Prior to his decorated UIC career, Miller was a standout for Chicago prep power Westinghouse. As a senior in 1993-94, Miller was a Chicago Sun-Times All-Area pick, a Chicago Tribune All-State Second Teamer, an All-Chicago Public League First Teamer, and the MVP of the Public League's Red West Division. A national Top 100 recruit in 1994, Miller was also the MVP of the City-Suburban All-Star Game that year while leading Westinghouse to a city title over the nation's top-ranked team at the time, King High School.
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Post by I'm In The Front Row on Aug 19, 2009 22:09:59 GMT -6
OK...Don't get me wrong, I like Mark Miller. However, I think he's setting himself up for failure. He's never coached at this level and with the current staff, he's not going to be learning the ins and outs of coaching. Lowe is still not up to speed for coaching at this level, and I'm sure that Tracy is not an X and O's guy. Now, maybe he's coming in for recruiting, but I don't think so.
I would say that we will be having a long, long year watching these games.
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Post by axaguy on Aug 20, 2009 6:36:10 GMT -6
I wish Mark Miller the best in his new assignment but let's look at this appointment for a moment. We have replaced a seasoned, experienced, top assistant with a new "beginning his career" coach without a suitable replacement for the coach just departed. I wouldn't feel so anxious about the appointment if Jimmy was a teacher and nurturer of young coaches, but he's not. Having all UIC alumni on staff is good and bad. Good in that they should know the school but bad in the effect that they inbreed preconceived stereotypes and styles of their own because of their limited exposure to "other" programs and ideas. We need and influx of new ideas and thinking to get the program going, again, and it won't do so under the current circumstances. Who's going to be doing the "teaching" necessary to lead this team this year??
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Post by Chuck A on Aug 25, 2009 5:05:55 GMT -6
I agree axaguy. Without the necessary "out of the box" strategies that comes from being in and around other programs and coaches, we will have more of the same. Maybe Mark's playing in six different countries will provide him with some different insight in teaching. Let's hope so. There needs to be a change in strategy and culture for this program.
Let's hope these next two years will be tolerable at worst and surprising at best.
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Post by axaguy on Sept 2, 2009 12:06:59 GMT -6
Inspired1.....my feelings on the coaching hire do not suggest that Mark Miller is a bad or wrong choice by any means and I don't doubt for a second that the coaches want to be successful.. but I have been around long enough to observe that great players and great people do not always make great,good or successful bcoaches, in many sports.....I do wish Mark well and give him my support but have to question the timing/search method and reputation of JC and UIC in the hiring process. The position was open for some time. Where were any other applicants? Were there any? Didn't anyone else want to come here? Did we seek anyone else? We'll never know for several reasons but those are questions I have. Mark not having direct head coaching experience at any level, at least not indicated to us, brings us an inexperienced coach into an already young group with young players and a trying situation and a program not previously acknowledged being a coaching incubator. I also discount the relating to players characteristic. I think that is overated. At their ages and exposure to basketball, I'll agree that some players may come from diverse backgrounds and need help adjusting to D1 sports, they need direction, coaching and leadership from a professional who is experienced in life, school and the sport, not a "buddy" so to speak. Maybe this feeling relates to the recruiting we must do. We must thoroughly research our recruits and only target and focus on the balanced stuident athlete who is of the charater we require and want to represent our school on the floor and in the public. Mark desreves his chance and will get my full support. I hope he gets all the support and guidance he needs from within the program. My concerns center around the rest of the adminstration's actions and activities. A concern well echoed by others here and certainly not directed at Mark personally. He's a teamate now.....we've got work to do!!!!!
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Post by Captain A on Sept 2, 2009 17:00:46 GMT -6
"Nothing to see here... move along... everything's fine... move along..."
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Post by I'm In The Front Row on Sept 2, 2009 20:44:25 GMT -6
I just want to know, who is the X's and O's guy on this coaching staff that will be taking over the BIG hole left by Coach Coomes? Who's going to teach the new kids how to play defense? Are the coaches going to bring new ideas for offense or defense, or are they going to subscribe to the same old stale offense and the same idea of NO defense?
I shouldn't start because I have a whole slew of questions that need to be asked, and I'll just get a bunch of rhetoric that sounds like it came right out of a PR firm.
"You won't skid if you stay in a rut."--Kin Hubbard
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Post by Greg on Sept 2, 2009 20:48:57 GMT -6
I for one appreciate your input inspired1. Believe me no one was more upset about last year than I was . It was easily the most disappointing year I've seen in over 20 years of closely following the team but its time to move on. Its not easy to support a team through bad times but I'll still be there, I just want the bad times to end ASAP.
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Post by axaguy on Sept 2, 2009 21:15:21 GMT -6
Welcome to the message board, inspired1. Your thoughts, impressions and opinions are well received and appreciated as those of everyone else, as I see you are a novice poster here. Dialog is great. I am well aware of PR, publicity and public perception and their place and importance in business and at UIC, but a "happy face" isn't going to be put on "just to put on a happy face." The message board IS the place that alumni, fans and supporters can express their views and concerns. That's its purpose and place. I don't believe the folks here are going to fabricate anything. The thoughts and opinions are real and result from genuine concern and various levels of participation. If it appears that there are a lot of negative comments lately it is because there is a lot of genuine concern and frustration among this group over recent events and performance. If the administration and league don't like it, tough, it is what it is. When things change, so will the attitudes expressed here. The only worse scenario is one of total silence by the people here. It wouldn't mean they understand PR, it would mean they don't care................ there IS a difference between passion and indifference. The administration BETTER take notice before no one attends games, buys tickets or donates to the school and simply, silently slip away. Then they'll be asking, "Where'd they go? How do we get them back? Where IS everybody?" The "hole" that needs to be dug out of doesn't exist or expand because of the people at this board. The "hole" exists and deepens because of the administration's and coaching staff's reluctance to hold themselves accountable for their own performance and lack of leadership. Because that performance has been rewarded and encouraged shows that the administration doesn't care what is said here. Maybe they know something we don't. Maybe those here are a real minority so when the dozen or so frequent participants here stop going to games, their presence will be lost in the other 9000+ that regularly attend the games. The administraion and staff have MUCH bigger issues to deal with than worrying about a dozen or so posters at this site or what they say. If the direction and performance change for the better I'll bet the griping stops... If this is the only site from where negatives originate maybe it's the only site of the "true" fan and supporter. Or is it the Med school who attends one game a year and leaves at the half after their recognition, game?? What game?? Coach Dildy's promotion comes as no surprise to me. I do wish him the best. I have this question, though. If Mark Miller has a talent to "push players without alienating" them it alludes to the fact that has happened previously. Why the concern?? What kind of people have we been recruiting? What kind of people can the coach "coach?" Have the head coach and recruiting personnel spoken to each other about the needs, charateristics wanted/needed in incoming players? Is there communication going on?? Research? True scouting? If the head recruiter is now the top assistant what are the lines of communication to exist between the head coach and him, now? Who's running the show? Designing the offense, defense, strategy? One or two guys? Who's in charge? Who are the players going to follow? I hope this is all worked out and is better than the results in recruiting and retention. I am well aware that this stuff goes on other places because I have visited other HL boards as well, but I don't care about them........ Ultimately the "proof is in the pudding!" Predictions mean nothing. Let's put our best effort on the court with the people best identifed to excel and see what happens. I remain "cautiously optimistic" and have a "wait and see" attitude. I'm from Missouri!!!!!
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