My wishlist
Jul 21, 2010 19:08:49 GMT -6
Post by Big D on Jul 21, 2010 19:08:49 GMT -6
Jim Schmidt,
First and foremost, please hire a coach that can coach the game....the Xs/Os. You've seen this team on the court and felt the frustration for the past half decade, and it wasn't pretty. We need someone that will get this team to play defense that Chicago teams are known for....no more open 3s...no more wide open layups...no more open lanes for a driver to dribble through before kicking to an open man for a wide open jumper! We need someone that can put together an offense that doesn't rely on one person dribbling for 30 seconds before chucking up an airball. Organization and patience. Most of all we need to limit our mistakes. No more mistakes! The coach needs to value and stress the fundamentals...he needs to be a teacher!
As has been said in other threads, don't get caught up in the recruiting aspect. Yes, it's important...incredibly important. But JC was a recruiter, and he had just a couple solid classes in 14 years. Dildy was a recruiter that brought very little in value as of right now. Neither recruiter brought us much success. Let's not repeat mistakes and bring in another recruiter with a reputation of landing the CPL guys, only to find out he was a great recruiter with a power team but is just an average recruiter at UIC. We'll just end up with more of the same....the same players we're accustomed to having and the same disorganized, streetball play because our coach spent more time networking than learning how to play to win. We need players that will fit the system, players that limit mistakes, players that are motivated, and players that can hack it in the classroom. Get a strategist for head coach and have him hire a top notch recruiter as first assistant. When the wins come, so will the recruits. We need to recruit the CPL, but be very careful....don't just hire a guy from the CPL to get CPL guys....we'll be out half our scholarships within 5 years. Didn't the CPL push for Jimmy Collins to get the UIC job? And what did they do for us after that? 1 great recruiting class in 15 years?
Finally, we need a coach with some personality....some charisma. We need someone much younger than JC (no offense to him) that isn't afraid to get his face and voice out there and work on increasing attendance. In interviews with candidates, Schmidt should be asking what the plan is to increase attendance. We need to make UIC more visible, and an energetic coach will be required. Chicago is UIC's for the taking. Depaul is nothing...they hired an old dude to run a program that belongs nowhere near the Big East....they will be doing nothing there anytime soon. UIC needs to capture Chicago now...it can be done....win, win, win....in the postseason.
To sum, Xs/Os before recruiting...and make sure that person wants to be here to promote UIC and grow the fanbase....we need the John Trask of basketball. It's Schmidt's job to find that guy.
First and foremost, please hire a coach that can coach the game....the Xs/Os. You've seen this team on the court and felt the frustration for the past half decade, and it wasn't pretty. We need someone that will get this team to play defense that Chicago teams are known for....no more open 3s...no more wide open layups...no more open lanes for a driver to dribble through before kicking to an open man for a wide open jumper! We need someone that can put together an offense that doesn't rely on one person dribbling for 30 seconds before chucking up an airball. Organization and patience. Most of all we need to limit our mistakes. No more mistakes! The coach needs to value and stress the fundamentals...he needs to be a teacher!
As has been said in other threads, don't get caught up in the recruiting aspect. Yes, it's important...incredibly important. But JC was a recruiter, and he had just a couple solid classes in 14 years. Dildy was a recruiter that brought very little in value as of right now. Neither recruiter brought us much success. Let's not repeat mistakes and bring in another recruiter with a reputation of landing the CPL guys, only to find out he was a great recruiter with a power team but is just an average recruiter at UIC. We'll just end up with more of the same....the same players we're accustomed to having and the same disorganized, streetball play because our coach spent more time networking than learning how to play to win. We need players that will fit the system, players that limit mistakes, players that are motivated, and players that can hack it in the classroom. Get a strategist for head coach and have him hire a top notch recruiter as first assistant. When the wins come, so will the recruits. We need to recruit the CPL, but be very careful....don't just hire a guy from the CPL to get CPL guys....we'll be out half our scholarships within 5 years. Didn't the CPL push for Jimmy Collins to get the UIC job? And what did they do for us after that? 1 great recruiting class in 15 years?
Finally, we need a coach with some personality....some charisma. We need someone much younger than JC (no offense to him) that isn't afraid to get his face and voice out there and work on increasing attendance. In interviews with candidates, Schmidt should be asking what the plan is to increase attendance. We need to make UIC more visible, and an energetic coach will be required. Chicago is UIC's for the taking. Depaul is nothing...they hired an old dude to run a program that belongs nowhere near the Big East....they will be doing nothing there anytime soon. UIC needs to capture Chicago now...it can be done....win, win, win....in the postseason.
To sum, Xs/Os before recruiting...and make sure that person wants to be here to promote UIC and grow the fanbase....we need the John Trask of basketball. It's Schmidt's job to find that guy.