Season in the Drink

To paraphrase the great John Feinstien in his critically acclaimed ode to Bob Knight and his 1985-86 Hoosiers ,Bruce weber will spend this summer, haunted by the year just past. The highs were so high and the lows were so low and he will be constantly reminded of what might have been as he prepares for his most crtical season as the head Coach of the University of Illinois basketball team. Our history as a program is haunted by the "what ifs" of our collective memory and the decade of the "aughts" is now seered in our psyche's forever more.

Added players such as Charlie V in 04-05 or Brandon Rush as a compliment to Augie and Dee would have begat at least one NCAA Championship and most assuredly changed our recruiting fortunes from 2006-2009. Perhaps the subtle quirks of fate that have been a part of our destiny since the dominant Whiz Kids gave up multiple championships to serve in World War II to the 1989 Fly'n Illini who failed to show up at their own coronation are our lot in a fatalistic existence that defines our reality and helps us prepare for a life filled with banality at best with brief moments of joy and respite.

"The Great Recession's" end, contrary to the economist's who contend it is over, will not ebb without job growth and our "basketball depression" will not abate for a hoops crazed Illini Nation until Weber and the boys banish the ghosts of the past several years by becoming relevant on the national stage and assume their rightful place in the college basketball world. I am tired of reading about great Illinois guards going elsewhere and the inevitable excuses and apologies offered by our coaches and fans. Illinois soil is fertile and rich with a bounty of talent that could stock multiple top 20 teams.

As I write this missive, we are a mere hours before selection hour and our fate is not yet sealed, but already written for all but the most ardent and optimistic among us. Call it the "Season in or on the Drink" and acknowledge with me that fatalism may be another word for realism. Our destiny as a basketball team, despite my protestations to the contrary, is not pre-determined and rests with the players, coaches and fans. The lessons learned in our moments of despair and failure teach us far more about our future than moments of triumph and euphoria. What have we learned and where will it take us is the question at hand. The answer remains to be seen as we struggle to regain our swager and we emerge from our desert wanderings in our search for the promised land.

Confucious Says, Bubblelicious!

Embrace it, don't shrink from the fact that "wherever you go there you are." We are a middling Big Ten squad that currently has one victory and two losses against its mid-tier competition, Northwestern and Minnesota. A stopped clock is correct twice a day and two victories against a Lucasless MSU and Luerless Wisconsin is proof of that.

We are what we are and that appears to be a team with enough talent to be dangerous, but one that is clearly lacking in consistency of effort and concentration. Our Coach is competent yet overly conservative and I'm not buying the argument that we lack sufficient depth to implement a press or impose our will on others.

Don't agonize over what might have been when we can all enjoy a season and a moment, more reminiscent of Mr. Toads Wild Ride than anything we’ve experienced heretofore. I found myself remarkably calm during Illinois' frenzied 26-8 run against Minny that ended with the losing trifecta entry featuring McCamey's leaping errant pass, his fifth foul and DJ's final confidence cramp in the waning seconds. Toss in Bruce's empty “time out drawer” and the confluence of comedy and tragedy was not lost on the most avid and passionate observers.

While buoyed by the influx of talent and the optimism that it breeds; I am plagued by doubts that emanate from the prospect of one of America's preeminent basketball institutions, located in fertile and talent-rich basketball country, missing the Tourney of the second time in three years. Yes, it could be worse as our neighbors and mortal enemies at IU have come to realize; but ours is not a situation bourne out of scandal or coaching turnover. Our woes, to the contrary come most disturbingly on the heels of an eight year tournament run ending in 2007 that featured more victories than any similar period in Illini Basketball history.

Take a deep breath and be mindful that the world is a scary place and perhaps happiness truly is the "new wealth." So here we are, perched on the edge, fighting for life and living in the moment; it's really all good. We are experiencing pain, joy, agony, ecstacy and every other cliqued emotion under the sun and I for one am glad to be in the middle of it. Breath it in and blow it out and know that we are alive and well and fully capable of virtually anything. We can take a punch and keep on fighting or in the words of Robert Montgomery Knight, "we can sit back and enjoy the assault." I for one choose to feel and observe what I cannot control and try like hell to do all that I can to make our world a better place. I'm not angry, I'm not sad, I'm just all in for the Illini and trying to enjoy the ride.

MSU and More

“The Hall” was rocking on Saturday night when Sparty came to town. Not since Dee and Augie’s last dance, has the energy level been any higher or the stars looked any brighter than they did during the Illini’s thrilling victory over the Lucasless Spartans. MSU still packs a mean punch without its diminutive leader and features NBA prospects at virtually every position but, the Illini had just enough gas in the tank to edge the Conference’s marquee program.

Demitri McCamey played like the all Big Ten performer he has become and renewed contributions from Brandon Paul and Mike Davis left the star crossed “Gameday” entourage searching for superlatives to describe the environment and the energy that the Krush brought to the contest. With no apologies to the Sun Times Herb Gould who described “the Hall” as soulless and antiquated or Dickie V who admonished the crowd that they were bush for storming the court, Krush may have been the real MVP in a game that showcased the passion that is generated by Illinois basketball.

What did ESPN think was going to happen when you have college kids start drinking at 7 AM and encourage them to go nuts for the camera. It’s like the mom who can’t understand her child’s concentration issues after eating five candy bars. ESPN is responsible in large part for the spontaneous expression of joy and enthusiasm exhibited by the Orange Krush and Krush alone. I thought Vitale’s comment regarding storming the court and how it was beneath a program which has had as much success as the Illini were completely off base and irresponsible. Do Dickie and his producers not understand that these kids were not yet in school during our magical run in 04-05 and that the last four years have witnessed more fits than starts and that we have one NCAA victory, and none since 06.

The future of this program is bright and the cupboard appears stacked with more stars on the way, but Bruce has yet to recruit a player who has been drafted, although that too will change. You can put on all perfume in your arsenal you wish, but 06-09 has looked more “piggish than purty.” This team has the potential to provide a springboard for next years model and we have all been waiting long time to bring another beautiful girl to “the big dance.”

Kudos to World #2, Steve Stricker 89’ for his victory at Riviera (great course) and Pierre Thomas 07’ for his superb play in the Super Bowl (5^th Illini to score an SB TD).

Next time we select a football head coach (soon, I hope), can we look 40 miles to the east and buy three vowels E,I,U. Shanahan and Payton now have rings and Childress squared off against his fellow Eastern Illinois Alumnus in the NFC Title game.

The Winter of our Discontent

As I stare out my office window I am struck by the bleakness of a January day, devoid of sunlight and deprived of the usual warmth associated with the brilliant orange glow that has resided inside Assembly Hall. The State owes the University of Illinois over $400,000,000.00 dollars, we’re a running joke in the college football world, and now our bright orange security blanket otherwise known as Illinois basketball is starting to smell. Was the football season and its wretched results coupled with the amateurish attempts by Heir Guenther to fix the mess of his own making, not enough to punish us for some long forgotten sins that we committed in a past life?

Bruce Weber seems like a fine man and competent basketball coach at worst, but judging from the tortured look on his face and the seemingly uncontrollable outbursts on the sideline, I would say that something is not right in the State of Denmark. In the “chicken and the egg” world of college basketball, it was assumed that good and great players begat great coaching. I am not buying the argument that the recruiting misses that have morphed into sophomore and senior classes without production is an excuse for the inconsistencies we have witnessed of late. Balanced classes have little to do with winning as long as you have talent and a hint of experience. Bruce has had almost three years to reach and teach his five juniors and mold them into a cohesive complement to his highly ranked freshmen class.

Thus a year that started with great anticipation and promise, has devolved to a point where there are far more questions than answers. I have defended Bruce as we have all eagerly anticipated the current uptick in recruiting and the resulting return to a consistent top 20 form. Something is clearly amiss and altered under the “giant mushroom” that is the iconic symbol of Illinois basketball. Bill Carmody and Matt Painter each made second half adjustments that worked without a meaningful counter from the Illini and its leader. Northwestern in particular determined that only McCamey could beat them and in the end, Carmody was right.

We are floundering and adrift without passion or purpose and only leadership and mental toughness can salvage a season on the brink. Mike Davis may be the only player who is deserving of a lower grade than the coaching staff at this point in the season. Is the pressure getting to Bruce and is he comfortable in the glare of the spotlight that comes with the territory at this level of head coaching? We know he can coach at a high level under the right circumstances; now he must search for and find the right answers or face and increasingly frustrated Illini Nation which has come to expect excellence from its marquee winter sport.

McCameying of Age

The last four Illini basketball games offer the intriguing prospect that our reluctant leader and erstwhile point guard may actually be on the verge of finding his groove. Demitri McCamey is the kind of player that drives an”old schooler” like Weber batty as he searches for ways to motivate and direct a player with more talent than sense. DM seems like a nice enough guy and possesses a body type and skill set that makes you want to think that Illinois has stumbled upon the second coming of DWILL . Weber and the faithful are frustrated because there is the fear of promise gone unfulfilled that accompanies so many talented young men in today’s me first world.

Illini Nation desperately needs DM to become the point guard he can be and elevate his game beyond that of a gifted shooting guard bent on “getting his”, teammates and coaches be damned. What we have seen over the last couple weeks speaks to a maturity that has been lacking in DM’s first two years in O&B. His reaction to not starting has been nothing short of remarkable given the indifference and attitude that he has flashed in the past. Fourteen plus points a game and five point nine assists favorably compare to Frankie and Deron, but his assist to turnover ratio at less than 2:1 falls below the minimum threshold we associate with great creators of the past.

Recently, DM’s respect for each possession and his unselfish play has forced many of us to reevaluate whether the kid will lead and succeed at the highest levels. We saw flashes of a warrior attitude when that Schnauzer of an Indiana guard rapped his legs around DM and tried to hump our Doberman. DM looked as if he wanted to bite Hulls head off and then proceeded to play with a fire and intensity that ignited the Illini and helped will us to victory. DM’s defense in the second half at IU left us wondering whether the taste of blood and the thrill of the kill will propel him to another level as the Big 10 season roars into high gear.

Ultimately, Weber and most recent Illini coaches define greatness by winning atIllinois and it starts with a defensive intensity that sends the Krush into a frenzy and makes the most skilled of opposing point guards (Chris Paul in 04-05) wilt in the snow white heat of the Hall. Tailor Battle and the perplexingly thorny Nittany Lions come calling tonight and Demitri and the boys best beware. Attack the head of the snake from the get go and throw doubles at their diminutive magician from the moment the first whistle sounds. Don’t expect greatness, demand it and be the player that we all believe you can be. Get ready for the Battle; for tonight we see if Demitri becomes Grand Master DM.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

History tells us that all Tyrants are doomed to failure and thus the fate of our modern Caesar has already been written as we await the conclusion of our contemporary Illini tragedy. Is RZ unwittingly playing the role of Brutus and will his ineptitude be the first dagger to deliver the fatal blow to our Athletic Dictator or “AD”.

The AD has all but admitted failure after cleaning house and establishing a puppet regime with a toothless Head Coach commanding no one while posing as a general without an army in a war he cannot win, Salutations will be given to Coordinators and the AD if 2010 miraculously produces wins and competency. More likely though, we will witness a barren campaign bereft of success and catastrophic in its aftermath. Heads will roll as RZ will be forced to fall on his sword but not before his blade is thrust into the Tyrant in a ignominious ending to a career with more battles won than lost except for the war which come to define his empire. His legacy will be defined by his failure in the one area that will mean the most to him and no buildings or minor victories can overcome the stigma of a losing 18 year war with a sport he places above all else. At least Al Davis, Jerry Jones and Caesar himself have conquered worlds and ruled an Empire of note before succumbing to their worst devices as their Kingdoms fell.

How long has the plan to take back the program without dismissing his General been afoot? How many interviews were granted with candidates and how were they vetted? Were any candidates of color interviewed or considered in the latest purge and is there a nexus between Reggie Mitchell’s departure and the process in question? Clearly the AD had no committee, no transparency and no support from the loyal servants in his Kingdom who buy the tickets and support his blunders. Money was available to saddle this Program with two years of exorbitant assistants salaries that will most likely ensure that no real change will occur until the end of 2011 should things go astray.

Given the mindset of our fearless Dictator, it is clear that “Battle Plan B” consists of firing RZ and hiring Petrino, but what if Petrino is a bust; hire the DC I guess. One element has been lacking throughout this saga and that my friends is accountability. When will the AD step up and proclaim that he has failed and will no longer serve. We teach our children to take responsibility and be accountable for their mistakes, but it’s difficult to reinforce that message when it’s always someone else’s fault. Great leaders have the courage to take risks, fail and stand accountable. Lead and be great or be graceful and noble. In the end it is inevitably, “Sic Semper Tyrannis”, et tu.

PS: Basketball is undergoing growing pains that many of us anticipate from a physically and emotionally immature team with enormous upside and talent. Don’t fret, this team will ultimately find its groove and may surprise us with a deep run in the Tourney if our draw is favorable. I know there are those who are doubting whether this team evens makes the Field of 64, but I have faith in the Coach and his ability to shape the squad into a “dangerous out” come March.

See U at UC and in CU; Go Illini!

Fan Letter to Mr. G

Mr. G,

I listened to your recorded show last night and enjoyed the program. 1-3 p.m. Alaska Time isn’t the best time for me to be sitting around with my feet on the desk listening to the radio, but I’ll try to listen again sometime.

The thing I liked most about the program is that your comments about Illinois football and the coaching have been my sentiments for a long time. Zook just isn’t a very good teacher or coach and his teams tend to be sloppy, undisciplined, prone to mistakes, poor at fundamentals and inconsistent in execution. Other than that, I don’t dislike the guy the way I dislike Charlie Weis or Bob Knight. But you said it best in your comment yesterday to Gould that he wouldn’t be working for long if his grammar sucked. Likewise, Zook has no business coaching D-1 football team. Florida figured that out pretty quickly and Guenther apparently didn’t get the memo.

I met John Hiebert recently on the Illinois Loyalty blog site. The songs and lyrics burst forth in just a few weeks this fall as a frustrated emotional response to the awful football season. Another friend of mine (who is an Illini fan) and I have been writing silly, sophomoric lyrics to famous songs for a long time and exchanging them by email We posted some on the Illinois Loyalty Website in September. John asked if he could mix and record the songs. He did a brilliant job and suddenly we’re famous. Do you think WLS is interested? John and I have never met in person even though only 23 people live in Alaska. We’ve only exchanged emails and music lyrics because it is too cold and dark to go out and see your neighbors. We have vowed to get together to watch a game at a bar, but as the football season progressed, it didn’t sound like much fun. So far, the basketball games have not been on TV here or have been at bad times. We’ll get together before the season is over, I hope.

John sort of fumbled your question about my background because he doesn’t know it. I grew up in Champaign and attended my first year at the U of I. I was a townie. My parents still live there. I am from a long line of Illini alums. My mother and father met at Illinois. My father played basketball on the Final Four Team of 1949. His construction company built a number of buildings on campus, including the Assembly Hall. My grandfather, Paul Bresee and his brother Tiz, were the announcers at the football and basketball games for many, many years. All of my Grandfather’s four brothers and sisters graduated from the U of I. Many of their children and grandchildren have attended the University. One of my mother’s sisters married the son of the then-President of the University, David D. Henry. My mother’s other sister married the son of the head of all of the Illini bands for many years, Mark Hindsley.

When I was young, I didn’t know the difference between college and professional sports. I thought that the Illini belonged to Champaign-Urbana, the way that the Bulls, Bears and Cubs belong to Chicago. I just assumed they played in the same leagues. My grandmother taught me what the line of scrimmage was. When I was in second grade, my sister and I used to play hoops on the neighbor’s driveway and pretend we were Illinois players. I could hardly get the ball to the rim shooting underhanded. My sister was always Dave Downy and I was Bill Burwell. It never dawned on me than that Burwell was a 6’9 black man and I was a 4’2 tow-headed white kid from a white bread neighborhood. Illinois sports transcended race and all other considerations when I was a kid. The slush fund scandal broke on my 13th birthday—December 23, 1966. Most of my generation remembers when John Kennedy was killed as the end of the age of innocence. For me it was the slush fund scandal and my 13th birthday.

Despite my Illinois pedigree, I was a prodigal. After my freshman year I hitchhiked to Fairbanks, Alaska and decided to attend the University of Alaska. This was the Hippie era. I’ve been an Alaskan ever since, other than my three years of law school at Rutgers University, Camden. I still get back to Chicago and Champaign on a regular basis. I have a sister who lives in Deerfield. I still wear my Orange and Blue and follow the teams regularly. My wife thinks I’m a glutton for punishment and doesn’t understand my loyalty. You can take the boy out of Illinois but you can’t take the Illini out of the boy.

As a topic of discussion, I’d love to hear your take on Illinois sports budget. I read that Illinois ranks 10th in the Big 10 in its sports budget. Only Northwestern spends less. My question is, does the administration really care about Illinois sports, in general and football in particular. Does Illinois really want to field a national caliber football team? Based upon my 50 years of watching the program, the current spending levels, the decision to discard the Chief, the constant turnover in the head football coaching position, the distrust of the athletic department stemming from the slush fund scandal, and the general “anti-jock” attitude of the faculty, I don’t think that the school cares whether we go 3-9, 6-6, or 8-4 so long as people buy tickets and give donations. So if the administration doesn’t care and isn’t trying to be national caliber team, why should the fans care so much? I’d like to have your perspective on this. You obviously eat, sleep, speak, drink and dream Illini sports. Don’t you feel a little duped by the school? Don’t you wish that the University of Illinois as an institution supported football the same way that it is supported at OSU, Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, FSU, Alabama, Miami, Boise State, and USC just to name a few?

Regards,

Richard