Coaching Candidates

[brianstl]

Groce was 34-30 in the MAC and is currently 28-41 in the Big 10. Why are we intrested?

[SLU_Nick]

Groce was 85–56 overall and 34–30 in Mid-American Conference games at Ohio and then has Illinois as a bottom feeder in the big 10. Why is this a slam dunk no brainer?

I dont want Illinois' garbage.

Edit: Nice Brian.

[Cowboy]

Groce would be an absolute slam-dunk no-brainer which is precisely why we will screw it up

-seeing the next few posts in this thread, why? what are you seeing that others are not?

[brianstl]

Groce was 85–56 overall and 34–30 in Mid-American Conference games at Ohio and then has Illinois as a bottom feeder in the big 10. Why is this a slam dunk no brainer?

I dont want Illinois' garbage.

Edit: Nice Brian.

Great minds or something like that.

I am glad I am not the only one who doesn't get it. I thought he was a bad hire for the Illini at the time.

[DeSmetBilliken]

Pat Kelsey of Winthrop should already have been called. Mid West guy w/ an XU background. He's fired up the students at Winthrop through certain promotions. This really should be a no brainer. My guess is Winthrop probably is paying somewhere around $400k. SLU would be attractive for many reasons to a guy like this. More $$, back to a Jebbie program, better conference, major facilities. He's got 4-5 guys from the Midwest playing for Winthrop, who's 20-8 this year. 3 of those losses to BCS schools, but they were close and all on the road.

Call him before the rush is on for this guy.

Absolutely. I brought up Kelsey months ago as a guy to keep our eye on, depending on how Winthrop did this year. Well, now Winthrop is in first place in their conference.

They may have different opinions now due to continued success, but 5 years ago, some Xavier fans gave me the idea that they wouldn't have been too concerned if Chris Mack took a different job back then, because they had Kelsey waiting in the wings.

[Pistol]

I know they've also been mentioned along with Kelsey, but Travis Steele and Luke Murray are both current Xavier assistants worth looking at.

If Mack goes somewhere after this season, though, I could see Steele keeping the Xavier tradition alive via internal promotion.

[slu72]

Nothing against XU AC's, who all seem to do well, but Kelsey's got top job experience at a basketball crazed low major that used to have Marshall as their HC. He turned it around after Marshall left w/in three seasons. Strong Mid west roots. Coaches tough D, Plays an up tempo offense, WU is #1 in their conference Defense, he's Jebbie educated, only 41, enthusiastic. I think he'd love coaching at SLU, especially since he's familiar w the new arena and some pretty fertile recruiting grounds.

Not keen on Groce. I mean if you can't succeed at Illinois coming in as the hottest young coach when he was hired, what's he gonna do here to turn things around?

If Chris May has not at least put out a feeler on Kelsey, he's not doing his job. Not sure you can do that during a season where coaches are concerned, but if you can he should have. I think this is a guy that could reignite the Billiken fan base, both alums and students.

[SLUDrew]

In Groce we would get a guy who has assisted at the top levels AND been a head coach in the Big 10 and not for nothing, he took a MAC team to the Sweet 16. I do not like putting a lot of stock in a two week tournament run when debating the efficacy of a head coach, but we would also be remiss if we did not mention it. FWIW, two years prior he won a first round game in the tourney

He has stuggled at Illinois this year but he is known as a tenacious recruiter and a coach players rally around. In addition to that having been head coach at Illinois he would already have contacts in Chicago and theoretically throughout the midwest which would obviously be a huge advantage he would have over an assistant from a school on the east coast

[Box and Won]

Great minds or something like that.

I am glad I am not the only one who doesn't get it. I thought he was a bad hire for the Illini at the time.

That Hill kid from Belleville should've come to SLU. At least he would've played in the Big Dance as a freshman.

[Cowboy]

In Groce we would get a guy who has assisted at the top levels AND been a head coach in the Big 10 and not for nothing, he took a MAC team to the Sweet 16. I do not like putting a lot of stock in a two week tournament run when debating the efficacy of a head coach, but we would also be remiss if we did not mention it. FWIW, two years prior he won a first round game in the tourney

He has stuggled at Illinois this year but he is known as a tenacious recruiter and a coach players rally around. In addition to that having been head coach at Illinois he would already have contacts in Chicago and theoretically throughout the midwest which would obviously be a huge advantage he would have over an assistant from a school on the east coast

-thanks for answering the question

[jimbofive]

Pat Kelsey of Winthrop should already have been called. Mid West guy w/ an XU background. He's fired up the students at Winthrop through certain promotions. This really should be a no brainer. My guess is Winthrop probably is paying somewhere around $400k. SLU would be attractive for many reasons to a guy like this. More $$, back to a Jebbie program, better conference, major facilities. He's got 4-5 guys from the Midwest playing for Winthrop, who's 20-8 this year. 3 of those losses to BCS schools, but they were close and all on the road.

Call him before the rush is on for this guy.

THIS is the guy I'm excited about.

[JMM28]

Groce has made some good inroads with the 2017 Eagles players. He has had some hellacious injury problems this year. I'd put him in my top 5, really easily.

[majerus mojo]

I wouldn't push Groce out of the top 5, but his past couple of months have been brutal. Illinois fans wondering what he does in practice with the lack of offensive sets. Sounds familiar. Put me on the Kelsey bandwagon as well, those write-ups sound like he checks all the boxes we are looking for

[DeSmetBilliken]

THIS is the guy I'm excited about.

Go on YouTube and watch Kelsey's video from a press conference a couple of days after the Sandy Hook shootings. The guy just comes off as someone you want coaching your team and representing a university.

[cgeldmacher]

You don't know if they will come until you ask. Here are 3 names off the top of my head (no research) that in different ways fit the profile of head coach and tournament experience. I would think that the $850,000 we are paying the current HC would be an increase.

Anthony Grant - OKC assistant

Scott Cross - UT Arlington

Jeff Jones - ODU

Forget about the current dumpster fire. This is a very good job and there is someone out there that wants it and can be successful here. It is the AD's job to find that person.

These guys wouldn't be my top choices, but I have to give you credit for coming up with a good list of reasonably obtainable names.

[JMM28]

It would be nice if Kelsey could win a conference hampuonship.

[Pistol]

Nothing against XU AC's, who all seem to do well, but Kelsey's got top job experience at a basketball crazed low major that used to have Marshall as their HC. He turned it around after Marshall left w/in three seasons. Strong Mid west roots. Coaches tough D, Plays an up tempo offense, WU is #1 in their conference Defense, he's Jebbie educated, only 41, enthusiastic. I think he'd love coaching at SLU, especially since he's familiar w the new arena and some pretty fertile recruiting grounds.

Not keen on Groce. I mean if you can't succeed at Illinois coming in as the hottest young coach when he was hired, what's he gonna do here to turn things around?

If Chris May has not at least put out a feeler on Kelsey, he's not doing his job. Not sure you can do that during a season where coaches are concerned, but if you can he should have. I think this is a guy that could reignite the Billiken fan base, both alums and students.

Yeah, I mean, Kelsey's more proven than Steele or Murray, but my point is that they've all come up through this same system and should all be successful head coaches someday. Kelsey should get multiple phone calls next month.

I get the appeal with Groce - tenacious recruiter, energetic, and the players are said to like him - but wow, have they looked bad on the floor lately. Last night was really an eye opener. I'd think his team would be so fired up at halftime, up one on a ranked team. And they just had nothing in the second half. Looked like they gave up. That's kind of at odds with the whole players-get-behind-Groce theory. And there's the whole Leron Black thing. I don't know. I think there are some coaches who could succeed at a program like SLU but can't make it work at a BCS program. Maybe he's one. I'm just not sure he's a very good game coach.

[Pistol]

Another point about Kelsey - he's a Cincinnati guy, born and raised. He's got a big family and would love to come back here and root down. If Mack goes somewhere, it's not unreasonable to think Xavier would go outside for the first time in a while and hire Kelsey while Mack's staff follows him to a bigger-paying program.

[DeSmetBilliken]

Another point about Kelsey - he's a Cincinnati guy, born and raised. He's got a big family and would love to come back here and root down. If Mack goes somewhere, it's not unreasonable to think Xavier would go outside for the first time in a while and hire Kelsey while Mack's staff follows him to a bigger-paying program.

Which is why we might want to hope Xavier can hold on to Mack for a while.

Also, the Cincinnati thing could work in our favor. Similar city to St. Louis and not too difficult to go from one place to the other.

[kshoe]

I'm more interested in how Groce's Ohio teams ended his tenure then how they began. His final season there he was 29-8 and played in the Sweet 16. The next year the team he left behind won the regular season MAC title. He owns a 3-2 NCAA tourney record. He's local in that he's recruiting the St. Louis area very hard and already has a commitment from Javon Pickett. He's apparently in good shape with Jordan Goodwin.

Overall, I think he's just had a bad draw with injuries and off the court issues at Illinois and could benefit from a change in scenery and maybe a little less pressure to aim for top 25 recruits. He's in my top 3.

[slu72]

Another point about Kelsey - he's a Cincinnati guy, born and raised. He's got a big family and would love to come back here and root down. If Mack goes somewhere, it's not unreasonable to think Xavier would go outside for the first time in a while and hire Kelsey while Mack's staff follows him to a bigger-paying program.

They wouldn't be going outside, just bringing back. Make the call, Mays.

[slu72]

Which is why we might want to hope Xavier can hold on to Mack for a while.

Also, the Cincinnati thing could work in our favor. Similar city to St. Louis and not too difficult to go from one place to the other.

Who are the other two?

[Pistol]

Which is why we might want to hope Xavier can hold on to Mack for a while.

Also, the Cincinnati thing could work in our favor. Similar city to St. Louis and not too difficult to go from one place to the other.

It might not be up to Xavier. If Xavier finishes strong and the right gig opens up, someone could be backing the money truck up to Mack's house. Cincinnati's home for him, too, but Xavier can't pay what some of the BCS programs can.

[brianstl]

Groce never finished above third in the MAC East and seventh in the Big 10.

[billiken_roy]

apparently you groce wishers have not seen any of the illini games this season. they have had just about as many "bad" second half finishes in games as the billikens this season. the game last night was as painful as can be imagined. it was so bad i turned to the republican debate to finish the night. groce might be a good recruiter, but even with the illini injury issues this season, this guy doesnt appear much of a game and practice coach. we can do better.

before those of you give us the brilliant thought of pairing him with a strong x's and o's assistant. since al mcguire and hank raymond, when's the last time that was a huge success? most head coaches have too much ego to allow their assistants to coach the games and practices. and most assistants are assistants to recruit and dont have a track record of coaching the x's and o's. you wont find many former head coaches that were that good of strategists but not good enough to be head coaches. i.e. just dont think you will find that tandem. but by all means show us the way.