VCU's Shaka SMART turns down the ILLINI...and the ILLINOIS JOB is what..a TOP 15 to 20...or worse?

I doesn't surprise me at all when the ILLINI get turned down by a COACH who just seems to be better than the opportunity in front of him. You can say what you want but the BLUEDUDE is in the know with many Big Time College Basketball Contacts and in the know about ILLINOIS Basketball.

SMART, who is a Wisconsin Native and his Wife a graduate of Northwestern, you would think would be the perfect fit. Here lies the problem with ILLINOIS. The PROGRAM has fallen way under where it was when current Kansas Coach Bill SELF had it rolling. Coach Self a recruiting machine and a pretty darn good X and O guy recruited CHICAGO well and the Suburbs as well as the State's Best players. Self also had major cities he can get to like Dallas, TEXAS and New York City....examples:

Deron WILLIAMS COLONY HS TX Dallas Suburb
Darrell ARTHUR South Oak Cliff HS TX South Dallas
Russell ROBINSON RICE HS Manhattan NY
Tyshawn TAYLOR ST Anthony's JERSEY CITY NJ (NY)
Sherron COLLINS CRANE Tech HS Chicago Illinois
Julian WRIGHT Homewood-Flossmoor HS (Chicago Suburb)
Daniel DEE BROWN Proviso EAST Maywood ILLINOIS

The point being is that the ILLINI need a COACH that can get to the NATIONAL Scene Recruiting and if the Coach can't get to that get the Top Players out of ILLINOIS like these players:

Anthony DAVIS Chicago Perspectives HS KENTUCKY
Chasson RANDLE Rock Island HS Rock Island Illinois * STANFORD
Ryan BOATRIGHT Aurora EAST HS Aurora Illinois UCONN
Wayne BLACKSHEAR Chicago MORGAN PARK HS LOUISVILLE
Steve TAYLOR Chicago SIMEON HS MARQUETTE
Keith CARTER Maywood ILLINOIS PROVISO EAST ST. LOUIS University
Iman SHUMPERT Oak Park ILLINOIS OAK PARK-RIVER FOREST HS GA TECH
Micheal DUNNIGAN Chicago FARRAGUT Academy OREGON

These are some of the players in recent memory that have eluded that ILLINI and went on to other SCHOOLS and have shined or shining.

WEBER'S problem was he had NO COACH on his STAFF that could get Chicago Public PLAYERS and I don't care how you slice it. You CANNOT have your Lead Recruiter from PEORIA ILLINOIS and have No Ties to the Creme De la creme. Not knocking Jerrance Howard but he was getting for the most part the 2nd Tier Illinois Players not the TOP. And the BASKETBALL GODS know Bruce WEBER couldn't close himself let alone a top level recruit.

Now the ILLINI need to bring in a guy who has NATIONAL TIES as well as CHI CITY Ties or they will be in the same boat as they are in now....the TITANIC.

Names that come to the BLUEDUDE's Mind:

Chris COLLINS Asst DUKE
Stan HEATH South FLORIDA Head Coach
Temeghesan STARR Asst MONTANA STATE
Anthony GRANT ALABAMA Head Coach
Isaiah THOMAS Florida International Head Coach

C'MON ILLINI your on the Clock and quit treating it like a Top 10 Job and more like a Mid-Major and put one of those above guys in place and the ILLINI would take off.