hawkIhoops
Well-Known Member
Received a couple emails from friends in KC about this rumor circulating on message boards and local radio. I hope it's not accurate, as Martin would tear it up in IL IMO. Any other names being mentioned?
Frank Martin to IL?
- Thread starter hawkIhoops
- Start date
BlackandGold81
Well-Known Member
He would make a great Big 10 coach if he could recruit.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
I can't speak to any rumors, but Martin @ILL with those recruiting grounds could be bad news. That said, Martin is supposedly a dirty recruiter, so maybe one of our assistant coaches could blow the whistle on him if he does anything against the rules. 
That said, I don't put much stock in rumors.. Rick Majerus was being reported as our next coach when Alf left, and then Majerus came out and said that he was absolutely NOT going to be our next coach. Then we got Lick, and that one came out of nowhere. Ditto for the McCaffery hire.
That said, I don't put much stock in rumors.. Rick Majerus was being reported as our next coach when Alf left, and then Majerus came out and said that he was absolutely NOT going to be our next coach. Then we got Lick, and that one came out of nowhere. Ditto for the McCaffery hire.
BlackandGold81
Well-Known Member
It is still unknown if he can recruit. Many of his star players were Huggins guys. Plus many think that Dalonte Hill was the main recruiter for Franks players. Dalonte Hill is now gone and it remains to be seen if Frank can replace his recruiting ties.
Frank can recruit cuban players but I dont know if Illinois is the place for them.
Martin's whole resume when he joined Huggins at K-State was based on his AAU coaching and connections to guys like Beasley. Now, I am not sure how his recruiting has gone lately,since Delonte Hill,ace recruiter,left for Maryland, but initially, that was his whole reputation...as a recruiter wired into the AAU scene in Florida.
Now, he does cut a commanding figure on the sideline,and seems to connect with players in a Huggybear sort of demanding father figure way,it appears.
So, maybe that could work on these Chicago area recruits that the Illini go after.
Not sure of his actual coaching chops,tho.
Now, he had a reputation of being shady,but not heard any real evidence.
Still, with the Illini's history of probation issues, I suspect they still will seek to go for squeaky clean,if possible. They have a new AD, Thomas, who went small for his football hire. Now, BB is king at Illinois so maybe going mid-major will not sell with the Illini fanbase,but I sense they will be ok with Smart or Stevens. Board of Trustees squawked when the AD did not interview any minority candidates for the FB job,despite the Illini never having hired a minority fb or bb coach in history. So, Martin,as a Cuban,might get interviewed at least...but I think Smart has the inside track..if he wants it. VCU is back in the tourny,and he is a midwesterner.
Now, he does cut a commanding figure on the sideline,and seems to connect with players in a Huggybear sort of demanding father figure way,it appears.
So, maybe that could work on these Chicago area recruits that the Illini go after.
Not sure of his actual coaching chops,tho.
Now, he had a reputation of being shady,but not heard any real evidence.
Still, with the Illini's history of probation issues, I suspect they still will seek to go for squeaky clean,if possible. They have a new AD, Thomas, who went small for his football hire. Now, BB is king at Illinois so maybe going mid-major will not sell with the Illini fanbase,but I sense they will be ok with Smart or Stevens. Board of Trustees squawked when the AD did not interview any minority candidates for the FB job,despite the Illini never having hired a minority fb or bb coach in history. So, Martin,as a Cuban,might get interviewed at least...but I think Smart has the inside track..if he wants it. VCU is back in the tourny,and he is a midwesterner.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
He would kick major *** at Illinois.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
Wisconsin v2
As a Cyclone fan, I'd be pretty stoked to see him leave KSU. His style would fit in perfectly in the B1G. He plays a very physical brand of basketball. His recruiting is still an unknown, IMO, but it would get a lot easier for him to recruit to Illinois obviously. He would have a decent amount of home grown talent, and much easier sell for kids on the East Coast where his ties are, to play for IL in the B1G compared to Manhattan and the B12.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
Frank Martin scares me. If he took the job, I will not be using a press pass when they play Iowa. He might eat me.
PatrickAdamovicz
Well-Known Member
I would be for that. I think Iowa being an uptempo, push the pace type of team will be a recruiting advantage in the future. The less teams like that in the Big Ten, the better for Iowa.
HawkMD2007
Well-Known Member
Will Fran meet his match?
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
...that would fall apart if Texas got a better deal somewhere else
FalseMirage
Well-Known Member
That plays right into Fran's uptempo style, once they fall behind they won't be able to catch up.
Dude is one intense guy. I don't think there's another coach who scowls and stalks the sideline like Martin does. He always looks like he's on the verge of snapping someone's neck.
YellowSnow
Well-Known Member
Well, rumor has it he's got a crawlspace full of bodies.... So there is always that...
Igothawked
Well-Known Member
I'll tell you what, I am watching the VCU game right now and we do not want Ill to get Shaka Smart. VCU flies around the court and presses the whole game. I think he would be pretty tough at Ill.
I would rather see them hire Martin. His system is B1G style and would not be a lot different than what we currently see from Ill.
I also think Shaka would be good at attracting the top talent out of Chicago that has eluded Weber.
I would rather see them hire Martin. His system is B1G style and would not be a lot different than what we currently see from Ill.
I also think Shaka would be good at attracting the top talent out of Chicago that has eluded Weber.
