Finally, in the end: “It’s my fault.”
The headline is a tease.
Bruce Weber laid into his players with a ferocity unequaled in his petulant past. Sure, Weber is well known for tossing his players under the bus. This time, he backed the bus up, and ran over them again.
Wednesday night, while surrendering his career to the media, he swiped one last, desperate time at the foundlings that naïvely made him a millionaire.
Weber's blame game has developed a nuance over the last three years. He's learned to add "it's my fault" while laying his failures at the feet of teenagers.
Fifteen iterations of "I guess it's my fault" tricked some Illini beat reporters into writing & Tweeting that Weber took responsibility for his team's problems. But really what he said was, essentially I tried to be the Illinois coach, and I can't, because the players won't fit my selfless, hard-nosed Indiana system.
Yes, Weber's recruits are an entertaining mixture of laid-back personalities. But what does Purdue have?
They have DJ Byrd, who looks like prototypical Indiana grit. But when he's not kicking Weber's ass, he's a soft-spoken roots guitarist. They have Lewis Jackson and Robbie Hummel, guys who play with a chip on their shoulder because Weber bypassed them in the recruiting process.
Seeing this endgame develop since 2009, I'd planned to write a column about the bittersweet departure. There are wonderful people, truly wonderful, who'll be out of work because of Bruce Weber's failure. But I can't bring myself to write that column, and I won't join the chorus of "Bruce Weber is a great human being." The final press conference says it all. As Weber capitulates to the media, he just can't resist laying the blame on a 19 year-old kid, while also taking major digs at a 20 year-old.
THE WAKE OF THE STORM
Jerrance Howard is going nowhere but up in college basketball. There's little more that needs to be said. You'd hope he goes up here. Expect Mike Thomas to offer him a contract extension.
Gary Nottingham is underpaid and under-appreciated. A great basketball mind, he gets the least attention among the staff. Smart, hilarious, professional — in that order — Gary has a beautiful wife and admirable offspring. He should be the head coach at a big program. He has all the tools.
Beth Price is the most down-to-earth person you're likely to find anywhere near BCS college basketball, an industry where "coachspeak" rivals bubonic plague as a threat to humanity. Jay Price is less human, far more "coachspeak" and thus a lesser known quantity to me. But I do know that he's a tireless laborer, loyal to a fault, and can recite the NCAA rule book chapter & verse. He's the kind of guy that will always have a job in basketball because he can direct a program even if he's assisting some guy who doesn't know how to run a program. I'd like to see him get a head coaching job if only to see how he'd run it.
After Weber's stunning press conference, an intervention seems advisable, if just for his health. The stress is obvious. He's already cracked.
Wayne McClain should be the head coach at Illinois, at least for the last month of the season while Weber rehabs. McClain seems to be the guy behind every shrewd tactical move. Whether it's hey, Demetri McCamey should be playing or why don't we press full court, and see if we can't climb out of this 15 point hole. He coached Peoria Manual to three consecutive state titles. Sure, he won with Dick van Scyoc's players and an NBA point guard, but that's the combination that earned Weber an extra five years at Illinois. Can't McClain have a month? He's irascible, and doesn't like me, so I feel even better recommending him.
SITUATIONAL IRONY
Former Illini coach Harv Schmidt sat courtside with his star player, Rick Howat. Harv was All-B1G as a player at Illinois. But as head coach, he couldn't keep the right kind of player on campus. His system and personality did not mesh with top-flight recruits, and fans starved for entertainment.
It sounds familiar, eh?
Harv lives in Colorado, and has no relation to, nor affiliation with the "Roy and Harv Schmidt" of Illinois Prep Bullseye.
4 comments
Bizarro Bruce
Your articles are like mana in some very trying times (from a basketball standpoint, anyway).
Do you have a theory as to why Bruce finds it necessary to make degrading remarks about his players? This seems to be a recurring theme. For three years, McCamey got the same treatment Leonard is currently receiving. Last year, Richmond seemed to be an object Bruce’s scorn along with McCamey.
I have my suspicions that NBA scouts heard even worse from Bruce behind closed doors, and this may explain why both McCamey and Richmond went from fringe late first round picks to undrafted. I hope otherwise, but Leonard may be in for a similar fate.
I have watched a lot of bad Illini basketball this year, but I am not seeing the flaws with Myers Leonard that Bruce is harping on. I see a guy who gets less touches than he should, has no frontcourt help, gets double and triple teamed, gets beaten up, and looks exhausted at the end of games. I see a guy who fights for position on almost every offensive possession even though his guards have shown a complete inability to consistently deliver the ball to him in the post. Of all the legitimate flaws with Leonard’s game, effort and “body language” do not appear to be among them.
Yet, I see a player like Enes Kanter who can’t even qualify to play last year for Kentucky, and still Calipari goes out of his way to sing the guy’s praises in an effort to get him drafted as high as possible. A player who could not reciprocate by even stepping on the court for Kentucky. And here is Bruce, who some call an honorable man, running a legitimate lottery pick ragged after every fucking game.
I’m not saying Calipari is a saint. He’s far from it. But what does that make Bruce?
I’ll give you a hint: one word; two syllables; first rhymes with swoosh and second rhymes with tag,
Saw my first in person game of the season last night. Leonard was dogging it the entire first half. He looked exhausted from the opening tip. He was always the last player down the court, 2 or 3 seconds behind everyone else. He’s bored with college ball.
If you want to lay it on Weber, it shouldn’t be for giving Leonard the business. It should be for playing Sam over Joe for most of the second half. Sam should be the very last player at the end of the bench.
John can be forgiven as it was, by his own admission, his first game.
Perhaps he doesn’t know about the lingering PATAD infection, or that the yearly promises of up-tempo ball are regarded with a nod-and-wink by regular observers no longer content to heed the boy who cries WOLF!
Point is, there’s no reason to scramble down court when playing for a team that runs a deliberate half-court offense.
Ironically, perhaps, the team scored 10 fastbreak points in the second half—thus bringing their February total to 10.
Bizarro, Richmond proved more than capable of sabotaging his NBA opportunity without any assistance from Bruce.
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Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
Very inspired Photochops as well….
Props on the new YMCA dig. I think it’s a terrible spot for it, but then again, I’m not well-to-do and I’m not willing to drive 15 minutes at $4/gallon to exercise for an hour.
http://motorcycle-intelligence.com/do-loud-pipes-save-lives/1119/ Are you a smoker, too? I feel like I’m just getting recycled arguments.
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/dangerous_motorcycle_safety_myths/index.html “Myth 2: Loud Pipes Save Lives”
Yes, I also love the idea of the downtown! However, the “turds” that ride Harley’s or any other motorcycle have the right to ride their motorcycles regardless of the “loudness” anywhere they want. They are buying gas, hence they are contributing to the motor fuel tax that…
Yup, this was the year I realized there’s no way this is my last CU marathon, even though I’m gradumacating next week.Where else am I gonna get cheered on by 70+ year old heart-of-gold volunteers who smile at me so genuinely I could believe I’m their granddaughter?…
I always have a good, but disappointed, laugh when marathon time creeps up and I start seeing posts on the WCIA Facebook page lamenting race day and how difficult it is to get around town that day. One this year said, “can’t they just go run in…
Reminds me of Total Football (soccer) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_Football
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As a liberal conservative, and a person who favors taxes & services ... and also a sense of proportion; I savor the comic potential that still exists in this comments section. I’m pretty sure we can goad more anti-government rhetoric from confirmed progressives and government employees. If…
Did the Crave Truck get a permit to park in city metered spots and city right of way? Or did they just get a permit? The city clerk’s office seems to be a suspect here, but it’s not clear they did anything wrong. Did the Crave Truck…
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
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Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.