Weber Shown the Door at Illinois

Well the moment that has, for most Illinois fans, been long-awaited has finally come: Bruce Weber has been fired from the basketball coaching staff. After nine seasons at the helm, Weber made an exit that was three years earlier than his contract stated. When Weber came into the program, he enjoyed success right off the bat with a run to the NCAA title game in 2005. The only problem was, more than half his roster was due to recruiting done by former U of I coach Bill Self. Guys like Dee Brown, Luther Head, and Deron Williams led the Fighting Illini into St. Louis only to fall short of the crown to perennial powerhouse North Carolina. However, Illini fans suddenly had hope that Weber could possibly become an elite coach.

But the seasons came and went. Players underachieved, offenses were unorganized, and winnable games seemed to just slip right through the Illini’s fingers. It was frustrating for fans; there was no doubt about it. Yet I can only imagine what the locker room atmosphere was like. If I had to guess judging solely on what it looked like on the court, it could not have been good, especially the years that Brian Randle and Demetri McCamey were on the team. The offense was fantastic one night, and horrid the next. Consistency was never in the team’s vocabulary and Weber suffered the consequences.

In all honesty, how much blame can be placed on Bruce Weber? He is in charge of the team, yes. But ultimately the coach can only pace up and down the sidelines, leaving the players to win games. That brings me back to Randle and McCamey; guys who were high-stock recruits that ended up failing to be team leaders and good finishers. McCamey took poor shots, failed to take on the mindset of being a point guard, and at times, seemed to disregard Weber’s sideline advice. Randle on the other hand was just flat out lazy. He was disinterested on both sides of the ball and never took responsibility. Don’t get me wrong, the list doesn’t stop at these two. What about players like Brian Carlwell, Rich McBride, and Shaun Pruitt? Weber had decent recruiting classes year in and year out, but for some reason his players never seemed to fill expectations.

This year, which some people suspected would be Weber’s last, started off perfect…literally. The Illini started out 10-0 and busted in to the Top 25. Yet Big Ten play proved to be much tougher than Cornell, St. Bonaventure, and Coppin State. The Illini quickly dropped out of the Top 25 and then out of the Big Ten title race. Quality wins over teams like Ohio State and Michigan State were quickly overshadowed by losses to teams such as Penn State and Northwestern. The season proved to be another failure.

To be honest, I feel sorry for Weber. I was fortunate enough to meet him at the IHSA State Tournament in 2009 and he was as polite as they come. Fans were mobbing him asking for pictures and autographs and yet he took the time to satisfy each person’s wish. He’s a very likeable guy and one who invests in his players. His players failed him in many instances and he has to serve the punishment. Does he shoulder most of the responsibility? Yes, I believe so. But there comes a time when people can’t blame the coach just because the athletes are college kids. People say that Weber was a poor recruiter, but then why did he have four top 100 recruits on the team this year and the number one recruit in the nation (Jabari Parker) looking into coming to Illinois?

It’s a tough situation and only time will tell if the athletic office at Illinois made the right choice. It’ll be different not hearing “BRUUUUCE!” ringing throughout the Assembly Hall and part of me is going to miss Bruce Weber and his trademark orange sport coat. I’m still an Illinois fan, but I definitely have mixed feelings about the decision that was made earlier this week.