Don James believed Illinois football was a sleeping giant.

Larry Brown or Don James bigger Illini head coaching miss?

Flipping channels last Monday night…come upon Miami (Fla.) vs. North Carolina men’s hoops game….camera pans to Larry Brown in the crowd…think to myself, ‘what could have been if Guenther had hired Brown replacing Self in 2003?’….bigger Illini miss on hiring a head coach? Brown in hoops or Don James in football,,,,..since majority reading this all waiting on the NCAA tournament selection show in two weeks…thought would tell the story of how both ‘almost’ were hired by the Fighting Illini.

*Larry Brown and the Illini…

‘Brown says now that he always felt he was more of a college coach than a pro coach and that he wanted to return to a campus’- Grantland

-Self leaves Illinois spring 2003 to take the head coaching job at the University of Kansas….Brown Philadelphia 76ers head coach knows he won’t be back looking for another job…..Illini athletic director Ron Guenther on the recommendation of former head coach Lon Kruger targets Creighton’s Dana Altman as Self’s replacement….AD flies to Omaha to put the finishing touches on the hire…supposedly one sticking point…..Guenther wants Altman to keep then Illini assistant Wayne McClain on staff…..Self wasn’t taking McClain to Kansas…..Wayne had become the AD’s ‘eyes and ears’ within the basketball program/loved the former Peoria Manual head coaches ‘loyalty’….when Altman refused to take McClain…..Guenther decided to look elsewhere.

Big Ten commish Jim Delany called his buddy Guenther on behalf of Brown…..Brown/Delany teammates at the University of North Carolina told the AD his Tar Heel teammate wanted to get back into coaching college hoops…..’very interested’ in the Illini job….Guenther knew Brown one of Self’s mentors/coaching ‘hero’s’ ‘intrigued’ by idea…..three sat down….Guenther expressed his concerns to Brown about the coaches ‘past’ NCAA violations/never staying in one place long….’how committed are you to doing this job now?’

Brown and his agent knew the questions were coming….reportedly drew up a contract with financial penalties if he didn’t stay at Illinois at least five years/any ‘major’ violations incurred….wasn’t asking for a big salary…had plenty of money wanted to coach college hoops…..Delany vouched for Brown ‘take him at his word’ ‘He will behave’ on and off the court…in recruiting.

Guenther so close to pulling the trigger on a ‘big splash’ hire….Kruger/Self both left Champaign after a few years….in the end Guenther decided he preferred ‘loyalty’ in a head coach that would be at Illinois for ‘years’ chose Bruce Weber….AD reportedly didn’t trust Brown’s ‘word’ even with Delany’s assurances…..along with Altman/Brown/Weber Guenther spoke with Rice head coach Willis Wilson about Illini job. (minority interview).

In the end….AD felt Illini hoops brand so strong ‘any competent coach’ should keep the program at the top of the Big Ten….which did happen Weber’s first couple of seasons in Champaign…..after that…..you know the rest of that story.

Brown ended up taking the Pistons head coaching lead Detroit to the 2004 NBA title…..When he took the SMU job in 2012….asked about ‘coming back to college basketball'?’ Brown admitted, ‘2003 thought I had the Illinois job….I really wanted it….people there just decided it wasn’t a good fit.’….news conference introducing Weber 2003….Guenther made sure everyone knew how many coaches were interested in the job, ‘had one that if we had hired, would have knocked your socks off’….or some shit….yeah Larry Brown would have done that.

*Don James believed Illinois football was a sleeping giant…

-After going 6-4-1 in 1974, the Illini had two back-to-back 5-6 seasons, which signaled the end of Coach Bob Blackman's tenure in Champaign. (Courtesy University of Illinois athletics) Blackman fired two days after the Illini defeated Northwestern 48-6 to finish with a 5-6 record. Blackman went 29-36-1 in six seasons at Illinois. He came to Champaign from Dartmouth, where he led the Ivy League school to 104 wins, 37 losses and three ties from 1955-70. (Courtesy Chicago Tribune)

Blackman brought Illini football out of the dark ages (slush fund) made program competitive except his teams never beat the ‘big two’ Michigan or Ohio State….1974 team supposed to challenge for top of B1G…plenty of talent…..future NFL’ers in linebackers Scott Studwell, Tom Hicks, guard Revie Sorey, running back Lonnie Perrin, guard Gerry Sullivan, talented young quarterback Jeff Hollenbach, All-Big Ten safety Mike Gow and All-American kicker Dan Beaver….couple of players 74’ great nicknames running back Chubby Phillips (leading rusher) wide receiver Fuzzy Johnson need more players nicknamed Fuzzy….Illini media guide has nine players off 6-4-1 team playing in the NFL

Two games that fall difference between a good and great season….21-21 tie with Michigan State….14-6 home loss to Michigan….stop me if you heard this one before….Illini tight end Joe Smalzer caught a TD pass late in the game would have made the score 14-12 Illinois going for two….clearly Smalzer made the catch both feet in falling out of the end zone…two refs running in, ‘incomplete’…no replay then my friends/Blackman officially sanctioned by the Big Ten office loudly complaining after game how badly refs blew call…. (1974 Illini lost at home 31-14 to Mike White’s Cal team).…6-4-1 from where Illinois football had been before Blackman…positive….but the ‘breakfast club’ (group of Illini townie boosters) and several prominent former Illini players felt team under-achieved…..Blackman wasn’t the coach to get team to ‘next level'.

Then Illini athletic director Cecil Coleman (1972-1979) defended Blackman to critics that winter but previous AD Gene Vance hired the head coach…… 1976 AD knew had to make a change…..two sides to every story and who made the final decision to hire Gary Moeller replacing Blackman….well it’s complicated.

Coleman’s side of the story….before the 1974 season AD knew if Blackman losing season…would need a short list of coaches to replace him….two at the top of his ‘list’….Don James then head coach at Kent State and Iowa State’s Earle Bruce….James hired by the University of Washington after 74’ season.

1976…Coleman’s replacement list reportedly included James….Bruce….Fred Akers (Wyoming)…..Dave McClain (Ball State) and Jim Young (head coach at Arizona his offensive coordinator then? John Mackovic) among others…..James had gone 12-12 first two seasons as Huskies head coach….media/boosters/fans questioning if he was the ‘right’ hire for the program? Taking a lot of heat from the locals….He was very interested in Illinois….going back to his Midwest/Ohio roots….James felt Fighting Illini with the in-state/surrounding state’s talent a football sleeping giant that with the right head coach….could compete at the top of the conference…..James and Young two ‘finalists’…..Coleman decided James his top choice and the two discussed salary/length of contract/details needed to get the Huskies head coach to Champaign…..then…..

Other side…University Athletic board had their own plans for the hire….board filled with members that were being ‘influenced’ by boosters/prominent ex-Illini players who didn’t want James or Young…wanted ‘their choice’….when Coleman went to the board to get salary/contract length approved for James…vetoed….board wouldn’t give the AD what he wanted…..Coleman had to call James tell him ‘can’t get what I had promised’ to be head coach…..James dropped Illinois….’legend’ was Coleman tried to hire James on the cheap haggling over 10 to 20K a year salary…AD’s side, ‘board wouldn’t give me what I wanted to hire’….Young hired as Purdue head coach when Illinois hesitated….1977 James’ Huskies won the PAC-8/berth in the Rose Bowl.

A few former players with influence over the board….reportedly felt ‘Michigan football’ should be the goal for the Illini…had ties to Bo/Wolverine athletic director Don Canham who both whole-heartedly recommended their defensive coordinator Gary Moeller for the job….board voted to hire Moeller.

Cecil Coleman took over an Illini athletic department deep in debt/middle of another NCAA investigation (hoops recruiting)…yeah Coleman pinched pennies/stressed ‘we must stay on budget’…..As AD hired Gene Bartow then Lou Henson when Bartow left for UCLA….had Don James all lined up to replace Blackman….fair or not Coleman will always be the AD who fired well-liked Blackman hired Moeller….as one old-timer said, ‘Cecil was cheap and had an asshole side to him but the school didn’t want debt and fund-raising for athletics was a joke’…..Coleman left the job spring 1979 athletic board told him, ‘resign or we will fire you’…..Neale Stoner hired later that fall replacing him as athletic director.

*Bigger miss Brown or James?…

Hiring Larry Brown would have been beer at the circus….fun fun fun….great coach no doubt would have competed for national championships with the talent Self left….revved up recruiting….plenty of boosters to ‘help’ landing top prospects…..no Chester Frazier/C.J. Jackson classes….loaded the Illini roster with talent….no doubt in my mind.

Brown era would have been a sugar high…unbelievable highs before crashing hard…Head coach no matter his ‘word’ would have lost interest/been the ’happy wanderer’ leaving for another job like he always did….fun while it lasted….Minor NCAA recruiting violations? Probably but anything worse than what Self/Billy Gillispie did at Illinois? Doubt it….Brown wasn’t getting slapped with ‘major violations’ as reckless in recruiting as he was at UCLA/Kansas.

Of the two….bigger miss was James…cause the way he did his business emphasis on building a top offensive line/defense…...my opinion James at Illinois would have done what Hayden Fry did at Iowa (Fry didn’t have shit for resources when he took over in Iowa City)….James’ program built for long term success ‘the right way’…..when he retired member of his coaching tree (Gary Pinkel?) takes over in Champaign to continue the success as Iowa did with Kirk Ferentz replacing Fry.

-And don’t come at me with ‘Brad Stevens wanted the Illinois job’….total bullshit spread by ‘media’ hacks trying to impress….Stevens never close to being interested in the Illini hoops job…know a ‘hack’ when read one cause hired a few…for that I apologize.