UI Trustees Give Coach Guenther a Raise & Contract Extension

Yep, the Trustees are going to give "the best AD in the country" a raise of $75K and extend his contract through the end of 2010!! UNBELIEVABLE!

Is this a reward for allowing the football team to rot under his watch, and now the men's basketball team? Allowing a convicted felon to remain on scholarship? Taking UI sports off WSCR, an all-sports radio station with a strong signal to WIND, a right-wing talk radio station with a weak signal? For renovating Memorial Stadium but having just 6 home games next year? For playing a game in Detroit next year? Or for calling Warren Carter an "idiot" while sitting on press row? And he gets a $100K bonus if he finishes the contract?

Men's Basketball Season Ends, Thankfully.

One of the worst seasons for men's basketball in the past 30 years ended on Sunday. This season was the direct result of a) Coach Guenther choosing "stability" over "recruiting ability" when he hired Bruce "All Mid Major" Weber; b) Weber having back to back recruiting classes of Jamar Smith (convicted for felony DUI, redshirted this year), Charles Jackson (now playing football) Chester Frazier (not Big 10 caliber) Brian Carlwell (quit team) and Richard Semrau (injured a lot). And for all you homers, please spare me the "Eric Gordon defected!" crap. Even with Gordon, at best this team is a NCAA bubble team.

Next year the team should be able to shoot better with Alex Legion and the convicted felon playing again, but who is going to rebound and play interior defense?

On a side note, Rice fired Willis Wilson. Remember when he was the token minority name being thrown out there to replace Bill Self?

Sportswriter Calls Out Coach Guenther!!!!

Thankfully, at least one sportswriter north of Interstate 80 has the sack to call out Coach Guenther. Miracles never cease!

Guenther says Weber needs an extension so that the program appears on solid
footing, that kids interested in signing with Illinois understand the program is
stable.Right now, under Weber, does it look stable? The record is in decline,
the problems away from the court are on the rise.

EXACTLY!!! Meanwhile, the men's basketball team beat Penn State for the first time in four games! By 1 point! And then Chester "Chest Bump" Frazier jumps on the scorer's table like Illinois just won the NCAA title. Great job Bruce Weber!

Saint Guenther Speaks to the Chicago Media!

For what little it is worth. Unfortunately the writer didn't ask any tough questions, like "Why has the football program sucked even though you call yourself a 'football guy'?" and "Why did you call a student-athlete an 'idiot'?" But I digress.

Intriguingly, he does not commit to giving Bruce All Mid-Major a contract extension. "We'll see what we look like next year and the following year, and that's how you make those decisions. I fully expect we're going to be extending." Typical Guenther, worried only about his reputation. And then he makes this moranic comment regarding trying to renovate the horseshoe at Memorial Stadium and a new basketball arena: "Then I can look back at my piece of work and feel very good about it." Um, WHAT? 73-110-2. 6 home games for the newly renovated football stadium! Go away Ron!

Take a Bow, Bruce Weber!

You now hold the record for most wins andbest season ever for Illinois Men's Basketball: 37-2 and 2d Place in the NCAA Tournament in 2004-05. You are now going to own the record for most losses in Illinois history and arguably the worst season in the history of the program in 2007-08. So you've gone from the penthouse to the outhouse in just 4 seasons!!

How did this happen? Simple. You cannot have consecutive recruiting classes of Chester Frazier (tries hard, not Big 10 caliber player); Charles Jackson (now playing football, although I doubt he ever sees the field); Richard Semrau (so many injuries); Jamar Smith (convicted felon); and Brian Carlwell (injured in car accident caused by Jamar Smith driving drunk; transferred).