John Groce led Illinois to the NCAA Tournament in his first year, then didn’t do it for the next four years, so now he’s out of a job. It’s that simple.
Unless you read the Illini’s news release. In which case, you’d believe that they just fired John Wooden, not John Groce. Here’s how a release titled “Illinois Makes Leadership Change With Men’s Basketball,”[1] which itself is a pretty gross euphemism, begins:
University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced Saturday that John Groce has been relieved of his duties as head men’s basketball coach effective immediately.
Have to love that the AD’s name comes first in these types of releases. This story is really about him, after all. And “relieved of his duties,” well, that’s pretty standard phrasing for a firing.
But it’s really Whitman’s quotes that make this so over-the-top:
“I want to thank John Groce and his staff for their tireless efforts over these past five years,” Whitman said. “In many ways, John is a model leader. He exudes optimism and tackles every day with unbelievable energy. He has the highest integrity. He has been an active presence in our community and a strong public ambassador for Illinois Basketball. Most importantly, he loves his players unconditionally and helps them develop into young men prepared for the next stages of their lives. Our student-athletes are having a positive experience, achieving record heights in the classroom, and leaving campus as proud graduates with bright futures.
“Under his leadership, regrettably, we were not able to sustain the level of competitive excellence that we expect at the University of Illinois,” Whitman continued. “But that should do nothing to detract from the many wonderful things John has done on behalf of Illinois Basketball during his tenure. We wish John, Allison, and their three children nothing but the best, and we thank his staff and their families as well for their many contributions to our program. All will be missed.”
I mean, come on …
“John is a model leader” (except when it comes to the whole victories thing).
“He has the highest integrity” (and a too-low winning percentage).
“Under his leadership, regrettably, we were not able to sustain the level of competitive excellence that we expect at the University of Illinois. But that should do nothing to detract from the many wonderful things John has done on behalf of Illinois Basketball during his tenure.” ( NOTHING! Then why are you firing him?)
“All will be missed” (except during our 30-40 basketball games a year).
Look, every one of these news releases reads like the awkward eulogy of a man no one really liked. But it comes across as particularly disingenuous when the AD who fired the guy is unleashing a 181-word, two-paragraph quote lavishing praise on a coach he fired.
Groce’s time in Champaign had run out. That 18-14 (8-10 Big Ten Conference) record was a nice improvement from last year, but he almost certainly needed to make the Big Dance again to keep his job.
The good thing for Groce? That came in the last line:
References
- ^ a release titled “Illinois Makes Leadership Change With Men’s Basketball,” (fightingillini.com)
