Bollant to Illinois?

**twistedredbird** · 03-29-2012, 12:36 PM

Wow. This surprised the heck out of me. Thought he would never leave GB.

And that salary is not great. Really surprised that he passed over WI's offer last year for this.

Illinois Fighting Illini hire Matt Bollant as women's coach - ESPN Chicago

I wish him luck in trying to get more Chicago kids....Many have gone to Illinois to coach thinking they could crack that nut and failed.

**StClone** · 03-29-2012, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by twistedredbird

Wow. This surprised the heck out of me. Thought he would never leave GB.

And that salary is not great. Really surprised that he passed over WI's offer last year for this.

Illinois Fighting Illini hire Matt Bollant as women's coach - ESPN Chicago

I wish him luck in trying to get more Chicago kids....Many have gone to Illinois to coach thinking they could crack that nut and failed.

If he gets off on the right foot Illinois is going to be monster. I give him two years, three tops, to make the NCAA. Bollant knows talent, knows defense and can tap into motivation that most coaches strive for but never attain.
He may well soak up talent in Chicago and be a bane to Iowa's recruiting efforts out of IL.

**alarson** · 03-29-2012, 12:55 PM

After the screw job they got in seeding this year, maybe he wanted to go somewhere success will be better rewarded.

**StClone** · 03-29-2012, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by alarson

After the screw job they got in seeding this year, maybe he wanted to go somewhere success will be better rewarded.

Rising star.

He has the skill now has the stage that UWGB couldn't offer. Watch out for the Illini.

**twistedredbird** · 03-29-2012, 01:17 PM

He is a great coach. Making it in a power league, versus Horizon though is a whole different bailiwick.

Again, power league no off nights leads to a lot more injuries and worn out players by seasons end, where in the mid majors much easier schedules don't take a physical toll on the kids as much.

I think the big difference in the ISU/GB game was less coaching, and more worn out team versus fresh legs. Pop was playing on one leg, Anna was still coming back from an injury, Mansfield hurt her hand, and Chaz had a banged up elbow. Not to mention the various "worn out" nature of playing 18 Big 12 games.

I don't think GB would have been a tournament team if they had played in the Big 12. But, that is just my opinion, and is not worth much.

This is one of the reasons I would like to see us move to a 8 or 9 player rotation, for end of season competitiveness and freshness.

**CycloneRulzzz** · 03-29-2012, 01:27 PM

So I guess GB promotes the assistant coach who up off his chair more than Bollant was in Ames?

**jbhtexas** · 03-29-2012, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by twistedredbird

This is one of the reasons I would like to see us move to a 8 or 9 player rotation, for end of season competitiveness and freshness.

This. The other option is to get players who do the punishing (physically) instead of taking the punishment.

**twistedredbird** · 03-29-2012, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by jbhtexas

This. The other option is to get players who do the punishing (physically) instead of taking the punishment.

touche....

**cydney** · 03-29-2012, 06:43 PM

Originally Posted by twistedredbird

...
This is one of the reasons I would like to see us move to a 8 or 9 player rotation, for end of season competitiveness and freshness.

Agree, more depth would help. Maybe the coaches overlooked this particular challenge of the new Big 12 schedule.

It will be very interesting to see how Bollant does in the Big Ten. This year, the Big Ten actually had nights off against teams like Illinois and Indiana and sometimes Wisconsin and Northwestern. If Bollant and Miller (Bowling Green coach who went to Indiana) can raise the level of play by not giving other teams a freebie, maybe the Big Ten won't have such lopsided win records and yet not get a team into the Elite Eight (and only one in the Sweet Sixteen).

**mred** · 04-04-2012, 04:17 PM

Green Bay's new coach is a real surprise: Kevin Borseth is leaving Michigan to return to GB.

**twistedredbird** · 04-04-2012, 04:21 PM

Family issues I am guessing.

**Three4Cy** · 04-04-2012, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by mred

Green Bay's new coach is a real surprise: Kevin Borseth is leaving Michigan to return to GB.

Not really, Michigan doesn't give a rip about women's bball, they have terrible attendance, and he never achieved huge success overall or the Big 10. He goes back to GB where women's basketball is the biggest sport on campus and can recruit kids who want to play system basketball.

**Tornado man** · 04-05-2012, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by mred

Green Bay's new coach is a real surprise: Kevin Borseth is leaving Michigan to return to GB.

That is a surprise. The overwhelming favorite for the job was assistant Mike Devilbiss, who is now following Bollant to Illinois. The players wanted Devilbiss; even Bollant recommended him to be his successor. Devilbiss was the one teaching and orchestrating the GB "buzz defense" that caused teams, including ISU and Kentucky, so much havoc.
Borseth is taking a big cut in pay and at the same time filling some big shoes: Bollant was 17-9 against BCS conference teams at Green Bay; he was 6-2 against the Big Ten. As good as Borseth was there, Bollant took the program to another level.
All of the returning players at GB are Bollant/Devilbiss players. Moreover, Bollant and Borseth have very different styles and personalities. The players will have a big adjustment to make.

Odd as it sounds, there is now more pressure for Borseth at Green Bay than there was for him at Michigan.

**mred** · 04-05-2012, 12:21 AM

This is not the first time Borseth left a high-major job to return to Green Bay. Remember that Borseth was Colorado's original choice to replace Ceal Barry in 2005. He backed out hours before the press conference and returned to GB. Two years later, he took the Michigan job.

**twistedredbird** · 04-05-2012, 08:50 AM

[QUOTE=Tornado man;2796721]

Originally Posted by mred

Green Bay's new coach is a real surprise: Kevin Borseth is leaving Michigan to return to GB.

That is a surprise. The overwhelming favorite for the job was assistant Mike Devilbiss, who is now following Bollant to Illinois. The players wanted Devilbiss; even Bollant recommended him to be his successor. Devilbiss was the one teaching and orchestrating the GB

Lets see if Bollant can pull off system in Big 10 play as Boreseth couldnt. I seem to recall many thinking that was a home run for MI.

I still think GB style is not going to weather big league level play for full conference season and major noncon combined. They are going to need major athletes who can also shoot the three and competition for those is high. Illinois is a very tough location to recruit to. Chicagoans could give a crap about the Illinis and he will have to recruit at a whole different scale and scope than just girls in his state. He will be competing for recruits that the Big 10 and Big 12 have already been on for years. Not saying he can pull it off. But it is going to be harder and longer to do than probably anticipated.