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Post by photos1 on Sept 21, 2023 15:12:14 GMT -5
It seems the coaching obit for Tamas is being written for Illinois… hope not.
When Tamas was at Nebraska, he was a great assistant coach and he deserved to get a head coaching position like Illinois. And the second year at Illinois he took them to a Final Four, so the question of his “coaching” can’t be questioned. What has shocked me is his inability to recruit elite players. The list of elite Illinois players from just the past couple of classes that that should have cured the vb problems at Illinois is breathtaking… why don’t they have an elite setter? Tamas was a national team setter… so what’s the problem?
Why hasn’t Tamas hired a quality staff-he hasn’t. Why hasn’t Tamas hired a quality recruiter?-he hasn’t. And his current staff is not helping… hope he is better next time… hope he gets another chance.
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 21, 2023 15:30:59 GMT -5
Krista is supposed to be an elite recruiter. The Indiana team that embarrassed us last night was recruited in significant part by Krista. I think, but am not sure, that the two Indiana transfers who helped San Diego were Krista recruits to Indiana. The next two classes will show what she is hopefully capable of as far as club recruiting. I’m very disappointed in the recruiting of transfers for immediate help. A successful coach has to be willing to recruit over current players, some of whom may have great personalities and are well-liked by the coaching staff.
I am particularly disappointed in two of the comments by Tamas — players are playing better in practice but appear frightened in games, and recruiting personality over talent. Both statements are copouts, and both are coaching problems routinely solved by the best coaches.
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Post by exit237a on Sept 21, 2023 19:15:50 GMT -5
I am particularly disappointed in two of the comments by Tamas — players are playing better in practice but appear frightened in games, and recruiting personality over talent. Both statements are copouts, and both are coaching problems routinely solved by the best coaches. Where was it that he made those comments? Was it to the BTN broadcasters?
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Post by fishbed on Sept 21, 2023 21:00:19 GMT -5
Moser is not a good setter but with May setting we won't win another match sorry..but maybe that gets a coaching change.
I disagree. At this point, why not let Bianca set ? Have Mosher play 6 rotations. She is a better outside hitter than Nunge and at least as good as Burbage --- maybe without all the attack errors. sheeesh --- those drive me crazy.
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Post by inpaign on Sept 21, 2023 21:13:48 GMT -5
Moser is not a good setter but with May setting we won't win another match sorry..but maybe that gets a coaching change. I disagree. At this point, why not let Bianca set ? Have Mosher play 6 rotations. She is a better outside hitter than Nunge and at least as good as Burbage --- maybe without all the attack errors. sheeesh --- those drive me crazy. We tried to have Bianca set earlier in the season and Brooke hit opp. It was an absolute mess. Bianca is a walk-on who isn't anywhere near the caliber of a Big Ten setter. Most teams have a backup setter on scholarship...unless Imoto-Eakin is (which I hope not), then we don't! But now that I think about it...what positions do we have quality scholarship players on the bench for?
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Post by inpaign on Sept 21, 2023 21:15:23 GMT -5
I truly do love the makeup of our entire coaching staff and I think, theoretically, it should work well. But the results this season unfortunately fall on them very clearly. I hope they can turn things around QUICK and save our season, but I'm losing hope with each passing game.
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 21, 2023 21:36:04 GMT -5
“Each passing game”. … I see what you did there.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 22, 2023 6:16:08 GMT -5
I just hope Whitman does a better job of replacing Tamas than the hiring of Groce to replace Weber. No dog in this fight, but I have a genuinely sincere question. 2-3 years back, I asked this fanbase why they kept bashing Kevin Hambly. A number of UI VT'ers...led by NotPriddy...continued to wax poetically about Tamas: continually evading my point that KH led you to greater heights than anyone. And now?Oh the power!!! I will totally accept all the blame for the current state of Illinois volleyball!
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Post by aardvark on Sept 22, 2023 6:55:33 GMT -5
Oh the power!!! I will totally accept all the blame for the current state of Illinois volleyball! The true villain has been uncovered!
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 22, 2023 6:57:42 GMT -5
Hambly appeared, to me, to have lost interest his last few years coaching at Illinois. I was struck by how he watched each match sitting, leg crossed arm spread across a chair, while every other D1 coach actually stood and coached during matches. The observation was confirmed his first year at Stanford, when he actually stood and coached during each match I watched. I have no idea if he continues to coach Stanford while standing during matches, and I don’t know if a coach standing during a match to coach really means anything, but he always appeared to me to be disinterested.
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Post by kevinmalone on Sept 22, 2023 7:31:58 GMT -5
No dog in this fight, but I have a genuinely sincere question. 2-3 years back, I asked this fanbase why they kept bashing Kevin Hambly. A number of UI VT'ers...led by NotPriddy...continued to wax poetically about Tamas: continually evading my point that KH led you to greater heights than anyone. And now?Oh the power!!! I will totally accept all the blame for the current state of Illinois volleyball! But it was you who just kept bragging on Tamas as he won with Hambly’s recruits. I think you also pointed out how better ILlinois volleyball would be with Tamas than Hambly.
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Post by Riviera Minestrone on Sept 22, 2023 14:25:24 GMT -5
Oh the power!!! I will totally accept all the blame for the current state of Illinois volleyball! But it was you who just kept bragging on Tamas as he won with Hambly’s recruits. I think you also pointed out how better ILlinois volleyball would be with Tamas than Hambly. Thanks for validating part of my experience with certain fans (as in fanatic) back then. This same, orotund attitude...masked behind evasive, diverting, plus deflecting non-answers...was my experience then. And thank you to oldmanvb for seriously answering a sincere query. And no...standing isn't required.
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Post by skyspy on Sept 22, 2023 14:55:07 GMT -5
Krista is supposed to be an elite recruiter. The Indiana team that embarrassed us last night was recruited in significant part by Krista. I think, but am not sure, that the two Indiana transfers who helped San Diego were Krista recruits to Indiana. The next two classes will show what she is hopefully capable of as far as club recruiting. I’m very disappointed in the recruiting of transfers for immediate help. A successful coach has to be willing to recruit over current players, some of whom may have great personalities and are well-liked by the coaching staff. I am particularly disappointed in two of the comments by Tamas — players are playing better in practice but appear frightened in games, and recruiting personality over talent. Both statements are copouts, and both are coaching problems routinely solved by the best coaches. The 2025 recruiting class for Illinois is good, but by no means elite. It has some good players, but no true game changers that are required to compete at the top of the Big 10, particularly the future Big 10 with expansion. Some of these players might develop to that level, but it likely is not a top 5 or maybe even top half class in the conference this recruiting cycle.
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Post by eazy on Sept 22, 2023 14:58:32 GMT -5
Hambly appeared, to me, to have lost interest his last few years coaching at Illinois. I was struck by how he watched each match sitting, leg crossed arm spread across a chair, while every other D1 coach actually stood and coached during matches. The observation was confirmed his first year at Stanford, when he actually stood and coached during each match I watched. I have no idea if he continues to coach Stanford while standing during matches, and I don’t know if a coach standing during a match to coach really means anything, but he always appeared to me to be disinterested. If you want to criticize results, or strategy, or even recruiting that is fair. But sitting vs. standing is ludicrous.
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 22, 2023 15:24:11 GMT -5
As I said, "I don’t know if a coach standing during a match to coach really means anything, but he always appeared to me to be disinterested." His demeanor on the sideline when he moved to Stanford was 180 degrees different from his demeanor at Illinois. The question was asked why Hambly was criticized. I tried to give a non-snarky answer.
Hambly's last 5 years at Illinois:
2012 Illinois 14–16 8–12 8th 2013 Illinois 18–15 12–8 4th NCAA Sweet Sixteen 2014 Illinois 26–8 16–4 3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen 2015 Illinois 21–13 10–10 7th NCAA Sweet Sixteen 2016 Illinois 17–14 10–10 8th
Not terribly different from the Tamas' record, which has people calling for his head with a lot more vigor than notpriddy criticized Hambly. Hambly's last team which was 10-10 in the B1G 2016 had sophomores Poulter and Bastianelli, as well as Quade, Crittendon, Stadick and Donnelly, all players who would be major impact players on this team.
It is one thing to recruit. It is another to do something with them. A coach who can do both would be nice.
I am not a fan of Tamas' coaching the last several years, as anyone who reads this thread is aware. Someone on his coaching staff must do a better job with passing and defense. Someone has to light a fire under this team. Parenthetically, Tamas' 5 set record in 2021 was 5-2. Illinois has not won a 5 set match since, which says something about team confidence and mental toughness. But Hambly's record was not all that different from Tamas' record. Birks was his last significant Chicago area recruit, and no one has ever been able to articulate to me what happened to the Illini/Chicago area volleyball relationship.
Bottom line, standing up or sitting down Hambly demonstrated a sincere lack of interest in the Illini volleyball program the last several years before he bailed. Seeing him deified by folks engaging in revisionist history irritates me.
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