Rumors About Brad Stevens and Illinois Are Flying

I don't want to read into this too much, but it looks like he is signing, "U and I" (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Tools

Rumors About Brad Stevens and Illinois Are Flying

Story Created: Mar 23, 2012 at 5:02 PM CDT

Story Updated: Mar 23, 2012 at 5:05 PM CDT

By Joe Kutsunis
HailtotheOrange.com
SBNation.com

And you thought you might have an uneventful Friday night, didn't you?

Rabjons, as well as Brad Sturdy, started propagating this story a little after lunch today, and by the end of the work day, twitter, the message boards, and most of all my phone were exploding with the same question: Is Brad Stevens really considering coming to Illinois?

So far rumors are all we have. "Interest" on one end, "possible interest" on another. The same contract offered to Shaka Smart possibly, the same promised renovations of Assembly Hall, and the same promises of getting a staff together to get Chicago.

I for one have a hard time believing this will get much further than rumors. Brad Stevens has his choice of jobs. No matter that he did not go to the Dance this year, largely due to his early season struggles and an overall weak Horizon league. But still, he can have Duke, he can have UCONN, and he can have UCLA. And he has TWO seasons of extraordinary performance to back that up.

I just don't want to end up getting burned yet again. If Mike Thomas is serious, good for him, but I am sure he thought Shaka and Sumlin were too. I don't want to be the guy everyone uses to get raises.

That said, the fact that IU Purdue and Notre Dame will not be opening up any time soon, and frankly Duke is also still a few years away from looking for a new coach, if Brad does want to jump, and stay in the area that he has grown up and lived most of his life, Illinois would be the best option for that.

So take that for what it is worth. I'll be waiting, pessimistically.

Champaign Room: Shaka Says We Will Die Alone And Unloved

Shaka Smart Says NO to the Illini

Yeah, we still haven't heard anything either yet.

Champaign Room: Talking Shaka and Football with A Lion Eye

And Now We Wait......

Champaign Room: Special Guest Jim Weber of Lost Letterman

On Demand

Weather

64.0 F (18.0 C)

Thunderstorm in Vicinity Rain

Pressure : 1008.9 mb

Wind : West at 10.4 MPH (9 KT)

More Weather