I don't think Groce is much of an offensive coach if such a thing exists. It looks like complete crap and is even less effective. It amounts to some pointless ball screens and a little passing round the perimeter and then a one on one move to the basket. There is no system as best I can tell. It's laughably bad. Of course now opponents clog the lane and it's no longer one on one to the rim and yet we persist. It is a bit amusing to watch how lost the players look now that they've been properly scouted. It's what having no answers looks like. Illinois basketball as an allegory.
Was oscar better?
With all oscar's issues (and he has them), oscar has a clear system for both offense and defense. Maybe too reliant on a system, but it sounds like Groce is the opposite.
I think a ball screen/pick and roll/penetrate and kick system can be effective, but you better have great talent. Plus, you still need some structure to fall back on when teams take that away, and with the physical nature of Big 10 basketball, I can see where teams could destroy that.
Both seem equally bad when they don't have good players. oscar put up some real crap shows, but it was a thing to behold with Self's leftovers. Groce is more flexible, but it doesn't appear to be helping. Last year all we did was jack up threes even though we weren't very good at it and now all we do is drive the lane because we are even worse at shooting threes. So he adjusted, but it's failing miserably.
He needs better players. This season is mumped imo. I won't be watching without a tape delay from here on out unless they improbably string together some wins. I get no joy from this. A 25 point man-raping followed by a loss to the worst team in the conference and them undermanned no less. So very tired of piss poor ugly basketball. I just don't have the fire anymore. It's been steadily, relentlessly extinguished over a period of years. It's so predictable in its disappointment. Kind of good, kind of not. So very boring. There's really no payoff. rough ridin' meh to Illinois orange and blue indian U sports. Meh right in their mediocre rough ridin' faces.
