re: Chris Holtmann should be the new basketball coach at LSU

quote:

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He tells me the Chicago area coaches are not very happy about the hire, and he says he'll have to hire an assistant who does to try to placate this sentiment

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I've heard quite the opposite. My Illini friends are excited.

There were people on the radio here yesterday saying the high school and AAU coaches are pumped about the hire. Bill Self had no ties to the area either and he recruited most of the 2005 Final Four team. Self highly respects Underwood, too and have known each other since Self hosted Underwood on a recruiting visit to OK State.

And Underwood was making such relatively little money at OK State, Illinois lured him with a figure that gives him extra money to fill out his staff with ties to Chicago.