John Groce Fired as Head Coach of Illinois Men's Basketball

John Groce's tenure as head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team has come to an end after five disappointing seasons.      

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman announced Groce's firing Saturday in a statement on the school's official athletic website:

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I want to thank (Groce) and his staff for their tireless efforts over these past five years. In many ways, John is a model leader. He exudes optimism and tackles every day with unbelievable energy. He has the highest integrity. He has been an active presence in our community and a strong public ambassador for Illinois Basketball. Most importantly, he loves his players unconditionally and helps them develop into young men prepared for the next stages of their lives. Our student-athletes are having a positive experience, achieving record heights in the classroom, and leaving campus as proud graduates with bright futures.

Under his leadership, regrettably, we were not able to sustain the level of competitive excellence that we expect at the University of Illinois," Whitman continued. "But that should do nothing to detract from the many wonderful things John has done on behalf of Illinois Basketball during his tenure. We wish John, Allison, and their three children nothing but the best, and we thank his staff and their families as well for their many contributions to our program. All will be missed.

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Per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Illini are "willing to make Monty Williams one of [the] NCAA's top-paid coaches," but his attention is on making a return to coaching in the NBA. 

Groce's firing comes after the Fighting Illini finished the 2016-17 season 18-14 (8-10 in Big Ten play) and will likely miss the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. 

Prior to this stretch, the last time Illinois missed the NCAA tournament in at least four consecutive seasons came from 1964 to 1980. 

The Illini hired Groce in 2012 after he led Ohio to the Sweet 16 that same year. He took over for Bruce Weber, who was fired after posting a 17-15 record in the 2011-12 season. 

Illinois made the NCAA tournament in Groce's first year at the helm, knocking off Colorado in the round of 64 before being eliminated by the Miami Hurricanes. He's had just one 20-win season in the subsequent four campaigns. 

Even in a down season overall for the Big Ten, Illinois was only able to finish ninth in the conference. The program has been trending downward under Groce's watch and needed to make a change before the bottom fell out. 

Groce's previous success at Ohio should make him an attractive candidate for a small-school vacancy that may open after the 2017 NCAA tournament. He's still a good, young coach at 45 years old who knows how to make the most of things when not competing against Power Five conference teams.