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Illinois selects Webber for men’s basketball coaching post
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Thursday, May 1, 2003
University of Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther announced Bruce Weber as the 16th men’s basketball coach of the Fighting Illini yesterday. The job became available earlier this month when former Illinois head coach Bill Self decided to take the vacant coaching job at the University of Kansas.
“I am honored and humbled to be named the coach here,” Weber said. “It’s a tremendous honor.”
Weber, 46, comes to Champaign-Urbana after compiling a 103-54 record in five seasons as the head coach at Southern Illinois University. He gained 18 years of experience in the Big Ten Conference as an assistant at Purdue under Gene Keady, helping the Boilermakers to six Big Ten championships and 17 postseason appearances.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for Bruce,” Keady said. “Any job in the Big Ten is a tremendous opportunity. When I took the job at Purdue, I felt like it was a dream come true. I know Bruce feels that way about Illinois.”
In his five seasons at SIU, Weber took the Saluki program to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference, winning league titles in 2002 and 2003. He posted records of 28-8 and 24-7 in his last two seasons, leading the Salukis to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances including a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2002 with wins over Texas Tech and Georgia at the United Center in Chicago. Weber earned Missouri Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors following the 2003 season. Entering the 2003 NCAA Tournament, only four Division I teams had won more games in the last two seasons than Southern Illinois.
The trademark of Bruce Weber’s teams at Southern Illinois has been aggressive, fundamentally sound defense. The Salukis held opponents to 40 percent shooting from the field in both 2002 and 2003. On the offensive end, the Salukis averaged 75.5 points in 2002 and 74.5 points last season. Bruce leaves SIU with the Salukis holding a 27-game home-court winning streak.
“Based on what I’ve seen from afar, he is a players’ coach, and Illinois’ returners will benefit greatly from his appointment,” Self said of his replacement. “He will have a similar philosophy to what we did at Illinois — his teams are always very tough and hard-nosed, yet they have freedom offensively. I’m very pleased for the school and for the players — Bruce will do a great job in Champaign.”
“Everybody’s excited,” Illini freshman James Augustine said. “He’s just like Coach Self. He has a sense of humor. He’s ready to work hard. He’s enthusiastic, and he’s hyper sometimes.”
Weber has 24 years of coaching experience to his credit at the collegiate level with one season at Western Kentucky under Keady before moving with the long-time Boilermaker coach to West Lafayette the following year. He was named the Southern Illinois head coach prior to the 1998-99 season. In his one season at Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers won the Ohio Valley Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In his 18 years at Purdue, the Boilermakers won six Big Ten titles, played in 14 NCAA Tournaments and had three NIT appearances.
Weber’s association with Keady also allowed Weber to gain experience on the international level. He was an assistant coach for the USA Team at the World University Games in 1989 and Pan American Games in 1991.
Born Oct. 19, 1956, the Milwaukee native began his career as a high school coach in Madison, Wis., from 1975-79. Weber is a 1978 graduate of University Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
-compiled from staff reports
