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Bruce Weber (basketball)

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For other people named Bruce Weber, see Bruce Weber (disambiguation).
Bruce Weber

Bruce Brett Weber (born October 19, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American college basketball coach. Weber is the head coach of the University of Illinois men's basketball team.[1] Weber has led the program to two outright Big Ten Conference championships and six trips to the NCAA Tournament, including an appearance in the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Coaching

Weber began his coaching career with a brief stint as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University during the 1979-80 season under head coach Gene Keady. In 1980 Weber moved to Purdue University along with Keady. He remained an assistant coach at Purdue for 18 seasons before becoming the head coach at Southern Illinois University in 1998. In his five seasons at Southern Illinois Weber led the Salukis to consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances, including an NCAA Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002.

On April 30, 2003, after a nation-wide search, Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther selected Bruce Weber to fill the men's basketball head coach position at the University of Illinois.

The Illini played a tough early season game against North Carolina on December 2 in Greensboro, and were tied at 69 with just six minutes to go. Illinois eventually lost the game 88-81, but it proved to be a good test for the young team with no seniors in the starting lineup. Weber faced his toughest test after starting the conference schedule with an even 3–3 mark. He changed many doubters' minds by winning the remaining ten games on the conference schedule, winning the Big Ten title outright for the first time since 1952. In post-season play, the Illini finished second, losing to Wisconsin in the championship game. They received a bid for a fifth seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, defeating Murray State and Cincinnati in the first two rounds. A 72–62 loss to top-seeded Duke ended their tournament run, but capped a solid first season for coach Weber.

2004-05 season

The 2005 season opened with high expectations and the return of all the team's starters. On December 1 the Illini defeated the number-one ranked team, Wake Forest University, 91-73, at Assembly Hall. Weber sported a glowing orange blazer for the game, and Assembly Hall was painted orange by the 16,618 fans wearing school colors. The pressure grew for Weber as the victory vaulted the Illini to the top spot in the polls the following week, a spot they would carry for the rest of the season. Regular season perfection ended on the last game of the regular season, however, as Illinois lost a 12-point, second-half lead to Ohio State and lost to the Thad Matta-coached Buckeyes, 65–64. In the post-season tournaments they quickly regained form, however, by winning the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

In the 2005 NCAA Tournament the team received the overall top seed, and top seed in the Midwestern Regional. Illinois defeated Farleigh Dickinson and Nevada in the first two rounds in Indianapolis. In the Sweet Sixteen Weber led the Illini to a victory over his alma-mater Milwaukee, then defeated the Arizona to advance to the Final Four. After leading Illinois to a win over Louisville in the Final Four, Weber could not deliver the Fighting Illini their first national championship, falling 75–70 to North Carolina in the national championship game.

Weber coached the team to the best record in school history, finishing 37–2, and tying the NCAA record for most wins in a season. Weber won many coaching awards after the season, including the Naismith Award and Henry Iba Award.[citation needed]

2005 and beyond

Despite losing three starters to the NBA, the Illini finished the 2005–2006 season with a 26–7 record and reached the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The 2006–2007 season had a disappointing start, including the first 3-game losing streak in Weber's tenure. However, the Illini rebounded to finish 23–11 and again qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 2006–2007 season did, however, bring some disappointment off of the court, as guard Jamar Smith was the driver in an accident that left center Brian Carlwell injured. [1] Smith eventually pled guilty to aggravated DUI and received a 15-day jail sentence. [2] The 2007–2008 season marked the first time during Weber's tenure that the Illini did not qualify for a postseason tournament, finishing the season with an overall record of 16–19, 5–13 in the Big Ten Conference. [3] The team improved markedly the following year, however, finishing 24–10 (11–7 in the Big Ten) and returning to NCAA Tournament. Weber's NCAA record since the 2005 season has been a disappointing 1-3, with the most recent appearance being an upset in the first round at the hands of 12th ranked Western Kentucky. The 2007 campaign saw Weber's first absence in a postseason tournament while at Illinois, and the first time since 1998 that the Illini failed to qualify.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley Conference) (1998–2003)
1998–1999 Southern Illinois 15–12 10–8 T–5th
1999–2000 Southern Illinois 20–13 12–6 3rd NIT 2nd Round
2000–2001 Southern Illinois 16–14 10–8 T–4th
2001–2002 Southern Illinois 28–8 14–4 T–1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2002–2003 Southern Illinois 24–7 16–2 1st NCAA 1st Round
Southern Illinois: 103–54 62–28
Illinois (Big Ten Conference) (2003–present)
2003–2004 Illinois 26–7 13–3 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2004–2005 Illinois 37–2 15–1 1st NCAA Runner-up
2005–2006 Illinois 26–7 11–5 T–2nd NCAA 2nd Round
2006–2007 Illinois 23–12 9–7 T–4th NCAA 1st Round
2007–2008 Illinois 16–19 5–13 T–9th
2008–2009 Illinois 24–10 11–7 T–2nd NCAA 1st Round
2009–2010 Illinois 21–15 10–8 5th NIT Quarterfinals
2010–2011 Illinois 20–14 9–9 T–4th NCAA 2nd Round
Illinois: 193–86 83–53
Total: 296–140

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal

Weber was born in Milwaukee to Louis and Dawn Weber, growing up with two sisters and two brothers. Weber graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in education. He was the catcher for UW–Milwaukee's varsity baseball team, and also attempted to walk-on to the Panthers basketball team, but was subsequently cut. Weber added a master's degree in education administration and physical education from Western Kentucky University in 1981. He is married to Megan Weber, and has three daughters - Hannah, Christy and Emily. In 2006, Weber signed a deal with Illinois to extend his contract through 2010. In May, 2009, Weber received another extension, through the 2014-15 season.

References

  1. ^ Bruce Weber biography

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