- for others with this name see Bruce Weber (disambiguation)
Bruce Weber (born October 19, 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is the head coach of the University of Illinois men's basketball team. Through his first three seasons at Illinois, Weber has led the program to an 89-16 win-loss record, two outright Big Ten Conference championships, and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, including an appearance in the championship game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Weber's teams are known for motion offense and quick ball movement.
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 would remain an assistant coach at Purdue for eighteen 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.
In 2003, Bill Self, the former head coach at the University of Illinois, left Illinois to become the head coach at the University of Kansas. After a search that included nationally-known coaches Tom Crean, Mark Few, Thad Matta and Kelvin Sampson, Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther selected the regionally-known Weber to replace Self on April 30, 2003.
The Illini played a tough early season game against North Carolina on December 2nd in Greensboro, and was 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. Many fans doubted the coaching changes he introduced to the team, and some skeptics questioned his strategy since all of the starters had been recruited by coach Self. He changed many doubters' minds by winning the remaining ten games on the conference schedule, winning the Big 10 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. All of the starters were returning, and some magazines were picking Illinois as the preseason favorite. Weber himself had set going to the Final Four as the team's goal before the first game was played. On December 1st, the Illini crushed 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. Illinois gave away a 12 point, second-half lead to Ohio State University and lost 65-64. They maintained their top ranking in the polls, and set many school records with a 30-0 regular season record.
In the post-season tournaments, they quickly regained form - winning the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. It was to be a difficult tournament for Bruce as he lost his mother Dawn after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured aorta. Final Statement on Dawn Weber
"Obviously, despite all the great things that have happened to our team this year, a day like today makes you realize the most important things in life, and that is your family. This has been a great loss to our family. My mother has been very influential in my life and career, and that is why I have decided to coach the team on Saturday, because that is what she would have wanted. I would like to thank everyone for keeping my family in their thoughts and prayers. I would like to also thank the staff at the United Center for their quick assistance and the fine medical staff, especially Dr. Higgins, at Rush University Medical Center for their outstanding care. My mother had a tremendous heart and she gave so much to so many people. I'll always love her for that."
In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the team received the overall top seed and top seed in the Midwestern Regional, and defeated Farleigh Dickinson and Nevada in the first two rounds in Indianapolis. In the Sweet Sixteen, Weber led the Illini to victories over Milwaukee and Arizona. Weber fell just shy of delivering the Fighting Illini their first national championship, reaching the NCAA Final Four but falling 75-70 to North Carolina in the national championship game.
Weber coached the team to the best season in school history, finishing 39-0 and breaking the NCAA record for most wins in a season. Weber won almost every coaching award after the record setting season, including the Naismith Award and Henry Iba Award.
2005 and Beyond
After the spectacular 2004-05 season, Weber lost three starters to the NBA. The Illini did not have a significant dropoff, as they compiled a 26-7 record including another trip to the 2006 NCAA Tournament. His team just missed making the sweet-sixteen, losing to Washington in the second round.
The 2006-2007 season had a disappointing start, with losses to ranked opponents Arizona, Maryland, and Ohio State, the latter two adding blemishes to Illinois' superb 5-year home record. Consecutive losses to Xavier, Michigan, and Ohio State constituted the first 3-game losing streak in Weber's tenure. As disappointing was the decision of Indiana high school basketball star Eric Gordon to renege on a non-binding verbal commitment to Illinois and announce his intention to play at Indiana University under the Hoosiers' new head coach Kelvin Sampson. Gordon is considered by some to be the top two guard in the country[1] and one of the top high school players in the nation at any position.[2] He had been heavily recruited by Illinois since he was a freshman in high school in Indianapolis, and was considered a cornerstone of the Illinois 2007 class.
Weber has won 89 games in his first three seasons as the Illini coach, a Big Ten record.[3]
Coaching record
| School | Season | Record (Conference) | Conference Finish | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 2006-07 | 23-12 (9-7) | 4T (Big Ten) | NCAA first round |
| Illinois | 2005-06 | 26-7 (11-5) | 2T (Big Ten) | NCAA second round |
| Illinois | 2004-05 | 37-2 (15-1) | 1 (Big Ten) | Big Ten Tournament Champs, NCAA Finals |
| Illinois | 2003-04 | 26-7 (13-3) | 1 (Big Ten) | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| Southern Illinois | 2002-03 | 24-7 | 1 (Missouri Valley) | Missouri Valley Champs, NCAA first round |
| Southern Illinois | 2001-02 | 28-8 | 1T (Missouri Valley) | Missouri Valley Champs, NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| Southern Illinois | 2000-01 | 16-14 | 4T (Missouri Valley) | |
| Southern Illinois | 1999-2000 | 20-13 | 3 (Missouri Valley) | NIT second round |
| Southern Illinois | 1998-99 | 15-12 | 5T (Missouri Valley) |
Personal
Weber was born in Milwaukee to Louis and Dawn Weber, and had 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 Milwaukee's varsity baseball team, and also attempted to walk-on to the Panthers basketball team (he 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.
External links
- Bruce Weber Official Bio
- Illinois Fighting Illini: The Official Athletic Site
- 2005 Henry Iba Award Winner
- Grilling Weber (The Chicago Sports Review - September 2005)