Howard Named Assistant Coach: Former Illini point guard returns to alma mater

Sept. 19, 2007

Champaign, Ill. - Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber announced today the hiring of Jerrance Howard as an assistant coach on the Fighting Illini basketball staff.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Howard was a four-year letterwinner for the Fighting Illini from 2001-04. During his career, Illinois compiled a record of 104-31 overall and 48-16 in the Big Ten. The Illini won three Big Ten championships, a Big Ten Tournament title and appeared in the NCAA Tournament all four years, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2001 and the Sweet 16 in both 2002 and 2004.

Howard played point guard for the Illini, backing up All-Americans Frank Williams, Dee Brown and Deron Williams. He quickly developed a reputation as the program's inspirational leader and went on to serve as tri-captain as a junior and senior. He was also a two-time winner of the Kenny Battle Award, an accolade voted upon by the players and coaches and given to an Illini who earns the respect of his teammates through hard work and effort in games and practice each day.

"We are thrilled to have Jerrance join our staff and welcome him back home," Weber said. "Jerrance has tremendous passion for the University of Illinois and our basketball program. He connects with everyone, his attitude and personality is contagious, and he'll work tirelessly to develop relationships on the recruiting trail. At the same time, he'll benefit our current players with the energy and intensity he will bring to the gym each and every day, just as he did when he was a player here. I've said this many times before, but when I think back to our first season, I really believe he was the MVP of our team because of the way he kept us together during the transition."

Howard joins the UI program after serving for the past three-plus years under Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M as an administrative assistant and at Kentucky in basketball operations. Howard, 27, earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications from the University of Illinois in 2004. In August he married the former Jessica Wordlaw, who is also an Illinois graduate.

Howard Named Assistant Coach: Former Illini point guard returns to alma mater

Notes on Webster and possible replacements

Mentions three guys who could be considered for the opening: Billy Garrett, Brian Davis and Robert Smith...

Notes on Webster and possible replacements

DISH Network®, the Leader in College Sports, Adds Big Ten Network

Finally!!! Thank you, DISH Network!!!
:-)

DISH Network®, the Leader in College Sports, Adds Big Ten Network

Illinois loses Webster, Chicago ties

Illinois loses Webster, Chicago ties

And from yesterday...
Webster release

Well, as "hard" as Webster worked the Chicago area recruiting for the Illini, he sure didn't reap many rewards, Jereme Richmond notwithstanding. Reading between the lines, the short, cliche farewell statement from Coach Weber seems to hint at possible personality issues between he and Webster. Whatever the case may be, this looms as a very important hire for Coach Weber: He must get Illini basketball back in favor with Chicagoland - more so than Coach Webster had done.

Americans' Confidence in Congress at All-Time Low: Confidence in most institutions drops

PRINCETON, NJ -- The percentage of Americans with a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress is at 14%, the lowest in Gallup's history of this measure -- and the lowest of any of the 16 institutions tested in this year's Confidence in Institutions survey. It is also one of the lowest confidence ratings for any institution tested over the last three decades.

Gallup's annual update on Americans' confidence in institutions shows that confidence ratings are generally down across the board compared with last year. The public's confidence ratings in several institutions, including Congress, are now at all-time low points in Gallup's history of this measure. These low ratings reflect the generally sour mood of the public at this time.

Americans' Confidence in Congress at All-Time Low: Confidence in most institutions drops

Supercomputer at UI looks like a lock

Here comes a $208 million supercomputer to the U of I campus... It is scheduled to go online in 2011.

Supercomputer at UI looks like a lock

U. of Illinois Alumnus Pledges $100M

WOW!!!

CHICAGO — A University of Illinois alumnus announced he will make a $100 million donation to his alma mater, the largest gift in the university's history.

Thomas M. Siebel, the founder and former chairman of Siebel Systems Inc., pledged to give the gift to the Urbana-Champaign campus upon his death.

"It's the most exciting thing to happen at this university in terms of philanthropy," Urbana-Champaign chancellor Richard Herman said. "It's a gift of passion, one that will mean transformation for us."

Herman said the 54-year-old billionaire software mogul "has a sense of urgency about helping us attain excellence" and is open to the possibility of providing money sooner. He said a task force of faculty members will brainstorm ideas for Siebel to consider funding before his death.

U. of Illinois Alumnus Pledges $100M
UI grad donates 100 million for science, engineering

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Game 1: Illinois 12, Iowa 3

So sorry for your first-round tournament loss, UFI! Tanner Roark (8-2) went the distance for the Illini and took it to the Freakin' Hawkeyes for the second time this season. Now it's on to the Winner's Bracket up in Ann Arbor, Michigan!!! Appropriately, UFI heads to the Loser's Bracket...

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Game 1: Illinois 12, Iowa 3

2007 Big Ten Baseball Tournament

NCAA Men's Tennis National Championship: #1 Georgia 4, #10 Illinois 0

There's no shame in losing to this extremely talented Georgia men's tennis team. What an outstanding season for Coach Brad Dancer and the Fighting Illini!!!

No. 10 Illini Fall in National Title Match To Unbeaten No. 1 Georgia
Rowe and Spicijaric Earn NCAA All-Tournament Team Honors

The No. 10 Illinois men's tennis team ended its amazing run in the 2007 NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 loss to top-ranked, unbeaten Georgia, Tuesday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The Illini (23-9) defeated No. 7 Mississippi, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Baylor before falling to the tournament-hosting Bulldogs (32-0). Illinois' Ryan Rowe and Marc Spicijaric earned NCAA All-Tournament honors for their performances in the championships.

The Bulldogs got on the board early with the doubles point, winning at No. 2 and 3. Georgia had relinquished the point only once this season. With only three singles matches needed to win the title, the team got to work winning 4-of-6 first sets. The Illini fell at No. 5, 1 and 4 to give Georgia its fifth overall NCAA team title.

The Illini nation was in full force today as around 100 Orange and Blue fans warmed the seats of the Henry Field Tennis Court stands to cheer on the Illini.

From the first serve, it was evident that the Illini came to play as they forced an hour-long doubles session.

NCAA Men's Tennis National Championship: #1 Georgia 4, #10 Illinois 0

NCAA Men's Tennis National Semifinal: #10 Illinois 4, #3 Baylor 3

Rowe Clinches Illini Berth into NCAA Finals; Illinois Dismisses Baylor, 4-3:
Illini Will Face the Winner of Georgia and Virginia in the Finals

Junior Ryan Rowe's three-set victory at No. 2 singles propels Illinois into finals on Tuesday.

Illinois upsets its third top-10 opponent in as many matches to reach the finals of the NCAA Team Championships on Tuesday, May 22, at 3 p.m. (EST).

NCAA Men's Tennis National Semifinal: #10 Illinois 4, #3 Baylor

2007 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament Results:

• #10 Illinois 4, #54 Western Michigan 0
  
• #10 Illinois 4, #21 Michigan 2
  
• #10 Illinois 4, #7 Ole Miss 3
  
• #10 Illinois 4, #2 Ohio State 2
  
• #10 Illinois 4, #3 Baylor

Illinois 8, Michigan State 7

Davis, Toohey Lift Illini Into Tourney with 8-7 Comeback Win:
Davis Homers Twice, Toohey Tosses 4 1/3 Shutout Innings; Illini Face Iowa Wednesday

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Junior catcher Lars Davis and senior pitcher Jake Toohey stole the show on Sunday, Davis going yard twice and Toohey throwing 4 1/3 incredible innings of relief to lift Illinois into the Big Ten Tournament with an 8-7 victory over Michigan State in the final game of the regular season after falling behind 7-0 in the fifth inning. The win gives the Illini the No. 5 seed, meaning they will face No. 4 Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament Wednesday at 11:05 a.m. (CT) in Ann Arbor, Mich. It also marks Illinois' second 30-win season in the last three.

"You fall behind one, two, three runs, but when it's seven runs, you just never know," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. "But we found a way to keep pecking away and pecking away. The difference between today and yesterday was our guys continued to take good swings and didn't worry about the long ball. Then we got some guys on and got some pressure on them, they elevated some pitches and we got some big hits."

Illinois 8, Michigan State 7

Illinois 6, Michigan State 5

Relentless Illini Come From Behind to Down Spartans, 6-5:
Roark, Toohey Tie Records; Rohde Drives in 4

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Sophomore Tanner Roark tied the Illinois record for wins in a Big Ten season by collecting his sixth victory and senior closer Jake Toohey tied the school mark for saves in a conference season by slamming the door for the seventh time in the Illini's 6-5 comeback win over Michigan State in front of 812 fans at Illinois Field. First baseman Mike Rohde launched a three-run homer in the third inning and finished with four RBI, and centerfielder Kyle Hudson was the lone Illini with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.

"I've been extremely impressed with our guys," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said. "They went out today and just approached the game like it's another game. They went out and took care of business. We're extremely composed right now and I'm very pleased with where we are."

The Illini are now alone in fifth place, as Ohio State fell to Penn State, 3-2 in 10 innings. After Michigan defeated Iowa, 4-3 in 11 innings, Illinois is now just one game behind the Hawkeyes for fourth. The Illini need to win just one of the final three games against MSU to ensure a spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

Illinois 6, Michigan State 5

The new hoop is up!!!

Here it is - our new 72" Spalding basketball goal!!! Just installed this morning!!! Many thanks to A.J. and Brian for all their help putting it up!!!

Spalding Maximum Performance Series Arena View 72" Backboard System

How does Blago recover from this?

:-)

The newspapers (including the Wall Street Journal) are all over Gov. Rod Blagojevich for the spectacular failure of his gross receipts tax...

How does Blago recover from this?

Utah Jazz 115, Golden State Warriors 101

Utah leads this series, 3-1...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Utah Jazz sure knew how to close a great show.

When the Golden State Warriors wanted to run their pell-mell offense Sunday night, the Jazz patiently slowed the tempo. When Baron Davis attempted his usual magic tricks, Utah pulled back the curtain with dogged defense.

And when a tight game came down to the final minutes, Derek Fisher upstaged the Warriors with a shooting show of his own that put the businesslike Jazz on the edge of an unlikely stage: the Western Conference finals.

Carlos Boozer had 34 points and 12 rebounds and the Jazz handed the eighth-seeded Warriors their first home loss of the postseason, 115-101 on Sunday to put Utah up 3-1 in their second-round playoff series.

Utah Jazz 115, Golden State Warriors 101

Illini Break Out Brooms with 7-2 Win Over Indiana

The Illini are now tied for fifth place in the Big Ten with Ohio State...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Brian Long had a career day, tossing five shutout innings of near-perfect relief to lift Illinois to a sweep of Indiana with a 7-2 win. It is the Illini's first Big Ten series sweep of the season and first since the Orange and Blue took all four from Northwestern May 6-8, 2005. Illinois is now tied for fifth place in the Big Ten standings with Ohio State, 1.5 games ahead of Michigan State for the final Big Ten Tournament berth. The Spartans visit Champaign next weekend.

"As you look at what other teams did this weekend, our games were must-win," Illinois coach Dan Hartleb said, "and our guys went out and got the job done. They had great composure all weekend and came to win every day."

Illini Break Out Brooms with 7-2 Win Over Indiana

Illinois Wins Big Ten Outdoor Championship!

University Park, Pa. - The Illinois women's track & field team captured the 2007 Big Ten Outdoor Championship on Sunday afternoon, racking up an amazing 106 points during today's third and final day of competition to finish the meet with a total score of 129. Illinois and Michigan were co-champions, marking the first time in Big Ten history that there has been a tie for the women's outdoor title.

"I am so proud of our team and the way they competed across the board today," an elated head coach Gary Winckler said following the meet. "We asked an awful lot from them, there were some tough doubles and a few competed in as many as three or four - or in the case of Yvonne (Mensah), five - events during the day with not a lot of recovery time in between. We started scoring in bunches and making our move up the standings and our athletes felt that momentum and thrived on it. I'm especially happy for our seniors. They are an exceptional group that has done an outstanding job leading our team by example, and it's fitting that they go out on top in their final Big Ten meet."

This marks Illinois' 11th conference championship under Winckler, and the program's sixth outdoor title. It is also its second title in the last three years, as the Illini also won the Big Ten outdoor meet in 2005.

"It's an amazing feeling being Big Ten champions," senior Yvonne Mensah said. "We knew coming in it was going to be tough, a lot of people thought we'd be in the top three if we did well. But about halfway through today, we realized we were making a big move and that the title was in reach. Then we got excited and started talking and encouraging each other and I think that got us even more motivated."

Illinois Wins Big Ten Outdoor Championship!

Georgia on Their Mind; Illini down Michigan, 4-2, to Advance into Round of 16

URBANA, Ill. ­- The No. 10 Illinois men's tennis team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the eighth time in the last nine years as it dismissed No. 21 Michigan in the Illinois Regional final today at the Atkins Tennis Center, 4-2. The Illini, who had faced the Wolverines twice already in 2007 prior to today, used their past experiences to repeat their performance from the Big Ten Tournament where they also handed UM a 4-1 setback , that time coming in the semifinals.

If the occasion was not rich enough in excitement for the Illini already, head coach Brad Dancer celebrated his 100th career victory, his 44th here at Illinois.

Georgia on Their Mind; Illini down Michigan, 4-2, to Advance into Round of 16

House overwhelmingly rejects business tax proposal

Here's the latest from the Chicago spin doctor...

SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois House overwhelmingly rejected the idea of a massive new business tax proposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, although the governor tried to portray Thursday's vote as a positive.

Not a single lawmaker voted for the $7.6 billion tax, while 107 voted against it.

But before the vote, Blagojevich made a surprise request of lawmakers: Vote no.

He said House members should reject the resolution as a signal that they think it's too soon to take a firm position on the tax.

Lawmakers of both parties scoffed at his request, calling it an attempt to put a positive spin on what would otherwise have been a clear-cut defeat for his plan.

...

House overwhelmingly rejects business tax proposal

Utah Jazz 127, Golden State Warriors 117 (OT)

2-0, Utah... On to Oakland for Game 3...

SALT LAKE CITY -- All Derek Fisher needed to do to inspire his teammates was make it to the game.

He did so much more, capping a dramatic night by scoring all five of his points in overtime in Utah's 127-117 victory over Golden State on Wednesday night -- a game Fisher nearly missed while returning from New York, where his baby daughter underwent cancer surgery.

"I don't know how I got through this tonight. I really don't," said Fisher, who hit his only shot, a 3-pointer.

Utah Jazz 127, Golden State Warriors 117 (OT)