April 1, 2005
By JIM O'CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Bruce Weber, who led Illinois to its winningest season, was
an overwhelming choice Friday as The Associated Press national coach of the
year.
It was just the latest reward for a spectacular season for Weber, in only
his second year at Champaign.
The Illini (36-1), who play Louisville in the national semifinals Saturday,
were ranked No. 1 the final 15 weeks of the season, and were unanimous six
times.
Only two other Illinois teams, in 1953 and 1989, were ever ranked No. 1, and
both also reached the Final Four, but neither lasted on top more than a week
during the season.
Weber received 54 votes from the 72-member national media panel that selects
the weekly AP Top 25.
Mike Krzyzewski of Duke received six votes, while Al Skinner of Boston
College had five and Lorenzo Romar of Washington had four.
Weber succeeded Bill Self at Illinois two years ago and led the Illini to
their first outright Big Ten title in 52 years in his first season.
Weber coached Southern Illinois for five seasons, compiling a 103-54 record
and leading the Salukis to the NCAA tournament twice, before the Illinois job
opened when Self moved to Kansas. Weber was an assistant for 18 seasons to
Purdue's Gene Keady, the coach of the year in 1996.
Weber's 81-year-old mother, Dawn, died suddenly the day the Illini beat
Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. He didn't miss a
game as Illinois went on to win the conference title and then won four games as
the NCAA tournament's overall No. 1 seed. The Illini reached the Final Four
with a memorable 90-89 overtime victory over Arizona, a game in which they
trailed by 15 with 4 minutes left in regulation.
Weber is the first Illinois coach to win the award and the first from the
Big Ten since Tom Izzo of Michigan State in 1998. Izzo's Spartans also reached
the Final Four this season, setting up the possibility of an all-Big Ten
national championship game.
Phil Martelli of Saint Joseph's won the award last season.
