Jan. 23, 2015
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois men's basketball coach John Groce announced on Friday that long-time student manager Ryan Schmidt has officially been added to the roster. Schmidt is practicing with the team and will travel and dress for Saturday's game at Minnesota.
Schmidt, who had been in his fourth year serving the Illinois program as an on-court manager, is a senior guard from Bloomington, Ill. He played varsity basketball at Central Catholic High School, where he was named team MVP as a senior in 2011. Schmidt is majoring in accounting.
Illinois has seen an unusual number of injuries to its backcourt this year. The latest player out of the lineup is junior Aaron Cosby, who suffered a retinal tear in his left eye against Indiana on Sunday and underwent a laser procedure Monday. Cosby joins guard Rayvonte Rice and Tracy Abrams on the Illini injury list.
Coach Groce has repeated the "Next Man Up" mantra following each injury, and is now looking to a manager to share that philosophy.
