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Richardson served as
the Redbirds' head coach for the last four seasons and has been at
Illinois State for 10. As the head coach, the Chicago native
compiled a 56-64 overall record, including a 37-42 mark against
Missouri Valley Conference opponents.
The Redbirds ended
their season with a 75-63 loss to Southern Illinois in the
quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The loss gave the Birds
an 8-21 record for the season -- only the fourth losing mark in
Illinois State's 33 years of Division I basketball and the second
under the Richardson regime. In his second season, Richardson led
the Birds to the National Invitation Tournament, the only postseason
appearance in four seasons.
“It's very unfortunate, but his program
is not where it should be in Tom's tenure as a head coach,”
Weisenburger said. “I feel we are still plugging holes, and that's
not what I expected to still be doing at the end of the season.”
“This past season was very
disappointing,” Weisenburger added. “I was hoping that we were going
to be able to establish the qualities that are needed in a team with
championship aspirations. When we weren't able to establish those
qualities, then I knew it was time for a change. I kept waiting for
us to gel and it never happened. We couldn't wait any longer.
“The search process to find our new
head coach will begin immediately."
[to top of second column in this article] |
 Illinois State's 16th
head coach, Richardson ranks 10th in school history for wins and is
only the third coach to end his tenure with a losing record. The
last was Don Karnes, who coached from 1926-27.
Richardson was only
the second assistant coach to be promoted to head coach since
Illinois State became a Division I program. He previously served six
seasons as an aide to Kevin Stallings.
Under Stallings,
Richardson and the Redbirds posted one of the most successful eras
in school history. The team went 123-63, with two Missouri Valley
Conference regular-season titles, two postseason conference
tournament crowns, two trips to the NCAA Tournament and two to the
NIT.
Before coming to
Illinois State, Richardson was 193-146 in 13 seasons as the head
coach at Nazareth Academy High School in LaGrange. He served as
Nazareth's athletics director from 1989-93 and was the Illinois
Basketball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year in 1984
and 1991.
Richardson began his coaching career at
his high school alma mater, Marist, in Chicago, where he was an
assistant from 1977-79.
[Todd Kober, director of
media relations,
Illinois State University] |
|
But this story is about Brian Cook.
Talk about a kid who did it right. First of all, he took care of
business in high school. He even told us before his senior year in
Lincoln that he was a little bored and was probably ready for Big
Ten ball. I wish when we were bored we could lead our school to the
IHSA Elite Eight just for something to do! For his efforts he was
crowned Mr. Basketball in Illinois, which is no small accomplishment
for ANY downstate player.
He followed that up with a nice showing
in the McDonald's all-American game. There everyone was talking
about the Duke players and virtually everyone else but Cook. They
were in for a big surprise. It's worth noting here that several of
us were not one bit surprised. If you ever watched some of the
things that Cook could do in practice, you knew from the start that
this kid would some day be a very rich man toting his wares for,
hopefully, a close by NBA team.
As Cook was making his final
preparations to attend Illinois, he was still legally able to make
official visits to at least six other schools that knew HE was the
franchise. We enjoyed talking to him about those options, but we
were also very glad when he decided NOT to make those visits! And
the rest, as they say, is history.
How 'bout leaving this legacy for any
Illini to follow? He was selected Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He
made coaches and media all-Big Ten squads his sophomore and junior
years. And we think he might squeak in on some of those all-star
teams again this year. Unless he is robbed, which could happen, as
NOTHING that happens in the Big 10 surprises us, he should walk away
with player of the year honors. He will probably make and deserves
to be on several all-American teams. He might even win a few senior
awards and at least has a shot at some national player of the year
awards.
Here's a stat for you… What college has
the best home-court winning percentage over the last four years? How
'bout Brian Cook's Illini with a 50-2 mark during his career! With
his 22 points yesterday, he becomes the first Illini player since
Kendall Gill in 1990 to average 20 or more points in league games
and the first to lead the league in scoring since Gill did it that
same season. Whenever he scores his next point, he will amazingly be
tied for fifth place on Illinois' all-time scoring list! That is a
feat that we find just incredible. He will leave Champaign-Urbana
seventh on the career rebounding chart. He will also have claimed
fourth place on the blocked-shots list.
He had no idea how important those last
two buckets were on Sunday to these individual records. We're guessing
that someone on the bench knew, but he and Self had already gotten
what they came to get… the "W."
This is a more important factor when
considering Cook's legacy. He should've broken every record! On a
great, smart team, teammates would've realized that sacrificing some
personal glory to get the ball in the hands of the guy who can take
us to the dance would probably have been a good idea. But Cook
didn't pout. He didn't demand the ball and take the glory away from
guys like Williams, Johnson, Griffin or McClain. He didn't sulk that
the offense that should've gone through him oftentimes froze him
completely out. And furthermore, those teammates probably didn't
even realize how much better the Illini could've been! For instance,
how far do you think they could've gone had they played with the
energy that THIS year's team played with? At least one trip, maybe
two, to the final weekend?
[to top of second column in this
article] |
[photos by Tom Seggelke]
But if you just look at numbers,
figures and stats as a basis for your opinion on Brian Cook, you
will have missed the most compelling aspects of his presence and his
nature. And that is the person of Brian Cook. As hard as it will be
to replace his numbers, it will be even harder to replace his
persona, his charisma and his personhood. Brian has been a
tremendous representative of Lincoln to not only the UIUC campus and
the Big Ten but to the nation as well.
Several of our friends who got to see
the Illini when we didn't said that Cook ALWAYS stayed around to
sign autographs and take pictures with kids. It's easy to do that
when you win; he did it many times when we lost! He is the kind of
kid that you would want hangin' around your kids -- not because of
his celebrity status but because he is so fun to be around and hang
out with.
His mother, Joyce, has done an
excellent job raising this young man through extraordinary
circumstances. We're here to tell you that they're due EVERYTHING
that may soon come their way. Through it all this kid has remained
polite, good-natured and a tribute to his community upbringing.
We will miss seeing Lincoln or Illinois
stamped across his chest, but it will ALWAYS be stamped on his
heart. Why? Because he's one of us; albeit, a little taller and
maybe a little more talented at least in this arena.
His coaches should also be commended
for the way they molded him for his future. His Lincoln junior high
coaches and several even before got him off to a good start.
Then there are Neil and Denise
Alexander. When he wasn't at home, he was probably with Gregg at the
Alexanders' house. Probably why yesterday was a bittersweet time for
them as well. Do you have ANY idea how much those kids eat? Or how
many summer games, practices and trips these people took him to? It
is a staggering number. We think it is safe to say that coach Al may
have filled that father role for Brain on several occasions. We know
a lot of kids who haven't fared nearly as well. And from what we can
tell it was a mutually beneficial relationship. We do know that
Brian wouldn't be nearly as far along as he is without the
Alexanders' influence on his life on or off the court!
Then there was coach Kruger and his
staff, especially assistant coach Rob Judson. They went to great
lengths to recruit Brian, but we always felt that they treated the
Lincoln coaches and Brian with great respect and dignity. Lon's
quiet confidence was helpful in Brian's early development. Lon
protected Brian and knew that he would need time to learn the Big
Ten game. He didn't throw him to the wolves until it was really
necessary.
Though it was a shock and a huge
disappointment when Kruger left, NO ONE could have foreseen what
Bill Self would add to the equation. He didn't baby or pamper Brian;
he toughened him up. And before this campaign got under way, Self
placed the huge burden of leadership squarely on Cook's shoulders.
And Brian Cook delivered! As a matter of fact he delivered in a way
that shocked many of the doubters and skeptics. If you know Brian
well, YOU probably weren't surprised.
We were
going to make this a REALLY long column. We were going to show
conclusive proof and evidence, because it does exist, on why Brian
Cook is one of THE most CONSISTENT Illini players ever! But we're
just going to let Brian's walk be his talk. We are going to say
this: Thanks Brian for representing us all so well -- more off the
court than on it. Good luck in both remaining tournaments. And
always remember that no matter where you go or what you do, we are
proud of you!
Your friends in Lincoln
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The first clinic will focus on offense
and defense and will be offered twice, June 9-12 and June 23-26. All
sessions will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and the clinic is open to all
youths ages 11-17. Cost of the clinic is $100.
The second clinic will emphasize the
fundamentals of pitching and catching and will take place June 9-12.
The pitching and catching clinic will be open to youths ages 9-17
and will run from 1 to 3 p.m. Cost for this clinic is $100.
The third baseball clinic offered at
Illinois State in June will be a developmental clinic. It is
designed to instruct younger children the fundamentals of baseball.
This clinic will be offered on June 16-19 from 9 a.m. to noon and is
available for children ages 6-10. Cost for the developmental clinic
is $100.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Participants in any of the three
clinics will receive a Redbird Baseball Clinic T-shirt and an
in-depth take-home evaluation upon completion.
For further information regarding any
of these three clinics, please contact Seth Kenny, assistant
baseball coach at Illinois State, at (309) 438-3338 or
sakenny@ilstu.edu.
Registration forms
are available online from the baseball page of the
Illinois State athletics
website.
[To download the Adobe Acrobat reader
for the registration file,
click
here.]
[Rob Huizenga, athletics media relations,
Illinois State University] |
