|
 Muller, who was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Percy
Family Hall of Fame in 2009, replaces Tim Jankovich, who resigned
from ISU a few weeks ago to accept a position at Southern Methodist.
"I stated at the beginning of this search that we were going to find
the right fit for Illinois State University. During our very
thorough process, Dan Muller emerged as that right fit," Friedman
said. "After talking with several basketball people across the
country. it was evident that Dan was the complete package, in terms
of academics, recruiting, evaluation, player development, in-game
coaching and game preparation. He also brings a strong coaching
pedigree and a love for this institution and program. We are
thrilled to have Dan back home to lead our men's basketball
program."
Muller expressed his passion for Redbird basketball.
"I'm honored to be the head coach at Illinois State, and it is great
to be back home," Muller said. "I have the fortune of coming back to
the ISU campus to lead a group (of players) with high character and
a lot coming back. I know Tim Jankovich very well, and they did a
great job with this team, so not only am I coming back to a place that I love
and a great basketball job, but to a great bunch of guys. If you put everything
together, honestly, this is the ideal situation for me." As a 12-year veteran of the Vanderbilt basketball program under
former Illinois State head coach Kevin Stallings, Muller was
regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. As
Vanderbilt's recruiting coordinator, Muller has spearheaded the
program's recruiting efforts since 2006, which were the
highest-rated recruiting classes in the history of the program.
Since 2006, the Vanderbilt men's basketball program has signed six
four-star recruits and Rivals150 prospects, in addition to
five-star recruit John Jenkins in 2009, the nation's leading high
school scorer and a Parade and Reebok All-American.
During Muller's tenure, Vanderbilt had 18 players named to the
All-SEC First Team and Second Team and a player named to the All-SEC
Defensive Team three consecutive years (2010, 2011 and 2012).
Since Muller joined the Vanderbilt staff in 2000, the staff and team
have accomplished seven 20-win seasons. Since 2003, Vanderbilt has
been recognized nationally as a top 25 team in the Associated Press
Poll for a total of 51 weeks. In 2007-08, Vanderbilt was ranked in
the AP Top 25 for the most consecutive weeks in school history.
Muller's efforts, both on and off the court, helped propel the
Commodores to being Southeastern Conference tournament champions in 2012,
the Commodores' first conference tournament championship win since
1951. In addition, Vanderbilt appeared in six NCAA tournaments,
including five in the last six seasons, and posted two Sweet 16
appearances.
In addition to his recruiting, scouting and on-court
responsibilities, Muller directed the student-athletes' academic
progress. During that time, Vanderbilt collected a 100 percent
senior graduation rate and one of the highest APRs in NCAA Division
I college basketball.
As a player, Muller guided the Redbirds to two regular-season and
Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships and four
postseason appearances, including trips to the NCAA tournament in
his final two seasons (1997 and 1998).
Muller ranks 10th in career scoring with 1,445 points, while leading
the Redbirds to a 91-37 overall record, and he still owns the school
record with 128-consecutive starts (every game of his career).
Muller was also a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was
named the MVP of the Valley tournament as a senior.
[to top of second column] |
Off the court, Muller was just as successful. He was a two-time
GTE Academic All-American and a recipient of the NCAA's
Post-Graduate Scholarship. He also was named a Bone Scholar, the
highest academic honor at ISU, and he is the only men's
basketball student-athlete to earn the award.
After playing for the Redbirds, the Lafayette, Ind., native
spent two years playing professionally, including a stint with
the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies.
Muller is a 1998 graduate of Illinois State University and
graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in organizational
leadership. He later earned his master's in business
administration from the University of Florida in 2003. He is
married to Melissa Muller and has one stepson, Sib.
What others say about Dan Muller:
Kevin Stallings, head basketball coach at Vanderbilt University
"Illinois State is getting the same thing that they got when Dan
was a player. He will do all aspects of the job extremely well.
He will bring a great energy level and a great passion to the
team and to the program, much like he brought to the teams that
he played on at Illinois State. Most of all, he brings the same
pursuit of excellence and commitment to excellence that he had
as a student-athlete, where he achieved not only the highest
level of success in the classroom by being a Bone Scholar and an
academic all-American, but also by setting several school
records, many of which he still holds, and starting every game
of his college career.
"I'm very happy for Illinois State and I'm very happy for
Dan. He's worked hard for this opportunity and I think that the fans, the
players, the program and the administration will be very, very pleased and
feel very fortunate to have him as their head coach."
Matt Painter, head basketball coach at Purdue University
"Dan Muller will do an outstanding job as head coach at
Illinois State. He's learned the game as both a player and assistant under
one of the best coaches in America in Kevin Stallings. He'll be a great
representative of his alma mater for years to come."
Roy Williams, head basketball coach at University of North
Carolina
"Dan Muller is an outstanding choice for Illinois State. He
was a great player there and will also be a great coach. He has the entire
package a head coach needs, and I'm sure the Illinois State fans will
enthusiastically welcome home one of their own."
Shaka Smart, head basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth
University
"Dan Muller has the entire package as a basketball coach. He
excels in recruiting, teaching the game, game planning and most importantly,
relationships. He will be hugely successful at Illinois State."
[Text from
news release received from Todd Kober, associate athletics
director, athletics communications, Illinois State University]
|
