The Morning Dish – Wednesday, June 16th
Weber May Get Extension: Illinois wants to extend coach Bruce Weber’s contract for one more year and grant him a $50,000 raise. The school’s Board of Trustees will decide whether to approve the measures this week. Weber would be under contract through 2009 and would earn a base salary of $200,000. Weber’s first season at Illinois ended in a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He had previously coached at Southern Illinois for five seasons.
Killingsworth Gone from Draft and Auburn: Auburn learned that junior forward Marco Killingsworth opted not to remain in the NBA draft this year, but he also chose not to come back to the Tigers. Killingsworth requested and received his release from Auburn Tuesday, according to new coach Jeff Lebo. He led the team with 13.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season. Killingsworth will look to finish his career at another school. He said the hiring of a new coach did not factor in his decision.
Longhorn to Austin: Texas incoming freshman LaMarcus Aldridge has withdrawn from the NBA Draft. Aldridge, a 7-foot center, started classes at Texas this month, but wanted to test his status with Draft experts. Aldridge averaged 28.9 points and 13.4 rebounds as a senior last seasosn, but a stress fracture in his back limited his postseason playing opportunities. His return give head coach Rick Barnes one of the top incoming freshmen classes in the nation.
New Illini: Illinois State’s Marcus Arnold, the second-leading scorer for the Redbirds last season, has announced that he will be transferring to Illinois. The 6-8 junior forward will hav two seasons of eligibility remaining after sitting out this 2004-05. Arnold averaged 12.3 points in 27 games, along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots.
Colorado State Hires Miller: The Colorado State Rams hired Owen Miller, a former associate coach at Texas-San Antonio, as an assistant coach. His responsibilities will include on-court coaching, recruiting and program organization and administration. He has coaching experience at Mississippi State, having served as an assistant for three seasons. A graduate of Mississippi College, Miller played there and Lamar University for his first two seasons. In high school, Miller and backcourt mate Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf helped Gulfport, Miss., High School win a state championship his senior year. Abdul-Rauf went on to LSU and the NBA.
Explorers Discover Stewart: La Salle hired Stephen Stewart as an assistant coach. The Philadelphia native returns to the City of Brotherly Love after a season coaching at Albany. He also has experience coaching at Coppin State under head coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell. A graduate of Coppin State, Stewart was a two-time MEAC Player of the Year (’94, ’95), and a MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 1993, averaging 16.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
